Glock 17

The Glock 17, sometimes referred to by the manufacturer as Glock "Safe Action" Pistol, is a series of semi-automatic pistols designed and produced by Glock Ges.m.b.H., located in Deutsch-Wagram, Austria. The company's founder, engineer Gaston Glock, had no experience with firearm design or manufacture at the time their first pistol, the Glock 17, was being prototyped. Glock did, however, have extensive experience in advanced synthetic polymers, knowledge of which was instrumental in the company's design of the first successful line of pistols with a polymer frame. Glock introduced ferritic nitrocarburizing into the firearms industry as an anti-corrosion surface treatment for metal gun parts.

Despite initial resistance from the market to accept a "plastic gun" due to durability and reliability concerns, Glock pistols have become the company's most profitable line of products, commanding 65% of the market share of handguns for United States law enforcement agencies as well as supplying numerous national armed forces and security agencies worldwide. Extremely reliable and durable, as well as being easy to use and maintain, Glock pistols are incredibly popular with civilians and law enforcement alike.

This model, the Glock 17, is the standard-sized pistol chambered for 9x19mm ammunition. It normally uses magazines with 17 rounds. The very similar Glock 19 is a more compact model, with a slightly shorter grip and therefore a smaller magazine that accepts up to 15 rounds.