What Is GLOCK Safe Action & Why’s It So Popular?

by Sean Lance | Mar 16, 2018 | Education, Reviews

The GLOCK pistol, also known as the GLOCK “Safe Action” pistol, is a line of firearms that are designed and manufactured by GLOCK Ges.m.b.H in Austria. In fact, the GLOCK G19 happens to be the 5th best-selling pistol in the U.S. according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, (ATF) and the ranking of best selling new guns according to GunBroker.com; one of the worlds largest online auction sites for firearms. The GLOCK’s polymer-framed, lightweight design, reliability, ease of use and safeties are why roughly 65% of the police in the U.S. already carry a GLOCK as their side arm.

But what is the GLOCK “Safe Action” anyway and why’s it so popular? Basically, the safety mechanisms included by GLOCK which consist of three passive, independently operating mechanical safeties. These three safety features are called:

Trigger Safety
Firing Pin Safety
Drop Safety

With GLOCK’s “Safe Action” pistols, when you pull the trigger to fire one, all three of these safety systems sequentially disengage and they re-engage when the trigger is released.

Trigger Safety

The trigger safety is built into the trigger -it’s the little tab that sticks out past the trigger in the image above. If not pressed, this safety will prevent the trigger from even moving.

Firing Pin Safety

The firing pin safety blocks the firing pin channel until pressed on by the trigger bar.

Drop Safety

The drop safety is located in the rear of the pistol. The rear of the trigger bar rests on the drop shelf and moves down until seperating from the firing pin lug.

In the end, it’s the combination of these three safety mechanisms that seems to set GLOCK apart in many consumer and non-consumer markets. In fact, these features prevent GLOCK pistols from having accidental discharge issues similar to that of several Sig Sauer models, for example. Check out this video to learn more about the Sig’s drop-test-discharge issues just last year, which resulted in Sig voluntarily recalling several of their models.

Of course, we’d love to hear your thoughts… leave a comment below to let us know what you think about GLOCK and what sets them apart in your eyes!

To learn more about Sig Sauer’s recall visit: https://www.sigsauer.com/press-releases/sig-sauer-issues-voluntary-upgrade-p320-pistol/

To learn more about GLOCK Safe Action pistols, visit: https://us.glock.com/technology/safe-action

All product names, logos, and brands are property of their respective owners. All company, product and service names used in this website are for educational purposes only. Use of these names, logos, and brands does not imply endorsement.

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