Best Glock Pistols: Contrasted & Compared

Glock, Glock, Glock. For some people, it’s all about Glock. This company changed the handgun game. They didn’t produce the first polymer frame, striker-fired pistol, but they did produce the first successful model of one. They changed things up, and they went from the outcasts with a radical idea to the mainstay of firearm design. They’re solid designs – but which are the best Glocks, and for what?

What’s the top Glock pistol?

That is an excellent question! There are vast numbers of these guns out there, but their nomenclature is confusing as hell…to put it mildly.

Luckily, you found us!  We’ve looked at all the top Glock models on the market and put together a handy dandy guide for ya. You’re welcome!

(Modern) History of Glock

Police, military, and security professionals from around 50 countries count on a Glock pistol. This includes U.S. LE/military and innumerable concealed carriers like you and I. 

It all started, the story goes, because Gaston Glock (GG) overheard two military officers discussing the replacement of the Walther P38. 

The first Glock handgun was the G17, released in the early 80s; it was very unusual then. Not the polymer, striker-fired Genus is everywhere, with a vast aftermarket to support it.

Why are Glocks so popular?

This is (literally) a million-dollar question. What did Glock do to make its pistols dominate the market? It’s a multifaceted answer. 

First and foremost, it checks all the boxes. A Glock pistol is reliable and accurate and has acceptable recoil, satisfactory triggers, and exceptional capacity. The polymer frames reduce both weight and price. 

This brings us to our second point. Glocks are affordable. Their price tends to keep bean counters thoroughly pleased.

Here’s something in their favor: they are ridiculously simple. Any Glock model (and, for that matter, any Glock gen) can be broken down with nothing more than a simple punch. This makes maintenance easy and helps make them modular. Users can swap triggers, and firing pins, add or aftermarket sights, night sights or optics, and compensators, whatever, without needing a gunsmith.

Those three things are the most practical answers; effective marketing and name recognition are two more.

Best Glock Reviews

Top Models By Purpose

Most versatile G19		Chambered in 9x19mm Suitable for multiple roles Railed for attachments Very easy to shoot	Check Price
Best for Duty G17		Carried by many Law Enforcement agencies and Militaries across the world Chambered in 9mm Controllable with a large capacity	Check Price
Best for Competition G34		Chambered in 9x19mm Easy to handle and control Long slide helps with accuracy Not great for concealed carry unless you’re Hodor	Check Price
Best for hunting G40		Chambered in 10mm Auto Not to be confused with G22/23/24/27/35, which are .40 cal Lots of horsepower: Danish Slædepatruljen carries in case of polar bears	Check Price
Best Slimline G48		Easy to conceal Shorter trigger distance Built-in beaver tail Glock Marksman Barrel	Check Price
Best to Suppress G21		.45 ACP is a good caliber to suppress Has octagonal polygonal rifling Good capacity of a large bore cartridge	Check Price
Easiest to Conceal G42		Easy to carry Easy to conceal Not a great capacity	Check Price
Most fun G44		Perfect for new shooters Great training gun 22LR is just fun	Check price

Best Glock Specs

Here is a spec comparison of all the Glocks discussed here:

Top Glock Pistol Rundown

• Most versatile: Glock 19
• Best for duty: Glock 17
• Best for competition: Glock 34
• Best for hunting: Glock 40
• Best slimline: Glock 48
• Best to suppress: Glock 21
• Easiest to conceal: Glock 42
• Most fun: Glock 44

Glock 19 Review

If GG’s company had a flagship, it would have to be the G19. It’s arguably the most popular Glock variant and crosses numerous lines in the handgun use world. I’d argue that’s because it’s pretty much the just-right size for numerous tasks. That’s saying something since Glocks overall are pretty utilitarian.

It’s big enough to manage easily, will take a WML and very extended magazines, but small enough for concealed carry.

The standard barrel length of a Glock 19 is 4.02 inches, grip length is sufficient for big hands without overwhelming smaller ones, and additional models (like the G19X and the 19 Canadian) help make it the best example of a Goldilocks production gun I can think of: just right in size, shootability, and concealability.

