SF or Non-SF… That Is The Question!

In the beginning, there was one Glock, the Model 17. It had a smooth handle with no finger grooves and a delicately pebbled finish. Gaston Glock looked upon it and proclaimed, “This is perfection.”

And it was… for a while.

An early Glock 17… what more could you want?

But, as was likely inevitable, the American market started demanding larger calibers. So in 1991, the Gen2 Glock 20 was launched, featuring the FBI’s then favorite round of choice, the mighty 10mm. That was soon followed by the G21 chambered for the legendary .45 caliber.

In America, we often think “bigger is better,” so how about a 10mm… like this early Glock 20?

To handle the increased pressure, and recoil, from these mega-rounds… Glock decided to make everything in these calibers just a little bit bigger. This included the slide, but the increase that make the most difference was in the palm of the public’s hand… the frame.

A .45 in the palm of your hand… what’s not to love?!?!?

When they switched over to the Gen3 models, they continued offering the G20 and G21, as well as adding the sub-compact Models 29 and 30 in 1997.

These were also chambered in 10mm and .45 caliber, respectively, and also resided on the slightly bigger frames than their 9mm and .40 caliber counterparts.

These quickly became very popular among the big bore aficionados, but as the size of the caliber isn’t always concurrent with the size of the shooter, some concerns over the larger frames soon became known.

“It’s bigger than the ‘regular’ Glocks.” 

“The trigger reach is uncomfortable.”

“Why did they fool with perfection?”

And, since “Perfection” is a big deal word to Glock…

Glock responded in 2007 with the SF, or Short Frame versions:

And those shooters with smaller hands, and more vocal demands, succeeded in getting the standard Gen3 versions of the 20, 21, 29, & 30 essentially discontinued, but not entirely forgotten!

You see, there were some people who both appreciated and cherished that little bit extra to hold onto.

So when Glock came out with the Gen4 versions of the Models 20, 21, 29, & 30, they made the grip the same size as the Gen3 SF models, but included four additional back straps in two different sizes; letting you choose the size you want, with or without a beavertail.

The smaller of the two increase the size of the grip to the pre-SF versions of the pistols. The larger makes them even more of a handful than the originals.

And, of course, there are some other changes in the Gen4 line, in addition to the variable handgrip size, which accounts for the approximate 10% bump in price.

But what if you’re one of the people who not only appreciated the original handgrip size of the pre-SF models, but also like the finger grooves and texture of the Gen3 models over their Gen4 counterparts?

Are you left out in the cold, with no recourse to the SF versions… especially if you live in California where Gen4 pistols aren’t even ALLOWED to be sold?!?!

Well, if it wasn’t for Magill’s GlockStore, you would indeed be out there shivering! Because, as I am writing this — and because we are, after all, Magill’s GlockStore — we actually have a few of each of the 4 different “Non-SF” versions available.

If one of these is what you’re looking for… you should call quickly!

If these are the versions you’ve been hunting for, then you should call us immediately. Because when they’re gone, we don’t think we’ll be able to find any more, at any price.