For the purposes of this review we are looking at the Gen4 version of the Glock 17, which features a modified rough-texture frame, a new and more comfortable checkered grip, and included interchangeable back straps of different sizes and textures. The Glock 17 has been my primary carry weapon for a very long time, and I can confidently state that I have never encountered a better-built, more reliable handgun. To put it simply, the Glock 17 is strong, and the Glock 17 is reliable. This makes for a gun that is durable, resilient, resistant to weather and shock, and more capable of holding up over the course of time than perhaps any other handgun. Most of the gun, including the frame and magazine body, are made from the previously mentioned, nylon-based polymer blend known as Polymer 2.
The Glock 17 is 9mm, short recoil-operated, semi-automatic, and uses a modified Browning cam-lock system.
None would have been possible, however, without the granddaddy of them all – the Glock 17. The Glock 17 spawned a line of successors, including those we have covered in the past, such as the Glock 19 (also covered here), 26, 43, 21, 30, 31, and 36. By applying his expertise of synthetic polymers to handgun manufacturing, Gaston Glock achieved a model that was strong, durable, and satisfying enough to touch and hold to overcome any negative connotations associated with non-metallic gun builds. If you’re talking Glock 17, however, ‘revolutionary’ is more than appropriate. “Revolutionary” is a term that has been thrown around pretty loosely when it comes to handguns, for the sake of artificially inflating the prestige of firearms and gun products. Having the opportunity to write about this gun feels like an honor from where I’m standing, given what it has meant to the gun industry. As we all know, Gaston Glock shattered that glass ceiling and introduced his polymer design in the form of the legendary Glock 17 – the gun that changed it all. The idea of a polymer-based gun was not something that was taken seriously, nor was the notion that such a gun could become a best-seller or anything more than a niche product. It’s easy to forget now, but before Glock’s rise to prominence in the gun world during the 1980’s, the state of the handgun community was much different than it is today. The Glock legacy is impressive and well-founded, as the company has built a reputation as a manufacturer of high-quality, world-class handguns of an assortment of varieties. Here at Gunivore, we’ve gone to great lengths to cover much of the extensive Glock handgun lineup.