There’s a reason so many people shoot a G19 better than whatever they were struggling with before getting one – as witnessed over and over during professional qualification courses!

G19 Pros and Cons

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Glock 17 Review

The Glock 17 is where it all started for Gaston Glock in the early 1980s. Glock’s first handgun was the G17, developed in only a couple of months to compete for the Austrian Armed Forces new service pistol. This new design out competed designs from well known companies like Sig Sauer, Beretta, Browning, and HK.

While the Glock 19 might be the most versatile, the Glock 17 is what you want for duty carry. The Glock 17 has a 4.5″ barrel, that is 0.5 inches longer than the G19. This extra barrel length will help get the most out of the 9mm round. An additional benefit from the longer barrel is longer sight radius. A longer sight radius can help improve accuracy.

With a flush fit magazine, it will also provide 2 more rounds than the Glock 19. If you have average to large hands, you wont have your grip hanging off the edge of the full size frame of the Glock 17. This will provide extra control over the firearm for rapid and controlled follow up shots. When it comes to handguns, getting more than one hit on target is important.

With a high quality weapon mounted light, the Glock 17 really shines for duty. Top it off with a red dot sight and you are ready for patrol or home defense. There is a reason why the Glock 17 is trusted by many law enforcement agencies and militaries across the world. For a deeper dive, read our full review on the Glock 17.

G17 Pros and Cons

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Glock 34 Review

On the flip side of the Glock 19 sits the Glock 34. Why go compact when you can go extra long?

If you’re looking for length (in 9mm), you go Glock 34. It’s a full size frame with a 5.31-inch barrel (bbl). The idea was to produce a gun with a longer slide and bbl for competition purposes – but the same attributes that make it attractive to competitive shooters make it appealing as a duty pistol.

The Glock 34 offers a longer sight radius. Sight radius is the measurement between the front and rear sights. This makes the weapon easier to shoot accurately, especially at longer ranges. The longer barrel also adds more weight to the gun, much of it toward the front. That forward weight mitigates muzzle rise and felt recoil. 

A bigger gun that’s easier to control, easier to shoot accurately, and offers Glock’s famed reliability and simplicity? Sign me up.

The G34 is a sweet shooter and makes a great carry gun “on duty.” Concealing it, however, will be problematic for most people.

G34 Pros and Cons

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Glock 40 Review

Since we’re on the subject of big guns, let’s talk about the Glock 40. The G40’s a long-slide like the G34. This model goes a little longer, coming in at at 6.02 inches. The Glock 40 chambers the beastly 10mm round. It’s huge, heavy, and one of the most versatile guns on the planet – for those who can drive it effectively.

This G19 is good for competition (particularly at distance) and is also an awesome hunting weapon. The 10mm round can be used to take everything from coyotes and deer to large hogs. While I personally wouldn’t hunt bears with the Glock 40, it’s definitely a top pistol choice to defend against one.

The longer barrel allows you to shoot more accurately, and the 10mm shoots pretty flat already. Compared to other calibers/models, the G40/G40MOS are far easier to take out past 100 yards.

The increased length also maximizes velocity to get you more penetration, expansion, and energy on target. This makes the Glock 40 one of the rare guns I’d call a ‘field’ pistol. It’s still a step below a rifle but is definitely superior to other pistol calibers.

 

G40 10mm Pros and Cons

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Glock 48 Review

The Glock 48 is a part of their slimline series and is essentially a single-stack Glock 19. The gun is much thinner than the Glock 19 and seemingly much easier to conceal, especially in an IWB configuration. It’s great for concealed carry.

The Glock 48 holds ten rounds in a single stack magazine; its capacity isn’t impressive, but that’s not a deal-breaker. The thinner design helps make it easier to conceal but also makes it easy to shoot. The hand-filling grip makes it easy to maintain total control over the gun, even if you have big ole mitts.

A MOS option and accessory rail allow you to accessorize it like a full-size gun while keeping it small enough to hide away.

Want to know more? Read our full Glock 48 review.

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Glock 21 Review

This is America. We love the John Browning-designed, two World-War-winning .45 ACP cartridge and the guns that chamber it.

