Who is Gaston Glock?

Gaston Glock

All of us know Glock, and it's very likely that most of you who are reading this either own one yourself or know somebody who does. But what about the man behind the gun? What do we know about Gaston Glock himself? Well, his story is one of self-defense, firearms, and self-defense firearms. Let's take a look at the life of this extraordinary man.

GLOCK's Curtain Rods?

We start our story in Gaston Glock's homeland of Austria. Born on July 19, 1929, Gaston Glock spent more than 30 years of his life not in business for himself. But upon marrying his (now ex) wife Helga in 1962, that changed. Using the savings money that they were going to use to pay for an apartment, the future arms designer and manufacturer started his business career in the same way that any arms designer would, by making curtain rods.

Glock's first business not only didn't have anything to do with firearms, it didn't have anything to do with the defense industry at all. It took until the 1970s and a contract with the Austrian army for Glock to even get into the knife game. And that was Glock's game until a dinner in 1980 when Gaston, sitting with several higher-ups of the Austrian military offered to redesign the army's sidearm. The military accepted the offer and thus began the growth of Glock's business as we know it today.

Enter the Glock 17

Following Glock's agreement with the Austrian military, the company began to grow almost exponentially. In 1981 he created the gun that would forever change the gun industry, known as the Glock 17. And because it functioned so well, he went under contract to manufacture 20,000 sidearms for that military in the early 80s.

By the time the mid 80s came around, Glock brought his expertise to the United States and began the process of growing his company even further. Over the next 30 years, Glock would grow his company into a powerhouse which makes over $400 million dollars per year.

SELF-DEFENSE

As Glock grew in the United States and around the world it has become one of the most widely used firearms for concealed carriers and those interested in self/home-defense. But this could have all changed in a 1999 incident which saw the man who brought self-defense to so many forced into a situation in which he needed to defend his own life from a violent attacker.

The story goes that in an underground car park in Luxembourg in '99 Gaston Glock was attacked by a French hitman who attempted to kill Gaston with a mallet. However, the then 70-something-year-old man was able to fend off the assassin with his bare hands.

An interesting side note, which you can read more about along with every aspect of Glock's life in the book Glock: The Rise of America's Gun, the attack on his life was conceived and set into motion by Glock's longtime business associate, Charles Ewert who was attempting to embezzle money.

Ewert received 20 years in prison for hiring the hit-man, who received 17 years.

GOING STRONG

Even after the attack, he continued his momentum, hard-working ethic, and the desire to keep making some of the world's finest pistols. Today Gaston himself, at 88 (with a birthday of July 19th) is still going strong. And his company … well, that speaks for itself.

They continue to make some of the most popular pistols in the world, which is evidenced by the need to produce products like the Glock-E-Trainer, which is a Glock-only dryfire practice tool that we sell here on our website.

The popularity of Glock's pistols doesn't seem to be dying down anytime soon, as they continue to produce high quality arms for civilian, law enforcement, and military use. Only one question remains, which Glock do you own? Let us know in the comments below.

About Craig Martin

Craig Martin grew up in the unincorporated town of Lewis, Wisconsin. From a young age, Craig was introduced to guns, as he was tasked with defending his backwood home’s wiring from a scourge of red squirrels.

Ever the animal lover, though; Craig couldn’t let these creatures die needlessly. So he would take his kills and leave them for the foxes, coyotes, and bears to eat at a deer feeder his grandfather built around their home.

His lifestyle made Craig understand that guns are a tool and ever since, has spread the word about how firearms are not a menace, like the red squirrel, but an item to help people. He instils this in every article he writes for USA Firearm Training.

15 Comments

  1. Ron on July 18, 2018 at 6:45 pm

    Glock 26,luv this gun. Have owned it for 20 yrs. never had an issue of any kind. 30,000 + rounds.

  2. Albert on July 20, 2018 at 8:22 am

    NOTHING runs like a Glock……..

  3. Frank on July 21, 2018 at 5:30 pm

    26 and 19…

  4. Jim Wildrick Jr on July 22, 2018 at 1:21 pm

    I can truly say I love Glocks.I own every calibre they make .Have shot all of them and only had one stove pipe.This is one of the only guns I trust my life with.Easy to clean also.

  5. Jim on July 22, 2018 at 2:14 pm

    Numerous and I have used all in duty at one time or another. Glock Perfection. Even my 43.

  6. DEBORAH CIESLEWSKI on July 22, 2018 at 2:32 pm

    UNFORUNATELY, I DON’T OWN A GLOCK, PLUS THEIR ARE SO MANY OUT THERE I WON’T KNOW WHICH ONE TO PURCHASE, SO I STICK TO BERETTA AND TAURUS. NOW IF MR. GASTON GLOCK COULD RECOMMEND ONE FOR ME, I THEN WOULD BE WILLING TO PURCHASE ONE,OR IF HE WOULD LIKE TO GIVE ME A FREE ONE TO TRY,I WOULD GLADLY ACCEPT IT

  7. Fred on July 22, 2018 at 2:42 pm

    My first Glock, a model 22. Love it.

  8. Yogi Bear on July 22, 2018 at 3:23 pm

    3 G21 1G30SF 1 G36 (EDC weapon) Been carrying Glocks for three years, never needed one and I hope I don’t. Carrying every day has improved my outlook on life.

  9. Phil Swank on July 22, 2018 at 5:14 pm

    Glock 21SF Gen3, love it. Loved the Glock when I tried my friends 19 20 years ago. Best purchase.

  10. L. A. Pasquini on July 22, 2018 at 6:14 pm

    G-42, EDC, light, no printing

  11. Jamey Evans on May 1, 2019 at 5:55 pm

    Glock 22. 42 and 43. Plan on getting 40 next!

  12. Dirk Kildair on June 1, 2019 at 4:26 pm

    17 Gen 3. In 9mm flavour. Love it.

  13. Joshua Slate on June 21, 2019 at 5:21 pm

    I own a gen 4 model 17 and a gen 5 model 19. Have owned many others in the past. These are my remaining two. One for duty, and one for conceal carry. I trust these weapons with my life. Thank you Gaston.

  14. mike on September 13, 2020 at 2:35 pm

    I have a Glock 17L. Great pistol.

  15. Tracey Gordon on October 16, 2020 at 10:51 am

    I’m relatively new to shooting and firearms. Being originally from the UK I’d never even seen a gun, but now living in the USA my husband is recently retired 20 years Air Force and we now live in Mississippi, so thought it rude not to get into recreational shooting. We joined our local gun range and I absolutely love it. My first Glock was a G43x .9mm and it’s still my favorite one to shoot, but as I’m very small, I got a G42 .380 to carry. I now have a G23 .40 S&W and absolutely love it. I’m definitely a Glock Girl and recommend them to everyone! Thank You for building such beautiful firearms Mr. Glock!

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