It took me ‘til Friday, but I want to talk about the Glock 44.
I admit I was initially a little “meh” when I heard about this new Glock .22LR caliber pistol. I figured that the market was flooded with .22 iterations from other companies. I was afraid this would be just more of the same.
But then I shot the Glock 44 on Range Day. Boy, was I wrong!
The Glock 44 is sized like a Glock 19 Gen 5. Everything about this gun is pure Glock (I should know – I own three of them). The trigger is the same, the slide racks the same, the grip is the same, the sights are the same. This is not some bastardized “make-do” version just so it would be .22 cal. This pistol has been thoughtfully engineered and is simply … a Glock. Which is about the highest praise I can give it as Glock fan – seriously. This is no wolf in sheep’s clothing. This is obviously a member of the family and “one of us”.
Given all that, this would be a fantastic training pistol for when you don’t want to spend big bucks on your regular ammo for practice. The magazine drops the same, the sight picture is the same, and unlike a lot of .22LR’s – it cycles reliably. So your mag change drills, sight picture acquisition, and virtually everything except the recoil will be the same as your centerfire Glock for practice purposes.
Likewise this would be a fantastic pistol with which to introduce new shooters to the sport, as it provides a familiar platform when they are ready to transition to a higher caliber. Everything but the recoil and filled magazine weight will be the same when they are ready to move up. Even if they don’t choose to move up – they are still shooting a Glock and can use Glock-size holsters.
Once you have a new shooter accustomed, this would be a great way to introduce something like Steel Challenge to a new shooter. Rimfire on steel is a great reinforcement tool for newer shooters. Plus they get to mix and mingle and meet new friends who shoot.
Put simply – this is a great “gateway gun” for beginners, but for seasoned shooters – have I mentioned that the Glock 44 will accept a suppressor?
Glock 44. Get one. I am. You can thank me later.
