TFB Review: Glock 17 Gen6 - First 1,000 Rounds

When Glock announced the sixth generation of its iconic striker-fired polymer pistol series in December 2025, the firearms community responded with the usual mix of cautious interest and the usual skepticism. For me, the release was really bad timing, as I had just bought another G45 Gen 5. Was this a genuine leap forward, or just a facelift on an already mature platform? I decided the best way to answer that question wasn't a bench test or a controlled range session. It was to throw a brand-new, straight-out-of-the-box G17 Gen6 into the deep end of a two-day beginner practical shooting course and see what happened. One thousand rounds later, we have some answers.

The Course: A Real-World Stress Test

The course was a two-day introduction to practical shooting (IPSC basic course, which is mandatory in some countries), designed specifically for beginners. It covered the full spectrum of fundamental skills: basic accuracy drills, static reloads, emergency reloads, strong-hand-only shooting, weak-hand-only shooting, and shooting on the move. Exactly the kind of curriculum that puts a pistol through its paces in ways a static bench test never can.

The Green Fire primers are well known in European shooting circles with a reputation for being on the soft side of the primer sensitivity spectrum, meaning guns with lighter-than-optimal firing pin strikes (could be worn) tend to generate more failures to fire with this ammunition than with conventional primers. In other words, if a pistol is going to choke on primer sensitivity, GECO Green Fire should find that weakness. The security companies that use the same indoor range have had some issues, but I am unsure which Glock 17s they are using - but it’s definitely not the Gen 6. If I had to guess, they’re using somewhat used Gen 4s.

The Glock 17 Gen6 found no such weakness. Over 900 rounds of GECO LRN-CP Green Fire, across two full days of training, with a gun that hadn't seen a drop of oil since the factory, there was not a single ammunition-induced malfunction.

There was a worn-in Glock G45 COA with a Timney Trigger on the course as well, and it didn’t have any malfunctions either. A friend and I had our share of issues with the Glock Timney trigger, so we’re back to the Glock Competition ones since just recently (on other guns than mentioned here).

What About Those Stoppages?

Here is where honesty matters. The course did see some stoppages, but they were entirely intentional. Other instructors and I, as is standard practice in beginner IPSC courses, seeded dummy cartridges into the magazines at various points throughout the two days. The purpose is not to test the gun, but to test the shooters: when the gun goes "click" instead of "bang," the correct response is to immediately take the trigger finger out of the trigger guard (safe direction, muzzle discipline), then diagnose and clear the stoppage before continuing. It is one of the most effective drills for building proper safety habits and reflexes under the low-level stress of a timed course of fire. Simply put, people who don’t develop this reflex won’t get approved. They may require more training, or they may decide IPSC isn’t for them.

RTF6 Grip Texture

The most immediately obvious change is the new RTF6 surface texture, which Glock has extended significantly compared to the Gen5, including onto new areas like the thumb rest and the sides of the grip. The texture manages to be noticeably more aggressive than its predecessor without becoming too punishing during extended shooting sessions. After 500 rounds on day one, the grip felt as secure as it did on the first magazine, which matters considerably when your hands are working hard through weak-hand and on-the-move drills.

We asked a number of course participants to handle the Gen6 and give us their impression of the grip. The response was consistent and enthusiastic; most said they really liked it. That aligns with our own assessment. The grip simply feels good in the hand.

Palm Swell and Beavertail

Glock has given the Gen6 frame a slightly convex shape on the sides (what they call a palm swell), which contours the pistol to the natural curvature of the hand. Combined with the enlarged beavertail that allows the shooter to ride higher on the frame (closer to the bore axis), the grip geometry represents a genuine improvement. High grip = better leverage on the recoil impulse = faster return to target. For a beginner IPSC course where split times matter at least a little, this is not a trivial benefit.

When I compare it to my Glock 45 Gen5, my hands always choose the Gen6 version. It just feels more natural, and “better”, for lack of finer words.

Undercut Trigger Guard

The deepened trigger guard undercut works in concert with the beavertail to maximize grip height. During the shooting-on-the-move drills in particular, the locked-in feel of the grip should end with a better pistol control. In my opinion, the texture could probably have been a little more aggressive.

Flat-Faced Trigger

The Gen6 ships with a flat-faced trigger as standard, a design choice that has become increasingly common in the practical shooting world. It should shorten the effective reach to the trigger for shooters with smaller hands and promote consistent finger placement on the trigger face. The trigger pull itself is classic Glock, approximately 1,980 grams, with around 5mm of pre-travel before the break and a 5mm reset. It is a polymer trigger, and it has that characteristic Glock springiness that takes some getting used to if you're coming from a metal-trigger pistol. It does the job. If you know how to find your reset and keep it for the second shot, you’re going to get good hits.

I always teach people NOT to rack the gun holding or pushing the red dot optic. Not because it will break, but your fingers might be dirty and it’s a bad habit. In an emergency, or an extremely time-tight stage, do as you wish!

Optic-Ready System

Every Gen6 ships optic-ready as standard, with a purpose-designed cutout in the slide and three included polymer adapter plates covering common red dot footprints. The system is engineered to mount optics lower in the slide compared to the MOS arrangement of the Gen5, which improves durability by reducing the lever arm on the optic during recoil.

For more details on the differences between the Glock 45 Gen5 COA & Gen6 Optics Ready, check TFB’s previous article.

The Vortex Defender-ST Enclosed Solar Micro Red Dot

The optic on our test pistol was the new Vortex Defender-ST Enclosed Solar Micro Red Dot (MSRP $529.99), which is one of the more interesting new entries in the micro red dot market. The "enclosed" designation refers to a fully sealed emitter housing; the lens assembly is protected against impact, dust, and moisture by an enclosure rather than being exposed as it is on traditional open-emitter designs. 

Over two full days of training, the Defender-ST performed without any issues whatsoever. The dot remained visible and consistent under the overhead lighting of the indoor range, returned to zero after the zeroing session without drift, and survived the inevitable contact with the VX7 holster, bags, and the general chaos of a busy training day. It integrated cleanly with the Gen6's optic-ready system and required no shimming or adjustment to sit flush. 

As an instructor, I’ve had people arrive with their own gun and their new optic, where the optic ended up falling off. This takes valuable time away from the main reason why we’re all there - to train shooting. 

Accuracy: A Preview

While the full accuracy and chronograph data from the Hornady Critical Defense 115gr session at 25 meters on an IPSC Mini Target (about 60% of the size of an IPSC Classic target) will be covered in a dedicated follow-up article, we can report here that the results were genuinely impressive.

Using an Armageddon Gear bag as support, the G17 Gen6 produced tight enough groups at distance, and I’m sure any deviations are down to shooter error and Glock’s trigger (I have to blame something, and that trigger got a lot of blame over the years - right or wrong). Shooting a micro red dot at 25 meters is a significantly different experience than irons, and the Defender-ST's clear, crisp dot made precise aiming straightforward.

Further information on the Glock Gen6 family: eu.glock.com/en/Technology/Gen6

Vortex Defender-ST Enclosed Solar Micro Red Dot

GECO Lead Round Nose Copper-Plated 9mm Luger 8.0g

Hornady Critical Defense FTX 115gr 9mm 

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