While previous incarnations of the Glock 17 have all been outstanding firearms in their own right, Glock has made multiple significant improvements with the Glock 17 Gen 5.
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Table of contents
Introduction and history
As one of the most popular handguns ever, the Glock series of pistols (and in particular the progenitor of them all- the model 17) have served dozens of militaries in wars around the world, as well as in countless armed encounters involving both police departments, criminals and common civilians alike for decades, and have built their reputation on their continuously excellent run as the handgun of choice for so many ever since their initial creation.
The poly-striker king of kings was born as the inevitable result of a familiar story- a request by a military for a new weapon to equip its troops with. In this case, it was the Austrians.
Towards the end of the 70's, the Austrian military was facing a modernization crisis of sorts. While they had military equipment on par with other developed nations, many of their weapons where by then decades old and becoming obsolete, and they needed new weapons for the modern era as firearm technology had evolved rapidly over the previous decade or so.
At the time, the standard sidearm of the Austrian military was the WW2-era Walther P38 (which was a fantastic weapon in its own right), but it was nonetheless badly outdated- it's small magazine capacity of only 8 rounds was vastly inadequate for military duty and combined with the fact many where at the end of their service lives, they needed to be replaced very soon.
By 1980, Austrian military officials were at their breaking point on the issue, and formally requested a pistol capable of meeting 17 strict criteria. These included being a self-loading pistol, a pistol deemed safe from accidental discharge, and a weapon that could fire at least 15,000 rounds without maintenance.
The Austrian firm Glock took note and quickly assembled a team to design the new pistol, recruiting some of the era's top experts from military, police and sport shooting institutions in the process. It took them less than three months to develop a workable concept, and after some additional work, by early 1982 they were ready to submit their prototype pistols for trials.
The Glock pistol- named the model 17- not only passed the trials laid out before it, but according to the former head of the Austrian Armaments and Defense Technology Agency, it was the most successful pistol put through the trials by far.
From there, it exploded- all over Europe and beyond, militaries and police agencies found their attention firmly fixed on the Glock 17. After Austria, Norway was one of the next countries to adopt the pistol for its military in 1985, where it again blew away it's competition in the trials set for it. It's neighbor Sweden followed shortly thereafter, and eventually, it spread throughout Europe and by 1992- only a decade after its inception- over 350,000 pistols where in service in 45 countries across the world.
In the U.S alone, a quarter million were sold by this time, and it had even found its way into pop culture- including music and movies- which further added to its notoriety and fame.
Today- more than 30 years later- it's more popular than ever. It's evolved, of course- 5 generations with minor upgrades and redesigns have been introduced over the decades, each better than the last.
The latest generation of the Glock 17 is no exception. It continues the trend of further improving an already fantastic pistol, and it thus deserves its own article.
What specifically makes it so great? Read on to find out!
Glock 17 Gen 5 hands-on experience: Functions, features, shooting, and more
How it feels
One thing I have always loved about Glock pistols is how natural and ergonomic they feel- the grip is angled perfectly, and the gun's polymer frame makes for a very comfortable pistol to hold and carry.
It's quite light, however- in fact, it's so light it almost feels like a pellet gun rather than an actual firearm, but it nonetheless is pleasant and enjoyable even just to hold.
External controls
Another major plus about the Glock 17 Gen 5 is its pure simplicity. As far as handguns go, you can't really beat a poly-striker design for this feature. To fire, there's no safety you have to disengage- you simply put in a magazine, rack the slide and pull the trigger.
The biggest plus of this system is it makes for a gun that can easily be unholstered and fired in a flash, while also having a consistent trigger pull. The downside is that this means you have to be extra-careful around the trigger- as long as there is a round in the chamber, if is pulled, the gun will go bang. You do not want to ever accidently fire a gun, so if the lack of a safety bothers you, you might want to find something else.
Moving beyond these features, the magazine release is a bit large, but it is conveniently placed and is easy to actuate. You shouldn't have any problems with it unless you accidently press it and drop out the magazine before you're ready.
The slide release is the only real thing about this gun's controls that I could see bothering someone- it's small and has a low enough profile that using it could be a bit challenging to operate if you have weak fingers, but for probably 95% of adults it should be perfectly fine.
