I have a long history with Glocks. Fifteen years ago, on my 21st birthday, I walked into my local gun shop and bought a Gen 3 Glock 19 and a bunch of mags. I shot and carried that gun regularly for about ten years. I’ve shot many other handguns since then, but I never found anything with the combination of reliability, concealability, and shootability that the Glock offered. There’s a reason the Glock 19 (and the Glock 23) is a gold standard. That’s until the Glock 45 came out.

In 2018, Glock released the 19x and 45 (chambered in 9mm). The initial reception was mixed. Many people, including myself, felt it was the wrong combination of grip length and barrel length. I remember thinking how silly it was and wondering, “Why would someone want this?”

That’s until I had the opportunity to shoot one. I was at one of my local ranges, and they had just added a Glock 45 to their rental fleet. I decided to take it for a spin out of curiosity. That range session completely changed my perspective on the gun. I bought one that day.

The Bottom Line

In short, I shoot the Glock 45 better than any Glock, including my G19. The full-size grip combined with the shorter slide gives the gun a very nice balance. The full-size grip makes the gun more controllable under rapid fire. You get two more rounds compared to the Glock 19, and the Glock 45 fits all my Glock 19 holsters. It’s my favorite Glock and, in my opinion, the best Glock for self-defense.

Pros and Cons

What is the Glock 45?

The Glock 45 is Glocks first 9mm crossover pistol model. By crossover I mean it features a compact slide with a full size grip frame. The slide is identical to the Gen 5 Glock 19 and the grip frame is identical to the Glock 17. You can think of it as a “Commander” sized Glock, if you’re familiar with 1911 sizes.

The Glock 45 features all the improvements in 5th Generation Glocks. The most notable upgrades being the Glock Marksman Barrel for improved accuracy, an ambidextrous slide stop, and flared magwell. The magazine release can also be swapped to the other side of the frame making all 5th Generation Glocks fully ambidextrous.

Glocks model designation can lead to some confusion. Contrary to the nomenclature, the Glock 45 is not a 45 Glock. The pistol is chambered in 9mm.

How I Tested the Glock 45

This isn’t your typical Glock 45 review. I’ve owned my Glock 45 since 2019. The gun has seen thousands of rounds over the years. It’s been through several multi-day handgun courses and never skipped a beat. I’ve trained with it regularly for the last 6 years. I haven’t kept an accurate count of rounds over the years, but I’d estimate that I have around 10,000 rounds through my Glock 45 at this point.

Glock 45 Specs

The Glock 45 combines the slide of a Glock 19 with the frame of a Glock 17. This combination results in an excellent combination for CCWs and duty use.

Glock 45 vs Glock 19

The Glock 45 shares most dimensions with the Glock 19 with the exception of the grip frame. The grip isn’t all that much longer in practice but makes a big difference when shooting. Especially if you have larger hands.

Design and Build

Glock’s build quality is world-renowned at this point. Aesthetically, some may say Glocks are ugly. The beauty of Glocks lies in their functional design, not their form. In that regard, the Glocks are one of the most beautiful pistols ever made.

The Glock 45 was one of the first new models after Glock released their 5th generation pistols. All 5th-generation pistols feature an N-DLC metal finish. After many years of carry and shooting, I can report the new finish is highly durable. Glock removed the finger grooves on Gen 5 guns. They also included front slide serrations on most pistols. The 5th generation trigger feels slightly different than previous generations, and it’s the best stock Glock trigger they’ve made. The grip frame on 5th-generation guns features a slight flare to aid in reloading.

Overall, the Glock 45 (and all 5th-generation Glocks) incorporate tasteful, incremental improvements over past generations. People joke about “Glock Perfection”, but I think the 5th-generation Glocks are the best yet.

Ergonomics

The ergonomics of the Glock 45 are very reminiscent of all Glocks. The grip is more angled than 1911s and most other pistols. If you’re not used to Glocks, you’ll notice your sights tend to point high. It doesn’t take much practice to get used to it, though.

The Glock 45 grip frame is identical to those of the Glock 17 and Glock 34. It features the same removable backstraps introduced on the Gen 4 guns. The Glock 45 has an ambidextrous slide stop, and the magazine release is swappable for left-handed shooters.

There are more ergonomic pistols out there, but no modern pistol has Glock’s track record.

Concealability

The Glock 45 is a hybrid of the Glock 19 and Glock 17. You get the shorter slide of the Glock 19 with the full-size grip of the Glock 17. This has some tradeoffs when it comes to concealability.

