New Glock Gen 6 pistols are hitting the shelves in January 2026. This latest upgrade will debut across the G19, G45, and G17. For those already planning duty or carry setups, Safariland has holster fits for all three available now.
Unlike some of the previous generational shifts, the Gen 6 Glock brings major changes. How does GLOCK maintain the legacy that has, over more than four decades, positioned the company at the top of the combat handgun market while also answering some of the more frequent customer requests? Let’s break down the new features.
Gen 6 External Upgrades and Ergonomics
The most noticeable changes focus on improving the shooter’s interaction with the gun. Safariland’s David Higginbotham summarized the update succinctly: “Gen 6 guns feel more like customized GLOCKs, but these additions come with the assurance of GLOCK’s testing and safety guarantees.”
Improved Gen 6 Grip Texture: There’s more texture everywhere. It uses GLOCK’s nub pattern, RTF6, but this upgrade has a roughed backing where the polymer used to be smooth. The feeling is similar, but more aggressive.
Gen 6’s Thumb Ledge: Ahead of the trigger guard there’s a recessed ledge. While this isn’t a true gas pedal, it is a big addition, one that holds the support hand’s thumb very well. This is a direct answer to customer requests.
A Longer Beavertail: No more slide bite for shooters with big mitts. This new beavertail extends farther and is a touch wider.
Palm Swell: GLOCKs have always felt somewhat boxy. Gen 6 brings some subtle curves into play that help fit the palm. These are not overtly noticeable; you will see it if you look close, but it is easier to feel.
Undercut Trigger Guard: One of the most popular GLOCK mods is to Dremel out the underside of the trigger guard. Now, GLOCK has molded in this reduction so your knuckle can get closer to the trigger. This allows for a high-hand grip (or higher, at least) on the Glock Gen 6.
Narrowed Backstrap Depth: The complement to the trigger guard reduction is a reduction in the width of the grip at the top of the backstrap. This allows for you to get more finger on the trigger. When combined with the beavertail, it makes for a solid and secure grip.
Deeper Slide Serrations: Deeper serrations provide more surface area. This is only on the front of the slide, not the rear.
Trigger and Internal Changes
The trigger remains the same, and the trigger safety is still a fundamental piece of the design, but the trigger shoe now has a flat face. This is a wide trigger and it adds to the list of features that feel distinctly different.
Optics Ready System Improvements
The Optics Ready System concept is unique. There are still plates for mounting, but they’re polymer, not steel—and you don’t screw the optic to the plate. Instead, the plates act as shock absorption under the optic, which mounts directly to the slide. This system is a big leap forward for GLOCK.
Why is this included in the section about internal upgrades? Because the previous system had a screw channel that extended into the extractor. If you added too much Loctite, you could lock up the extractor. This new mount doesn’t have that issue.
Other Notable Internal Details
Some of the parts in Gen 6 are interchangeable; others are not. Barrels are not interchangeable. GLOCK understands the demand for threaded barrels and has had them in production for previous generations. The company plans to bring threaded Gen 6 barrels out after launch.
From a maintenance perspective, much of Gen 6 will feel familiar to those who can strip a GLOCK. Pulling the extractor and firing pin is easy and requires little in the way of tools. The simplicity that has always defined the gun remains a key component of this design.
The guide rods on these, though, have returned to single-stage rods. Gen 4 and Gen 5 had a more complex recoil system—identifiable by the wide guide rod end protruding from the muzzle. Gen 6 looks more like earlier iterations.
The most noticeable change is on the Gen 6 G17. This new variant is similar to the Gen 5 G47, in that it uses the shorter recoil rod in the longer slide configuration. The new G17 looks like a G47, but the hole in the muzzle end of the slide is half the size. That presents the first of the odd fitment puzzles for Safariland.
Holster Considerations for the Glock Gen 6
One key component of GLOCK’s business philosophy is backwards compatibility. Gen 6 achieves this in many holster designs. Changes to the G17 have been alluded to above, but let’s begin with a long list of what works perfectly. Each of these holster models below will work as well with Gen 6 guns as they have with Gen 5s.
IWB Holsters for Perfect Gen 6 Fit
Safariland’s Inside the Waistband holsters use friction for security.
Incog-X: The Haley Strategic Incog-X works perfectly for all three of the new Gen 6 guns. For AIWB carry, ease of concealment, and extra mag accommodation, Incog-X is perfect.
Species: For non-light options, the single-clip Species is a versatile and compact Glock Gen 6 holster with adjustable security.
Schema: For those looking for a minimalist statement design, Schema stands apart. If you haven’t tried one, you should—the deceptively simple holster is remarkably comfortable and ideal for EDC.
OWB Holsters for Gen 6 Glocks
Solis: For Level I retention in a lean holster design, Solis is ideal.
Gravity: Looking for simplicity in a friction fit? Gravity is secure and intuitive.
Duty Holsters
Safariland has tested retention and certified Gen 6 fits across all of its duty holster designs.
Ballast: if you need a duty holster for a GLOCK, the Ballast is compact and built like a tank. For Level I or Level III retention for a GLOCK, Ballast is the answer. The Gen 6 G19, G45, and G17 will fit perfectly.
SafariVault: Safariland’s dreadnaught design sets the benchmark for protective performance.
The 6000 Series Fitment Puzzle
Safariland’s 6000 Series holsters—the 6360, 6390, 6354, and so many other configurations—will all work with the Gen 6 guns. There’s a catch, though, that requires some special consideration.
The change to the muzzle end (the small guide rod protrusion on the G19 and G45, and the recessed guide rod of the new G17) means the contact points where these guns engage the muzzle plug have changed.
Is such a small change problematic? It can be. The protruding guide rod end on the G19 and G45 can make the fit of a 6000 series light-bearing holster feel snug. Think of holster fit the way you think of wearing a pair of jeans. You may be able to squeeze into them, but you know when they’re too tight.
Safariland has meticulous standards for retention testing. Excessive play inside a holster, even one that locks up on its ALS lever, may not withstand the rigorous testing. While it may “fit,” Safariland won’t recommend using such a holster for duty.
To that end, Safariland has redesigned the muzzle plug of the 6TS holsters for Gen 6 guns. At the time of this writing, just one day after the GLOCK media event, Safariland is coordinating the Gen 6 fits for the 6000 series holster fits. Check out Gen 6 fits here.
Understand this is a work in progress. While Safariland worked with GLOCK on practical holstering considerations during the development of the gun, our tight tolerances mean we’re never completely confident in fit accommodation until we have hands-on testing with actual production models. Higginbotham was clear on this relationship: “We work with GLOCK; we are not GLOCK. Some changes happen in pre-production and surprise us, too.”
Shooting the Gen 6 Glock
So how do the new Gen 6 Glocks shoot? After 200+ rounds with all three Gen 6 Glocks, Higginbotham shared his final assessment: The Gen 6 mods are better.
From a performance perspective, the consensus is that while it is still a GLOCK, it is fundamentally better. Higginbotham emphasized that the modifications aren’t meant to diminish the legendary reliability, noting, “GLOCKs work. That’s what makes them GLOCKs and the most widely adopted duty guns in the US and much of the world. This is a GLOCK, still, but better.”
Wrapping It Up
Gen 6 looks to provide many of the changes dedicated GLOCK fans have been clamoring for since the release of Gen 5. The most powerful testament to these changes comes from Higginbotham himself, who plans to upgrade his personal carry gun:
“If I may inject some personal opinion here, I’ll note that I often carry a Gen 5 G45. The gun provides an ideal balance between form and function. The new Gen 6 G45, though, is measurably better. I’ll be upgrading. And I know I won’t be alone.”
