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OK, I felt bad about a drive-by snide comment, so I thought I'd expand on it.

FWIW, my brother-in-law is a LEO and uses Glocks exclusively. It's funny, because people are always asking him for his opinions on firearms, assuming he's an aficionado, an enthusiast, or a professional. He knows how to shoot his gun very well. He knows how to maintain his gun very well. He'll tell you himself that he's not a firearms expert, though. He just knows his equipment and is very brand loyal. Why Glocks? The same reason he only drives Ford F-150s. His dad (also LEO) used one, it was reliable, he's never had a problem with it (a couple feeder issues in thousands of rounds that he equates to the ammo), so there's no need in his mind to start experimenting with everything else. My BIL's agency issues 9mm Glocks. He carries a Glock chambered in .357 SIG that he bought on his own. One of the reasons he normally gives for only owning Glocks is that his holsters and magazines are interchangeable.

Police agencies might use Glocks because they're the best, or they might use them because they tend to be reliable and inexpensive, both of which are important to a government buyer. I personally know of two cities in the Metroplex who have rules about sidearms based solely on public perception. One won't allow .45's because it looks bad in print if a story hits the papers. One won't allow single action handguns because they get calls from citizens about "seeing cops with their guns cocked".

Just because a cop uses a specific firearm doesn't mean he's an expert on guns anymore than a pizza delivery man is an expert on cars. A lot of the time, they stick with what's worked in the past, what they're comfortable with, and what they can afford.

There are a few attributes of Glocks that are worth bringing up. I don't think somebody sounds anti-Glock because they repeat the same points - people keep asking the same questions. It's only fair to allow all of the positives and negatives be heard.

I used to be staunchly anti-Glock, but have come around. I still don't own one, and there's other things I prefer more than one, but I'll no longer try to talk somebody who wants one out of it. That doesn't mean there aren't legitimate concerns.

1) Having to dry-fire the gun for disassembly is very important. In fact, the more you clean your gun, the more likely you are to become complacent during this step. A professional skydiver once jumped from an airplane without his parachute because he'd become so comfortable jumping out of planes that he didn't have a healthy fear anymore. A first-time skydiver will probably check their straps 1,000 times before they jump. This isn't a knock on the gun, just something to be aware of.

2) Glocks are not double action. If a round fails to fire, the trigger is locked back until you manually cycle the gun. Most people would say to never double-hit a faulty round anyway, so this isn't a knock against them. It is, however, something that all Glock owners should be aware of. A 1911 would have to be manually cocked to re-hit round, so you might as well cycle it, too, and get that round out of there. A revolver would just go on to the next round. There are disadvantages for revolvers, though. The answer isn't get a revolver. . . the answer is, know the positives and negatives of your firearm.

3) Glocks have no manual safety. This fine. Neither do any of my revolvers or my Sig Sauer P229. For an emergency, it might be better to not have another step preventing you from firing. It is important to know, however, especially when re-holstering your firearm. Go out of your way to ensure - 100% everytime - that the trigger is clear when re-holstering. Never re-holster in a hurry.

4) The weight distribution of a Glock tends to exaggerate the recoil for a given caliber in my experience. The polymer frame with a metal slide causes the gun to be a little top-heavy and have a little too much weight distributed towards the end of the barrel. Firing a Glock puts a larger percentage of its weight in motion than a comparably sized non-polymer gun. The advantage for Glock is a lighter burden on you while you carry. The disadvantage might be accuracy if you haven't spent the time at the range to know exactly how your gun behaves.

5) As already mentioned, Glocks are a little boxy and might be less comfortable to carry IWB than some of the other options available.

There is always a give and take. Glocks are well made. They have quality parts. They are reliable. They are affordable. Their parts are affordable and accessible. They are popular for many reasons. You're not bashing them to point out their shortcomings, though. All guns have shortcomings, and the user can overcome most of them as long as they are aware.

03Lightningrocks wrote:

RECIT wrote:Snip..... So glock w. the proper holster is a great carry weapon in my opinion.

Police agencies all across the nation are in agreement with you.

So you drive a Ford Crown Victoria?