# Glock frame identification, or, "What generation is my Glock?"



## DJ Niner

My current attempt at an updated version of Butch's classic Gen1/2/3 image, for those folks who are curious about frame style changes in the full-size (primarily 9mm) Glock handguns over the years.


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## DJ Niner

Here's a similar photo for the sub-compact Glocks:


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## Stoy

Thanks I didn't think it was that easy!


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## DJ Niner

Yes, it's not too difficult, especially if you have examples of each generation side-by-side so you can do a direct comparison of features.


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## DJ Niner

Here's a photo illustration showing the progression of the G17 through the generations, including some variants:


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## bigjohn56

@DJ Niner - Are these all yours?


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## denner

Cool, I noticed the one pin from the earliest models to the two pin later models right off the bat. Great Job. Likewise, every one looks brand new including the Gen 1's.


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## DJ Niner

bigjohn56 said:


> @DJ Niner - Are these all yours?


Yeah; what can I say, I'm a fan.



denner said:


> Cool, I noticed the one pin from the earliest models to the two pin later models right off the bat. Great Job. Likewise, every one looks brand new including the Gen 1's.


Well, thanks for the nice words, but they are all used; 5 of the 7 were bought used, and 3 of them have even been carried at one time or another. On most of them, the right side was in significantly better condition than the left, so I shot the pic "right sides up." The left side of the slide on the Gen1 is positively ugly; looks like the previous owner tried to cold-blue it, over the partially worn parkerized-type Glock finish. On the left vs. right wear pattern, the only thing I can figure is that folks must leave them lying on the left side for quick access (by mostly right-handed shooters, I assume), and so that side gets the scratches, finish wear, and other scars. When I edited the photos to delete the visible serial numbers, I also digitally cleaned-up some of the obvious damage like shiny nicks/marks on the slides, but if you look closely, you can see wear on the barrel hoods and at the slide corners/edges on most of the pistols.

As you noted, a lot of the differences are pretty apparent when the models are laid-out side-by-side. The flat-side extractors vs. the newer Loaded Chamber Indicator (LCI) extractors, the dust covers without and with the accessory rails, the changes in the frame gripping surfaces, and even how well the magazines fit the frame (newer mags are actually a bit longer, and "hang out" the bottom) are all easy to see. All pistols are original except for the sights (several have optional night sights installed), a replacement non-ported barrel on the 17L (the original slot-ported barrel is prone to cracking if fired a lot, so I added a non-ported factory replacement barrel that allows me to shoot it regularly), and a few grip cavity plugs that were added.


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## bigjohn56

Very nice! Congrats.


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## paratrooper

What does RTF2 mean?


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## desertman

paratrooper:


> "What does RTF2 mean?"


*R*ough *T*extured *F*rame. I'll assume the 2 is for Gen.2 even though the photo shows Gen. 3 or could it be the second generation of a rough textured frame? But it couldn't be a Gen. 2, the Gen. 2 doesn't have finger grooves. Is there an RTF1 or RTF3? If so what generation are those? I'm confused? Don't you just hate acronyms?


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## DJ Niner

As said above, RTF stands for for Rough Textured Frame. Originally, in the Gen3 series, there was going to be (2 or 3?) different RTF options, but the only one that was ever released was named RTF2. Folks who have seen proposals/prototypes for the other RTFs have said the Gen4 gripping surface is very similar to another of the Gen3 RTF options, so once the Gen4 Glocks were released, that probably replaced the need for any similar Gen3 frame option.


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## Lt3097

There were actually two RTF Models. The first ones were soooo aggressive, it ruined clothing while being carried concealed. So, Glock made a modified version of the RTF and smoothed it out a tad so it wasn't so rough.


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## ZackAttack071309

Thanks for the great info!


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## Blackhawkman

I too am a Glock fan. I have owned and shot G's ever since they came out. My nephew has my Gen1 Model 17 that has been rehab'd. I have The Complete Glock Reference Guide 4th Edition by Lone Wolff Dist. I use it alot and it has alotta good info about Glocks. FWIW


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## ThatPunkGirl

I understand glock has many generations of each platform but are some older gens better than the new?


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## DJ Niner

ThatPunkGirl said:


> I understand glock has many generations of each platform but are some older gens better than the new?


As always, it depends on exactly what you mean by "better".

Often older guns have smoother actions, but sometimes that is just honest wear smoothing-up the parts; when they were new, they weren't as smooth as they are now after 20+ years of use. Some folks preferred the old flat-style extractor, others like the Loaded Chamber Indicator style that protrudes noticeably if there is a round in the chamber. Many of the older Glocks would eat any kind of ammo with no stoppages, where newer models seem to be a bit more likely to have an occasional stoppage nowadays, but 25+ years ago most ammo was made by 4-5 domestic companies and gun manufacturers didn't have to worry about today's steel cases, ultra-light or ultra-heavy bullets, or weird bullet nose shapes that could cause functioning problems even in some guns that are perfectly reliable with "normal" ammunition.

I was happy with my (mostly) Gen3 models, and didn't rush out to buy any Gen4s when they became available, but after shooting Gen4 and Gen3 versions of the same model side-by-side, the Gen4 won me over, and I picked up a few as informal competition/carry pistols. I thought the Gen5 models was a step backwards in many areas (I _liked_ the Gen3/4 finger-grooves that were dropped for Gen5, and adding a second ambidextrous slide stop lever increased the width of the pistol frame too much, in my opinion), but they are still fine serviceable firearms, and generally have slightly better triggers and accuracy than the older models (but most folks never learn to shoot well enough to tell, so...?).

I generally wouldn't recommend or use a Gen1 or Gen2 model for defense/carry nowadays for a very unexciting reason -- they are old, and old gun parts occasionally break. Some of the older generation parts may not be available any longer (locking blocks, for instance), so smart folks should go with Gen3 or newer models for serious purposes to make sure their pistol is supportable/repairable well into the future.


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