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The .40 S&W is not just a flash in the pan as some writers called it when it first came out in the late ’80’s. It is the mainstay of American law enforcement, and may even see some favor in our Spec Ops community. In both the law enforcement and civilian market, the Glock is king of the .40 heap. There is not an agency in my county, and likely my state, that doesn’t at least allow for the Glock. Moreover, the gun that seems to go the fastest right now in the gun stores is, you guessed it, the Glock. Is it any wonder why Glock is backordered around one million guns.

Glock has the luxury of being able to sell pretty much as many guns as they can make, but they still have a finely tuned ear to consumers and LE in order to figure out exactly what is the next Glock that will make you happy. This G30s is a compact .45ACP with a 10 round magazine and slightly thinner grip, and the unique feature is that they have put a G36 slide on it, making it thinner and easier to conceal. They can use the thinner slide because the .45ACP is not a particularly high pressure cartridge. It was designed just after the turn of the last century and is known as the ultimate manstopper in a handgun. A lot of us prefer to carry it, but the guns can be bulky. This new G30s reduces the footprint of Glock’s 10 round 45ACP gun, making it a great choice for concealed carry. Glock also has a few new Gen 4 guns this year, and they hope to release this 30s in Gen 4 as well as the G36.

As a Range Instructor for a medium sized department, I soon learned that shooters come in various shapes, sizes, experiences, and abilities. One aspect we found, was that many of our smaller stature officers, who happened to be female, struggled to use the department issue gun, a Glock 22 or 23 in .40 S&W. These days we have the Gen 4 Glocks with interchangeable backstraps, and 17 year old Team Glock member Tori Nonaka is shooting double stack Glocks in competition. This is a bit of an overview, and a short interview with Tori.

At SHOT Show 2012 a little while back we got a brief look at the Gen 4 version of the Glock 21. Fortunately for me, I had just purchased a new Gen 4 G21 just a few days prior to the show, and we can now get a change to look at it from a more “hands on” point of view.

This is one of the brands in the Lyman family of products, Pachmayr, perhaps the most recognized name in aftermarket grips. The Pachmayr Grip Glove is an aftermarket grip company’s answer to the one piece polymer grip, one that you wouldn’t think would be a candidate for aftermarket grips. The plastic on a lot of the new polymer pistols is slippery, and even the ones that are as slippery are going to leave a lot of people wanting for something more substantial to grap onto. The ruberized grip sleeve has been around for a while to fill this purpose, but many of them tend to twist and turn as you shoot the gun. We have not had any of these in for review yet, but in general, if there is going to be one grip sleeve that doesn’t do this, it will be a Pachmayr, and we hope to follow up with them and get some review product in soon. Note that the models are gun specific, so they will be much likely to be ergonomically friendly than a “one size fits all” kind of thing. This video introduces three new models into the line, for the Smith & Wesson Bodygaurd, Ruger LC9 and Glock subcompact models.

OK, if you’ve read some of my earlier articles, you’ll know I’m a pretty stout Glock fan. I’ve carried one or another Glock pistol almost consistently since 1991. So when Glock came to SHOT, I couldn’t wait to get to their booth and see what was up for this year…
I found Glock’s pretty huge chunk of real estate in SHOT and there took a look at their latest and greatest. For this year, the Gen 4 marches on in two new models, the Glock 21 in .45 ACP, and the Glock 32 in .357 Sig.

Well, we’ve all seen the commotion about Glock’s new “Gen 4” version of their line of pistols. Some like it, some, well let’s just say aren’t jumping for joy. That shouldn’t be a surprise. Whenever a tried and true model gets an update, everyone wants to know how you improve on something that already works pretty well as is.

If you have an earlier model, we need to ask ourselves, “In today’s economy, is this really worth putting my hard earned money into?”

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Introduced in 2000, the Glock 36 is a thinner version of the Glock 30 subcompact 45 ACP pistol. Instead of the thick grip and slide that were made to accommodate not just the .45 ACP, but the much more powerful 10mm – both with double stack magazine so common in Glocks, the Austrians did something different. A single stack magazine holds six rounds – comparable to an Officer’s Size Colt, which is similar to the size of the 36 and a much slimmer slide and frame. This lets them make a slim pistol – in fact the G36 is thinner than any other Glock.

This is a CCW dream come true. The reliability of a Glock, in a package the size of a small 1911, using the potent .45 ACP cartridge. With its nearly indestructible Tennifer finish it’s easily carried anywhere, whether an ankle, an IWB holster, or wherever and in the harshest of environments. I thought this gun was immediately destined for greatness.

What is odd, the G36 isn’t the madly popular gun I expected. They are a “love it or hate it” gun. Either you love the characteristics and the handling of it, or you don’t. There really isn’t too much opinion in between. I recently spoke with a local gun shop clerk who noted the same thing; he was just amazed that the gun wasn’t far more popular. For those with small hands, who I hear often complain about the thick grips of the Glocks in 45, why weren’t they snapping these up?

For me, the gun made a lot sense, so I recently purchased one to evaluate as a CCW. I was immediately thankful for the slim grip, and easily concealable package. I also bought a third magazine and two Pierce +1 extensions as well as a +0 floorplate for one magazine to aid in concealment. I also added a single Glock night sight for the front sight of the gun, since this is a close-in gun, not something I plan for target shooting, but more on that later.

Carrying the Glock 36 was very easy, especially with the +0 floorplate. It was comfortable to carry, either in an Inside the Waistband holster, a standard belt scabbard, or paddle holster. I used a Fobus and Blackhawk Serpa holster most often, and the gun melted into my side. I cannot usually carry a semi auto that I conceal with only a T-Shirt over my jeans. The 36 was flat enough to do the trick. All day carry was never a problem, with no sharp edges to scratch you or tear up you clothes. It was far lighter than my Colt Commander, and felt much smaller. All the way around this pistol is a solid CCW choice for those who like the Glock.

I am of the school that today’s modern Glock is the absolute “perfect” pistol. Let’s face it, the Glock is today’s police service weapon of choice, with more agencies carrying it than any other weapon. Above that, it is a top choice for civilian shooters. It is simple, reliable, and pretty much idiot proof as it comes right out of the box. As for me, the Glock passes my personal test for a combat weapon: draw, pull trigger, gun goes “bang”, bullet comes out (the correct end of course) and with proper aiming, the bullet hits bad guy. The Glock does this with stone cold reliability, every time.