There are perks to every job, but when it comes to firearms, it’s hard to beat the perks afforded to military or law enforcement. The models covered here aren’t necessarily rare–more than 100,000 trainers have been produced–but are restricted access weapons that seldom fall into “civilian” hands. Let me introduce you to rainbow colors and the “P,” “R,” & “T” model guns.
The first thing that will strike you is the bright colored frames on these models, and that is by design. If you’re instructing a full academy of fresh recruits, you want to be able to clearly and easily identify which ones are packing firepower and which are practicing with inert weapons. Bright red and blue frames will certainly do the trick.
The red frames are broken into two categories with different purposes: “P” is for practice. A “P” gun is non-firing (extensive measures have been taken to ensure that it can not easily be converted by swapping out a part) but otherwise functional Glock pistol that is perfect for retention and handling drills. It can cycle dummy rounds by manual manipulation and will otherwise behave like the real live-fire model, but there is zero chance of the gun firing. The “R” model is very similar, but comes equipped with a spring-loaded auto-resetting trigger. It can be used for the same handling and retention drills, but the resetting trigger would not function like a regular weapon for clearance drills. Where the “R” shines is in simulation environments (The bore can be equipped with a laser that is actuated by the sound of the trigger pull) and in dry fire practice (because you don’t have to rack the slide for every trigger pull).
The “T” model amps up the training possibilities to the realm of live-fire drills–but with non-lethal simunition rounds. The guns otherwise function like their regular counterparts and can even share magazines with their full bore brethren, but are designed to fire paintballs for force-on-force training. The shots are painful, perhaps, but not permanent.
All three series of guns have been produced since the tail end of Gen 2 production, have specially designated serial prefixes, and are produced in standard full size and compact frames. There is even a rumored model 26T though I have been unable to confirm it’s existence. The Gen 2 guns are certainly rare because of the limited production window but the main thing that makes these guns so appealing is just the fact that you can’t have them. Glock will only sell to Law Enforcement–as in official request on official letterhead from the department’s acquisitions team. Even after upgrading to newer models, LE agencies are more likely to destroy their existing inventory rather than let it fall in to civilian hands. Trust me, a good friend of mine operates a full time lucrative business just crushing firearms for departments–a crying shame.
To the astute collector, you’ll find opportunities arising in unexpected places. But, for real, if you run across a Gen 2 in any of these models, just grab it!
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