FBI Picks Glock as it’s Next Go To Gun

By John Farnam

Glock G19 Gen4 Pistol
Sample Glock G19 Gen4 Pistol (FBI’s model choice is as yet known) (original image by Aaron Ragusa at www.illinitactical.com )
Defense Training International, Inc
Defense Training International, Inc

Ft Collins, CO –-(Ammoland.com)- FBI goes with Glock!

According to a June 29, 2016, post from the General Services Administration, Glock has just been awarded a contract worth up to $85 million to supply handguns to the Federal Bureau of investigation.

After much testing, debating, hand-wringing, and all the rest that invariably goes along with major government contracts, the FBI has settled on the Glock pistol for issue to Special Agents, once again.

All this, after the SIG320, and some other competitors, looked so promising!

Not many additional details so far, other than it will be in 9mm, G17/19, and we are NOT calling it “Gen5!”

Friends familiar with the process tell me that extensive testing clearly revealed that no other pistol tested came close to Glock with regard to durability. Glocks run and run, and don’t break.

Lots of other find pistols can say the same thing, just not to the degree that Glock can!

Our armed services may be next!

/John

About John Farnam & Defense Training International, Inc
As a defensive weapons and tactics instructor John Farnam will urge you, based on your own beliefs, to make up your mind in advance as to what you would do when faced with an imminent and unlawful lethal threat. You should, of course, also decide what preparations you should make in advance, if any. Defense Training International wants to make sure that their students fully understand the physical, legal, psychological, and societal consequences of their actions or inactions.

It is our duty to make you aware of certain unpleasant physical realities intrinsic to the Planet Earth. Mr Farnam is happy to be your counselor and advisor. Visit: www.defense-training.com

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Sheepdog

Hey Pete come to my department and I will show you great shots. Even a woman that will out shoot you!!! Don’t talk about what you don’t know about.

Janek

Maybe they think sending a contract for handguns Glock’s way will absolve them from the ‘sins’ of their Leader? LOL

Jeff

I have Glocks, SIGs, and S&W. All good pistols. I do action work and install night sights on Glocks and S&W. I don’t do anything to SIG pistols. All are fine weapons. Use what you shoot best with. I hope the FBI Glocks are specced with the metal night sights.

Dr Dave

My unit used the Glocks since they came in the 80’s I was the last to fall from Walther grace about 5 years ago when I to went to the G19. I went kicking and screaming but I do like it now although I do own both personally. The other manufacturers over the long haul are simply to hard to keep up with and the issue of 9mm vs 40 or 10mm is moot. No one but civilians want the bigger caliber. My guys much prefer to squeeze off 9mm double taps then single shot 10mm all day long. My… Read more »

TEX

Glocks are the most desirable,dependable,quality handguns on the market. There are other quality handgun manufacturers,but none can hold a candle to Glocks. nuff said ! ‘TEXAS,LIKE A WHOLE OTHER COUNTRY’ !

Lou

John, You and I competed against Police Officers (other than you) many times. A few were highly proficient, mainly the SWAT guys. The rest, not so much. As an IDPA RO there were times when we had to follow a cop around the range to keep an eye to se that no one would get hurt. A Friend who is a retired Federal Officer, once shared that after a motor cycle accident, he carried a non functioning pistol on duty for several weeks before the Department Armorer insisted on checking it, and found that it was damaged. If anything at… Read more »

Clark Kent

I know shoe salesmen with sore feet. And your point is?

Jim

Show me some stats on why the Glock is more cost effective than the Sig. This is easy to say but I’m pretty sure you can’t back it up. I am a gunsmith and I have repaired as many Glocks as Sigs.

Vanns40

1. Parts are cheaper than Sig and a lay person can completely rebuild a Glock, ground up, start to finish, in 21 minutes or less. 2. While Sig makes a good product, I have heard numerous stories of Glocks running past the 200,000 & 300,000 round mark before needing to be rebuilt. I own two such guns, a Glock 19 and a 23 and they both went south of the 220,000 mark before I decided to rebuild them both. I only replaced the barrel on the 23 because Storm Lake was having a sale. The stock barrel on the 19… Read more »

Dr Dave

I agree the issue of being a gunsmith and rebuilding various models doesn’t work because you are only getting the broken ones. How many more Glocks are out there then Sigs needs to be weighed in. The G19 is the most used semi auto handgun in the world so if you are seeing equal numbers of G’s and SIgs that means that the Glocks are standing up better since there are like 2 or 3 to one more Glocks then SIgs PLUS remember the issue with Gov armorers is uniformity and time to get a gun back in the field.… Read more »

JohnC

Too bad an American law enforcement agency does not purchase American weapons.

Vanns40

Too bad American weapons don’t stand up the way Glocks do!

TEX

@Vanns40,great response to that moron. Can’t beat Glock quality.

