The Factory Keeps Cutting

Sometimes, as collectors, we get to a point where we take for granted that information that has been out for a while is common knowledge. There is a great collector forum over at glocktalk.com where rare variants get discussed on the regular. The above picture is an example of a Glock factory made cutaway model which have been well documented and discussed on the forum, but are not necessarily a commonly known variant.

My first cutaway–purchased years ago–was a second generation model 19 that I scored at an auction for $500 plus shipping. I knew very little about them at the time, but knew enough to believe I had just scored a great deal. For whatever reason, no one with more knowledge had stumbled upon the auction and, despite a couple last minute bids, I was the one left standing–and for the price of a regular ole Glock model. Come to find out after research, that gen 2 is one of the rarest Glock 19 models in existence and better advertised sales have brought in excess of $3,000!

Sidebar: that fact is one aspect of the Glock hobby that I still love–the general public believes that “a Glock is a Glock” which means it’s still possible to pick up incredible scores for those who know what they’re looking at.

A little bit of info on Cutaways: They actually trace back to Gen 1 production. The common story is that one of the engineers at the plant decided to make one from a gun off the production line, he showed it to Gaston Glock who liked it very much, and then they proceeded to make several more for sales reps to demo the safe action system. Two AT prefix model 17s were the first experimental guns made by the engineer, and from then on they decided to use the “JQ” serial bank as a special, reserved, bank just for cutaways.

Along the way they have produced a little over 4,000 total (though that number still climbs every year) and have been across many different models and all five generations. Sales have always been restricted to law enforcement or certified Glock armorers so the only way to add one to your collection is to purchase on the secondary market.

To add to the fun of the pursuit, multiple sources state that only 90-100 of these were made during the first generation run (all of which are model 17s as pictured below) and only a few hundred were made with Gen 2 frames–which, I believe were made in 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23 though I’m still trying to confirm that model 20s were actually made. The Gen 1 models sell for multiple thousands (I’ve seen them go between 3 and 8) but any of those Gen 2s are also very rare and will likely bring a substantial premium.

While it may seem crazy to spend so much money for a non-functional gun, you have to remember that this hobby is really a sickness! Once you start down the rabbit hole, you will want to get one of each–and these cutaways are a perfect example of something that there is much more demand for than supply to meet.