NCJ Number
204594
Journal
Police: The Law Enforcement Magazine Volume: 28 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2004 Pages: 64-67
Date Published
February 2004
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article describes the Glock Model 37 .45 GAP (Glock Automatic Pistol).
Abstract
Historically, a .45 caliber handgun has been held in high regard for its power, especially among police officers. The problem with .45 caliber handguns in the past has been their bulky size. Now, Glock has managed to come out with the Glock Model 37 .45 GAP that fits the power of a .45 into the frame of a 9mm handgun. Overall, the size is manageable and various versions of ammunition are available for the Glock Model 37. One reason that Glock guns have dominated the law enforcement industry is that they are able to create a need for their pistols. By the 1980’s, Glock had won about 40 percent of the law enforcement market. Their success was not based on advertising genius alone; their guns feature a “Safe Action,” which is an improved striker-fired system requiring a deliberate trigger pull to finish the travel of the striker. Glock’s are simple pistols with few parts that are easy to take apart and reassemble with one tool. The remainder of the article focuses on the details of the Glock Model 37 .45 GAP, which was tested by the author. The gun feels like a Glock and has plastic sights, which are a notorious weak point, but these can be easily replaced with tritium sights. The Model 37 boasts a light rail and a Streamlight/Insight Technology M-3 Tactical Illuminator, which has a red LED for low-light work. The Model 37 also has a new “enhanced” extractor with a raised hump to offer a visual and tactical indication of whether there is a case in the chamber. The Model 37 has a newer slide release, straight ergonomics, and is lightweight at about 25 ounces. Whether the law enforcement industry will embraced the new Glock Model 37 .45 GAP remains to be seen.