Trent Mauser

Like what? The awkward and uncomfortable M&P? I don’t think smith&wesson could meet the demand anyway. The Xd is a Croatian production and, feels ridiculously top heavy with it’s skyscraper high bore axis. You can’t expect the purchase of some form of 1911. If there were a decent domestically produced small arm that argument would hold true. lets face the facts FN, Glock, Walther, SIG, H&K, Beretta and a plethora of others have built the better mouse trap.

Don Bailey

Trent, I was never a fan of Glock until I fired one and was able to hit with it. Furthermore, I’ve never heard anyone complain about reliability issues with a Glock. I’ve always been pleased with my S&W’s and love the XD’s, especially the XDS in 9mm. I love the M&P Shield 9mm which has nice quality, reliability, nice trigger, and price,–for about a hundred dollars less than any of the comparable pistols available.

TEX

I like S&W revolvers only ! Revolvers are their forte.

Vanns40

Yes indeed, let’s turn back the clock 50 years. Why not issue round nose lead bullets while we’re at it? Six rounds? Hell, five should be enough for anyone. And let’s not forget the best two parts on the revolver agenda list: A. 100% of the felt recoil is transmitted from the gun to the shooter and B. The life expectancy of a revolver before a rebuild is approx. 50-60,000 rounds vs 200-300,000 rounds for, say, a Glock. Yup Tex, you’ve got it all solved.

TEX

@Vanns40,what I talking about is I think S&W revolvers are the best of all other brand revolvers. I wasn’t comparing revolvers to Glocks or any other semi-auto handgun. Take care.

Clark Kent

Actually, 100% of felt recoil is also transmitted from a pistol to the shooter. Can’t get around the laws of physics.

Vanns40

Tex: Got ya!
Clark Kent: Felt recoil is mitigated by the recoil spring in semi-autos. Third Law of motion being what it is, there is nothing inbetween the first part of the action and second part-all the felt recoil is transmitted directly to the shooter with a revolver. With a semi-auto the recoil spring absorbs a portion of the second part of the Law (reaction) before it is transmitted to the shooter.

Clark Kent

That still does not negate the FACT that 100% of the recoil is still imparted to the shooter, regardless of pistol or revolver. Nice try, no cigar. Go read a physics book.

Wild Bill

And revolvers don’t leave all that embarrassing finger print evidence around, either.

A. Mouse

If you haven’t shot a 3rd gen S&W automatic (such as the 5906), you’re missing out.

HP

I guess they could have always gone with that Ruger “Americal Pistol”. I guess.

C. Smith

It makes perfect sense to standardize weapons, magazines, and ammo, a fact not lost on our military. The standard NATO round is 9mm, like it or not. I believe even our elite Navy Seals are soon to adopt the Glock. It has served the Austrian army well, and a host of police departments use the Glock as well. It is not always advantageous to always kill, sometimes wounding can serve the purpose. Remember, law enforcement serves with a different mission than the military. The Glock is a time proven design, more cost effective than the Sig (any taxpayers out there),… Read more »

Dan'L

Personally, I think the earlier ammunition testing that leaned, VERY HEAVILY, toward a recommendation of the 10 mm round, and subsequently the Glock Model 20 as the FBI’s first choice. The only reason they took a step back, was the recent influx of female agents, who couldn’t handle the recoil. The reasoning behind a single caliber is the thought that a firefight may require sharing ammo, . . . . but when was the last time that happened, and how OFTEN has it happened? What a shame those who drive the desks in the J. Edgar Hoover Building make these… Read more »

Old 1811

Federal agencies don’t buy their ammo at Walmart. Every different caliber and type of ammunition has to be separately tested, so the agency doesn’t get sued by the manufacturers of the ammo it didn’t buy. Then the funds have to be appropriated separately, then each caliber has to be purchased separately. It’s very expensive to carry more than one caliber of ammo. Just the extra time and paperwork to test, appropriate, and purchase is a small fortune. And you pay for it. Ten-millimeter guns are difficult to conceal under a jacket, too big for a lot of people’s hand (including… Read more »

CW3RDL

When one looks at actual shooting statistics of what has worked on the street (Marshall’s “Stopping Power”), it makes sense. Ball and the best J.H.P. rounds of 9mm and .40 S&W are very comparable when either are used in combat.

Clark Kent

Except that JHP rounds are not used in military combat. THINK before you post.

Gunnar Jensen

Don’t be a dick Clark.

Clark Kent

You first, Gunnar.

AM

Except… they aren’t talking about the military. It’s Federal Law Enforcement.

DirtyHarry44

I don’t see where he mentions anything about military combat. he just mentions combat, as in two combatants going at it, hand to hand or otherwise. So yeah, think before you post.

Clark Kent

‘Combat’ generally refers to military operations. So back to the thinking process for you, Harry.

