Glock was then invited to participate in the XM9 Personal Defense Pistol Trials, but declined because the DOD specifications would require extensive retooling of production equipment and providing 35 test samples in an unrealistic time frame.

In late 1983, the United States Department of Defense inquired about the Glock pistol and received four samples of the Glock 17 for unofficial evaluation. The results of the Austrian trials sparked a wave of interest in Western Europe and overseas, particularly in the United States, where a similar effort to select a service-wide replacement for the M1911 had been going on since the late 1970s (known as the Joint Service Small Arms Program). The Glock 17 outperformed eight different pistols from five other established manufacturers ( Heckler & Koch of Germany offered their P7M8, P7M13, and P9S, SIG Sauer of Switzerland bid with their P220 and P226 models, Beretta of Italy submitted their model 92SB-F, FN Herstal of Belgium proposed an updated variant of the Browning Hi-Power, and the Austrian Steyr Mannlicher entered the competition with the GB). The handgun was adopted into service with the Austrian military and law enforcement in 1982 as the Pistole 80 (P80), with an initial order for 25,000 guns. According to Friedrich Dechant, former Head of the Austrian Armaments and Defence Technology Agency, the Glock P80 was clearly superior to other handguns in terms of performance, handling, charging capacity and price. Several samples of the Glock 17 (so named because it was the 17th patent procured by the company) were submitted for assessment trials in early 1982, and after passing all of the exhaustive endurance and abuse tests, the Glock emerged as the winner.

In addition, the plan was to make extensive use of synthetic materials and modern manufacturing technologies, which led to the Glock 17 becoming a cost-effective candidate. Within three months, Glock had developed a working prototype that combined proven mechanisms and traits from previous pistol designs. Glock became aware of the Austrian Army's planned procurement, and in 1982, assembled a team of Europe's leading handgun experts from military, police, and civilian sport-shooting circles to define the most desirable characteristics in a combat pistol. The normal maximum operating pressure (P max) for the 9 mm NATO is 2,520 bar (252 MPa 36,500 psi). The pistol was to then be used to fire an overpressure test cartridge generating 5,000 bar (500 MPa 73,000 psi). After firing 15,000 rounds of standard ammunition, the pistol was to be inspected for wear. The Federal Ministry of Defence of Austria formulated a list of 17 criteria for the new generation service pistol, including requirements that it would be self loading fire the NATO-standard 9×19mm Parabellum round the magazines were not to require any means of assistance for loading be secure against accidental discharge from shock, strike, and drop from a height of 2 m (6 ft 7 in) onto a steel plate. In 1980, the Austrian Armed Forces announced that it would seek tenders for a new, modern duty pistol to replace their World War II–era Walther P38 handguns. Glock introduced ferritic nitrocarburizing into the firearms industry as an anticorrosion surface treatment for metal gun parts. Glock had extensive experience in advanced synthetic polymers, which was instrumental in the company's design of the first commercially successful line of pistols with a polymer frame. The company's founder and head engineer, Gaston Glock, had no experience with firearms design or manufacture at the time their first pistol, the Glock 17, was being prototyped. Glocks are also popular firearms among civilians for recreational and competition shooting, home- and self-defense, both in concealed or open carry. Glock pistols have become the company's most profitable line of products, and have been supplied to national armed forces, security agencies, and police forces in at least 48 countries. The firearm entered Austrian military and police service by 1982 after becoming the top performer in reliability and safety tests. Glock (stylized as GLOCK) is a brand of polymer- framed, short recoil-operated, locked-breech semi-automatic pistols designed and produced by Austrian manufacturer Glock Ges.m.b.H. Short recoil, locked breech, tilting barrel ( straight blowback for Glock 25, 28 and 44)

Glock 17c mos gen 4