Back when GLOCK was the outlier and radical choice.

[Miami_JBT]

I grew up shooting, grew up around S&W Revolvers, Remington 870s, Colt 1911s, Beretta 92s, and of course GLOCK automatics.

I recall back in the day, being one of the few shooters on the range with a GLOCK. It was still when they were called Combat Tupperware and people looked down on them.



This photo is from around '96 or '97.

It really was a different era then. I don't know about your area, but in South Florida, GLOCK quickly became popular.

City of Miami PD was the first "large" agency in the country to adopt GLOCK in the 1980s.

Mainstream news article from 1987 about MPD adopting the GLOCK.

MIAMI OFFICERS TO PACK PISTOLS LIKE CRIMINALS USE

July 11, 1987

MIAMI -- Police officers will patrol the streets this fall armed with new, state-of-the-art semi-automatic pistols similar to the high-powered weapons used by criminals on Miami Vice, a police spokesman said on Friday.

City commissioners approved a request on Thursday from City Manager Cesar Odio and Police Chief Clarence Dickson for $374,000 to buy 1,100 9mm Glock semi-automatic pistols with 17-round clips, ammunition and spare parts.

The $374,000 also covers ammunition and spare parts, officials said.

The Glock was chosen for a number of reasons, but primarily because "the bigger the gun, the bigger the ego," said Reginald Roundtree, a police spokesman.

"Drug dealers don't have little egos, so they don't have little guns," he said.

"Officers are finally going to achieve the psychological positiveness of having a weapon comparable to what they're running into on the streets," Roundtree said. "These guns definitely will pay for themselves in the long- run.

The Glocks will replace the Smith & Wesson .38-caliber revolvers now in use, Roundtree said. The new weapons will be available this fall, he said.

A six-month experiment determined the Glock to be "reliable, accurate and very fine," said City Commissioner J. L. Plummer. Twenty-five guns were used during the trial period, he said.

The Miami Police Training Unit conducted the test of the new generation of weapons, Roundtree said.

Purchase of the guns will be financed with money from an old bond issue, officials said. Each weapon will cost between $400 and $500, officials said.

The Glock was picked because of the weapons criminals are now using. The gun has the firepower of a .357 Magnum, Roundtree said.

MPD Officers were armed with GLOCKs during the 1989 Lloyd riot.



I also remember Armando Valdes, an officer with MPD back in the day was a hell of a shooter and did it with stock GLOCKs. Hell, he used his agency issued gun for a bit.



I had the pleasure of shooting with Armando back in the late '90s as a teenager and taking pointers from him.

Here's an article about him from 1994.

MIAMI POLICE OFFICER KEEPS HIS PISTOL TITLE

Armando Valdes, a Miami police officer, has never had to fire his pistol in the line of duty.

Lucky thing for the bad guys.

Valdes successfully defended his limited title in the fifth annual Southern Classic action pistol match at the Markham Park Target Range Sunday.

Valdes totaled 564.2 points in the two-day match, shooting his .40-caliber Glock Model 22, the same gun he carries on the job. The limited, or stock, division is for shooters who use firearms with no modifications, such as muzzle brakes or optical sights.

Joe Kessler repeated as the unlimited champion, compiling 791.5 points.

Rick Bowerman, the top master class shooter, was second overall at 742.6. Tony Pierantozzi, the top Class A shooter, was third overall at 681.5. Kim Stroud, the top woman, was ninth at 609.4.

Valdes was 14th overall, a fine performance considering the difference between a limited handgun and an unlimited one - it is like the difference between a Buick and an Indy racer. His finish as the top limited shooter was even more impressive considering Valdes is recovering from an August, 1993 fall in which he broke both arms.

"Although I'm still in pain, I no longer feel handicapped," said Valdes, who needed surgery and two screws to repair the break in his left forearm and is still in rehabilitation. "This is definitely a mental boost for me."

Until his accident, Valdes was brimming with confidence. In 1990 he won the stock class at the International Pistol Shooters Confederation World Championship in Australia.

