Glock 17 Gen 6 9mm Full Size Pistol 4.49 in. 17+1 Optic Ready Ambidextrous – Superbly Proven

Description

The Glock 17 Gen 6 9mm is the original, brought up to date. This is the pistol the whole platform grew out of – full-size frame, 4.49-inch barrel, seventeen rounds – and the sixth generation finally puts an optic cut and ambidextrous controls on it from the factory.

If you are buying a 9mm to shoot well rather than to conceal, the full-size gun is the one. Longer sight radius, more weight to soak up recoil, and a grip that fits a hand properly.

Part number P61750203, UPC 764503068232. Deep stock.

What the Glock 17 Gen 6 9mm is

• 9mm Luger, 17+1 capacity
• 4.49-inch black Glock Marksman Barrel
• Black nDLC steel slide, optic ready, front and rear serrations
• Black polymer full-size frame with an accessory rail
• Interchangeable backstraps
• Ambidextrous controls
• Striker fired with the Safe Action trigger system

Full size against compact, decided honestly

• The Glock 17 Gen 6 9mm gains half an inch of barrel over the compact, and that is worth very little velocity. What it buys you is sight radius, and that is worth a great deal on iron sights
• The extra weight is the real benefit. A heavier pistol moves less under recoil, so the sights come back faster and strings of fire stay tighter
• A full-length grip means all three fingers and a proper purchase, which is the single biggest factor in how well most people shoot a handgun
• What you give up is carrying it. A full-size pistol can be carried and plenty of people do, but it takes a good belt and a proper holster and it prints more
• If the gun spends its life in a range bag, a nightstand or a duty holster, buy the full size. If it lives under a shirt every day, buy the compact

Glock 17 Gen 6 9mm specifications

• Manufacturer part number: P61750203
• UPC: 764503068232
• Calibre: 9mm Luger
• Capacity: 17+1
• Barrel: 4.49 inches, Glock Marksman Barrel
• Slide: black nDLC steel, optic ready, serrated
• Frame: black polymer, full size, accessory rail
• Grip: interchangeable backstraps
• Controls: ambidextrous
• Action: striker fired, Safe Action

Before you buy a red dot

Micro red dot footprints are not standardised between manufacturers. Check the mounting pattern of the optic you want against the plate set supplied with the pistol rather than assuming – the wrong choice leaves you with either an adapter plate, which raises the optic and eats into the window, or a return. A cover plate is fitted, so the pistol works perfectly well on irons alone until you decide.

A dot sits higher than iron sights. On a full-size gun there is plenty of slide to work with, so suppressor-height or co-witness irons are the normal arrangement and worth budgeting for at the same time.

Ambidextrous controls

The Glock 17 Gen 6 9mm runs the slide stop on both sides. For a left-handed shooter that is the difference between running the pistol properly and working around it. For a right-handed one it costs nothing and helps with one-handed reloads and malfunction drills, which is exactly when you need to work the slide stop with the wrong hand.

Ammunition

9mm Luger is standardised by SAAMI. A 4.49-inch barrel is at the long end of what defensive loads are tested in, so you get every foot per second the ammunition maker advertises. For volume practice, Federal Champion 115gr FMJ is the sensible bulk choice.

The rest of the Gen 6 line

The compact is the Glock 19 Gen 6, and the crossover – this grip with the shorter slide – is the Glock 45 Gen 6. In coyote there is the earlier Glock 19X V, which has no optic cut. An IWB holster cut for an optic is worth ordering alongside.

Why the Glock 17 Gen 6 9mm earns its place

• Optic ready and ambidextrous from the factory, which is what the previous five generations were criticised for lacking
• Seventeen rounds from the Glock 17 Gen 6 9mm, and the longest sight radius in the line
• Identical footprint to earlier G17s, so existing holsters and magazines carry over
• The largest parts and accessory ecosystem of any handgun made
• Deep stock, so no waiting

The honest caveats are the same two the platform has always had. The Safe Action trigger is consistent, reliable and not crisp – if you want a crisp break you will fit an aftermarket trigger, and plenty of people do. And the grip angle suits some hands and not others; if you have shot a Glock you already know which.

The other thing worth saying is that a full-size pistol is a commitment to a proper belt and holster. Half-measures make it uncomfortable and people stop carrying.

For a range gun, a home defence gun or a duty gun, the Glock 17 Gen 6 9mm is about as safe a purchase as exists. MAG5 Firearms ships to your FFL.