Glock’s Really Big .45 Caliber Gun: Meet the Glock 41

Kyle Mizokami

Security,

All the specs and what it can do on the range.

Glock’s ecosystem of guns, all based on a common operating system but diversified into different calibers and sizes, has proven a highly successful tactic for the company. One of the largest Glocks, by caliber and size, is the Glock 41. The Glock 41 is marketed towards competition shooters and those who desire a softer shooting .45 automatic.

Glock’s original nine-millimeter pistol, the Glock 17, was designed by self-taught gun designer Gaston Glock to compete for an Austrian Army sidearm contract. The Glock 17 used a polymer frame to save weight, a two column high-capacity magazine that put the “17” in Glock 17, and, above all, featured outstanding reliability.

The pistol caught on in the United States, bolstered by unfounded claims it was “undetectable” in airport metal detectors. Glock’s business exploded and the company hit upon a novel idea: port the basic gun operating system down to the appearance, to as many calibers and sizes as possible. While many gun companies eventually followed the Austrian firm’s lead, Glock was the first to push a single pistol design in so many variations.

One of the first variations in the Glock line was the Glock 21, followed by the Glock 41. Both Glocks were based on the original Glock 17 but rechambered for .45 ACP. One of the major advantages to the Glock 21 and 41 was the use of a double-column magazine to create a pistol that held thirteen rounds of .45 ACP. That was nearly twice as many rounds as the 1911A1 series of pistols, which maxed out at eight rounds. While 1911A1 owners are notoriously hard to win over, the Glocks were a welcome addition to the .45 ACP pistol market.

The Glock 41 is not a small pistol; at 8.78 inches with a 5.31-inch barrel, it is the longest Glock on the market. The company advertises it as a “long slide” pistol with a long sight radius, especially for competition shooters. At 5.47 inches it is slightly shorter than the Glock 21, and a slide inch of exactly one inch makes it one of the narrowest of the Austrian gun maker’s offerings.