Glock realized this and produced a modern .45 that is tough to beat.

If you want to carry the 45 ACP, I think the Glock 21 reigns supreme. It’s not only the best 45 ACP Glock, it’s prob’ly the best 45 handgun available. That’s mostly because ole GG and crew found a way to fit 13 rounds of .45 in a flush-fitting magazine. That’s a lot of 230-grain goodness to have stacked up.

Such a single stack only gives you eight rounds or so. If a company does produce a double stack 45, usually it’ll be a 10-round magazine. But ole GG and crew found a way to fit 13 rounds of .45 in a flush-fitting magazine for the full-sized Glock 21. hat’s a lot of 230-grain pills to have in your corner. 

GG’s designers also factored in the larger size of the 45 ACP projectile and equipped the G21 with octagonal polygonal rifling. This is a superior choice for large projectiles compared to the hexagonal rifling they use for other guns. The octagonal rifling provides a better gas seal, which helps maximize the round’s efficiency and speed. 

The G21 is very easy to control despite shooting the .45 cartridge. The recoil isn’t punishing, and it tends to be one of the better-shooting .45s available. Sometimes the good ole 45 ACP deserves a chance.

If you want a suppressed Glock, the subsonic nature of common 45 ACP loads makes it a solid choice for quieter range days. 

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Glock 42 Review

The Glock 42 is a little single-stack .380 ACP designed to be as concealable as possible. It’s an itty bitty Glock. It’s one of the easiest to carry Glocks and one of the best pocket .380s to be had at all.

Unlike other pocket-sized .380s, the Glock 42 doesn’t use a heavy recoiling direct blowback design. Instead, Glock uses a locked breech with a Browning-style tilting barrel. This results in less recoil, which is damn nice to have in such a small gun. The Glock 42 also breaks the mold by featuring real sights rather than the little ones you usually find on a pocket pistol.

Another thing I like about the G42 is its small beaver tail. That feature prevents the little slide from digging into your hand and breaking the skin. 

Glock’s pocket pistol delivers something highly reliable that disappears in any kind of clothing. Sure, it’s not a great fighting pistol if you’re going to war, but for the daily grind, it fits just right. Shooting it can be a snappy challenge, though, so training is important.

The GG42 is the tiniest of Glocks and the only .380 ACP Glock available to US buyers. Previous designs proved to be difficult to import, so the Glock 42 was built right here in the United States. It might be a little snappy, but it’s tough to beat this level of reliability in your pocket. 

Read our full Glock 42 review.

G42 Pros and Cons

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Glock 44 Review

Finally, let’s leave with the little guy – I don’t mean size-wise, either. I’m talking caliber-wise.

The Glock 44 is chambered in .22LR. It’s Glockish-sized but trimmed up here and there. GG’s crew took their time producing a .22LR version of their guns. I guess they finally got tired of everyone producing their conversions and wanted a piece of the pie. 

The Glock 44 had some failure to launch, but these days it’s proven itself to be one of the nicer plinking pistols on the market. It’s aimed to be a training pistol for the other Glock handguns and works very well as a training pistol. It’s also just downright fun. The G44 will bring a smile to your face every time you pull the trigger. 

This is a simple straight blowback pistol. It’s not fancy, but it’s effective and very easy to use with a suppressor. It’s a super reliable and fairly quiet handgun already; throw a can on there, and it’s ridiculously more so.

The Glock 44 isn’t a finicky eater. It tends to run well with even high-quality subsonic ammo. The light recoil, low concussion, and reliable design make it a fun pistol for shooters of all ages and experience levels. 

At only 12 ounces, it’s not too heavy for even young shooters who want to learn how to shoot safely and enjoy. The Glock 44 is a great plinker and offers an affordable training option for Glock owners.

Plinksters! Check out our Glock 44 review why don’t ya?

G44 Pros and Cons

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Recommended Reading

• If you want to learn more about firearm basics, start with Gun 101.
• Learn more about Glock night sights.
• What every gun owner needs to know about self-defense law.
• Glocks: what breaks and how to fix it.