Best Glock pistols as of 2023: Compared and Contrasted

Glock, Glock, Glock. Seems like it’s all about Glock. This company changed the handgun game. They didn’t produce the first polymer frame, striker-fired pistol, but they produced the first successful model of one. They changed things up, and they went from the outcasts with a radical idea to the mainstay of firearm design. They’re solid designs – but which are the best Glocks, and for what?

What’s the top Glock?

That is an excellent question, my polymer striker-fire curious friend! There are vast numbers of these guns out there, but unfortunately, their model and caliber nomenclature is confusing as hell…to put it mildly.

Luckily, you found us!  We’ve looked at all the top Glock models on the market and put together a handy dandy guide for choosing your next blaster. Assuming you’re going with one of Gaston’s designs, that is.

(Modern) History of Glock

Police forces, military forces, and security agencies in 48 countries count on them daily. This includes US law enforcement agencies, military special operations, and innumerable concealed carriers like you and I. 

And it all started because Gaston Glock (GG) overheard two military officers discussing the replacement of the Walther P38. 

That’s how the story goes. The company had been around as a company since 1963 but didn’t produce its first handgun until the early 1980s. That was the earliest incarnation of the G17. Prior to this, the Glock patriarch had no experience designing handguns, but he gathered experts from all realms of the firearm world to design the first G17.

Apparently, it worked. The brand went on not only to dominate the modern handgun market, but to spark an entire a whole Genus of pistols – and a vast aftermarket of accessories and customization. 

Why are Glocks so popular?

This is (literally) a million-dollar question. What did Glock do to make its pistols dominate the market? It’s not a simple answer but a multifaceted one. 

First and foremost, it checks all the boxes. Glocks are reliable, accurate, and they have typical recoil, satisfactory triggers, exceptional capacity, and the polymer frames reduce both weight and price. 

This brings us to our second point. Glocks are affordable. The military and police price is low enough that the bean counters are thoroughly pleased. Note that they are affordable (price), but not cheap (quality). 

Here’s another important thing in their favor: they are ridiculously simple. A Glock can be completely broken down with nothing more than a simple punch. This makes maintenance easy but also makes them modular by nature. Users can swap triggers, firing pins, add optics and compensators, and effectively individualize the gun without the need of a gunsmith. 

Those three things are the most practical answers. Somewhere in there you could also add effective marketing and name recognition, and you’d be right as to do so. 

Ultimately, Glocks dominate the market because they are, first and foremost, quality firearms. 

Top Glock Rundown

1. Model 19
2. Model 34
3. Model 40
4. Model 48
5. Model 21
6. Model 42
7. Model 44
8. Model 36

Best Glock Reviews

Glock 19

The GLOCK 19 in 9 mm Luger is ideal for a versatile role thanks to its reduced dimensions when compared to the standard sized option.

Glock 19 Review

If GG’s company had a flagship, it would have to be the G19. It seems to be the most popular Glock variant and crosses numerous lines in the handgun use world. G19s have proven popular in the civilian market, the security market, of course, the police market, and more recently, the military market.

The Glock 19 is categorized as a 9mm, compact Glock. Compact is a relative term, but it’s hardly the smallest gun in its class. 

People often say the Glock 19 is the just-right size for numerous tasks – and so do I. It works well for home defense due to its manageable size, ease of mounting a light, and ability to take magazines holding up to 33 or more rounds. On the flip side, the Glock 19 is small enough to be carried concealed.

There is also a MOS variant of the G19, on top of numerous special editions and over all five of Glock’s generations. The Glock 19 comes standard with a 4.02-inch barrel (bbl) and a grip length just right to fill your hand. The small one-slot rail at the front allows for a light, including full-sized, full-powered lights. 

The G19 is the most widely used and most versatile Glock out there. There are multiple versions, including the and the (with a slightly longer bbl for our friends up north). Cut it any way you want. The G19 is a Goldilocks production gun: just right in size, shootability, and more.

G19 Pros and Cons

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Best for competition Glock 34

Glock 34

The Glock 34 is a great all-around gun for just about any situation–minus concealed carry.

Glock 34 Review

On the flip side of the Glock 19 sits the Glock 34. Why go compact when you can go extra long?

If you’re looking for length (in 9mm), you go Glock 34. The G34It relies on the full-sized Glock 9mm frame with a 5.31-inch bbl. Glock’s idea was to produce a gun with a longer slide and bbl suitable for competition purposes – but the same attributes that make it attractive to competitive shooters make it appealing as a duty pistol.

