GLOCK was founded by Mr. Gaston Glock, an engineer, in 1963 in Deutsch-Wagram, near Vienna to specialize in the manufacture of plastic and steel components. GLOCK quickly realized the desirability of combining plastic and steel, particularly for military products, and began to supply the Austrian Army with machine gun belts, practice hand grenades, plastic clips, field knives and entrenching tools.

In the early 1980s, the Austrian military decided to acquire a new duty pistol asking numerous famous local and foreign weapon manufacturers for their bids. Due to GLOCK's excellent reputation with previous military contracts, GLOCK was also invited to bid on this new contract. This was a new challenge for the company, since pistols were not in its product line at that time. However, the fact that GLOCK was a newcomer to this field turned out to be an advantage. In this way, GLOCK was able to develop a revolutionary new product according to the customer's needs, rather than modify an already existing product.

The result was a breakthrough in firearms technology. With its polymer frame, the GLOCK pistol was considerably light in weight had the highest magazine capacity of any other pistol in its class. The pistol did not have any external safety lever, hammer, decocker, or any other operation controls which must be deactivated prior to making the weapon ready to shoot. In this way, the pistol was faster, simpler and safer to use than any other pistol. The new pistol concept allowed the shooter to concentrate on tactical considerations, rather than manipulation of levers or hammers on the pistol. In short, the pistol combined two different systems – it considered the advantages of the double-action revolver (simple to operate, reliable) and those of the auto-loading pistol (maximum firepower, fast reloading). This was the birth of the well-known Safe-Action system. By merely pulling the trigger to the rear, the three independent safeties (trigger safety, firing pin safety and drop safety) are automatically deactivated and re-activated when the trigger is released.

After an initial development period, the first functioning prototype was ready for operation. The design worked well and with only four additional prototypes, production began for the GLOCK 17. Samples were submitted for the assessment trials of the Austrian Army and, after passing all of the exhaustive endurance and abuse tests, GLOCK emerged as the winner. Shortly thereafter, the GLOCK 17 pistol became the standard duty weapon for the Austrian Army and law enforcement authorities. The advantages of this advanced weapon generated worldwide interest, with Norway being the first NATO member country to adopt the GLOCK 17 for their Army.

In 1985, an important milestone was achieved with the establishment of GLOCK, Inc., in Smyrna, Georgia, to address the firearms market in the United States. The so-called "wonder-nine" GLOCK 17 met with immediate approval and overwhelming acceptance in the law enforcement and civilian markets.

The fast growing market demanded new models – The GLOCK 18 followed, a subcompact submachinegun based on the GLOCK 17, which is capable of semi-automatic or full-automatic firing through the use of a selector switch. The weapon is capable of firing at a rate of 1.200 rounds per minute and was designed for use by special forces.

In response to the demand for a more compact model, the GLOCK 19 was developed in 1988. The pistol was designed with a 4-inch barrel and shorter frame. With a magazine capacity of 15 rounds, the GLOCK 19 had equivalent firepower with many of the full-size duty pistols on the market at that time. The compact size and excellent firepower again met the demand of the law enforcement and civilian markets.

In addition to its excellent reputation for reliability, safety simplicity of use as a law enforcement pistol, GLOCK established itself in sport and combat shooting as a precise "out-of-the-box" performer. The introduction of the GLOCK 17L brought an affordable competition pistol with six inch barrel and lighter trigger pull for increased accuracy.

The success of the GLOCK pistol made it necessary to open a second subsidiary in Hong Kong in 1988 to address the Asian and Australian markets. Consequently, the production capacity was enlarged by a second factory in Ferlach/Carinthia in Austria.

The GLOCK 20 ( 10mm auto) and GLOCK 21 (.45 auto) were the next to be introduced. Together, these two pistols addressed the needs of traditional big-bore .45 shooters, as well as those desiring the high-velocity 10mm auto caliber. These pistol again proved the durability and reliability of the GLOCK pistol design.

As the ballistically powerful .40 caliber gained popularity in the United States, GLOCK recognized the importance of this caliber and presented the GLOCK 22 and GLOCK 23 in 1990. In that same year, GLOCK South America was established to address the South American and Caribbean markets. The office is now located in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Due to the fact that in some countries it was forbidden to carry pistols in military calibers and also for those customers desiring a low-recoil pistol, the GLOCK 25 in .380 auto were introduced in 1995. This model is compared in size to the GLOCK 19, but with a simple blow-back design for improved functioning.

The subcompact GLOCK 26 (9mm) and GLOCK 27 (.40) were designed to address the increased popularity of concealed carry handguns. Introduced in 1996, these pistols had the potent combination of high magazine capacity, "serious" calibers, precise accuracy and minimal size and weight, which made these models an instant success.

The following year, the GLOCK 28 in .380 caliber was added to the line of subcompact pistols. GLOCK then continued its penetration of the law enforcement and military markets with the introduction of the GLOCK 17T training pistol. The pistol fires color-marking and rubber projectiles for "force-on-force" training and is identical in operation with GLOCK live-fire pistols.

Two additional models were developed in 1997 – As a continuation of the subcompact series, the GLOCK 29 (10mm auto) and GLOCK 30 (.45 auto ) followed. These pistols are comparable in size to the GLOCK 19, combining concealed carry with potent big-bore performance.

With the growing popularity of the new "hot" .357 auto caliber, GLOCK decided to develop a whole new pistol family in this caliber. The popular full-sized GLOCK pistol in this caliber was launched as the GLOCK 31, followed by the compact GLOCK 32, and the subcompact GLOCK 33.

Further innovations were made in the same year by developing the IPSC-sized GLOCK 34 in 9 mm and the GLOCK 35 in .40 caliber . With the longer barrel, adjustable rear sights, extended slide stop lever, extended magazine release and competition trigger, "practical-tactical" pistols were introduced which served the needs of firearms competitors as well as the needs of law enforcement and military tactical teams where more precise shooting was desired.

In response to consumer demand for a larger line of concealed carry pistols, in 1999, GLOCK introduced a new concept with the "slim-line" GLOCK 36. Chambered in .45 auto, the GLOCK 36 quickly became the first choice for a concealed carry weapon

The two-millionth GLOCK pistol to be produced by the GLOCK factory was displayed at the 1999 Shot Show. The pistol was engraved "My two millionth pistol" and was signed by the President, Mr. Gaston Glock. This huge sales success is a testament to the popularity and desirability of the GLOCK Safe Action Pistol design. Since a large part of this success was due to the overwhelming acceptance by the law enforcement market, this rare collectable was auctioned at the annual conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police in Charlotte, North Carolina. GLOCK matched the selling price and the proceeds were donated to Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS). COPS is an organization which provides support to the families of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.

The GLOCK philosophy embodies close cooperation with law enforcement and military organizations, as well as strict compliance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations. GLOCK continues its leadership with firearms innovation and design and supports the rights of citizens of all countries to practice the responsible and lawful use of firearms.