First shots on the new Gen 6 G17, G19, and G45 show real gains in grip, optics mounting, and controls without changing the Glock DNA. It feels updated yet instantly familiar.
Gen 6 Launch: The Lineup and What Changed
Glock has officially unveiled the sixth generation of its standard frame pistols. At launch, the Gen 6 lineup includes three 9 mm models: the G17, G19, and G45. All three share the same core updates and are built around revised ergonomics, a flat trigger, and an all new optic mounting system.
On paper and in the hand, the Gen 6 is clearly updated. It is also very clearly still a Glock. If you were hoping for a modular fire control unit or a radical departure from the traditional Glock design, this generation does not deliver either.
Before getting into the details, one important caveat.
Test Conditions: What This First Look Covers
My trigger time so far has been limited to Glock’s own factory event in Georgia. Glock had three tables set up, each with one G19, one G17, and one G45, for a total of nine pistols that everyone took turns shooting. Each model had a different red dot. If you wanted to shoot the different red dot variants, you had to switch to all three tables. Every magazine was limited to ten rounds. Each trip to the line allowed three magazines, for a total of 30 rounds per relay and 10 rounds per gun.
I repeated that process at least 15 times and likely more, putting equal rounds through the G17, G19, and G45. That puts my total round count north of 450 rounds through various samples. I had no malfunctions and did not personally observe any malfunctions from other shooters while I was on the line.
That is encouraging, but it is not independent testing. The guns were factory-maintained, the ammunition was Glock-supplied, and the shooting environment was ideal. I have not yet had a production Gen 6 on my own range, in my own holsters, with my own carry ammunition, shot dirty, and under real working conditions. This is a first look, not a final verdict.
Watch The Range Session
Frame and Ergonomics: The Big Feel Changes
Glock is placing heavy emphasis on ergonomics with the Gen 6, and this is where the majority of the visible changes live.
The grip now features a built-in palm swell designed from measured hand data to fit a wide range of shooters. It adds subtle fullness to the grip without turning the frame into a competition profile. In the hand it still feels like a Glock, just slightly more filled out. To me this was barely noticeable.
The new RTF6 texture is the best factory texture Glock has ever produced. It blends more aggressive and subdued surface patterns and extends higher up the frame. It locks into the hand better than Gen 5 while remaining comfortable against skin and clothing.
An enlarged beavertail is now molded directly into the frame. For shooters with a proper high grip this effectively eliminates slide bite. Backstraps are still included to adjust grip size, but none add an additional beavertail because one is already built in. I have large hands and preferred no backstrap.
Glock also molded a raised fence around the ambidextrous slide stop lever. This prevents the support hand thumb or palm from pinning the lever down under recoil and stopping the last round slide lock. For shooters who grip high, this is one of the most practical improvements on the entire gun.
A subtle textured thumb ledge is present on both sides of the frame forward of the takedown lever. Glock even went so far as to refer to it as a “gas pedal”. It does not widen the frame and should remain compatible with existing holsters. It functions more as an index point than a full competition gas pedal, and my opinion is that it is too small to matter. I also grip higher, and it is too low for me to make use of. Your opinion may be different, and that is okay.
The trigger guard now includes a factory undercut. This is something Glock shooters have been paying for or doing themselves for years. Glock finally made it standard.
There is a slightly flared magwell on all of the new models.
Front slide serrations are deeper and more aggressive, while the rear serrations remain familiar. Press checks and slide manipulations are noticeably easier without feeling overly sharp.
Trigger Flat Face Same DNA New Geometry
All Gen 6 pistols ship with a flat-faced trigger shoe. The Safe Action system remains intact, and the pull weight feels consistent with earlier generations. Internally, the geometry has changed. The trigger sits closer to the back of the frame to shorten trigger reach, and the trigger components are not interchangeable with earlier generations.
In use, it still feels like a Glock trigger. The flat face simply gives a more consistent finger position and slightly cleaner perception at the wall and reset.
Optics Mount Lower Cut Sealed Channels Better Plates
The optic mounting system is one of the most meaningful structural upgrades on Gen 6.
Glock has completely abandoned the MOS system. The optic pocket is cut deeper into the slide, so red dots sit lower over the bore. The mounting screws thread directly into the steel slide, not into the plate. The included polymer plates act like compressible interfaces that help absorb recoil impulse and maintain screw tension over time.
The extractor channel and all other channels are now fully sealed beneath the optic cut. In other words the optics cuts and screw holes do not connect to any of the operating system. This prevents long screws or excess thread locker from interfering with reliability. It is a simple change with real practical benefit.
RMR and DeltaPoint Pro footprints are supported at launch, with additional plates planned.
Extractor and Striker: What Changed Inside
Glock also redesigned the extractor assembly and the slide internals that support it. The Gen 6 uses a smaller, narrower striker and a revised three-part extractor package that sits in a sealed channel.
Parts Compatibility: What Carries Over, What Does Not
From the outside, a Gen 6 pistol looks like a lightly refined Gen 5. Internally, it is more generation specific.
Magazines remain compatible across prior generations. Standard Glock sight cuts are unchanged. Holster fit should remain largely the same.
