Glock 18C : The Greatest Marketing Tool Ever Invented
Advanced Armament Corp. has built a reputation for hosting some pretty impressive parties at Shot Show. This year they were good enough to send us a couple passes to the first annual Big Bang Shoot where we managed to complete a firearms lifetime quest and get some trigger time on a Glock 18C.
This is a view of the top of the slide on the Glock 18C with a cutout on the top of the slide designed to vent gasses from the top ports on the barrel, thus helping to control muzzle rise. One might imagine that a small sidearm like the Glock 18C with a rate of fire in the 1200 rounds per minute range might need some assistance in the muzzle rise department and the venting does its job as you can see from the video below.
My impression was that a pure fully automatic mode on this sidearm is of limited utility. I’d think that a 3 round burst mode would be far more effective and less wasteful of the limited ammunition that is in each standard magazine. It should be noted that there are extended magazines available for the Glock, though I’ve never seen them offered by the factory.
Additionally, it should be noted that a 3 round burst rather than fully automatic would reduce the potential collateral damage given the mission of this particular weapon with personal security/close protection details.
Ed: Two days later the editor (Steve) had a drink with the Glock employee who helped us with the Glock 18C. He described the Glock 18C as “the greatest marketing tool ever invented”.
Can anyone identify that timepiece?
We need to remember that the fully automatic setting is optional. It’s got that little switch. So all the complaints on it’s usefulness are beside the point.
I know if I was clearing some small room, I’d have that sucker on full auto, presuming I had a minimum 17 round magazine of course.
The real problem with the 18C is the skill required to to use it properly, not to mention the probably higher costs in ammo usage.
Hell of a way to make Glockamole.
This is, hands down, my dream gun.
You are a lucky SOB:)
What is it with everyone thinking a mechanical change is somehow a solution for proper training? I hear this 3 round burst comment all the time for automatic weapon systems when all one needs to do is use good trigger management. Stop holding down the trigger! Put as many rounds downrange as you need to and let go of the trigger. It’s that simple.
With the proper stance and grip the 18 can be very controllable without any type of shoulder stock. If your worried about collateral damage then get a good grip and stance and learn how to control yourself. I watched Jessie Abbate shoot the 18 a couple of years ago at a shooting event. She was putting 4 round bursts on 8 in steel plates from over 7 yards away, so I know it can be done. Good grip (the opposite of the one in the pick at the top) is the key.
Sorry guys, if I sound frustrated. I’m just tired of the “needs a 3 round burst mode because I can’t control it” argument.
BTW, the 33 round GLOCK magazines are definently Glock OEM and you can find them all over the place. I’ve seen them at Gander Mountain for like $20.
i thought i could add that if you want a three round burst in a machine pistol so bad, then get a Beretta 93
IIRC, Beretta stopped production for the 93R a while back (80′s?). Might be hard to find compared to 18′s and converted 17′s.
In the case of something like these full auto pistols, I believe that they tend to have a very high rate of fire which makes doing short bursts kind of difficult without a lot practice and a really good finger. From what (little) I know of these things, even a relatively short trigger pull can result in a lot longer (~5 – 6 rounds) burst than what’s intended.
18D… If you are in fact an 18D, then you know how difficult things get in the intensity of action. Yes, training is important. However, with a 1200 round per minute rate of fire, your careful selection of trigger use can mean 20 rounds in a second… 10 rounds in half a second or 5 rounds in a quarter second. Based on my experience with the sidearm, I’d say that the first three are on minute of man at 10 yards and under. Anything beyond that and I’d say aim is suspect. Add on top of that a combat experience or responding in a threat scenario and I’d be wanting a 3rnd burst capability. In fact, the man most responsible for my small arms training was adamant about limiting fire to semi-automatic mode with a 3rd burst only to be used in the most severe of circumstances. Full automatic mode had no place in his world unless it was suppressing fire. During rangetime, if GySgt Able heard anything more than single shots, we’d have some ‘splainin to do. His rationale was that the places his teams went, ammo was scarce. Shot placement was king and if you needed suppressing fire, then (~1990) you had an MG240. In my mind, that was good policy.
Ever since I saw the XD subcompact with it’s 16rd magazine option I’ve been waiting for Springfield Armory to make a fully automatic model for the hell of it. It just looks like something a body guard would pull out of his jacket in some action movie and start rock n’ rolling with.
Now, Now guys this is a very popular pistol…….on video games like Battlefield 3
Does it come in gold?
If I could only own one gun, it would be the Glock 18.
Is it possible to own one of these as a civilian? I don’t particularly want one, but I’ve always been curious what you would need to do in the US.
Yes, an American citizen can own one. Getting one legally though is a bit complicated.
First, you’d have to find one for sale, which may be difficult because it’d have to of been manufactured and sold before 1986. Since the supply is so small, expect it to cost an arm and a leg (prices for full auto firearms start at $3000-$5000, and go WAY up from there, depending on rarity and caliber).
After you’ve set the deal up, you’d then need to apply for an NFA tax stamp. This involves getting the form from the ATF, getting your local LEO’s authorization, paying a $200 fee, and then sending the whole shebang back to the ATF and waiting several months for them to complete a very thorough background check. IF they decide that you’ve passed, then you can finally take possession.
This all assumes that you live in a state that allows residents to own full auto firearms. Many do not. You’ll have to check your local laws before you decide to go shopping.
