If you want the short review of the Glock 45, I can sum it up in one sentence; “It shoots like a Glock.”

I have carried Glocks professionally for fifteen years in both uniformed and off-duty capacity. I have no idea how many rounds that equates to. I have shot them in instructor level and operator level classes. I have shot them in competition. I have shot almost every flavor of .45 and 9mm and a handful of .40 S&W versions. When I say that the Glock 45 shoots like a Glock, that is to say that it is supremely reliable and consistent.

The Glock 45 is essentially a slightly upgraded Glock 19x. I say that it is “upgraded” because the feature set on the G19x caused some problems that the 45 resolved. The first issue is that it was only available in the “Coyote” color. While this is a fairly attractive finish, I prefer black handguns for LE uniformed work and just about anything other than crawling around in the dirt. A handgun should blend in with an Officer’s uniform and not many departments are interested in having a tan pistol sticking out of black duty gear.

The second issue was the goofy lip at the front of the magazine well. I realize that if you have really large hands, the lip can protect you from being pinched by the magazine. However that is a fairly rare occurrence with the Glock 17 length grip. What the lip did accomplish is to prevent any of the newer Generation 5 magazines from seating in the handgun due to the redesigned floor plate. The new magazines are backwards compatible with previous generation pistols, jut not the G19x.

The Glock 45 inherited the G19 length slide and G17 length grip arrangement of the G19x and doused it in a proper black finish. The Glock 45 also ditched the lip on the magazine well and carried over the flared magwell from the other Generation 5 pistols. The internal components are identical to the Glock 19x.

This list of changes piqued my interest, but didn’t really push me to purchase the Glock 45. What finally won me over were the forward cocking serrations. It is a very simple thing, but it is a feature that I find very useful.

I do a significant amount of dry-fire training. Forward cocking serrations make cocking the handgun a more efficient maneuver. The forward serrations make press-checks simpler and less prone to ejecting a round. Regardless of where you stand on the frequency for press-checks, it is a fact of life when you carry a gun for a living. Finally, in the competition arena, you sometimes have to pickup a pistol with an empty chamber and load it on the clock. Cycling the slide at the front makes for a more efficient move and can save time on the string of fire. I was happy to see that this feature now seems to be an update to the rest of the Fifth Gen Glocks.

My interest rose to an itch to get my hands on the Glock 45. When our local shop called to say that they had one in stock, I rushed over to take a look. When I wrapped my hand around it, it felt exactly like my Glock 17 Gen 5. That feeling was confirmed when I pulled the trigger. The front cocking serrations felt perfect and worked exactly as I expected.

The final check was that when I holstered the Glock 45 in place of the Glock 19 that I had been carrying, it fit perfectly. The G45 snapped right into place in my appendix holster and now gave me a full-size grip and 17 round magazines with no sacrifice in comfort. The T.Rex Arms Sidecar holster pulled the grip in just enough. There  was little chance of printing and the comfort when sitting was exactly the same as with my Glock 19. I was sold.

1K Burndown

Running a live-fire verification is a good practice on any handgun that will be used in a defensive capacity. However, doing a reliability check on a 9mm Glock is almost a waste of ammunition. Nevertheless, when I purchased the Glock 45, I also threw in a 1000 round case of Blazer 115gr FMJ 9mm.

I recruited two friends and a pile of various different factory Gen 4 and Gen 5 magazines as well as an assortment of Magpul GL-9 magazines. Between the three of us we shot back to back drills with the G45 to the point that it was smoking. It quickly became apparent that gloves were necessary. Due to the polymer frame, we could still shoot the pistol bare handed, but manipulating the slide became less than comfortable.

Without a drop of lubrication, the Glock 45 ran like a champ. Through numerous “Bill Drills” and magazine changes it kept going. The only “malfunction” that we encountered was one failure to lock back on an empty magazine. This was well into the test cycle and was likely caused by the shooter depressing the slide stop with his gloved hand.

Nearing the end of the case of ammunition, I ran several “limp wrist” drills. The G45 still cycled with only middle finger and thumb. A malfunction could be caused by gripping the frame at the bottom near the magazine well, but this is not uncommon with recoil operated handguns.

Accuracy

I don’t generally run accuracy tests on Glock pistols. Every Glock I have picked up has been capable of one-hole groups at defensive engagement distances. When we stretch them out to 100 yards, hitting a torso is not a problem. The Glock 45 does come equipped with Glock’s “Marksman” Barrel. This new barrel uses a hybrid of Glock’s Polygonal Rifling and standard rifling.

One thousand rounds is hardly a difficult test for a suitable combat pistol, but it gives us a quick indicator that the Glock 45 will serve most shooters for a lifetime. While we used full metal jacketed training ammunition for this test in the effort to save money, it is wise to run at least one box of your favorite defensive ammunition before you load up and head out. We have found the Federal Hydra-shok and Federal HSP in either the 147gr. or the 124gr. variety work well in 9mm Glock pistols.

Conclusion

The Glock 45 performed exactly as expected. It is reliable and a good value in the defensive handgun market. The question is really if this handgun is suited to the expectations of the prospective buyer.

Competition shooters would be better served by the G34 Gen 5. The cocking serrations (on the M.O.S. version) and the magazine flare will be useful and keep them in the Production Division. The extended sight radius of the G34 is valuable where optics are not permitted.

The average armed citizen will likely find the G19 Gen 5 more suitable to daily carry. The shorter grip is still long enough for a full firing grip in most adults. The short slide allows for a wider range of concealment options and more comfort when sitting. The Glock 19 Gen 5 M.O.S. also offers forward cocking serrations and the ability to add an optic. This is becoming far more common on carry handguns.

The Glock 45 seems to be an option that is aimed squarely at Law Enforcement. The longer grip will accommodate a wider variety of hand sizes than the Glock 19. The slide length is immaterial when considering duty holsters, but is important for detectives or plainclothes assignments. Finally, the Glock 45 is a pistol that can come out of the duty holster and be just as comfortable in an off-duty rig.

My Glock 45 will find a spot in my regular range and training rotation. It isn’t likely to replace my Glock 19 as my daily off-duty pistol, but I would have no problems using one on-duty if my department adopted it.

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