Glock

The Glock is a series of polymer-framed, striker-fired, semi-automatic pistols produced by Glock GmbH in Deutsch-Wagram, Austria. Glock was named after Gaston Glock, who founded the company in 1963. Originally, Glock produced shower curtain rods until the 1970s, when they re-tooled to start producing military hardware for the Austrian Army. They produced such items as ammunition belts for machine guns, plastic magazines, practice hand grenades, entrenching tools and field knives. When the Austrian Army demanded a service pistol in the 1980s, Glock produced the first generation of its eponymous pistols with the 9x19mm Parabellum semi-automatic Glock 17. The pistol was designated "17" because it was produced successfully under Gaston's seventeenth patent. The Austrian Army accepted the Glock 17 in 1982, and the Norwegian Army followed suit in 1984. In 1985, Gaston branched out to the United States and built a factory in Smyrna, Georgia and started Glock, Inc. From then until 1989, they began expanding their 9mm model line, bringing out such notable pistols as the Glock 18 select-fire machine pistol, the Glock 17L which added a full inch to the barrel and slide on the stock Glock 17, and the compact Glock 19. Then in 1990, Glock produced the Glock 22 and Glock 23 pistols, the very first pistols to be produced in the .40 S&W caliber, beating Smith & Wesson to the market with their own cartridge.

Popular Usage
The Glock has enjoyed an almost celebrity-like status with various military and law enforcement agencies around the world, as well as the general shooting public. The pistol is favored by law enforcement agencies for its reliability and ease of use. As the Glock has very few extraneous controls such as an external frame-mounted safety, grip safety, or external hammer, training with the pistol becomes faster and easier. The pistol's grip angle allows for a natural point of aim with a limp wrist, with the slide sitting low in the hand to increase accuracy. The polymer frame allows for law enforcement officers and civilians to carry the pistol for extended periods of time without fatigue, unlike pistols with steel or aluminum frames. The Glock is also easy to clean, containing just 33 parts.

The Glock's boxy, black, intimidating look has also made it a staple in Hollywood action movies, as well as countless video games. This popularity explosion has also caused the pistol to come under the ire of many gun-control advocacy groups, who use the Glock's improper portrayal in several movies as a completely plastic gun with the ability to be completely undetectable by X-ray machines in a move to take these pistols from civilian hands. This myth is false, as approximately 84% of the pistol is made of steel, and the polymer used in the frame causes it to be radio-opaque and easily identifiable by conventional X-ray machines.

Appearance in the GTA Games
The Glock is featured in the GTA series in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Grand Theft Auto IV as light pistols. Both are standard fare for Toni Cipriani and Niko Bellic throughout the games, and come in very handy when the player runs out of ammo for the larger firearms, or for eliminating Flying Rats. In Grand Theft Auto IV, the Glock model has an interesting error; the front sight, which is normally a single post, is instead a copy of the twin-post rear sight.

Grand Theft Auto IV
The Glock (referenced as Pistol in-game) can be purchased from the back-alley gun shops for $600, and each additional magazine is $35. The Glock can be purchased from Little Jacob for $420, and each additional magazine is $25.

Broker Dukes Liberty City Bohan Algonquin Alderney
 * Firefly Island - Can be found to the right of the "Liberty Go-Karts" wall mural to the right of Wappinger Ave.
 * Hove Beach - Can be found atop the Perestroika club, on a walkway on the roof.
 * Rotterdam Hill - Can be found across the street from Michelle's house in a gated lot, behind some dumpsters.
 * East Hook - Can be found on the first-floor ledge of a cylindrical silo-type structure off Mohanet Ave. The player can easily reach it with an SUV/MPV or other tall vehicle like a Cavalcade or Ambulance.
 * Willis - Can be found behind and to the left of the parking lot off Freetown Ave. This parking lot is also located to the left of the small parking space where you obtain Stevie's Comet during the mission No. 1.
 * Broker Bridge - Can be found midway across the bridge, on the pedestrian walkway.
 * Liberty - Can be found on a giant rock in the West River just east of Westdyke, Alderney. You can see the rock from the Hickey Bridge as well.
 * Northern Gardens - Can be found in the ladies' powder room of the Triangle Club. Please note: this pistol should be obtained only as a last resort, because otherwise the player shall receive a one star wanted level and the patrons and guards will begin shooting.
 * South Bohan - Can be found on the sixth floor of the apartment complex across the street from the South Bohan Safehouse.
 * Northwood - Can be found on the edge of the roof of a gutted-out warehouse off of Vespucci Circus.
 * Middle Park - Can be found on the lone island in the lake, next to the tree growing there.
 * The Meat Quarter - Can be found on the West River side of the driving range of the Golden Pier Golf Club, next to a sand trap.
 * Westdyke - Can be found on the roof of the ancient casino featured in the mission Out of Commission.
 * Westdyke - Can be found on the roof of the garden shed of a mansion on Owl Creek Ave. The mansion is the same one where the Turismo is parked out front for Stevie's car thefts.
 * Berchem - Can be found in the alley behind the TW@ Internet Café, atop a small garage roof.