I don't take many people on YT seriously.
Glock pistols became wildly popular in the early 90's when the mass move in law enforcement from revolvers to semiautos was in full steam. A big impetus of this was the 1986 Miami FBI shootout, but that wasn't all of the drive. Revolvers were simply not seen as having enough capacity to compete with what the criminal element was bringing to the table. Of all the platforms at the time, Glock capitalized on being, on the most basic level, closer in principle to a revolver in operation than a safety-equipped semiauto. In that, to shoot it, you aimed it and pressed the trigger, at which point it went bang. That was the draw.
I was part of this initial push, as SLED was the first large agency in the nation to adopt the Glock Model 22 and 23 as their standard firearm - the biggest factor there being among the first to adopt the 40 S&W. Before that, the Smith & Wesson Model 15 was the standard issue gun (although you could carry your own gun if you wanted to, so long as it met criteria). The negligent discharges involving Glocks that we saw around the state in the years following revolved around people violating more than one of the Four Cardinal Safety Rules by (a) having the gun pointed in an unsafe direction while (b) their finger was the trigger. The learning curve between a revolvers longer, heavier (12 lb+) trigger press and the Glocks shorter, lighter (5-6 lb, or 8ish lb with a "NY" trigger) trigger press also played a role. I have examined a TON of firearms unintentional discharges with all sorts of firearms, and can't say that the Glock as any more issues than any other guns (including 1911's). I have WITNESSED more unintentional discharges with lighter trigger single action semiautos.
The end result is that VERY rarely is the discharge the fault of the gun - the VAST majority are due to an operator error, or what I call "operator headspace error". Glocks, no-safety Smith & Wesson M&P's, SIG 300 series guns (no thumb safety) can and will bite you if you don't keep your #1 safety ... your finger ... under control. The Glock has THREE safety systems - the trigger safety is the only one that the shooter comes into physical contact with. The other two internal safety devices work very well. And the Glock trigger safety in concept is one of the most copied safety devices you'll see on modern striker fired guns (Smith and Wesson got sued by Glock over this when they introduced the SIGMA series of shitty guns).
I've seen a lot of things cause ND's.... shirts being caught in the trigger guard when reholstering, sling buckles pressing a tigger on a shotgun while in the case, improperly installed trigger locks, seat belts... but lack of muzzle discipline and trigger finger control are Numero Uno by a huge margin.
Glocks also got a bad rep for "blowing up" when there were some scattered incidents. I got asked about this, and my input was to compare the number of Glocks out there with the number of other guns, look at issues across all platforms, then adjust for a statistical value based on incidents per 100,000 guns. I think it would be about the same. Those issues were almost always AMMUNITION related. Specifically, it was found that repeatedly chambering a round in a chamber by unloading/reloading a gun would begin to press the bullet deeper into the cartridge case, causing a spike in chamber pressure, then a "boom". I saw this setback tendency a LOT more in 40 S&W, which I attribute to the geometry of the flat nosed projectile and the feed ramp.
Is there an actual issue with SIG 320's? I don't know enough about the inner workings of 'em... I have one (SIG 320 AXG Pro) that is an absolute pleasure to shoot and I actually compete with. But I keep it pointed in a safe direction and mind my booger hook.
There isn't any such thing as a "perfect gun", no matter how much fan boys of any particular gun will tell you. The Glock being on Gen 5 means nothing if there have been only 5 versions in almost 40 years. Another popular platform, the 1911 (which I love) experienced one very early modification to the 1911A1 standard - then spawned several variants between 1970 and 1983 that, had it been a Glock, would have spawned new "Generation" monikers. These being the Series 70 and Series 80 (plus the National Match versions there of). Modifications over time are part of almost ANY successful firearm. Most of the modifications to Glocks and M&Ps over time have been to improve shooter experience and ergonomics, structural issues (40 S&W...), and accuracy. Not safety.
There are a lot of modern striker fired guns out now that I would trust my life to. Some that I would not. After 33 years straight of carrying a Glock, I'm no less impressed by them, but recognize factors I wish were better. Especially the feel of the grip. But there is a reason I own ten of em.
And a Sig.
(My favorite MAY be my Staccato P Duo though.... which I won... and would never pay for out of pocket).
"Only accurate rifles are interesting " - Col. Townsend Whelen
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