Rotary – old hat with potential in the GLOCK 46?



Uli Grohs The G46 barrel (bottom) compared to the G19 barrel (top).

True new territory for GLOCK can also be found inside when the gun is disassembled. While all other pistols by the Austrian manufacturer work using a Browning-SIG-Petter locking system, the G46 is based on a rotary barrel. However, this has nothing to do with the specifications of the technical requirements. According to GLOCK, this principle has been considered for quite some time, as it allows for a low barrel axis. In the past, there have been some manufacturers who tried the rotary system in their guns, such as the B&T TSP, Colt All American, Beretta 8000 Cougar or the Mauser M2, all of which have now disappeared from the market. Currently, the Italian Beretta PX-4Storm and the Slovak Grand Power K100 can still be found.

Uli Grohs Compared to a G19 (left), it is easy to see how low the barrel axis can sit with a rotary action.

Even though the ingenious inventor John Moses Browning patented a rotary action pistol as early as 1897, the Roth-Steyr 1907 was the first pistol with a rotary barrel to be produced in "larger" quantities. A partially preloaded trigger, such as GLOCK's, can also be found there. A quite interesting pistol, which impressively proves what was already possible at that time with considerably more limited manufacturing capabilities. The Roth-Steyr pistol inevitably also closes the circle to Austria again. By the way, rotary action pistols are said to be more accurate, since the barrel does not tilt or moves back as with the Browning-SIG-Petter system, but only performs a rotating motion. The rotary locking system is said to be subject to high wear, especially if the locking surfaces or the corresponding material properties have not been properly selected. According to the manufacturer, both the locking surfaces and the locking material have been optimized. According to GLOCK, certification by the Ulm Proof House revealed that three pistols, each with 10,000 rounds of higher-loaded ammunition, showed no anomalies such as cracks, damage or measurable wear besides cycling flawlessly (with a total of only 5 stoppages).