Gaining on Glock?

Let me be clear on this point: Glock makes excellent guns! They are rugged, reliable, durable, accurate, easy to maintain, easy to shoot and reasonably priced. But, marketing slogans notwithstanding, there is always room for improvement. The first real indication of this, as far as I'm concerned, was when Glock deviated from their set formula of Standard, Compact, and Sub-Compact in the various established calibers and brought out the Slimline Sub-Compact Glock 36. It was during the reduced capacity magazine period (1994-2004) and small, single stack pistols were making a comeback. Glock responded to their customer's desire for a slimmer, smaller version of their popular .45 Auto models, the 21 and the 30.

What Glock did, in retrospect, was to fuel the fire for those who wanted a Glock pistol with a smaller grip and a different feel. Glock proved it could be done with the 36. Then aficionados dared to hope for a scaled up version of the 36, specifically a full size, single stack magazine, same thickness version in, of course, 45 ACP. Well, Glock has yet to build that gun. They charged off in an entirely different direction with the .45 GAP models 37, 38 and 39. They certainly have a smaller grip, but that wasn't the only thing that users wanted. To say that the GAP cartridge has gotten off to a slow start would be putting it as kindly as I can. Also, changing the grip size wasn't the only thing that users have been seeking.

Glock has pretty much always resisted any type of external, manually operated safety. Their position has been that it isn't necessary, although they have made a few Glocks with manual safeties to satisfy certain clients. The other feature they have resisted, until recently, is an ambidextrous, or at least reversible, magazine release. When it looked like there might be a military contract for a .45 caliber pistol in the offing, Glock brought out the Glock 21 SF, in order to accommodate more hand sizes and the anticipated requirement for an ambidextrous magazine release. Well, the new military pistol proposal fell through the cracks, but Glock realized they had something in the short frame "SF" and added that option to the Glock 30. According to the Glock representatives at the SHOT Show, however, they are discontinuing the ambidextrous magazine releases in the model 21 and are not offering it in the model 30.

So, as the dust clears, Glock has added two SF models in their .45 Auto guns, but not much else has changed. I mention all of this because, while Glock has been pursuing their ideas of how to improve on perfection, others have been working feverishly at their drawing boards, and at least two companies are beginning to gain ground on Glock, both in the law enforcement market and in civilian sales. Currently, Glock claims (depending on who you talk to) about 70 percent of the law enforcement market. They have been the 800 pound gorilla for a while - but they should be hearing footsteps.

The Springfield Armory XD

The Springfield XD has been around for a while and they have been building a very respectable polymer framed Glock-inspired pistol that is really starting to gain some traction. I think this is because the people who are designing the XD have also been improving it step by step. It isn't just a Glock imitator. I've had the chance to shoot several models of the XD lately, and here are some things I think will make people fans of the XD.

First of all, like the basic Glock models, the grip is not "adjustable." It is what it is, but it is incredibly comfortable to people with a variety of hand sizes. It reminds me of the first time I handled a Browning Hi Power back in the late 1960s. It was a large capacity pistol, compared to the 1911 style autos and the Smith & Wesson Model 39, both of which had single stack magazines. But, in spite of holding more ammo, it just felt good in the hand. The XD has full capacity, staggered (or "double stack") magazines and the grip also just feels right, regardless of the caliber or capacity. The XD is also available in all the usual law enforcement calibers and, at least for a little while, they even produced them in the .45 GAP. I understand that they have discontinued those, but frankly, their various models of .45 ACP pistols are sized right to begin with, so they don't really need the GAP .45 in their lineup.