SHOT Show 2020 Range Day Highlights
Each year before industry insiders flock to the halls of the Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show – better known as SHOT Show – a contingent of firearm folks head out into the desert of southwest Nevada for a pre-show lineup of exhibitors. Live ammunition is forbidden on the SHOT Show floor and any firearms in the exhibit hall must be disabled and are inspected to ensure that they are non-functional.
This policy, however, is not in effect at the annual SHOT Show Industry Day at the Range in Boulder City. Not by a long shot.
At this pre-show demo day, invited members of the media and buyers have the opportunity to meet with manufacturers and vendors among smaller crowds than those at SHOT Show proper. Attendees also have the opportunity to get hands-on live fire trigger time with the latest guns and gear to hit the market and many that are yet to be released. The GunLink team has again been invited to this event and did just that.
We got to see some pretty great firearms and gear at Range Day that seem to indicate that the industry has actually been listening to consumers and developing some new products that fit their needs. And the show has not even begun yet! If this demo day is an indication of what else we will be seeing at SHOT Show 2020, we think this will be a great year for a firearms industry that has shown some signs of slowing down somewhat in the past couple of years.
Read on to see our Range Day highlights and be sure to watch the GunLink Blog and GunLink Forums for more. Continue reading
SHOT Show Range Report: Glock’s Single Stack 9mm Pistols
The Glock G43x and G48 Make an Appearance at SHOT Show Industry Day at the Range
The GunLink team was split on whether or not we would like the two new single stack offerings from Glock. On one hand, some of our team thought that the pistol giant was late to the game, as they often are, while others, particularly those of smaller stature, were excited for the simplicity and reliability of the platform in a form factor that would be easier for them to use.
After getting some trigger time on the new models, they seem to make a bit more sense.
A couple members of the GunLink team got to put some rounds down range through three of Glock’s newest pistols – the new 43X and 48, as well as the G45 (a G19 slide on a G17 grip… but now available in BLACK!!) that has been around for a few months. Continue reading
Glock Introduces Two New Slimline Models – G43X and G48
G43X and G48 Officially Announced Just Ahead of SHOT Show
Several weeks after an online “leak” began creating buzz about the two new single-stack 9mm Glock pistols, the company officially announced the new additions today.
The rumor mill kicked off with word of the G43X, complete with rendered photos of what the new pistol – a G43’s 3.4″ barrel and 6″ slide atop a .75″ longer grip – would look like. This longer grip gives it a magazine capacity bump of four rounds from six to 10. As several totally-organic posters on social media pointed out that the “X” designation meant that it was crossed something, news of the G48 spread. This latest offering has a nearly identical footprint as the G19 but shaves off a tremendous 0.16″ at a loss of 5 rounds, matching the 43X’s 10 round capacity.
The GLOCK 43X and the GLOCK 48 feature the design of the Slimline series with a silver slide and are a perfect fit for everyday carry. Chambered in 9x19mm, both pistols feature a compact Slimline frame with silver nPVD finish.
“With the success of the Slimline series in the marketplace and over one million GLOCK 43 pistols sold in just three years, the Slimline series pistols have been tested, trusted and proven,” said Glock Vice President Josh Dorsey. “We listened to the consumers request for a GLOCK Slimline model with increased round capacity and both of these pistols deliver that flawlessly. GLOCK’s continued pursuit of perfection drives innovation while not straying from our promise of reliability and durability and that is demonstrated in the G43X and G48.”
Designed for comfort, the G43X and G48 combine a longer grip length with a minimal width around 1” for what the company describes as “a comfortably balanced, versatile grip that’s ideal for a variety of users.” While the two pistols share the same size frame, they have different slide lengths.
These pistols incorporate elements of the Slimline series such as the short trigger distance, a frame with a built-in beavertail, a reversible magazine catch and the match-grade GLOCK Marksman Barrel (GMB). The G43X and G48 also feature precision-milled front serrations. Both models are available in three sight configurations; standard, GLOCK Night Sights (GNS), and our personal favorite, Ameriglo BOLD.
