Even though one of my first service handguns was a Colt National Match, I was late to the ‘modern’ semi-auto pistol party. The second major agency I served with went to semi-autos early, 1986, selecting a double action .45 ACP. It wasn’t long past that time that the first GLOCK showed up in the neighborhood.

Made of plastic, it wasn’t like the HK VP-70 or P9S. It had a new trigger and was very low cost. It held 17 rounds of 9mm in the magazine. I’d been carrying back up .38 Specials and already had some appreciation for the 9mm Parabellum, found in an association with a Browning High Power.

Others had these Austrian pistols and I looked on, disinterested. As the format gained in number of calibers, people I knew started picking these guns up. Rafferty, a grand traditionalist, even went with the GLOCK when the 45 caliber G21 came out. I was surprised, but I didn’t make the leap.

I didn’t think the high caps would help much versus carrying something with more steam. 

As time passed, more and more cops – individuals and agencies -- went with GLOCK. I knew that we didn’t often go with what was “best,” so I continued to ignore it. We had some narcs take to carrying GLOCKs and the state alcohol beverage control group went with the same guns.

I began to train nationally and started a writing career. I saw more and more agencies placing faith in the plastic gun. I began to see that, if I was going to teach nationally, I’d have to be familiar with those guns.

For that reason, in 2001, I began regular carry of the GLOCK 19. A fifteen-shot “compact” striker pistol, it – like the G17 – was known for reliability, ease of maintenance and wide holster availability. Even stretching into today, unless I need to be more discreet, the G19 is most likely the gun I’ll be carrying.

A narcotics enforcement type was carrying a GLOCK 17 every day. It was an agency trade-in gun, one of the very first in the state. He sought the assistance of Mike Rafferty, a GLOCK Armorer, to do an inspection of the piece. Mike told me he was stunned by the amount of grunge in the gun. He was surprised too that the gun didn’t have the “update,” a factory replacement of many essential parts. The gun was still functional. Mike made the call, got the updated parts and finished the narc’s protection piece.

One rather large, body-builder type came into the narcotics unit. His gun was the GLOCK 21, a .45 ACP. He tried a fellow deputy’s G17 and liked it so much better than the .45, he sought one out and began carrying it.

“I can shoot it accurately faster than anything else,” he said.

Rafferty himself took to storing his issued G22 and strapping up with the G17 9mm. Like all of us, he’d gone through a period of wanting more power and moving to lots of ammo available in the gun – with each round more quickly delivered.

Of course, the gun’s maker or caliber isn’t really all that important. The point is it’s proven itself to the user. 

And that’s the only real lesson out of all of this!

– Rich Grassi