Somehow Recoil Magazine’s Sunday post breaking the news of GLOCK’s first rotating-barrel pistol got past us. The new gun’s numerical designation: GLOCK 46. Originally posted on German weapons magazine Das Magazin für Waffenbesitzer, the G46 has some other unique features besides that barrel.
From the sounds of it, the G46 can be field stripped without the user having to pull the trigger. Whether this was a requirement for the German police contract this gun was designed to fill is not known, but it will definitely make many agencies and some consumers happy. Technical details may be revealed in this February 2017 patent application.
While the frame is mostly Gen5 GLOCK 19 in form, it appears to have some changes such as an extended beavertail, a slide-bevel-matched dust cover, and apparently no Operator notch (the mag-stripping cutout at the bottom of the frontstrap). Additionally, the shape of the trigger is new.
The biggest change, though, is definitely with the barrel locking mechanism. According to these photos and this late 2016 patent application, the G46 sports a rotating, rather than tilting, barrel.
No other info is available at this time, including whether or not the G46 is destined for the U.S. market.
If it did hit our shores — this rotating-barrel GLOCK 19, in effect — would you be on the list? Does the G46 with its new locking system and no-trigger-pull takedown have additional appeal to you? Sound off in the comments and let us know!