Source: Glock

TheGunBlog.ca — Glock GmbH, the maker of the world’s bestselling handgun, designed its new model 48 pistol as its first standard firearm developed specifically to be legal in Canada.

The single-stack 9 mm gun could be in stores across the country as early as next month for about $650, said James Cassells, Glock’s sales manager for Canada.

106 mm Standard

The two-tone, 10-round G48 is the first pistol to come standard with a 106-mm barrel in Glock’s 37-year history as a handgun manufacturer.

Canadian law makes it a crime for federally licensed shooters to have a handgun with a barrel of 105 mm or less, or to have mags with room for more than 10 rounds of ammunition.

Cassells worked with colleagues at Austria-based Glock in 2017 to make a version of the G19 pistol with a longer barrel and reduced mag capacity for sale in Canada, one of the company’s largest recurring markets outside the U.S. They also made a Canadian G19X.

‘Canadian Compliance’

“While we have modified various models in the past to make them Canada legal, the G48 was the first standard model to account for Canada compliance in design,” Cassells told TheGunBlog.ca today.

The new model is coming as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau considers eliminating civilian handgun ownership through a “full ban” on pistols, revolvers and certain other rifles and shotguns.

He’s also preparing to pass Bill C-71 as a law to prohibit and eventually confiscate certain rifles and make it harder for hunters, farmers and sport shooters to buy, sell, own and transport firearms.

Sport, Police

The G48 will compete in the U.S. against Smith & Wesson’s Shield and SIG Sauer’s P365. Both guns are banned for Canadians because their barrels are too short.

Hunting and target shooting are among Canada’s safest and most-popular outdoor and sporting activities. More men and women have a firearm licence than play golf or hockey, or who ski.

“For sports shooting, it will be a great pistol to start with,” Cassells said. “It’s going to be lower cost, so it will be a good entry pistol. For law enforcement, it’s a perfect plain-clothes pistol.”

Timing, Price

The G48 will be on display at SHOT Show, the world’s biggest trade show for the firearm industry, and in U.S. stores on Jan. 21, Glock’s U.S. subsidiary said today.

It could be in Canadian stores by late February or early March if the U.S. government ends a shutdown and resumes processing firearm-export permits “pretty soon,” Cassells said.

“It’s probably going to be around $650 Canadian,” Cassells said. “There will be a slight adjustment in our prices because of the dollar being where it is now.”

A Canadian Glock 19 costs $710 in many stores. The standard G19 is the world’s most-popular handgun.

G45 Next?

Glock, which had record-high sales in Canada last year, may start selling a longer-barrel version of its G45 pistol this year in Canada, Cassells said. The G45 is a 9 mm pistol based on the G19X.

“With the G45, there’s definitely an interest in having it with a Canadian barrel,” he said. “We’ve had agencies adopt the 45. I actually think that’s the best pistol we make for law enforcement today.”

The company also said today it will sell the G43X. It won’t be adapted for Canada, Cassells said.

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Related Information

• July 2018: Glock Says New 19X Pistol Is Arriving in Canada Next Week
• September 2017: Glock 19 Canadian Version Coming With Special Barrel, Maple Leaf

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