For a long time, Glock pistols have been the American police force’s favorite sidearm, and for some very good reasons. Glocks became a staple in law enforcement due to their ease of operation, reliability, and affordability. Around 65 percent of U.S. police carry a Glock, attesting to the dependability of the brand when life is at stake.
In my 22-year career in law enforcement, I carried Glock pistols almost exclusively. The point-and-shoot simplicity of the Glock guns, sans any external safeties or dockers, lends them very well to use under stress. Simple is key when many officers receive minimal training in firearms.
In 1997, when I was a rookie, I was issued a 9mm Glock 17. Over the years I went to a Glock 22 in .40 S&W, then to a Glock 21 in .45 ACP. Recently, my department decided to retire our Gen3 Glocks after 15 years of service, making way for the Gen5 models.
We tested a Glock 17 and 19 initially. The G17 is a full-size pistol with a 4.5-inch barrel and a 17-round magazine capacity, and at that time was a very serious candidate, as was the G19 compact pistol with a 4-inch barrel and 15-round magazine capacity. Just as we were deciding to buy, however, Glock released the G45, which seemed like a hybrid between the two.
The Glock 45 makes for an interesting hybrid because of the incorporation of the full-length grip from the G17, a gunsight, therefore making it an 18-round pistol with a chamber loaded, and the barrel length of the G19 for increased draw speed. Created here is a very well-balanced pistol that quickly won over about 95 percent of our officers during side-by-side testing with the G17 and G19.
Contour-wise, the G45 has a full-size grip that doesn’t lend itself as well to concealment and would thus represent a more sensible choice for plain-clothes detectives or undercover officers who intend to carry off-duty. Small-handed officers preferred the G19 equipped with the grip. The G45 does come with several features that make it an excellent duty gun, including a Glock Marksman Barrel for improved accuracy, front slide serrations, and a loaded chamber indicator.
The G45’s polymer frame includes an ambidextrous slide-stop lever and a reversible magazine catch. Ambient ‘stops and magazine catches are essential to left-handed shooters or when one hand is injured and the other must perform all manipulations. Its flared mag well enables smooth reloads and doesn’t add any bulk. Meanwhile, its grip is changeable allowing comfort with different hand sizes. The addition of a mounting rail enables light addition, very important for duty pistols.
So far, our officers have been extremely satisfied with their new G45 pistols, and qualification scores and confidence are showing improvement. A nice addition added to our department’s versions was the Ameriglo Bold night sights, standard on our models, which have been getting very favorable reviews for their brightness both in daylight and dimly lit environments.
Initial reservations over the G45’s 9mm chambering from many who were used to the .45 ACP G21 quickly dissipated as these owners became impressed with the ergonomics of the former, its magazine capacity, and controllability. Having a compact slide and a full-length grip, the G45 is balanced to perfection. This will result in less apparent recoil, so the shooter will be capable of hitting his targets efficiently at a fast rate.
The G45 is accurate and reliable, having gone through rigorous testing even in very bad weather. The pistol performed well with all types of ammunition tested, including the Hornady Critical Duty 135-grain department-issued load.
This veteran police firearms instructor and gun scribe do not easily get excited about new pistols. However, the Glock 45 is impressively designed for duty and user-friendly. Improved qualification scores coupled with increased officer confidence should be proof enough of the pistol’s effectiveness. Any law enforcement agency seeking a quality sidearm to arm its officers with a reliable, well-balanced sidearm need not look any further than the Glock 45.