The Glock G45 Gen5 is a crossover striker-fired 9mm built for duty carry. Glock drew it from the design and engineering of its G19X military pistol, to Operator and law enforcement specifications, and sells it in both its law enforcement and commercial lines. It pairs a compact 4.02-inch slide with a full-size frame, so the hand gets all 17 rounds and the whole grip while the pistol stays 7.44 inches long.

Three magazines come in the box with a speed loader, a cleaning set, a backstrap set, a cable lock and a case. The magazine well is flared for faster reloads, the slide stop lever works from either side and the slide has front serrations. The Gen5 frame takes beavertail backstraps and a reversible magazine catch. The slide is not cut for an optic, so a red dot means the MOS build of the same pistol.

If you're cross-shopping, the Glock G19 Gen5 uses the same 4.02-inch barrel and 1.34-inch width on a grip 0.43 inches shorter at 5.04 inches, holding 15 rounds at 23.63 oz, so it hides under a shirt where the G45's grip shows. The Glock G45 Gen6 keeps every major dimension, drops to 23.1 oz, and arrives optic ready with a flat-faced trigger. The Gen6 is the one of the two with a factory optic cut, so the Gen5 suits a shooter staying on irons.