10 Million Glocks Sold

"I'm not sure I'd call it "Wide Acceptance".

I'd submit it's principally 'lowest bidder'."

Think about it critically for a few seconds, and you'll see why low bid can't be the only factor in Glock's market position.

Quite a few millions of those guns have been sold on the civilian market in the United States where the "low bid" simply doesn't exist.

If the Glock were somehow substandard, low price wouldn't have saved it. It would have gotten a bad reputation and low bid contracts would have been rejected in favor of other, more expensive, but more reliable firearms.

The fact that Glock continues to command massive market share in both the civilian and contract markets means that yes, it's acceptance has been widespread to the point of ubiquity.

If lowest bidder were truly the ONLY determining factor to this, we'd be seeing High Points on the hips of every cop and soldier in the country.

The fact that we don't should tell you something.
 
It's an impressive number! One that I'm sure any other hand gun manufacturer would love to have. With that said, I does not influence me in the least. I like what I like regardless the number of units produced. I'm not surprised at the number considering how popular Glock's have been since they first came on to the scene.
 
McDonald's has sold billions of burgers...Does that automatically make them the best hamburger in the world?
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I don't remember the OP saying Glock was the best.

It's interesting how this news seems to actually bother people.
 
My thought is that there will never be a "collectible" Glock. Good tool, but that's about as far as it goes.
 
No but the point is simple. Mass sales do not necessarily equate with something being the best.

I will say this, if Glock is your thing buy them, own them, shoot them, love them. I won't tell you not to.
 
It's a lot like McDonalds bragging about "3 billion served" or something like that...

Impressive digits, but if you look at the actual substance you may find it... severely lacking. :cool:

EDIT: I see someone beat me to the McDonald's analogy!
 
To me it would be more interesting to know how many of a particular Glock variant have been sold. It is not really a fair comparison to say 10 Million "Glocks" have been sold vs say the 1911 in 45 ACP or the Browning Hi Power. They are for the most part a single pistol design with a few variations. Not the same as Glock 17 vs a Glock 22.

Comparing the sales of one companies entire line to the sales of a single type of gun does not compute for me. YMMV

In the end it really does not matter much to me. I own a 19 and I like it. It does what it is supposed to do. It does it well enough but not IMHO as well for me as other guns I own. I have it as a point of reference more than anything else. IMHO the Glock 17 and Glock 19s are the standard by which other polymer pistols are judged by. Gaston borrowed smartly a lot of the technology that was already on the table and improved it using modern manufacturing techniques and materials and combined with great marketing to LEO and civilian markets he hit a grand slam.

I have never understood the Glock hate. They are what they are. Nothing more nothing less. If you like them own them and shoot them. If you don't there are almost limitless other options out there for you. Everybody wins
 
'McDonald's has sold billions of burgers...Does that automatically make them the best hamburger in the world?'

That's not an apt comparison at all.

Nor does your question set even a low-ball standard for what constitutes "the best."

One must define the terms and criteria for judging before attempting to crown the king, so to speak.
 
Perhaps so Mike, but apparently the OP thinks 10 million Glocks, of all models is a high water mark of some kind. That's why I made the McDonald's comparison. I wonder how many total 1911's have been sold of all brands since it was first unveiled, that would be a fair comparison I think.
 
"Perhaps so Mike, but apparently the OP thinks 10 million Glocks, of all models is a high water mark of some kind."

It is a high water mark.

10 million of anything sold is an impressive number.

Few firearms companies have sold 10 million firearms, and I suspect that no firearms company has ever sold that many firearms in as short a period of time.

Does that make Glock "the best?"

Well, once again, the terms of what constitutes the best would need to be rigorously defined first.

We can categorically say, however, that Glock:

1. Is successfull as a company, as a marketer, and as a design.

2. That Glock has seen general acceptance worldwide of a kind that probably only the Mauser rifle can match.

3. The Glock design has proven to be robust, reliable, adaptable, and overall suitable for its intended purpose.

None of that may make the Glock "the best," but it does explain its success.
 
