Why Glock's Gen V Pistols Are Piling Up Unsold

If you've been wondering why Glock dealers seem to have a surplus of Gen V pistols sitting on shelves, Military Arms Channel has a theory, and it's not flattering. The channel's host walks through what actually changed inside the Gen V, why it exists, and why the Gen 6 showed up so fast behind it that the Gen V barely had time to matter.

Snapshot

Military Arms Channel compares the Glock Gen 5, Gen V, and Gen 6 side by side, focusing on internal differences rather than looks. The host argues the Gen V was a rushed response to lawsuits over illegal conversion switches, and that it got largely overshadowed once the Gen 6 arrived with real ergonomic upgrades.

Key points

• Same outside, different guts: the host notes the Gen V keeps the familiar Glock exterior and accessory compatibility of the Gen 5, but the striker, striker channel, and rear slide plate were redesigned and aren't interchangeable with older generations.
• Chamber gets a step: he points out the Gen V introduced a stepped, bottlenecked chamber meant to improve the gas seal on firing, which he says is claimed to add roughly 50 feet per second of velocity.
• Built to resist switches: according to the host, these internal changes were aimed at making illegal conversion devices harder to use, something he frames as Glock responding to legal pressure.
• Gen 6 arrived too soon: the Gen 6 carried over the Gen V's striker and chamber changes but added major ergonomic improvements, which the host says made the Gen V feel obsolete almost immediately.
• Low demand, maybe collectible: the host says distributor stock numbers show Gen V pistols sitting unsold compared to Gen 6, and he suggests it could end up a short-run collectible rather than a daily carry pick.

Quick take

The host's bottom line is that the Gen V is a fine shooter but an awkward middle step, worth grabbing cheap if you want a piece of Glock's short-lived experiment, but not the generation he'd recommend over the Gen 6 for someone buying new.

Watch the full video: Military Arms Channel