So what is the difference between a pistol that is a universal weapon of choice for special forces units around the world, and one that is virtually legendary in reputation within non-military circles? The answer lies in the dual histories of both the Glock 19 and Glock 18 pistols, both of which share a common ancestry, though for very different purposes.
However, the Austrian-made Glock pistols that appeared in the early 1980s changed all that. The Glock pistols had a plastic frame and only 35 moving parts. They had the patented Safe Action system that was easier to use and maintain compared to other pistols that had metal frames. It was only a matter of time before the world’s militaries fell into line behind this design. By the early 2000s, the Glock Model 19 pistol had become the sidearm of choice for the Special Operations Forces of the United States Special Operations Command. It was used by the SEALs, the Green Berets, and the Rangers under different designations.
It must be pointed out that the inclusion of the Glock 19 among the SOCOM group of firearms was not unplanned. There was a realization within the Special Forces community of a need being generated for a concealable yet fully combat-capable handgun, which the 19 fulfilled. However, as of 2016, with the inclusion of the Trijicon RMR red-dot sighting system, there has been a marked improvement in the optics of the handgun. This has been due to the hardness, durability, and dynamic adjustment of brightness levels depending on a light sensor mounted forward of the RMR.
Whereas Glock 19 was an icon for adaptable firepower, the service life for Glock 18 was relatively short. It was manufactured in 1986 for Austria’s counter-terrorism force EKO Cobra. They needed a firearm that could shoot either semi-automatic or automatic bullets. The rate of fire was over 1,100 rounds a minute. This was enough to empty a 33-round magazine in less than two seconds. Variants included ported barrels to ease recoil. Later variants, such as 18C, featured comp notches in the comp. However, being a machine gun, coupled with the ban on automatics in 1986, its use was restricted to its intended purpose.
The level of accessibility that the two guns have in terms of their use and distribution couldn’t be more different. The Glock 19 leads the way in professional and non-professional sales, in large part because of the compatibility with the modular optics system and the support system in place for it all around the world. The Glock 18, on the other hand, operates in the world of the gun enthusiast purely for the utility of it, the function of which can only be understood through training and demonstration at the agencies that are lucky enough to be in possession of the Glock 18.
Even the accessory that imitates the functionality of the Glock 18, the “Glock Switch,” is prohibited under the law of the Federal government of the United States of America. All of these, of course, also represent a shift in the way sidearms are developed. The mounting of optics on the slide, a pure novelty not all that long ago, has now become all the rage in law-enforcement circles. The subcompact pistol, such as the Glock 19, is quickly gaining recognition in the way that it represents the best of all possible worlds, and the select fire pistol, such as the Glock 18, remains a specialized tool that excels at supressing but in no way whatsoever at anything else. Ultimately, of course, the Glock 19 and the Glock 18, despite their lineage, represent two very different approaches in the way that they do things. The first, a tactical tool of utility, is useful for a multitude of things. The second, a pure machine pistol, a reminder that the most interesting of designs are all too often just out of reach.