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Perhaps so Mike, but apparently the OP thinks 10 million Glocks, of all models is a high water mark of some kind. That's why I made the McDonald's comparison. I wonder how many total 1911's have been sold of all brands since it was first unveiled, that would be a fair comparison I think.
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I would think that anyone who is familiar with the firearms industry and its history would understand that 10 million units sold by a single company is a high water mark. Only huge conglomerates like FN Herstal come to mind which we are talking about selling that many guns from a single company let alone one limited to handguns only. From a single design standpoint as someone else pointed out Kalashnikov has Gaston beat by a mile. :eek:

The number of 1911s sold/manufactured over the last 100+ years is not a fair comparison. Multiple manufacturers in multiple countries greatly skew the numbrs. Also honestly outside the US it was never as heavily adopted as one would think so most of the 1911 sales would be in the US. The 1911 is not as global as Glock. IMHO the BHP has probably moved more units than the 1911. Some would put the CZ75 ahead of the 1911 as well but that is a discussion for another thread.

Either way Gaston has hit this number in 32 years after the 17 was put into service by the Austrians. So again the comparison you are attempting to make is falling short. Even with the uneven playing field you have created I still think Glock wins and will IMHO continue winning. It does not make them the best but it does make them "widely accepted" which in their early days was highly questioned. 30+ years later there can be no doubt.

I also have to wonder why the "beef" with Glock? Yes pun was intended. I guess I am confused as to how people got from the OP that the poster was claiming Glock was the best? Maybe I missed something.
 
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Well, you certainly wouldn't post 10 million sold and not be implying that means something. Whether it means best of something is questionable and each person will have their own standards.

By the way, I don't hate Glocks. I just don't like the way they feel in my hand. I don't feel any magical powers pulling me to buy one for that reason alone. In another Glock topic I was told I need to adapt to the feel of a Glock. Why? I like my 1911, XDs, and my P89. I didn't need to adapt, they felt right from the first time I handled them. I wouldn't tell a Glock owner to sell his Glock and buy an XDs if he likes his Glock. We have choices so people can pick what they like.

Congratulations to the Glock Corporation on their sales.
 
In all seriousness, Glocks just (generally) work and lots of folks don't want to deal with 'break ins' or fiddling with extractor tension.
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Preferring mis-feeds and broken extractors, instead?
 
One of the significant aftereffects of there being 10+ million out there is the long tail of the support for the Glock.

For every one of those handguns, there are many holsters, magazines, extractors, fire groups, sights, trigger packages, etc.

Even if you don't like Glocks, they are kind of the AR of the handgun world. You can get unparalleled support to customize, personalize, upgrade, maintain, and improve upon just about any feature. That, in and of itself, is a pretty big sell.
 
I disliked glock for years and swore I'd never own one, especially after reading about Gaston Glock's philosophical feelings towards Americans. Well, its been about 10 yrs and I could no longer ignore their practical & disposable niche as a utility pistol for my needs any longer. Truth be told I'm a metal pistol type of guy so S&W wheel guns, Sigs,1911s, Kahr MK9s are some of my preferred pistols. But I wanted a "cheap" reliable pistol I could keep in the truck, or have on me out at the farm that I could beat up and not give a 2nd thought to damaging its exterior/interior. Replacement parts are cheap, its easily repaired and aftermarket support is immense. Thus I bought a Gen 4 19 last week.:rolleyes: Its the first glock that feels halfway decent in my little paws,.....dammit I hate eating crow.:mad:
 
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Well, you certainly wouldn't post 10 million sold and not be implying that means something. Whether it means best of something is questionable and each person will have their own standards.
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I'm not sure how or why that would be true at all. News publications often publish the sales numbers of manufacturers and their products, i.e. Apple and the latest version of the iPhone. These publications aren't saying Apple is "better", they're just reporting facts.

By the way, I don't hate Glocks. I just don't like the way they feel in my hand. I don't feel any magical powers pulling me to buy one for that reason alone. In another Glock topic I was told I need to adapt to the feel of a Glock. Why? I like my 1911, XDs, and my P89. I didn't need to adapt, they felt right from the first time I handled them. I wouldn't tell a Glock owner to sell his Glock and buy an XDs if he likes his Glock. We have choices so people can pick what they like.
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Unless the OP is the same person I don't think it's fair to attribute one attitude to every user of this forum. I think most folks here would agree with your sentiment that you are free to use what pistols you like and it should have no effect on other members. That said, you preferring another pistol in no way changes the fact that this is still an impressive sales figure.

Despite having owned a number of Glocks I no longer do. I also prefer other designs, but I'm not aware of any competing design that can boast of such sales (polymer framed, striker fired handgun).
 
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