The shorter slide on the Glock 45 is beneficial for concealing the pistol, but it depends on your preferred method of carry. These days, I mostly carry appendix, and the shorter slide makes the gun less intrusive when carried this way. When I carry strong side inside the waistband (IWB), slide length is not as much of a factor. The extra length of a full-size 1911 or Glock 17 isn’t very noticeable with strong-side IWB carry.

The full-size grip of the Glock 45 does not conceal as well as the shorter grip of the Glock 19. For me, the difference is not significant, and I can hide the Glock 45 nearly as well as my Glock 19. The benefits of the full-size grip outweigh the drawbacks for me. If the Glock 19 grip frame is near your size limit for concealed carry, then the Glock 45 will probably be too big.

Glock 45 Duty Use

One of the primary reasons Glock introduced the G45 was based on feedback from law enforcement. LEOs liked the Glock 19x‘s form factor but didn’t want a brown gun. Feedback from LEO was that the shorter slide made the weapon more comfortable when sitting for long periods in a patrol car. I’m not a law enforcement officer (LEO) and never carried a Glock on duty, but I’ll take their word for it. The Glock 45 would make an excellent duty sidearm. You still get all the capacity of the Glock 17 with the added comfort of the shorter slide.

Shooting Performance

This is where the Glock 45 shines for me. The combination of the G19 slide and the G17 grip is quite noticeable. The gun just shoots so well. It’s as accurate as any Gen 5 Glock. The Glock 45 features the Glock Marksman Barrel which is an upgraded barrel design over past generations of Glocks. The Glock Marksman Barrel is claimed to improve accuracy over barrel designs found in Gen 3 and Gen 4 Glocks.

Perhaps not as precise as a custom 1911, but it’s certainly combat-accurate. Recoil management with the full-size grip is better for me than with the Glock 19. Fast follow-up shots are a breeze. It’s not massively better than the Glock 19 in this regard, but it’s noticeable enough that I choose my Glock 45 over my 19 every time.

Glock made some minor changes to the trigger on the 5th generation guns, and I’m a big fan. The trigger is still very Glock-like, with a long take-up, then a wall before the trigger breaks. The wall portion of the trigger has less creep and is more defined than those of the 3rd and 4th generation Glocks. The Glock 45 gen 5 trigger also breaks more cleanly than the older Glocks. The trigger resets with authority like all Glock triggers.

The trigger on the 5th-generation Glocks isn’t vastly different from previous generations, but it’s different, and it’s an improvement. Most people wouldn’t say Glocks have good triggers, but Glock triggers work well for their intended purpose as a duty and self-defense pistol.

Drawing the Glock 45 is one area in which it edges out the Glock 19. It’s easier to get a firm firing grip when drawing from concealment. This leads me to faster and more accurate first shots when drawing the pistol in haste. The shorter slide clears the holster a hair faster than longer barrels, which is not a bad thing.

The Glock 45’s hybrid combination of the Glock 19 slide and Glock 17 frame gives it unique qualities that lend it to fast and accurate shooting. As a result, it has become my favorite Glock for concealed carry.

Upgrades

For a serious-use gun, I don’t believe in going overboard with modifications. The stock Glock 45 works incredibly well as is, and it doesn’t need anything besides ditching the stock plastic sights. The stock trigger works very well and needs nothing. With that said, I did do a few upgrades to my Glock 45.

First and foremost, I upgraded the stock sights with Ameriglo night sights. I’m a massive fan of their sights. The tritium lamps are super bright, and I appreciate the bright orange dot on the front sight. This makes getting a good sight picture incredibly fast and easy.

Second, I put HandleIt grips on my Glock 45. The stock Glock Gen 5 grip texture is a significant improvement over the 3rd generation Glocks, but I wanted even more grip. The HandleIt grips don’t add much circumference to the grip but make a significant improvement in traction when shooting the gun.

The last thing I did was install a Streamlight TLR-7x light. Most self-defense situations occur at night, and being able to see your target is critical in such situations. The light works so well I don’t see the need for night sights, but they’re still nice to have. Concealment holsters that work with lights are a bit bulkier, but the tradeoff is worth it to me.

Glock offers an MOS version of the Glock 45 for those that wish to run Trijicon RMR footprint red dots. They also recently released a version which included the newly released Aimpoint COA red dot sight. I’m looking to get one of the COA equiped Glocks so look for that review in the near future. Initial reports are that the COA optic combined with the A-cut optic mounting format is excellent.

The Verdict

Simply put, the Glock 45 is my favorite Glock. It embodies everything that makes Glocks so popular. The Glock 45 combines the best features of the Glock 19 and Glock 17 into one unique package. Whether it’s duty, concealed carry, or home defense, the Glock 45 can do it all and do it well.

Glock 45

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