New for 2020: Glock G44

After all these years, Glock has finally released a .22 LR pistol. Third-party, aftermarket conversion kits are no longer required; rimfire Glock perfection is now available in the form of the G44.

At first glance, the G44 doesn’t look particularly special. Before you pick it up, you might even think it’s just another compact Glock—and you wouldn’t be entirely wrong because it’s built on the popular G19 frame. However, it weighs more than half a pound less than the G19 and its magazines are just a bit different.

That’s because instead of 15 rounds of 9 mm, the G44 holds 10 rounds of .22LR per magazine. And after shooting it, you’ll wish for extended capacity magazines ASAP. Gun writers will often talk about how a pistol is soft-shooting and has little recoil, but this is the real deal. The puff of each shot was nearly indistinguishable from the handgun simulators at the Shoot Like a Girl training trailer across the way from Glock’s SHOT Show Media Day range bay.

The lack of recoil makes for an incredibly fun range toy, but its real value is as a training tool. The extremely mild recoil makes the gun very non-threatening to shoot and the sights barely move. It’s like shooting on easy mode. And for beginners and experienced shooters alike, the fact that the gun operates identically to the G19 is an important feature, since switching back and forth changes nothing except for noise and recoil.

The G44 being able to use all of the same gear as a regular, centerfire Glock, is another bonus given the wide G19 accessory market. For example, the exact same holster will work for a G19 and a G44, giving a shooter the opportunity to learn and practice with the cheaper and easier to shoot G44, then move over to a G19 simply by switching guns.

The G44's MSRP is $430, which isn't terribly steep to buy the G44 as the perfect training analogue to the G19 you already have.