So far, Glock has got all bases covered when it came to handguns: with over sixty variants of a sound, tried-and-true platform, chambered in mostly all of the world's most popular centerfire pistol cartridges, Glock had a dedicated model for whoever had been looking for a concealed or open carry service and defense pistol, a competition shooting handgun, or a tactical firearm.

As of today, only one box in the rich mosaic representing the world of handgun shooting remained unchecked by Glock: rimfire plinking and target training pistols. Glock users who wanted to go rimfire for training or cheap leisure shooting had to rely on aftermarket, drop-in third-party conversion kits, which are hard to find outside of the US market.

Everything changed today with the launch of the new Glock 44 .22 Long Rifle semi-automatic pistol: the first "authentic Glock" to be chambered in the world's most popular rimfire caliber, the Glock 44 now makes one of the most prominent handgun manufacturers ever into a fearsome competitor in the field of leisure, training and youth guns.

Simply put, the Glock 44 can be considered as a .22 rimfire version of the legendary Glock 19, sporting a 102 mm / 4.02" barrel and Glock Marksman Barrel (GMB) improved polygon rifling profile just like its bigger centerfire sister. Indeed, the Glock 44 is built around the same reinforced polymer frame as the Gen.5 Glock 19, featuring a slip-proof grip without finger grooves but with interchangeable backstraps, a reversible magazine release catch, and an ambidextrous slide stop lever.

The trigger of the new Glock 44 also retains all the technical features that made the Glock trigger famous – weight, travel, distance, trigger safety – making it a perfect tool to introduce the youngest and newest generations of future shooters into the world of Glock pistols.

What changes, and radically so, is the slide: a revolutionary metal-polymer hybrid slide, offering lower weight and recoil while ensuring the necessary strength to guarantee a long service life with the small and snappy .22 Long Rifle, makes the Glock 44 unique.

The G44 slide comes with front and rear serrations; other features include a top witness hole for a quick visual chamber status check, a set of adjustable polymer sights and a classic Glock rail for accessories.

The Glock 44 is 185 mm / 7.28" long overall, and weighs barely 465 grams (16.40 oz) when fully loaded; each G44 comes in a classic rigid polymer Glock carry case, and is issued with two polymer easy-fill magazines holding ten rounds of .22 Long Rifle ammunition.

Manufactured both in Austria and Glock's USA plant, the Glock 44 is also available in a threaded barrel variant, with a M9x0,75 threaded muzzle protected by a removable metal cover and a screw-on .500-28 UNEF adapter, allowing the use of flash hiders, muzzle brakes and sound suppressors regardless of the specs.

The new Glock 44 is scheduled to be showcased at the 2020 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, next January. Stay tuned with GUNSweek.com to know more in the coming weeks!