Why France’s Army Switched To The Glock 17

19FortyFive ^ | 1/6/2021 | Peter Suciu

[Onthebrink]

There was a time when the thought of the French military using a weapon developed in another country might have been unthinkable. However, the Glock 17 will now serve in the French military. Here’s how it happened.

Background

While many nations have routinely adopted small arms developed in other nations, the French have always been fiercely independent – and France was among the few nations of Europe not to employ a Maxim machine gun at the outbreak of the First World War.

That trend in domestically-produced infantry weapons largely continued through the Cold War era, but military leaders in Paris have come around in recent years. In 2017, the French Armed Forces replaced the iconic but dated FAMAS assault rifle with the German-made HK 416, and a year ago France announced that it chose the Austrian-produced fifth-generation Glock 17 (G17 Gen5) to replace its antiquated MAC (Manufacture d’armes de Châtellerault) 50s and PAMAS G1s as the French Army’s primary sidearm.

[nonliberal]

Because they don’t go off when they are dropped.

[antidemoncrat]

I still remember the sale of their arms after WWII...
“For sale: French Army rifles. Never fired. Only dropped once.”

[dynachrome]

“MAC (Manufacture d’armes de Châtellerault) 50s and PAMAS G1”

I’ll have to check these out if they get over here in the surplus market.

[MtnClimber]

I hate Glock triggers. The French may never experience that.

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

Just a few years back I remember seeing French the POPO in riot gear carrying Mini-14’s

We’ll see if the G17 can stand 60 years of cleaning and heavy closet storage.

[baclava]

LOL

Thats the truth!

[Old Yeller]

They’re lighter to carry when you are running away.

[Semper Vigilantis]

Expect Glock 17s to be available soon, too.
Seriously, they can use wine, cheese and cigarettes - they'll never use the Glock.

[Justa]

Horrendously long trigger pull but that’s the case with many pistols nowadays. A competent gunsmith can fix it for a fee.

[MtnClimber]

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8. ZEV TECHNOLOGIES – FULCRUM ULTIMATE TRIGGER KITS FOR 1ST-4TH GEN

[MtnClimber]

List is from:

The Gun Zone

Links for each trigger at the above reference.

Best Aftermarket Glock Triggers in 2021 – Glock Trigger Upgrades

by Norman Turner - Last updated December 17, 2020

Interestingly, one common piece of advice you might hear when discussing getting a better trigger for a Glock is to just shoot it more often. After firing a countless number of rounds with your Glock pistol, the trigger does seem to end up getting smoother and more polished up. But what if you don’t want to wait that long? Well, we’ve put together a comprehensive list of the best aftermarket Glock triggers currently on the market. They’re all high-performance options that should enhance your overall Glock shooting experience. Plus, each choice will offer some bang for your buck. So let’s get to it and fire through the choices…

[baclava]

There is no reason to mess with a Glock trigger.

Its a gun based on reliability, go tinker with your safe toy 1911s that just sit and collect dust, lol

If you have to bubba up a gun into a hair triggered closet queen that never leaves home, find a different gun.

[bruoz]

Ditto. Having carried a Glock for more than thirty years, it’s the best duty sidearm ever made.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

just saw a WWII retrospective which asserted that the German invasion thru the Ardens at the end of the “sitzkrieg” created an enormous traffic jam which was spotted by a French reconnaissance plane. It was reported to - and dismissed as “impossible” by - the French brass.

The assertion was that an air strike on that fat, juicy target would have thoroughly stalled the German blitz. Nobody fights effectively with commanders who are that historically clueless.

The report claimed that the top French general didn’t even have a telephone at his house!

[MtnClimber]

It is my Glock 19 that sits collecting dust. I fired it one session, hated the trigger and put it in the safe where it has been for the last 20 years.

[baclava]

Well I’ll give ya $100 for it, no reason for you to be burdened with such a thing, lol

Who keeps guns they dont like and never shoot?

[Freedom_Is_Not_Free]

You can’t go wrong with a Glock. I am not a fan but I recognize their greatness.

Meanwhile, all discussions of miliary sidearms are silly. A holstered weapon never won a single engagement let alone a war. A sidearm is a sideshow. Military’s sweat blood over the gun that is going into their officer’s holsters when it is easily the least important aspect of military supply you can discuss. Boots and food have more impact on a military than sidearms do. LOL.

[MtnClimber]

It is only the trigger I don’t like. Not adding a hair trigger, just 3.5 or 4 lb without all the creep. It is a minor change, not like transgender surgery :)

[Oatka]

It was reported to - and dismissed as “impossible” by - the French brass.

The French troops get a bad rap - they fight well with competent leadership (Operation Torch, for example). As mentioned, when you have your generals so out of touch (48 hours for a frontline report to reach HQ by courier) and control the war from a "submarine without a periscope", you are going to get your ass beat - badly.