by Gaston Glock, founder of Glock Ges.m.b.H., died today at the age of 94.
His company got its start in 1963 making curtain rods and then field knives for the Austrian military. His purchase of an injection moulding machine to make handle handles for his field knives gave him the experience with injection molded polymer. He took that knowledge and applied it to making a polymer pistol for the Austrian army. He received a patent for it in 1981 and it became known as the Glock 17. The rest, as they say, is history.
In announcing his death, the company said:
Make it simple, make it perfect.
Following this guiding principle, our founder, Gaston Glock not only revolutionized the world of small arms in the 1980s, but also succeeded in establishing the GLOCK brand as the global leader in the handgun industry. His internationally renowned GLOCK Perfection stands for uncompromising quality and maximum customer satisfaction.Gaston Glock charted the strategic direction of the GLOCK Group throughout his life and prepared it for the future. His life’s work will continue in his spirit.
Unlike many, I’m not a Glock fan-boi. I do have a Gen 4 Glock 17 and a police trade-in Gen 2 Glock 22 but my collection contain many more Rugers, Smiths, and CZs. I have had one of those Glock field knives for much longer than I have had either pistol. Mine is marked FM 78 for Feldmesser 78 and you can see it in the picture below. It is a tough knife that doesn’t need to be babied.
The Glock 17 was neither the first polymer pistol nor the first striker fired pistol. Those accolades belong to the Heckler & Koch VP70 (1970) and the Hugo Borchardt C-93 (1883) respectively. What Mr. Glock did do was produce a simplified striker-fired polymer pistol which morphed to become the most popular brand of handgun for law enforcement and civilian alike. World wide sales of the various models of Glock pistols were estimated to be around $500 million annually in 2017. Undoubtedly, the figure is higher now in 2023.
I will not get into the details of Gaston Glock’s life. Needless to say, it has been interesting. While a little dated, the best book on his life and the growth of his company through 2012 is Paul Barrett’s Glock: The Rise of America’s Gun (commission earned). I bought my Kindle copy of it back in 2012 shortly after it was released. It makes for an interesting read.