Categories
Handguns Military news

Delta Force and the Glock

Delta Force Glock
A Glock being fired in military training.

The following e-mail was forwarded to me by Gunner, a fellow blogger over at Gunner’s Journal.  Gunner is a 1911 expert and has contacts with various people who spent some time in the Special Forces community, including Delta Force.

A lot of what Delta does is understandably secret, and there have been much debate about the weapons and tactics they use.  There have also been questions about if Delta is still carrying the 1911, or if a complete swap to Glock pistols had been made.  Attached is some information from someone who has intimate knowledge of Delta’s operations.  None of the information is classified and it was ok’d for publication.

Categories
Handguns

Glock Gen4 Recoil Spring Recall

Gen 4 Glock Recall
The Gen4 Glock 17 is part of the voluntary recoil spring assembly exchange.

Glock issued an announcement about a voluntary recall or exchange program for the recoil spring assembly on all of Gen4 pistols sold before July 22, 2011. In the announcement sent out to Glock armorers, the company stated their product development team modified “various elements” of the recoil spring assemblies to “…ensure each pistol’s performance meets the company’s demanding standards.”

The Gen4 Glock 26 and 27 pistols are not part of this recoil spring recall.

[Be sure to read my full Glock 17 review here.]

The recoil spring assemblies can be replaced by the owner of the firearm, and the firearm does not need to be shipped back to Glock.

The replacement part is free, and the complete instructions on obtaining the new recoil spring assembly is located at the Glock site.

There are a variety of different Glock Gen 4 recoil spring assemblies in circulation. Glock provided the following graphic to help identify which part you need:

Categories
Handguns

Gen 4 Glock Photo

Picture courtesy of SaysUncle.com
Picture courtesy of SaysUncle.com

SayUncle has a picture of what is purported to be the Gen 4 Glock pistol due out in January 2010.  The picture clearly shows the interchangeable back straps and new texture on the grip.  The magazine release appears larger than the current generation.

The model designation on the slide is slightly changed, adding a “Gen 4” next to the model number.

The photo, if real, also shows the other outward appearances of the pistol to be largely unchanged.  The rear slide serrations are typical of the standard Glock pistols, not those of the RTF2 models.  The finger ridges on the front of the grip are still there (some hate ’em, others love them).

Thanks to SayUncle for breaking this news.  Go over to SayUncle for a large photo, and to read his take on the photo.

Previous:  Pistol-training.com is reporting that they received private confirmation of the new Glock models from another industry professional at the National Association of Police Equipment Distributers (NAPED).

So, despite Glock’s statements, someone at the NAPED conference is saying new adjustable grip Glock’s will be rolling out within a year.  It makes me wonder if someone let something “slip” at the convention, and Glock is still putting the new models through testing.

If Glock is developing an adjustable grip pistol, and someone did release the information too soon, this puts Glock in a tough position.  They could continue to deny the rumor, and hope no one else leaks additional information.

On the other hand, if they were to announce the new pistol now, they would likely be doing so well in advance of the completion of testing and development of the guns.  So, announcing and then failing to deliver could create a major PR debacle.

Pistol-training.com’s source puts the roll-out time around the 2010 SHOT Show, which would seem to make sense.

Picture courtesy of SaysUncle.com
Picture courtesy of SaysUncle.com
Picture courtesy of SaysUncle.com
Picture courtesy of SaysUncle.com

Categories
Optics and Sighting Systems

LaserLyte Rear Sight Laser

LaserLyte Rear Sight Laser for Glock
The LaserLyte Rear Sight Laser for Glock Pistols

LaserLyte has introduced a new red laser sighting system for pistols called the Rear Sight Laser.  The LaserLyte Rear Sight Laser, or RSL, mounts in the position of the rear sight on a handgun, rather than as a grip or guide rod solution marketed by other companies such as Crimson Trace and LaserMax.

LaserLyte claims that by having the laser mounted to the rear sight, the holster can be used in all of the gun’s normal Level I and Level II holsters.  While I do not have the laser on hand to test this claim with my own holsters, I can see how it should work with most holsters.  However, there are no standards on what a Level I or II holster is, so the claim is a bit nebulous.

The laser is activated by a switch on the rear of the sight system.  One press of the switch turns the laser on in a “constant” mode.  A second press pulses the laser.  A third press turns the unit off.  Run time is marketed as one hour in continuous mode, two hours in pulse mode.

Categories
Handguns

Glock RTF2 Finish on the Glock 22: Thousands of Polymer Spikes

At the 2009 SHOT Show, Glock introduced a new texture called “RTF2.” Claiming to be the “the new standard for operators working in the harshest conditions imaginable,” the RTF2 features a new style of texturing on the grip frame, and a new serration pattern on the rear of the slide.

Glock RTF2

The new RTF2 texturing on the Glock 22 is described in the Glock literature as “thousands of polymer spikes.”  I couldn’t agree more.  The RTF2 texture was not comfortable to hold.  In fact, it was downright unpleasant.  Yes, the RTF2 texture does seem to increase the bond between hand and gun, but at what cost to the hand?  I would not want to shoot one of these, but I suspect I will have to in the near future.