Model 17, the granddaddy of all Glocks and the harbinger of the Glock family, was invented by Gaston Glock, an Austrian engineer, and introduced in 1982. Its founder had an idea to create a simple, but reliable handgun suitable for competitions in the Austrian military pistol trials. Gaston Glock designed a Glock 17 as a modern combat handgun chambered for 9mm Parabellum ammunition, with a large magazine capacity and smooth and safe performance. Unlike old-school handguns, the Glock 17 has a polymer plastic frame with four metal rails cast into it, giving a light but strong structure. The Glock 17 comes without external safety as it relies on three internal safety mechanisms (trigger safety, drop safety, and firing pin block). The most noticeable is a trigger safety bar that sticks out from a trigger. A pistol cannot fire unless a trigger is pressed. About 40% of the construction is based on plastic materials. The Glock 17 utilizes a classic Browning single swinging link and tipping barrel locking system. Featuring a 4.5” barrel and an overall length of 7.32", this vanguard of semi-automatics comes with a double-stacked 17 rounds magazine and weighs 31.91 oz. when loaded.