Glock 20

Semi-Automatic Pistol

Austria | 1990

"The Glock 20 was larger and heavier than the Glock 17, firing the equally-larger 10mm Auto cartridge."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/22/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Right side view of the Glock 20 semi-automatic pistol

The powerful Glock 20 was designed specifically to take advantage of the large 10mm Auto (10x25mm) pistol cartridge, a round developed by Jeff Cooper and introduced in 1983 for use in the "Bren 10" handgun, this itself designed by Michael Dixon and Thomas Dornaus. The cartridge was intended as a more powerful man-stopper while the Bren 10 was intended to be the advanced weapon of choice to fire the cartridge, this accomplished through pure brute force while still retaining a level of accuracy. The Bren 10 failed to take hold and was produced in a small 1,500 production run lasting from 1983 to 1986. Not a company to sit on their laurels, Glock GmbH tried to capitalize on the market need of the new cartridge. As such, the Glock 20 was developed for both security and police forces to take advantage of the cartridge and production began in 1990 with introduction following in 1991. The Glock 20 was also marketed as an accurate and safe hunting firearm for that "finishing shot", noted in advertisements as "A Perfect 10" in reference to its caliber.

The Glock 20 maintained a slightly larger dimension than the 9mm Glock 17, being both longer and wider - brought about by the use of the larger 10mm Auto cartridge. As such, the barrel and slide components were also constructed heavier than those used in her 9mm Parabellum Glock counterparts. The revision meant that only about half of this newer pistol's parts are actually common and interchangeable with the Glock 17. High-tech polymers worked to reduce the inherent recoil of this powerful weapon. The barrel was rifled, right-handed and hexagonal with a length of twist equaling 250mm (9.84 inches) according to Glock publications.

Design was consistent with previous Glock offerings. The pistol featured clean lines with a black finish and typical Glock squared-off slide and trigger guard. The 15-round capacity magazine entered in at the base of the grip like most any other semi-automatic pistol, the base protruding ever so slightly. Action was short-recoil and double-action. Total length measured in at 7.59 inches with the barrel at 4.61 inches. Unloaded weight was a respectable 27.68 ounces.

An optional 10-round magazine was made available.

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Physical
The physical qualities of the Glock 20. Information presented is strictly for general reference and should not be misconstrued as useful for hardware restoration or operation.

193 mm
7.60 in
O/A Length

117 mm
4.61 in
Barrel Length

1.71 lb
0.78 kg
Weight

Recoil / Double - Safe Action
Action

10mm Auto
Caliber(s)

15-Round Detachable Box
Feed

Fixed and Adjustable
Sights

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Glock 20 Semi-Automatic Pistol family line.

Glock 20 - Base Series Designation; chambered for the 10mm Auto cartridge.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Glock 20. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national small arms listing.

Contractor(s): Glock GmbH - Austria

[ Austria; United States ]

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Right side view of the Glock 20 semi-automatic pistol

Design Qualities
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to requirements.

PISTOL/SIDEARM

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Going Further...
The Glock 20 Semi-Automatic Pistol appears in the following collections:

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