The new GLOCK 19 Gen4 FS is a GLOCK 19 with front serrations. The new model also boasts steel sights, an extended slide stop and an extended magazine release. And that’s it. So let’s talk about cars . . .
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Peter Farago was a petrolhead. As soon as he could afford it, my old man bought rare and special automobiles. A 1967 Ford Thunderbird. A supercharged Jaguar XJ. A Mercedes 300 SEL 6.3 (above). So what did this “car guy” buy his 16-year-old son for his first taste of four-wheeled freedom?
A Ford Pinto station wagon. For those of you too young to remember this automotive abomination, a little history . . .
Ford Motor Company launched the sub-compact Pinto in 1971. On the positive side, it was the first mass-produced automobile with rack-and-pinion steering. On the negative side, everything else. Not to put too fine a point on it, the Pinto was a piece of crap. The only good thing you could say about it: it wasn’t a Chevy Vega.
Mind you, the Pinto was famous — for blowing up in rear-end collisions. Which should have come as no surprise to anyone who drove FoMoCo’s POS. [NB: the Pinto state wagon was not as vulnerable, thanks to its reinforced rear.]
Why my did my father equip his three teenage boys with Ford Pintos? Price, probably. Ignorance, definitely. No matter what the excuse, it was a prime example of suffer the little children.
In 1977, two years after I was condemned to the Pinto, four years after the 1973 Oil Crisis blew the U.S. market for small cars wide open, my Mom’s BFF bought a fully loaded Honda Accord. It was roughly the same size and cost as a Pinto sedan. Knowing I was a car guy, she let me behind the wheel.
That sucker was tight. Slow, sure. But nothing rattled, everything worked and the Accord handled. Not like the cars of today, but light years ahead of the Pinto or the Yank tanks cruising American highways and byways. As soon as I drove it I knew American manufacturers were doomed.
Sure, the “greatest generation” before me wouldn’t be caught dead in a little Japanese car. But the Accord was so much better than American-made automobiles in so many ways it was funny. For an automotive enthusiast it was a sneak peek at the future. A revelation.
Over the years, Honda made the Accord bigger, faster, safer, more reliable, more comfortable, more economical and better handling. And a better value, too. The Accord capitalized on its excellence to become one of America’s best-selling automobiles. Still is. And rightly so.
The criticism leveled against the later model and current Accords: they’re so good they’re boring. No. A Ford Pinto station wagon was boring (and more than slightly embarrassing). A Honda Accord is rewarding on every level…save emotional.
Do I own one? Nope.
After two divorces relieved me of my ability to own Porsches and Ferraris, I bought a Mercedes GLC 300 SUV. It’s very Honda Accord-like: a vehicle that does nothing astounding but everything really well.
Which is why I’d never criticize anyone for owning a Honda Accord. It’s an exceptional ordinary car.
By the same token, I’d never diss anyone who owns a GLOCK, the Honda Accord of handguns. And if a GLOCK owner wants a GLOCK with front slide cocking serrations, what of it? Nothing. Nothing at all.
Now, if GLOCK put their guns into a case that doesn’t look and feel like a $5 lunchbox, that would be something.
GLOCK 19 with Front Serrations
Caliber: 9×19
Barrel Length: 4.02”
Overall Length: 6.85”
Weight: 20.99 oz
Finish: Parkerized Tenifer
Capacity: 15+1
Price: $699 MSRP (found online for $557)
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RATINGS (out of five)
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It’s a GLOCK 19