Review: Glock Model 45 9mm

I had an opportunity to try out the new Glock 45. At the end of the test I determined it was definitely a great patrol gun. I would own one, and, if I were still on patrol, this would be my duty gun. However, I think the newest innovation here is a confusing name change.

The G45 is a 9x19mm is a full sized, full capacity handgun with a 6.65 inch compact slide. It is a Gen 5 design, which means it incorporates all of the design enhancements of the Gen 4 models, including Glock Marksman Barrel, ambi slide stop, and flared mag well. The most obvious difference is the fact that the Gen 5 has the features of the Gen 4, except the finger grooves. The G45 has the swappable backstraps and the simple grip checkering, popular upgrades on the Gen 4 models.

Glock shipped a G45, G17 MOS, and G19 MOS to me at the same time. The MOS models are Gen 5, with optic platform cutouts already milled into the slide. They are set up for a variety of popular optics, and come with "plugs", which fit flush for users who don’t use RMR products full time.  When I first inspected the guns, I wondered why Glock didn't just make the G45 an MOS model also.

I looked under the hood. I wondered if anyone else likes seeing the “copper butter” (Factory Based Copper Lubricant) that is always on new Glocks.

The G45 does not have the G19x front lip Frank Borrelli mentions in his Glock 19X review here, and I am glad. While testing the G45, I canted the body once so the magazine didn’t drop free and was able to rip and reload in a rather satisfactory shooting session. The flared mag well doesn’t have a deep recess, allowing full access for stage 3 malfunctions.

The G45, and all Gen 5 Glocks, have the more inline feeding angle than my Gen 3 Glocks. This increases their reliability.

Glock sent the G19 MOS and G17 MOS in standard capacity magazines, but not the G45.  I took this as a signal that Glock anticipates a civilian market in areas where citizens surrender their constitutional rights incrementally.

The Glock Marksman Barrel is 4.02 inches and the overall weight is 24.98 oz with an empty magazine. The barrels have the new crown and polygonal rifling, which gives better accuracy. My Gen 3 Glock 19 is pretty accurate, and, unless one steps back another 100 yards or so, most shooters won’t notice the improved groups.

Glock calls the G45 and G19x, which have almost the exact same specs, except the G19x has a factory colored tan slide, their “crossover” guns. They did what some of us have been “modding” all along. Some Glock fans had already figured out how a G19 slide on a full-sized frame, giving it G19 handling.

If an officer chooses a G45 as a factory stock duty gun, it is Glock’s best duty gun ever. I ran it around a bit, shooting rapid fire strings at combat targets. Glock shipped the test gun with Ameriglo sights, which are sturdy and easy to align. The G45 gives a full-sized grip purchase for gloved hands, plus G17 capacity, which is why we like the “crossover” idea.

The trigger on the G45 is also their best ever. It is smooth, shows little stacking and reset is crisp. I compared it with similar Glocks, and this is a marked improvement. Still, I have several Glocks and have done the same thing with each one of them. I get a new Glock, pop out the trigger assembly, and put in a Zev.

The G45 fit my G19 holsters, including the ones with retention. I think Coyote is a cooler color, and I’m betting on a Coyote MOS model next year.

I don’t get the G45 name. It’s not a sum or multiple of G19 and G17, it’s not a 9mm, and a G43 is smaller than a G19. There isn’t some sort of logical sequence, except it would be the 45^th model. If it is, where is the G44?