The Glock 34 offers a longer sight radius. Sight radius is the measurement between the front and rear sights. This makes the weapon easier to shoot accurately, especially at longer ranges. The longer barrel also adds more weight to the gun, with a fair bit of that weight being placed in the forward section of the gun. That forward weight mitigates muzzle rise and felt recoil. 

A bigger gun that’s easier to control, easier to shoot accurately, and offers Glock’s famed reliability and simplicity? Sign us up.

The market has responded favorably. In the last few years, the Glock 34 has gained serious momentum in both competitive and defensive circles. Predictably a MOS variant exists. The G34 also features a few extended controls, including an extended magazine release and a slide-stop lever. 

The big G34 is an attention-getter and an oh-so-sweet shooter. It’s very easy to control, although concealing it would take a dedicated attempt backed by a good belt and holster combination. 

G34 Pros and Cons

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Glock 40 Review

Since we are on the subject of big guns, let’s talk about the Glock 40. The G40 is a long-slide, much like the G34. This model goes a little longer and comes in at 6.02 inches. The Glock 40 chambers the beastly and powerful 10mm round. It’s huge, heavy, and one of the most versatile guns on the planet – for those who can drive it effectively.

This big beastly blaster could be used for competition, especially if you want to reach the major power factor in competition shooting. It’s also an awesome hunting weapon. The 10mm round can be used to take everything from coyotes and deer to large hogs. While I personally wouldn’t hunt bears with the Glock 40, it could be excellent bear defense. 

The longer barrel allows you to shoot the weapon more accurately, and the 10mm can be fairly flat, shooting out to 100 yards or more. The G40 comes in a MOS configuration, allowing a shooter to take real advantage of that 10mm cartridge. The increased length maximizes velocity to get you more penetration, expansion, and energy on target. This makes the Glock 40 one of the rare guns I’d call a ‘field’ pistol. 

When you need long-range power, the Glock 40 is the Glock to go with. It’s incredibly capable and useful for a variety of outdoor tasks. It’s a step below a rifle but offers you much more power than other calibers. At the same time, it isn’t too heavy (relatively speaking) in the recoil department – but it isn’t mild, either.

G40 10mm Pros and Cons

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Glock 48

At its core, the Glock 48 is essentially a Glock 19 with a single stack magazine.

Glock 48 Review

The Glock 48 is one of Glock’s latest introductions into the concealed carry world. This is part of their slimline series and is essentially a single-stack Glock 19. The gun is much thinner than the Glock 19 and seemingly much easier to conceal, especially in an IWB configuration. The Glock 48 is slightly longer barreled, making it legal in Canada. This bbl length is 4.17 inches, though, so it’s only a slight difference.

The Glock 48 holds ten rounds in a single stack magazine; its capacity isn’t impressive, but that’s not a deal-breaker. The thinner design helps make it easier to conceal but also makes it easy to shoot. The hand-filling grip makes it easy to maintain total control over the gun and helps the shooter naturally reduce recoil and muzzle rise. As with other models, the increased length (including that of the slide) aids in control and accuracy.

At the end of the day, the Glock 48 provides us with a controllable platform that’s still easy to conceal. It’s a compromise, but one that’s easy for a lot of shooters to make. It’s small in the right spots and large in the right spots. 

The end result makes it one of the best-concealed carry guns on the market. Glock also produces a MOS variant, and on top of an optic, you also get a rail so you can outfit the Glock 48 like a full-sized firearm while keeping it small. For many, the Glock 48 has proven to be the perfect mix of concealability and control. 

Want to know more? Read our full Glock 48 review.

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Best to suppress Glock 21

Glock 21

A full size Glock frame chambered in the venerable 45 ACP cartridge

Glock 21 Review

This is America. We love the John Browning-designed, two World-War-winning .45 ACP cartridge and the guns that chamber it.

Glock realized this and produced a modern .45 that is tough to beat.

If you love the 45 ACP, then the Glock 21 reigns supreme. It’s not only the best 45 ACP Glock but likely the best 45 handgun on the market; when it comes to that cartridge, most guns are single-stack. 

Such a single stack only gives you eight rounds or so. If a company does produce a double stack 45, usually it’ll be a 10-round magazine. But ole GG and crew found a way to fit 13 rounds of .45 in a flush-fitting magazine for the full-sized Glock 21.

I think you can agree; that’s a lot of 230-grain pills to have in your corner. 

GG’s designers also factored in the larger size of the 45 ACP projectile and equipped the G21 with octagonal polygonal rifling. This is a superior choice for large projectiles compared to the hexagonal rifling they use for other guns. The octagonal rifling provides a better gas seal, and this helps maximize the efficiency and speed of the round. 

