By Joe Berk
I’m not a Glock guy and it’s not likely I’ll ever own one, but Glock (a book by Paul M. Barrett about Gaston Glock and the pistols that carry his name) sure is an interesting read.
Gaston Glock surprised everyone when he submitted a bid with a new design for a military handgun. He surprised people even more when he won the competition, and then he (and the company that bears his name) were on their way. Glock ran a small-potatoes company in Austria that made automobile radiators. He knew nothing about firearms and military contracts. Maybe that was his advantage. Glock started with a clean sheet of paper, both for the gun’s design and his approach to market.
Barrett tells an interesting story about how Glock employed unorthodox marketing practices (practices involving a former porn princess and lots of company freebies) to become one of the most successful arms manufacturers on the planet. It really is a fascinating story. Corporate shenanigans, arms deals, palace intrigue, an attempt on Gaston Glock’s life, police shootouts, and more: Glock has it all.
I’ve shot Glocks (I have friends who own them). I get that they are inexpensive and reliable. I don’t like striker-fired (i.e., hammerless) trigger pulls and I’m not a big fan of Tupperware guns (even though my primary carry gun is a Tupperware Smith and Wesson), but I understand the reasons behind Glock’s success, and I understand those reasons even better now that I’ve read Barrett’s book. Trust me on this: If you’re interested in firearms and you want a good read, look no further than Glock. You can thank me later.
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Just finished “The Guns of John Moses Browning” .
Amazing good book – American ingenuity, country boy and family, history that involves several of the worlds most noted gun manufacturers. A peek, Browning invented the Colt 1911 45.
Glock will go on the to read list. After finish “Destinations” by Berk..
Thanks for commenting, David.
There are a few guys who fit into the prolific gun designer category. Glock, Browning, Colt, Mauser, Kalishnakov, and maybe a few others. Mauser is reported to have hatched the idea for the bolt action rifle by observing a simple gate latch. Colt is thought to have had the idea for a revolver by observing a ship’s wheel. The Russians formalized the concept of looking to existing concepts not necessarily related to a particular design challenge to prompt new approaches (the technique is called TRIZ, an acronym formed from the Russian words for the theory of inventive problem solving). All fascinating stuff.
Thanks for buying Destinations.
Very cool!
Kamala says she has a Glock.
Likely the first brand that came to her mind during an interview.
So the name definitely has recognition .
Even if the anti gun crowd owns them
You believe her?
WOW, the last thing I would want on my book is Known Pervert Jeffrey Toobin’s name…
sad a good gun book was soiled by him.
Thanks for commmenting, Lance.