After the end of World War II, the Austrian armed forces were armed with two main models of the Colt M1911 A1 and Walther P38 pistols . The Austrian police were equipped with Walther PP and Walther PPK of the military and even pre-war years of production, or released in the post-war years under license in France . To resolve this situation in 1980, it was decided to announce a competition for a new pistol to equip the Austrian armed forces and police. To know more about Glock 43 trigger
THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS WERE IMPOSED ON THE CONTESTANTS :
ammunition type : 9 × 19 mm Parabellum ;
minimum magazine capacity : 8 rounds;
the ability to control the pistol with the right and left hand;
quick bringing to the combat position (without the need to switch the fuse);
the ability to assemble and disassemble without special equipment, the number of parts in a pistol - no more than 58;
all parts must be interchangeable within the same model without mutual adjustment;
there should be no more than 20 delays for 10,000 shots;
the gun should maintain its integrity and functionality as much as possible under external influences and temperature drops;
maximum safety for the user: the shot should not occur when hitting a steel plate after falling from a height of 2 meters.
Various arms manufacturers took part in the struggle for such a promising order. Among them was the then little-known firm Glock, founded in 1963 in the town of Deutsch-Wagram , located near Vienna. At that time, the company was engaged in the production and supply of sapper shovels , bayonet knives , belts and various ammunition for the Austrian army. Back in the mid -1970s, Gaston Glock , the founder and owner of the company, challenged his designers to create the most simple, effective and reliable pistol.
Using the existing experience in the use of polymers in the manufacture of weapons, the Glock 17 pistol was created. The principal innovation of this model was the widespread use of polymer materials in its construction, mainly high - impact polyamide . In 1982, based on the results of military tests, the Glock 17 pistol was adopted by the Austrian army under the designation P.80 . Glock was ordered 25,000 pistols, the production capacity was not ready for such a significant order, so until the full deployment of its own production facilities, subcontractors were attracted .
CONSTRUCTION
THE TRIGGER MECHANISM
The firing mechanism (USM) of the striker type with preliminary partial cocking of the striker when the shutter-casing moves back and cocking when the trigger is pressed. When the trigger is pressed, the blocking of the striker is first removed, then the sear releases the combat platoon, and a shot is fired. Glock calls the trigger of this design only self-cocking (DAO). However, this system is in fact a classic single-action trigger with an additional pre-cocking of the striker.
In Glock pistols, the striker is cocked by moving the shutter-casing backward, and the relatively long trigger stroke and somewhat greater than that of a conventional single-action trigger, the effort required to cocking the striker replaces a manually operated safety catch . To ensure maximum ease of handling the weapon when designing this pistol, it was decided to abandon the use of manual fuses, only automatic ones were left, which significantly reduced the time interval from the moment the pistol was removed to the moment the fire was opened.
In the absence of cartridges, the slide delay is activated , which locks the slide in the retracted position. The length and force of the stroke in this case prevent an accidental shot in the absence of a safety catch. The trigger pull is 2.5 kg and can be adjusted from 2 to 4 kg. The small amount of effort required to pull the trigger allows for greater accuracy, even for a poorly trained shooter.