In addition to ROb’s comment, there is also the issue of the lack of ANY Glock 18s registered as transferable pre ’86 so there aren’t even any that could be purchased. If there are any, there are almost certainly less than a dozen or two, which means that prices are probably going to start at $15000-$20000 at least. You may be able to find a converted Glock 17.
The other way to own a Glock 18 would be to become a dealer in NFA items with proper licensing, obtain a demo permit for a Glock 18, and buy one, if Glock were willing. There is also the small matter of the Glock purchased being for demonstration use with the intent of selling it and others to law enforcement, military, or export and you need to prove need to the ATF to get the permit. This all essentially means that you can’t get one for personal use, at least not officially.
In the dim past, I did evaluation tests on both the Beretta 93r and the H&K VP70. Both were fully automatic pistols with 3-round burst controls, and the VP70 required the stock be attached for the full auto function to work. While they were found to be effective, in certain situations, they never caught on because sub-machine guns do the job better. The same is true of the GLOCK 18. It is a good novelty piece, but the usefulness is low.
But fully automatic pistols are sure cool to shoot. The Mauser M1932 Schnellfeuer still being my favorite.
i thought it was mandatory to hold those pistols sideways and mag dump when firing them. this video is confusing
Can someone teach that guy a decent stance?
Hey Andrew,
That is me, the photographer (and poster). I’m right handed and left eye dominant, so my stance (particularly with a 40lb camera bag on my back) may be a little unorthodox, but I’d lay odds that I can outshoot most folks here…
I had the opportunity to fire a Glock 18 a couple of years ago, and thought it was hilarious. Effective range on full-auto (i.e. to place all of the bullets on a human target) about one metre.
I then tried it with an accessory shoulder stock and the grouping was very much tighter – comparable with an SMG. The problem was that the stock was several times larger than the gun, making the whole contraption bigger than an SMG – which rather defeats the purpose.
The classic “solution looking for a problem” IMO.
Well, when you need to blow someone away at one meter distance, only a Glock 18C will do.
actually i think one of those serbu shotguns would be better for that one meters shot ;D
@mosinman
More like a sawed off double barrel shot pistol, the 18C would provide around equal if not superpower sub 1 meter firepower.
17, it’s fun.
Anyone know how to do it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IUsXUmTK94&feature=player_embedded
17, it’s fun.
Anyone know how to do it.
I have quite a few 33 round mags for my G23C. So freakin’ cheap, so why not?
“Limited use” unless your name is Morpheus:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKyi4YU_rNM&feature=related
@3.24
I got to shoot one of these at Knob Creek – but they attached a shoulder stock to it so we wouldn’t shoot down the Huey circling overhead. Very fun gun, but better as an anti-aircraft piece for use against Cesna 172′s on bombing runs. Still want one – stupid Hughes Amendment!
In my very weird opinion, the topside of that slide is absolutely gorgeous. I only wish they made slides like that for the GLOCK 17. Looks like it’d cut the already low weight down even more.
I think they do make a 17C model, with the comp ports on the barrel and slide. I know they make comp’d versions of the the long 9mm (I think it’s the 34, but don’t quote me on that).
I’m fairly certain I’ve seen that slide on a 17 – one of our sergeants has one, and it sure wasn’t an 18.
The 17C’s slide is definitely different from the 18C: compensator is a v-style with two cutouts instead of the 18C’s big opening and a single vertical hole. No cutout in the rear. Just not the same, sigh. :/
And oh I wasn’t aware GLOCK made a compensated 34 (yes, you got the number right). I always thought you had to go aftermarket like Lone Wolf for that particular model.
Cylinder and Slide will cut your glock slide just like the 18 if you like.
Very nice. Thanks.
why are you sticking to the 30+ round mags for the glock being after market?
is there something going on with them that we don’t know about? you’re insisting that they don’t make them, me and others saying that we own them (i’ve got 4) and all of them being sold as genuine glock mags. what gives?
Pardon my language, but you are the luckiest bastard in the world. The Glock 18C is one of the coolest firearms ever invented. In fact, it’s one of the coolest THINGS ever invented, period.
I’m not sure that the compensator is all that effective, I never noticed much difference between the muzzle rise of an 18C and that of a 17 or 19 auto conversion. I will say that a converted 19 mounted in an EMA RONI stock is a really fun way to convert money into noise though!
Depending on what you mean by never having seen extended magazines offered by the factory, the 33-round 9mm magazines are factory-made & sold by GLOCK, and even on the product page for the sub-compact 26, it lists magazine capacity as “Standard: 10 Optional: 12/15/17/19/33″ because it accepts every 9mm magazine GLOCK makes.
Yup. Glock 33 round magazines are pretty common. I’m not sure how you go to a gun show WITHOUT seeing a 33 round Glock magazine. I think Cheaper Than Dirt sends out catalogs to everyone, sometimes several times a month, and they put the big magazines in the catalog all the time.
Yup… They’re pretty common indeed. Hell they even make a 22 round magazine for their .40 pistols.
There are definitely Glock factory 33rd mags, they are quite common.
And Steve- if only it had been a tad warmer, that would of been just about perfect. Great to hang out with you!
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/116453/glock-magazine-glock-17-19-26-34-9mm-luger-33-round-polymer-black
I know exactly what they mean. The highlight of the second Matrix film for me was Morpheus going around with his 18 and a katana; iirc the Joker had a dual-tone 18 in TDK, too.
Is there anything better than shooting a Glock 18C in the desert at sunset? (Ok, maybe one thing).
I found the Glock 18C easier to control than expected (probably thanks to the compensator). Next time I will sneak in some 30 round aftermarket mags.