However, the barrel is Gen 6 specific with revised geometry. The striker assembly, extractor components, backplate, and several small internal parts are also unique to Gen 6. Glock has also returned to a single captive recoil spring assembly on these 9 mm models, though the assembly itself remains generation-specific.
Most users will never notice these differences. For builders and parts swappers, Gen 6 should be treated as a new ecosystem until the aftermarket fills in the gaps.
Reliability So Far: Clean Runs Across All Samples
Glock reports extensive endurance testing on Gen 6 pistols under mixed ammunition and environmental stress. They also report additional drop testing that exceeds past standards. That is Glock’s data under Glock’s protocols.
My own limited shooting matched expectations. Every gun I fired ran clean. Every gun I observed ran clean. That is exactly what you would expect at a controlled factory event.
What we do not yet have is long-term third-party testing. Until I have a production gun on my own range for thousands of rounds Gen 6 remains promising but not yet proven.
How It Shoots: Feels Like a Glock With Better Control
The simplest way to describe the shooting experience is this. It shoots like a Glock.
Recoil impulse, sight tracking, and trigger behavior all feel familiar to anyone who has ever shot any generation of Glock. The improvements come from how the gun stays planted in your hands. The undercut, beavertail, improved texture, and slide stop fence make it easier to grip the gun correctly without fighting traditional Glock quirks. These are valid improvements.
The flat trigger offers consistent finger placement but does not change the fundamental nature of the trigger itself.
Accuracy was excellent when shooting deliberately. At speed I was able to keep tight groups while switching between three different pistols with three different red dots. That speaks to Glock’s consistency but does not replace independent testing.
Is Gen 6 Actually New? Factory Answers to Aftermarket Mods
Most of what defines the Gen 6 are features Glock owners have been adding for years through the aftermarket. Extended beavertails. Better stippling. Undercut trigger guards. Custom optic cuts. Thumb ledges. Glock did not invent these ideas. They finally adopted conservative factory versions of them.
The major benefit is that you now get these features without paying a shop to melt your frame, cut your slide, or risk voiding your warranty. If you love Glocks the way they already are, the Gen 6 gives you the version you probably wanted a decade ago.
If you were hoping Glock would fundamentally reinvent itself to chase newer trendier platforms, do not hold your breath. Glock is still Glock. If you believe, as many do, that Glocks are perfect, then you will love the Gen 6.
Barrels: Cold Hammer Forged The Proven Core
One thing that has not changed is how Glock makes its barrels. The Gen 6 pistols continue to use cold hammer forged barrels produced in-house. While at the factory, I watched the process begin with a short, thick steel blank that looked nothing like a barrel. That blank is machined, then driven through a hammer forge where multiple dies form the internal profile and condense the metal structure before final machining and finishing.
The result is an extremely hard, consistent bore that should deliver long service life well beyond what most shooters will ever wear out. Whatever opinions you may have about incremental ergonomic change,s Glock’s barrel manufacturing process remains one of the strongest technical foundations of the platform.
Timing and Politics: One Author’s Take
The timing of this launch and the Gen V still raises questions. Glock leadership stated clearly that Gen 6 was not a reaction to California’s legal actions and that it had been in development for years. That may be true. From the outside, however, it still looks like Glock is adjusting products at the same time certain states are attacking manufacturers instead of addressing the true sources of illegal conversion devices and imported machine gun switches.
Speaking only for myself, I would like to see Glock exercise leadership and use its size and legal power to go on offense in the courtroom and challenge those laws directly, rather than let the public perception develop that the company is quietly adapting to political pressure rather than fighting it. As a company whose pistols protect our special forces, our law enforcement, and many of our homes and lives on a daily basis, I would like to see them step up.
Pricing and Availability: What to Expect
Gen 6 pistols are expected to begin shipping to dealers in early 2026 at pricing comparable to current Gen 5 MOS models. Each pistol ships with three magazines, two backstraps, optic plates, and the standard Glock case and accessories.
[ga_price_button id=”[ItemID]” text=”Check Price on GunsAmerica”]
Glock Gen 6 Specifications: What We Know Now
| Model | Glock Gen 6 G17 G19 G45 |
|---|---|
| Caliber | 9 mm |
| Barrel Length | TBD |
| Overall Length | TBD |
| Weight | TBD |
| Capacity | TBD |
| MSRP | TBD |
Pros and Cons Fast Takeaways
- Pros: Improved texture and undercut for control. Built-in beavertail. Lower optics cut with sealed channels. Slide stop fence helps reliable lockback. Familiar shooting feel. Flared Magwell. Front Serrations.
- Cons: Trigger still feels like Glock. Thumb ledge is minimal. Parts compatibility is more generation-specific. Independent long-term testing still pending.
Final Thoughts Updated Where It Counts
The Gen 6 changes are almost all positive. Most of them are long overdue. They make the gun nicer to shoot and handle without changing its basic character.
It is still a Glock. It still feels like a Glock. It still shoots like a Glock.
If you already trust Glock duty pistols the Gen 6 looks like the version you probably wanted years ago. If you were waiting for Glock to become something radically different, this generation is not that.
I will not have a final verdict until we get a production Gen 6 in for full independent testing. In the meantime, the changes are real, the improvements are valid, and the direction is the right one.
Visit Glock for more information on the Gen 6
Read the full article here