In 1991 and '92 he competed all over the world in preparation for the 1993 IPSC Worlds. He won national titles in Panama, Argentina and Ecuador as well as the North American Championship and the South American Cup. Two weeks before the 1993 World Championship in London, Valdes broke his arms.

"So that shattered my dream of repeating as world champion," said Valdes, who won the stock class in the South American Cup three weeks ago in Argentina. "I see this as another step in wanting to reach my goal of being world champion again."

Valdes, 34, has been shooting for nine years and preaches what he practices. He not only teaches shooting for the City of Miami Police Department and for the police academy at Miami-Dade Community College, he creates their lesson plans. He's also a member of the city's SWAT team.

"The gun comes out just about every time we go out," Valdes said, "but thank God I haven't had to discharge it."

The event featured nine courses of fire comparable to real-life situations. For example, Clean-up on Aisle 4, complete with stocked shelves, simulated a shootout in a supermarket.

The Bivouac stage began with shooters reclining on a cot in a tent, their guns stowed in a case. Competitors, who shot at cardboard and reactive steel silhouette targets, were scored on time as well as accuracy.

SOUTHERN CLASSIC RESULTS Unlimited: Joe Kessler.

Limited: Armando Valdes.

Master: Rick Bowerman.

High Lady: Kim Stroud.

Class A unlimited: 1. Tony Pierantozzi 2. Tim Meanor 3. Bob Donaldson.

Class B unlimited: 1. Jim Kage Jr. 2. Wayne Berquist 3. Sandy Thalheimer.

Class B limited: 1. Joe Hart 2. Dennis Kacheline.

Class C unlimited: 1. John Behe 2. Dick Gavigan 3. Jimmy Brock.

Class C limited: 1. Drew Lasker 2. Michael Handy 3. Doug Schaper.

Class D unlimited: 1. Mark Weir 2. Betty Napier 3. Erikka Thalheimer.

Class D limited: 1. Sergio Negreira 2. Rob Middlemas 3. John Spiller.

Unclassified unlimited: 1. Jose Valles 2. Terry Wilson 3. Don Castagna.

Unclassified limited: 1. Jeff Chamblit 2. Gary Napolitano 3. Scott Bialy.

I learned a lot from him along with my Father, who is a big GLOCK shooter too. He was an early adopter of the GLOCK in the late '80s when he was a cop.



My Father with Gaston Glock. Of course, Dad is carrying a GLOCK.

There was a time when having a GLOCK and pre-ban mags would turn heads at the range.

I'm quite glad that the market has become what it is today, but I do sometimes miss the simplicity of those days when it was GLOCK being revolutionary and everyone else was playing catch up.

[Johnny Rico]

"Psychological positiveness?" Lol...

Government accounting, my goodness. $374,000 to purchase 1100 Glocks = $340/G17.

Each weapon will cost between $400 and $500, officials said.

[Miami_JBT]

"Psychological positiveness?" Lol...

Government accounting, my goodness. $374,000 to purchase 1100 Glocks = $340/G17.

Don't forget that the $374,000 also included spare parts and ammo. So they got the GLOCKs for a lot less.

As for the $400 - $500 per gun, that's also including training the officers to learn the gun from the days of the wheel guns.

[HKGuns]

According to my gun safe, gLoCk remains a radical choice.

[markm]

Shoot. I remember when they retailed for Just over $350.00. Just got my kid a G19X for his 21st birthday. $640 out the door.

[heyyouduh]

Very cool!

[17K]

The first time I shot a Glock was around 1990. It was a G17.

I was maybe 10 years old and just remember that I had an overall positive impression of it, but it was a plastic gun and I thought that it was kinda odd as all I had really seen up to that point was revolvers.

[pag23]

I have had Glocks since 1997..I will always own one or two...or three..lol

[ndmiller]

I vividly remember buying my first Glock living in NJ in the late 90's. Couldn't buy a G17 because the max rounds allowed was 15 by law, so bought a G19 instead. LGS thought I was crazy and it was a piece of junk. I had read up on Gason and his previous industrial design and figured I've blown way more than $500 in Atlantic City and Pub Crawls in NYC, so went for it.

[Det-Sog]

It's OK. Lots of us still do not like Glock.