Gaston Glock (1929-2023), founder of Glock Ges. m.b.H. (GLOCK, Glock, Inc. in the United States (U.S.)) died on December 27, 2023 at the age of 94. I never met Gaston Glock in person, but I’ve often felt his secondhand influence as a gun owner, competitor, and author. Though not everyone is a fan of the Glock handguns, it is hard to argue the impact that Gaston Glock had on making striker-fire and polymer handguns dominant.
There are a few names that, through their companies and/or inventions, continue to resonate to this day. These include Samuel Colt (1814-1862), John Browning (1855-1926), Eugene Stoner (1922-1997), and Mikhail Kalashnikov (1919-2013). There is little question that Gaston Glock will be remembered similarly.
Gaston Glock 1929-2023
Gaston Glock was born in Vienna, Austria on July 19, 1929, and became an engineer after World War II. In his early career, he focused on plastic and metal products, including curtain rods and knives for the Austrian military. At the age of 52, Glock turned his attention to handguns, applying for an Austrian patent for the Glock 17 in 1981 in response to a procurement request by the Austrian Military for a new handgun. The procurement had 17 requirements, which the brand-new Glock 17 (named such for being Gaston Glock’s 17 patent) met and due to the use of polymers, the G17 was the most cost-effective candidate. The Glock 17 became the handgun of the Austrian military in 1982.
After seeing success in the Austrian armed forces, the Glock 17 became the standard NATO sidearm in the late 1980s. The Glock’s dominance in U.S. policing began in the mid-1980s, including the adoption by the New York City police department and multiple federal agencies.
From the original full-frame Glock 17 in 9mm, GLOCK has expanded its handgun offerings to pocket, sub-compact, slim-line, compact, full-frame, and extended barrel models ranging in chamberings to include .22LR, .380 Auto, 9mm, .357 Sig, .40 S&W, .45 GAP, .45 APC, and 10mm. Additionally, Glock has become synonymous with handguns in popular vernacular (much like Kleenex and tissues).
Gaston lived a full life, was married twice, and leaves behind three children. His current wife, Kathrin Glock, oversees the highly successful Glock Horse Performance Center in Europe and is a board member of Glock.
Personal Reflections
I thought it appropriate to share some personal reflections on how Gaston Glock and Glock pistols have impacted the lives of others. What follows is first my own reflections, followed by those shared with me by others since his passing.
As with many of us whose experiences with handguns predate the release of the first Glock, I was not impressed with the initial release of the Glock 17 to the U.S. in the 1980s. It looked plastic (cheap), black, and blocky. I did not doubt the advantages of the Glock, I just liked other guns more. Though I had many exposures to Glock over the years, my conversion did not start until the release of Gen 4 models. This coincided with a large increase in the amount of training, instructing, and competing that I was doing. Suddenly, I was considering reliability in terms of thousands of rounds, not hundreds. I was being asked for recommendations for an affordable and reliable self-defense gun. And finally, I was becoming aware of just how much Glock supported their products and the shooting sports (GSSF) in general.
Also, like many who originally questioned that blocky black Glock in the 1980’s I have come to rely, carry, and own Glocks over all other guns. My competition guns are Glocks, my carry guns are primarily Glocks, and my general recommendation to most students is a Glock. There is little question Gaston Glock revolutionized the handgun market with the Glock 17 and that impact continues to this day.
— Joel N., Training Director Indy Arms Company, Indiana
In the dynamic landscape of firearms, Gaston Glock stands as a visionary whose creativity, innovation, and unyielding ambition have left an indelible mark. Personally, I admire Glock not just for his contributions to the industry but for the audacity to reimagine the very essence of handguns.
Glock’s pioneering introduction of polymer-framed pistols, particularly the Glock series, marked a departure from tradition. The lightweight yet robust design revolutionized the industry, enhancing reliability and reshaping how we perceive handguns. It’s not just about the tools; it’s about Glock’s unwavering commitment to pushing boundaries and transforming the ordinary into extraordinary. His legacy lives on, a testament to the power of imagination and the impact of those willing to challenge the status quo in pursuit of innovation.
— Mitch E., American Firearms Training Academy, New York, USA
A revolver shooter since the mid-1980s, in 2012 I transitioned to semi-automatics with the help of a Glock 19. Informally trained to that point, I was confused by the “buttons and switches” on what I later learned were 1911 pistols. Hearing my wish for something that I could just point and shoot, my husband asked why I didn’t just look at a Glock. A decade later, Glock pistols number highest in my safe and have been used for multiple State carry qualifications and instructor training; on the range with women seeking insights for their self-defense; and just for the enjoyment of target shooting. I am beyond grateful to the Austrian engineer who developed the safe, reliable handguns I carry daily and trust implicitly. Glock perfection, indeed.
— Melonie K., Author & Firearms Instructor, Arizona, USA
I first laid eyes on a Glock 17 at a major gun show in 1986, shortly after Glock arrived in America. My first impression (as a devotee of the 1911 and Browning Hi-Power) was that this new Glock was the butt-ugliest handgun I had ever seen. I didn’t have a chance to shoot a Glock until a few months later, during an intensive team exercise in a John Farnam pistol class. My standard-capacity auto-loader and my backup gun had both run dry. I pulled out my Spyderco, and said to my teammate, “Well, I’ve got my knife.” He grinned, handed me his Glock 17 (with almost a full magazine left), and drew his backup. I pointed the Glock at the first target that popped up, hit it, and hit every single target I aimed at after that. We finished the drill. I fell in love with Glock right then and there.
Almost 40 years later I have carried Glocks (the 21, 22, 23, 19, and 43) through 3 ½ decades of police work, competed exclusively with Glocks, and trained dozens of departments, thousands of officers, and hundreds of civilians with Glocks. The Glock pistol came to define my relationship with the modern handgun. It also redefined what that modern handgun was to an entire generation of shooters – civilian, law enforcement, and military.
Back in the mid-nineties, the legendary Louis Awerbuck noted that in the entire history of auto-loading handguns, just three basic designs had dominated the market to the extent that they had each been produced in the millions – the 1911, the Browning Hi-Power, and the Glock pistol. And at that time Glock had only been at it for a dozen years. Now, at the time of Gaston Glock’s passing, four decades of technical evolution have given us a broad range of striker-fired, polymer-framed defensive handguns to choose from, many of them very good. But it’s worth noting that almost all of them can trace their lineage back to Gaston Glock’s revolutionary creation.
—Tony G., Captain, Homecroft Police Department, Indiana, USA
