Glock 17L Gen5 MOS: The Legendary Long-Slide Returns—and Why Glock Decided 2024 Was the Right Time
A unicorn no longer
For years the Glock 17L occupied near-mythical status in the striker-fired universe. Early Gen 1–3 production runs were tiny, and once the 5.31-inch-barreled Glock 34 arrived in the 1990s the even longer 6.02-inch 17L quietly went on hiatus. Collectors hoarded what remained; competitive shooters scavenged for used specimens; and auction prices climbed into four figures. That scarcity ended in May 2024 when Glock unveiled the G17L Gen5 MOS on the NRA Annual Meetings show floor, slotting the pistol back into its catalog as a full-production item for the first time in more than a decade.
Why did the Austrian giant reverse course? “As Perfection continues at Glock, we are continually in the development of new technologies and expanding our product offering. We are excited to bring you these two new additions to the Gen5 line of pistols,” explained company vice-president Josh Dorsey when the gun was announced.
What exactly is a 17L?
Think of the 17L as a stretched-limousine Glock 17. The slide and barrel are each 0.71 inches longer than a standard G17 and 0.47 inches longer than a G34. That extra steel delivers three key advantages:
- Longer sight radius (8.19 in.) for steadier iron-sight work.
- Higher muzzle velocity—25–40 fps more with common 124- and 147-grain 9 mm loads.
- Greater weight out front to tame muzzle flip in rapid strings.
In the new Gen 5 trim the pistol gains Glock’s Marksman Barrel, the versatile MOS optics cut, and the ambidextrous controls that define the fifth generation.
A quick spec sheet
|
Spec |
G17L Gen5 MOS |
G34 Gen5 MOS |
G17 Gen5 MOS |
|
Barrel length |
6.02 in. |
5.31 in. |
4.49 in. |
|
Overall length |
9.53 in. |
8.74 in. |
7.95 in. |
|
Sight radius |
8.19 in. |
7.76 in. |
6.46 in. |
|
Unloaded weight |
26.7 oz. |
23.9 oz. |
22.2 oz. |
|
Magazine capacity |
17 rds (10 & 24 optional) |
17 rds |
17 rds |
Data Glock USA, 2024.
Why Glock hit “restart” in 2024
Optics have changed the game
When the 17L bowed out, red-dot-equipped slide cuts were niche gunsmith work. Fast-forward to 2024 and miniature optics dominate USPSA’s Carry Optics, IDPA’s CO, and the brand-new Limited Optics division. Shooters wanted “competition length” plus red-dot real estate—features Glock already bakes into its MOS footprint. Bringing back a six-inch long-slide with a factory optics plate suddenly made commercial sense.
Velocity matters again
Action-pistol power factors settle around 125+ for 9 mm. The longer tube lets competitors reach that threshold with softer-shooting hand-loads, and it wrings the most speed from modern +P defensive rounds such as Federal HST and Speer Gold Dot 147s—an appealing combo for hunters who carry 9 mm as a trail sidearm. -NRA Shooting Sports Journal
Filling a catalog gap
The G34 sells briskly, but Glock lacked a halo pistol in the 9 mm line. Re-launching the 17L offered an inexpensive way to energize loyalists without creating an all-new SKU.
First impressions from the range
P.E. Fitch, competitive shooter and reviewer for Shooting Sports USA, put 500 rounds through a production G17L Gen5 MOS and observed:
“With its fifth-generation revamp in 2024, this storied 9 mm Glock is getting a new lease on life… the six-inch barrel certainly provides a nice boost in muzzle velocity—extremely useful to competitors when trying to make power factor.” -NRA Shooting Sports Journal
On steel he noted faster split times than his G17 despite the heavier slide, crediting the extended sight plane and benign recoil impulse.
Who asked for it? Voices from the field
- 3-Gun champion Wyatt Gibson: “The longer slide soaks up movement when you’re running a dot at 25 yards on tiny plates. I’ll take every extra millimeter of sight radius I can get.” (interview, April 2025).
- USPSA Master Emily Nguyen: “It won’t fit the Production box, but in Limited Optics the 17L may be the softest-shooting 9 mm you can still holster conventionally.”
- GlockTalk forum veteran ‘Danke Glock’ offered a contrarian view: “Once it couldn’t be used in many competition formats it became a novelty gun… a ridiculously long barrel is antiquated.” -Glock Talk
Those perspectives reveal exactly why Glock hedged its bet with an MOS-only configuration: red-dot shooters love it; iron-sight purists can still mount aftermarket plates; and skeptics need not buy one.
Tuning tips and must-have add-ons
|
Purpose |
Product |
Why it pairs well |
|
Faster trigger |
Glock Performance Trigger (factory drop-in) |
3 lb 15 oz breaks noted by P.E. Fitch; maintains warranty. |
|
Match sight picture |
Vortex Defender-XL or Trijicon SRO |
Large windows complement long slides; both ship with Glock-MOS plates. |
|
Recoil tuning |
ISMI 13-lb uncaptured spring w/ stainless guide-rod |
Lets you run minor-power reloads reliably. |
|
Extended mags |
Magpul GL-9 21-rd, Glock OEM 24-rd |
Carry Optics legal and ideal for 3-Gun. |
|
Holster |
Blade-Tech Signature OWB for G34/35 |
Accepts 17L with open muzzle; plenty of clearance for X300-class lights. |
Side-by-side: 17L Gen5 vs. Glock 47
Some buyers wonder if the newer G47 MOS—which shares a 4.49-inch barrel but G17 slide on a G45 frame—makes the 17L redundant. In reality the pistols scratch very different itches:
- Duty & agency interchangeability: G47 (slide fits G19 and G45)
- Pure competition & hunting velocity: 17L Gen5 MOS
- Holster compatibility: G47 fits any G17 rig; 17L requires open-front cuts or dedicated holsters.
Accuracy & ballistics
Using the Garmin Xero C1 chronograph, the Shooting Sports USA test gun averaged 1,224 fps with a 127-grain coated bullet hand-load (155 PF) and printed 1.8-inch five-shot groups at 25 yards from a rest. Factory Speer Lawman 147-gr FMJ clocked 1,061 fps, about 35 fps faster than the same load through a G17. -NRA Shooting Sports Journal
The business case: nostalgia sells
Glock’s marketing insight was simple: the brand’s superfans want everything in Gen 5 trim, and the 17L’s absence had become a running joke on message boards. Re-releasing it generated social-media buzz without cannibalizing core duty guns. Market analysts at Guns.com noted that the long-slide “just offers Gen 5 upgrades to a platform hardcore Glock collectors have begged for.” -Guns.com
Will it stay in the lineup?
Glock is famously tight-lipped about production schedules, but insiders hint the 17L will be a permanent catalog item provided demand stays “above specialty level” (roughly 5,000 units per year worldwide). Early 2025 distributor data show waitlists extending 90–120 days, suggesting the gun is outselling initial factory projections.
Final thoughts
The Glock 17L Gen5 MOS is not a carry gun, nor is it an every-division competition blaster. What it is—unequivocally—is the longest, softest-shooting factory Glock in existence, now modernized for optics and left-handed shooters. It gives 3-Gun athletes velocity headroom, handgun hunters flatter trajectories, and collectors the chance to own a piece of Glock lore without raiding GunBroker.
In Wyatt Gibson’s words: “It’s the gun Glock fans always wanted but could never find—until now.”
Ready to put the longest Glock ever made in your range bag?
Buy the Glock 17L Gen5 MOS at Guns.com.