Wild Bill

I think that combat may have implied military operations in the past, but now days there are so many former soldiers in in the law enforcement community, and federal agents that have trained with the U.S. Army, that a lot of terms, including combat, have bled over into the law enforcement lexicon. Remember how the term “Rules of Engagement” got that woman killed at Ruby Ridge. Here is another: During the Rodney King riots, local, federal, and CA National Guard teams manned road blocks. One of the check points was taking fire. The leos turned to their NG counterparts and… Read more »

Pete

I’ve read the rationale for the return to 9MM by law enforcement agencies. Generally, mag capacity, shooters with smaller stature, etc. What it really comes down to is that most cops I know are lousy shots. More practice could cure this for the majority of them. They’re also not helped by the fact that police departments usually require DAO pistols. DA/SA pistols can generally be shot more accurately. An apparently omitted consideration is the simple fact that a .40 S&W makes a bigger hole and therefore does more damage. If you want to know what I mean, look up data… Read more »

Don Bailey

The performance demonstrated with both the 40 S&W and the 10 mm on gelatin blocks are extremely impressive. Training time at the range always makes a difference, especially when you are talking in terms of hundreds of rounds down range.

Clark Kent

Most teachers I know have poor handwriting. And your point is?

Andy Selby

All the available current data shows no appreciable performance difference between modern .40 and 9mm defensive ammo. “A bigger hole” is something people say that haven’t done the research. Also, people die and don’t die from multiple rounds of both.. Since it’s about shot placement on number of rounds on target, the consideration is which caliber is easiest to shoot and gives you superior capacity. The 9mm is the clear winner in that regard. The size of the hole, unless you are talking about much higher powered carbine ammo, is irrelevant.

Greg

Andy Selby writes: “Since it’s about shot placement on number of rounds on target, the consideration is which caliber is easiest to shoot and gives you superior capacity. The size of the hole, unless you are talking about much higher powered carbine ammo, is irrelevant.”

Taking you at your word, I assume therefore that your carry load is .22LR.

Dr Dave

Based on MEDICAL data he is right but there is a threshold. The threshold is 380cal. Everything from 380 and up is qualified for the statement. below that the data falls off precipitously. At 380cal and up the issue is FAR more to lead toward repetitive rounds then depending on single hits in critical regions. Now if we are talking about 300 blackout or 308 then that is a different ballgame. The issue is limited to handguns and the argument is between 380 and 50cal. Shooters for some reason seem to think that bigger is better when in reality from… Read more »

Greg

Are you a trauma surgeon? If so, I will defer to you. If not, as a physician myself I call into question your assertion that saving the life of a patient with a “dead shot to the heart with a 45cal” being far easier than multiple 380 rounds to the gut. Having dissected my share of cadavers, and not being entirely unencumbered by a certain knowledge of cardiac anatomy and physiology, if you stop the pump you stop the brain and if you stop the brain you stop the threat. As you know and are well aware, in the ER… Read more »

Dr Dave

Greg Trauma trained surgical oncologist but the issue was unfortunately missed by several members you included. the 1980’s of the gun ammo choice thinking was based on bigger is better. Today we know that NOT to be true. I HATE to bring up the issue of 22LR because every time we bring it up someone will use the info here to go out and buy one then feel totally safe with it. The issue is that placement is far more critical then caliber. The issue of size and speed of the ammo is FAR less important now that we have… Read more »

Greg

Dr. Dave
Your informed response is eminently reasonable and rational. In orthopedics, bigger is always better, it’s just the way it is. Surely you are aware of Martin Fackler’s work in this area. I tend to view these things on a continuum, taking into account the criticality of shot placement while also considering the size, shape and speed of the projectile. I am not a ballistician but I do find ballistics fascinating.

Wild Bill

@Greg and Dr Dave, I want to thank you both for one of the fascinating dialogues that I have ever read here. In my own limited experience, I just shoot them with what the Army provided until they stop moving.

Dr Dave

Fakler is the father of medical ballistics he left the Navy and went to the Army (traitor) about the time I got to the DoD. If you follow him then you understand the issue is all about placement and destruction. He suggested that it was FAR better to rip an organ apart by fragmenting then to tear right thru it and make holes. That is why current high tech ammo is based on “pealing back” or even fragmenting all together rather then worrying about going all the ay to the spine or thru and thru. I can patch up thru… Read more »

Michael Ring

There’s around 14,000 special agents at the FBI. That’s a lot of Glocks for so few people.

Jon

14,000 Glocks at .gov prices would be less than 6,000,000.

Wild Bill

There should be one less at the Fat Boy Institute.

TEX

I didn’t think the FBI had that much sense.

Wild Bill

@TEX They don’t. There must have been some other reason that they did the right thing.

TEX

@Bill,you’re right. I guess some outside forces gave the FBI some really good advice for a change. Take care.

Old 1811

The FBI has authorized Glocks for over 20 years. In the 90s, when the Bureau was issuing Sig P226s, agents were authorized to carry personally-owned Glocks in 9mm or .40 caliber. (They were also authorized to carry personally-owned P220s, and there were still some who bitterly clung to their S&W revolvers.) Around 2000, the Bureau started issuing ..40 caliber Glock 23s, and authorized personally-owned 22s and 27s. So if someone gave them good advice, they did it a long time ago.