The silver Slimline models G43X and G48 will be showcased at SHOT Show 2019 and will be available on dealer shelves beginning January 21st. The GunLink team will be sure to get some hands-on range time with the new pistols and share our experiences here and in the GunLink Forums SHOT Show board.
For more information about the new Slimline series G43X and G48, contact GLOCK, Inc. or go to https://us.glock.com/a-perfect-fit.
Glock Introduces a New Addition to the Crossover Design: G45
Today, GLOCK, Inc. announced a new addition to the 9×19 family of 5th generation pistols. The Glock 45 combines the fast handling of the G19 compact-sized slide with the full-size frame as a compact Crossover.
Taking on the Crossover design of the G19X and the superior Glock hard-surface finish in non-reflective black, the company calls the G45 “the ultimate service pistol.”
“After the release of the G19X, we saw a strong interest from the law enforcement community for the design in a black model,” said GLOCK, Inc. VP Josh Dorsey. “The G45 is the result of a design that meets the demanding level of reliability with distinctive Gen5 design enhancements to improve durability, accuracy and performance to those who go into harm’s way where fractions of a second matter.”
Engineered with the Glock perfection promise, the G45 features the Safe Action System and is backed by torture-testing that has made Glock a name synonymous with innovation and reliability.
The G45 incorporates elements of the 5th Generation pistols including a smoother trigger pull, an enhanced frame texture for sure handling, a reversible magazine catch, ambidextrous slide stop lever, the Modular Backstrap System (MBS) for individual adjustability and the incredibly accurate, match-grade Glock Marksman Barrel (GMB). The G45 also features front serrations which are precision-milled forward of the ejection port on both sides.
The Glock Compact Crossover Pistol Model G45 will make its debut at The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Conference and will be available on dealer shelves beginning October 5th. For more information about the new Compact Crossover G45, contact Glock , Inc. or go to US.GLOCK.COM/PRODUCTS/G45.
The Corps’ Secret Agents Get Their Own 007 in New Glock
The Marine Corps is equipping Marines with a new weapon, providing enhanced concealed carry capabilities at an accelerated rate and lower cost to the Corps.
The Glock 19M—called the M007 by the Corps—replaces the M9 service pistol for personnel requiring a weapon that can be easily concealed.
The Marine Corps requires that all accredited Marine Corps Criminal Investigators, both civilian and military, be armed with a concealable pistol when on duty in civilian attire. This concealed weapon capability ensures those performing official duties—such as law enforcement or security personnel—are not readily identified as being armed.
“The M007 has a smaller frame and is easier to conceal, making it a natural selection to meet the Marine Corps’ conceal carry weapon requirement,” said Gunnery Sgt. Brian Nelson, Individual Weapons project officer at Marine Corps Systems Command.
In coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which adopted the weapon in 2016, the Corps fielded the M007 earlier this year to Marines and civilians in the Marine Corps Criminal Investigation Division, as well as members of Helicopter Squadron One—also known as Marine One. Continue reading
5th Generation GLOCK Pistols are Hitting Gun Store Shelves
Are you Jumping on the New Pistol Bandwagon?
GLOCK may not have won the bid to be the US Army and Air Force’s new pistols (no matter how big or how many tantrums they throw over losing out to Sig), but some of the changes from their “new” pistols seem to have made it into the latest Gen 5 models, just released.
The GunLink team got a few of the new pistols in our hands and it appears that “what’s old is new again” when it comes to some aspects of the latest offerings from the Austrian gun maker. Some of the “groundbreaking” changes on Gen 5 models are really just recycled features from as far back as Gen 2 models, while adding some characteristics for which users have been asking for a while – and some features that, as far as we know, nobody was asking for.
For the newest iteration of Perfection, GLOCK boasts “over 20 design modifications from their Gen4 predecessors,” which they claim “deliver improved accuracy, durability, performance, control, and flexibility.” Continue reading