Even with the big bore .45 round, the G21 is very easy to control. The recoil isn’t harsh or punishing, and it tends to be one of the better-shooting .45s available. It’s an often overlooked (or discounted) option in the world of modern 9mm pistols, but sometimes the good ole 45 ACP deserves a chance.

Oh, and if you want a suppressed Glock, the natural subsonic nature of common 45 ACP loads makes it a solid choice for quieter range days. Ask me how I know.

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Easiest to conceal Glock 42

Glock 42

The G42 packs all the features GLOCK customers have come to appreciate – from the GLOCK SAFE ACTION system with its multiple integrated safety features to the brand’s proven reliability and durability.

Glock 42 Review

The Glock 42 is a micro-sized, single stack .380 ACP designed to be as concealable as possible. It’s an itty bitty, teeny, tiny Glock, and not only is it one of the easiest to carry Glocks, but it’s also one of the best pocket .380s on the market. Unlike other pocket-sized .380s, the Glock 42 doesn’t use a heavy recoiling direct blowback design. 

Instead, Glock uses a locked breech with a Browning-style tilting barrel. This results in less recoil, which is damn nice to have in such a small gun. The Glock 42 also breaks the mold by featuring real sights rather than those super tiny ones most commonly associated with pocket pistols. Alas, those advantages are offset by a puny magazine capacity of just 6.  

The G42 is the first of the slimline series of pistols. It provides shooters with an accurate, fairly easy-to-shoot handgun designed for deep concealment and easy concealed carry. GG’s designers made a wise decision by adding a small beaver tail. That feature prevents the little slide from digging into your hand and breaking the skin while training. Unfortunately, this design advantage is offset by its limited magazine capacity. Have I already mentioned that? 

Glock’s pocket pistol delivers something highly reliable that disappears in any kind of clothing. Sure, it’s not a great fighting pistol if you’re going to war, but for the daily grind, it fits just right. Like any small gun, shooting it can be challenging, and training is paramount if you want to be effective with the Glock 42. 

It’s the tiniest Glock out there and currently the only .380 ACP Glock available to the US Market. Previous designs proved to be difficult or impossible to import, so the Glock 42 was built right here in the United States. It might be a little snappy, but it’s tough to beat this level of reliability in your pocket. 

Read our full Glock 42 review.

G42 Pros and Cons

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Glock 44

The innovative design of the hybrid steel-polymer slide chambered in a .22 caliber round provides a lightweight and low recoil functionality for optimal control.

Glock 44 Review

Finally, let’s leave with the little guy – I don’t mean size-wise, either. I’m talking caliber-wise.

The Glock 44 is chambered in .22LR. It’s Glockish-sized but trimmed up here and there. GG’s crew took their time producing a .22LR version of their guns. I guess they finally got tired of everyone producing their conversions and wanted a piece of the pie. 

The Glock 44 had some failure to launch, but these days it’s proven itself to be one of the nicer plinking pistols on the market. It’s aimed to be a training pistol for the other Glock handguns and works very well as a training pistol. It’s also just downright fun. The G44 will bring a smile to your face every time you pull the trigger. 

This is a simple straight blowback pistol. It’s not fancy, but it’s effective and very easy to use with a suppressor. It’s a super reliable and fairly quiet handgun already; throw a can on there, and it’s ridiculously more so.

The Glock 44 isn’t a finicky eater. It tends to run well with even high-quality subsonic ammo. The light recoil, low concussion, and reliable design make it a fun pistol for shooters of all ages and experience levels. 

At only 12 ounces, it’s not too heavy for even young shooters who want to learn how to shoot safely and enjoy. The Glock 44 is a great plinker and offers an affordable training option for Glock owners.

Plinksters! Check out our Glock 44 review why don’t ya?

G44 Pros and Cons

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Top Big Caliber Single Stack Glock 36

Glock 36

A subcompact Glock frame chambered in the venerable 45 ACP cartridge

Glock 36 Review

You might be asking yourself why a limited-capacity single-stack .45 pistol is included in this review. The answer is simple: a few people want to carry the All-American Cartridge, and they want to do so in a gun that’s more reliable than most of the small (albeit more common) 1911 frame pistols.

Plus, it has a good pedigree, and if you carry one, you’re not going to look like everyone else. That is a factor for some people. Not me, or any of my friends I can think of, but some.

Dimensionally this isn’t at all a petite gun. In fact, it’s not too far off from the Glock 19. That helps tame recoil, which in a .45 can be problematic for some. The impulse in a G36 is more of shove than a snap, but is hardly staggering.

Honestly, the biggest reason it’s on this list is because of the die-hard “I want a single-stack .45” crowd. Functionally it’s not a bad pistol. It’s just that there are several better practical choices.

G36 Pros and Cons

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