Glock 18
- Category
- Pistol
- Barrel
- 114 mm
- Weight, empty
- 636 g
- Introduced
- 1986
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Glock 18 is an Austrian select-fire machine pistol chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum, developed by Glock in 1986 at the request of the Austrian counter-terrorism unit EKO Cobra. Based on the Glock 17 frame, it adds a fire-selector switch on the rear left of the slide that toggles between semi-automatic and fully automatic fire at a cyclic rate of roughly 1,200 rounds per minute. It commonly accepts extended 33-round magazines and can mount a shoulder stock to help control the fierce muzzle climb. Sales are restricted to military, law enforcement, and government agencies.
Because it is one of very few factory select-fire pistols and is legally almost impossible for civilians to own, the Glock 18 has become a fixture of action cinema and video games, where its cinematic full-auto muzzle blast far outstrips its practical field use.
The compensated Glock 18C variant adds ported cuts in the slide and barrel to vent gas upward and reduce muzzle rise during automatic fire. At around 1,200 rpm a 33-round magazine empties in under two seconds.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Glock Ges.m.b.H.
- Category
- Pistol
- Country
- Austria
- Status
- In production
- Produced
- 1986
- Variant of
- Select fire
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 114 mm
- Overall length
- 186 mm
- Height
- 138 mm
- Width
- 32 mm
- Sight radius
- 165 mm
- Weight, empty
- 636 g
- Weight, loaded
- 875 g
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Short recoil
- Firing mechanism
- Striker fired
- Trigger
- Safe action
- Trigger pull
- 25.0 N
- Capacity
- 17
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Polymer
- Slide
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Finish
- Tenifer
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 375 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 519 J
- Effective range
- 50 m
- Maximum range
- 1800 m
- Rate of fire
- 1200 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Select fire- Fire selector switch
Extended slide stop
Accepts extended magazines
Detachable shoulder stock compatible
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 560 9x19mm Parabellum pistols | 636 g | 765 g | Lighter than about 80% |
| Overall lengthAmong 559 9x19mm Parabellum pistols | 186 mm | 191 mm | Shorter than about 70% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 569 9x19mm Parabellum pistols | 114 mm | 105 mm | Longer than about 70% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 571 9x19mm Parabellum pistols | 17 | 15 | Holds more rounds than about 80% |
Answers
Questions about the Glock 18
How much does the Glock 18 weigh?
The Glock 18 weighs 636 g (1.40 lb) empty and 875 g (1.93 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the Glock 18?
The Glock 18 is chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum.
How many rounds does the Glock 18 hold?
The Glock 18 holds 17 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Glock 18?
The Glock 18 is 186 mm (7.32 in) long overall, with a 114 mm (4.49 in) barrel.
Who makes the Glock 18?
The Glock 18 is made by Glock Ges.m.b.H. (Austria). It was designed by Gaston Glock.
When was the Glock 18 introduced?
The Glock 18 was introduced in 1986.
How does the Glock 18 operate?
The Glock 18 uses a short recoil action, and its firing mechanism is striker fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- EKO Cobra
- 1986
- Israel Defense Forces
- Israel
- Malaysian Armed Forces
- Malaysia
Provenance
Confidence in this record
85%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/glock-18' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "glock-18", "name": "Glock 18", "manufacturer": { "id": "glock", "name": "Glock Ges.m.b.H.", "countryCode": "AT", "foundedYear": 1963, "website": "https://www.glock.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:43:49", "version": "3082b5f3edc3e54ca4f0993c68dba8c456b4f86e8759e3310ef604da566477d6" }, "category": { "id": "pistol", "name": "Pistol", "description": "Handguns designed to be fired with one or two hands" }, "country_of_origin": "AT", "year_introduced": 1986, "barrel_length_mm": 114, "weight_empty_g": 636, "action_type": "short_recoil"}