Glock’s New V-Series Just Hit a Major Problem

Reports claim the infamous “Glock switch” has already been adapted to work with the new V-Series pistols. If true, that undercuts one of the biggest suspected reasons for Glock’s redesign.

Not long ago, we broke down what Glock’s new V-Series is, what’s changing, and why so many gun owners are frustrated by it. If you missed that background, you can catch up here: Glock’s New V-Series: What’s Changing & Why People Are Mad.

At the time, a lot of shooters speculated that Glock’s quiet shift to the V-Series wasn’t just about durability or manufacturing. Many suspected the real goal was to break compatibility with the illegal “Glock switch” — the backplate-style conversion device that turns a semi-auto Glock into a full-auto machine pistol.

Now, there are new reports that people have already figured out how to build switches specifically for the V-Series guns.

Reports: New Switches for V-Series Glocks Already Exist

According to multiple reports circulating online including both pictures and video, individuals have already managed to design and produce a “Glock switch” that works with the V-Series slide and internal geometry. Details vary, and there is no official confirmation yet, but the pattern is familiar:

• Change the design to block an existing illegal device.
• Bad actors adapt the device to the new design anyway.

If Glock’s intent with the V-Series included making the old switches incompatible, then these reports suggest it may have been all for nothing. The original switch design may not just drop in anymore, but it appears new designs are already filling that gap.

A Legal & Political Strategy That May Be Dead on Arrival

Glock has been facing intense legal and political pressure over illegal conversion devices. Anti-gun politicians, prosecutors, and plaintiffs’ attorneys have tried to blame Glock for the behavior of criminals using contraband parts the company does not manufacture or sell.

If the V-Series was intended in part to show that Glock was “doing something” about the switch issue—whether to placate lawmakers, fend off lawsuits, or both—then these new reports put that strategy on shaky ground.

There may be some silver lining however. Reports suggest this new Glock “switch” does require a modification to the V-Series handgun itself. This could alleviate the legal pressure as it takes the claim from “Glock makes a handgun that is easily converted to full auto” to “Glock, like every other gun manufacturer, makes a gun that can be modified to full auto.”

In short, redesigning the pistol doesn’t change the motives or behavior of criminals. It doesn’t fix the core problem anti-gun activists are complaining about. It simply gives Glock a buffer between the legal attack and their famous handgun design. Don't worry, I'm sure the anti-gunners will continue to complain about it.

Design Changes Don’t Fix Criminal Behavior

This is the bigger principle at stake, and it’s one that gun owners understand instinctively: crime is a people problem, not a parts problem.

The “Glock switch” has always been illegal. Possessing one is already a federal felony. Slapping it on a pistol and using it in a crime piles on additional charges. None of that has stopped criminals who are already willing to ignore the law.

So when a manufacturer redesigns a major product line—possibly with an eye toward limiting a specific illegal accessory—all it really does is:

• Introduce new complexity and cost for lawful owners.
• Force the aftermarket to scramble and catch up.
• Provide talking points for politicians, but no real deterrent to crime.

Bad actors adapt. Laws and design tweaks rarely outpace them. Lawful citizens are the ones left dealing with the fallout.

Where This Leaves Glock – and Gun Owners

To be clear, Glock has every right to evolve its design. Companies change parts, materials, and manufacturing processes all the time. Sometimes those changes are great for end users. Other times… they aren’t.

But if any part of the V-Series rollout was driven by the hope that a geometry change would make illegal switches a thing of the past, these new reports suggest that hope was at least somewhat misplaced. However it is likely that the Glock lawyers are happy all the same as this does mitigate the claims previously being levied against the company.

For consumers we appear to be headed toward a future where:

• There are now two families of Glock pistols (legacy and V-Series) to support and understand.
• There are still illegal conversion devices in circulation for both (with the v-series requiring a modification to the gun)
• The same politicians and activists will continue to blame the gun, not the criminal.

For concealed carriers and armed citizens, the takeaway is simple: stay informed, stay within the law, and don’t let politicians or media blame your rights for the actions of criminals who were never going to follow the rules in the first place.

We’ll continue to track how the V-Series rollout develops, what changes it brings to the market, and how it affects holsters, parts, and everyday carry setups. For now, though, the big story is this:

If the V-Series was supposed to “solve” the switch problem, early reports suggest it hasn’t — and probably never could.