The Day Of The .22 Pistols

Glock started the day with the rollout of their G44 .22 LR pistol. Later this afternoon, Ruger announced a new model of their Mark IV 22/45 Lite.

Unlike Glock’s G44, the new model is more of a change in appearance than anything else. The color change is a diamond gray upper with a gold anodized trigger and barrel. Also unlike the G44, it comes with a threaded barrel to use with a suppressor.

According to Davidson’s Gallery of Guns, the MSRP for the G44 is $430. Meanwhile, according to Ruger, the MSRP for the Mark IV 22/45 will be $559 with a street price in the $450 range. I imagine the G44 will be selling for close to MSRP initially but I could be wrong on that.

The release of the G44 today has resulted in a number of memes. Perhaps the one most relevant to this post is below.

Glock 44 (Update)

If you divide the model number of the newest Glock pistol in half, you get 22 which just so happens to be its caliber. Yes, the Glock 44 is in .22 LR.

Glock held a livestreaming announcement this morning of their newest addition to their line of pistols. The event started with some comments by Shane Coley, Team Glock captain. It was then followed by Glock President Gunter Gigacher reading a letter from Gaston Glock regarding the company, etc.

Screen cap of letter

I think many of the participants in the livestream anticipated that Glock was going to release a pistol caliber carbine. When you read Gaston Glock’s letter, he says “GLOCK is not just a pistol company”.

The Glock 44 is the size of a Glock 19 and has a hybrid steel-polymer slide to reduce weight. You can read all the dimensions of the new pistol on Glock’s website here. I think some may be disappointed that the Glock 44 only comes with a 10 round magazine.

Towards the end of the presentation, they brought out a panel which included firearms trainer Tatiana Whitlock. In her opinion, she thought the Glock 44 would be excellent for training new shooters. Moreover, given the size will be the same as the Glock 19, the transition to an actual carry pistol would be easier and holsters would be interchangeable.

Another member of the panel was a representative from Federal ammo. He said they tested the Glock 44 with everything from standard velocity .22 LR ammo up to CCI Stingers and Mini-Mags. It handled everything without fail.

I’m sure they will sell tons of these pistols just because the name on the slide is Glock. It seems obvious that this pistol is aimed at new shooters, the training market, and those with hand issues such as arthritis. As to being revolutionary, not so much.

UPDATE: According to a press release sent out by Glock, Inc., the new Glock 44 pistol will officially go on sale January 20, 2020.

They also said this on the features:

The G44 features many of the latest enhancements seen in the 5th Generation of GLOCK pistols such as the ambidextrous slide stop lever and reversible magazine catch, the GLOCK Marksman barrel (GMB) for increased accuracy and performance, adjustable back straps, and adjustable rear sights.  The G44 also features a ghost hole loaded chamber indicator and comes standard with two 10-round load assist magazines.