JUST IN: Iconic Handgun Engineer Passes Away At 94

Gaston Glock, the Austrian firearms entrepreneur and founder of the famous Glock firearms company, has passed away at the age of 94. The company has expanded globally and now operates branches in various countries, including a manufacturing facility in the USA.

His death was confirmed by Glock’s press office according to Austrian news agency APA.

“With visionary foresight, Gaston Glock built his company and led it to the top of the world with the internationally valued GLOCK Perfection. Until the end, he was responsible for the strategic direction of the GLOCK Group and its employees,” the statement said.

Glock was an Austrian engineer and the founder of Glock Ges.m.b.H., a company best known for producing the Glock series of semi-automatic pistols. He was born in 1929, in Vienna, Austria. Before starting his company, Glock had no experience with firearms; he was a manufacturer of curtain rods and knives for the Austrian military.

In the early 1980s, Glock became aware of a tender by the Austrian Army for new service pistols, which required the new firearm design to meet very stringent criteria. Despite his lack of experience in gun manufacturing, Glock decided to enter the competition. He assembled a team of experts to help in the design of a new firearm.

In 1982, Glock developed the Glock 17, a 9mm semi-automatic pistol. The design was revolutionary for its time, using a polymer frame to reduce weight and the number of parts, which increased reliability and simplified maintenance. The Glock 17 passed all the Austrian military’s rigorous tests and was adopted as their new service pistol.

Following its success with the Austrian military, the Glock pistol gained international recognition and became popular among law enforcement agencies and civilian shooters worldwide. The Glock design is known for its simplicity, durability, and reliability.

Gaston Glock’s approach to firearms design was unique in that he did not have a background in gun-smithing. His ability to approach the problem from a different perspective is often credited as a key factor in the success of the Glock pistol.

Today, Glock Ges.m.b.H. is one of the leading firearms manufacturers in the world.