Notable features
Compared to the previous generation, the Gen 5 has some improvements, although a reminder that it is still largely the same gun as its predecessor.
One of the biggest improvements is the grip. Unlike the previous model, there are no finger grooves on the Gen 5. This was particularly bothersome on the Gen 4 Glock 19, but it also wasn't super great on the 17 either, in my opinion.
Moving beyond that, it has all the same construction and materials Glock has always been known for, although some bits and parts- such as the barrel and trigger bar- are clearly better than ever before- the barrel on the Gen 5 yields practically match-grade accuracy (more on that later), and the trigger feels significantly less "mushy" than the Gen 4 trigger.
Additionally, the gun's slide release lever is ambidextrous, and the magazine release button can also be swapped, so if you are a left-handed shooter, the Glock 17 Gen 5 won't be as awkward to use.
Another thing I love about the Gen 5 models is the flared magwell. This makes putting in magazines significantly easier (especially when your heart rate is way up) and also helps them come out a bit more smoothly as well.
One other thing worth mentioning is that numerous sight options are available including the standard Glock sights (do not recommend) as well as tritium sights, and the option for a red dot to be readily installed on the MOS version (which will write about more some other time in the future).
Shooting it
Like most poly-striker pistols, it basically feels like shooting an actual bullet out of a pellet gun. The recoil is sharp-ish but is nonetheless certainly manageable, the gun functions with flawless reliability and all, but it still isn't the same as firing a classic hammer-striker fired pistol.
The trigger pull on the gun is consistent at about 5.5 pounds, and like we previously said, it feels good for a poly-striker. It won't bother you, but it does have its own drawbacks like we said earlier.
In terms of reliability, this is, without a doubt, the most reliable pistol I've ever shot. By my own count, I've fired about 18,500 rounds through Glock pistols in the past year alone, and the vast majority where in 4th and 5th generation pistols. I've probably had maybe 10 malfunctions total (usually due to a faulty magazine spring, although I did have one stovepipe I shudder to think about). The point is, with decent ammo, Glock 17 Gen 5 will not fail you except once every several thousand rounds, most likely.
Accuracy-wise, it's exceptional. While I did not take photos, a range trip dating back to July of this year showed that at 25 yards, a 5 shot group within an area of about 3.5 inches is certainly possible. Even for competition shooting this might be a bit much, and for pretty much anything else you could use, it's a welcome overkill.
Overall, it's a figurative blast to shoot, and I could never see it causing anyone any problems. Between all the features we discussed, it seems to do everything right, and I'm not surprised the Glock 17 is as popular as it is at all just based on that alone.
Pros and cons
A word to the wise- no gun is perfect, but the Glock 17 Gen 5 pretty close as long as you like single-action poly-strikers.
Pros
Practically 100 percent reliable as long as you take care of it (feed it well, keep it clean etc.)
Has multiple clear improvements over the Gen 4 from the trigger to the grip
Ambidextrous controls make this a lefty-friendly firearm
Feed lips will make reloading easier and faster
Remarkably accurate for a factory pistol
Cons
Single-action only trigger means you have to be a bit extra careful when handling the gun
Some controls might not feel nice (being a Glock, countless aftermarket parts are available, however)
Final thoughts and best deals
Whether it's your favorite gun or not, the Glock 17 is undoubtably one of the greatest pistols ever made. The reliability, simplicity and ease of use have ensured it will likely continue to give millions great service for decades to come, just as it has for the last 40 years.
This is especially true for the 5th generation of Glock pistols, which further improve upon their predecessors and should be considered the best of the best when it comes to poly-strikers.
Gun stats
Caliber | 9x19mm Parabellum |
Action | Single-action, striker-fired |
Height | 5.47 inches |
Barrel length | 4.5 inches |
Overall length | 8 inches |
Width | 1.34 inches |
Weight | 24.87 ounces (empty) |
Magazine capacity | 17 rounds (standard, larger magazine capacities available) |
Safety | No manual safety, blade-style trigger block prevents gun from firing unless trigger is pulled |
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