
Titanic teamwork: in the world of firearms and especially in the official military and law enforcement market, GLOCK from Austria and Aimpoint from Sweden are regarded as pioneers and as the gold standard in their respective fields in the form of service pistols and red dot sights. Now what belongs together is coming together, as five popular GLOCK pistol models in 9x19mm are now being offered with new Aimpoint COA mini red dot sights mounted directly without additional adapter plates. Even before the start of the global firearms trade fairs such as the SHOT Show and IWA, we had the opportunity to inspect the new setups at GLOCK in Deutsch-Wagram and test them in action.

First of all: the ultra-modern production facility of the world market leader in pistols – which has sold a total of 27 million pistols to date – in Deutsch-Wagram is an impressive experience. Another production site in Austria (machining production for slides and barrels) is located in Ferlach. There are also production facilities in Bratislava, in Slovakia, and in Smyrna, in the USA. Such vertical integration with almost complete independence from suppliers is very rare. GLOCK is one of the largest toolmakers in Austria and even the springs for the in-house manufactured magazines with a sheet steel insert encased in polymer are developed and manufactured in-house. The machinery with wire erosion machines for the company's own tools, sheet steel punching machines for the production of trigger bars and magazine inserts, plastic injection moulding machines for the grips or metal injection moulding (MIM) systems for other components is truly impressive in its detailed process sequences. The stations for quality assurance and manual final assembly through to the ready-to-deliver pistol are also state of the art. But let's turn to the interesting 2025 innovations.
New Aimpoint A-CUT interface mounting system – exclusively for GLOCK pistols and the new COA mini red dot sight

While with the GLOCK M.O.S. (Modular Optic System) versions the red dots have to be mounted on the slide of the pistol with adapter plates, GLOCK is now also taking a new approach: mounting a mini red dot sight such as the new Aimpoint COA directly in the cut on the top of the slide without an adapter plate offers the advantages of a lower-positioned, open line of sight and co-witnessing with the standard height mechanical sights. For this purpose, the smart Swedes developed an innovative "A-CUT" interface mounting system, whereby the COA mini red dot sight is supported at the front objective lens with a nose inserted in a slide recess and a bombproof wedge system and two screws at the rear. In principle, the system evokes associations with a ski binding, which cannot be dismissed in a co-operation between an Austrian and Scandinavian manufacturer with a corresponding tradition in winter sports. In contrast to the familiar GLOCK MOS optics mounting system with adapter plates, however, the "A-CUT" concept is designed for a specific mini red dot sight and can't be used for different optics.
Aimpoint COA mini red dot sight – technical details

This fully enclosed design effectively prevents mud, sand, rain or snow from blocking the light beam. In the event of soiling, a quick wipe of a finger across the shatterproof and scratch-resistant lenses is all it takes to restore readiness for use.

Compared to the ACRO, however, the COA receiver is narrower and sleeker, so that it cuts a fine figure on GLOCK pistols with a standard-width slide as well as on the narrow slide of the GLOCK slimline pistol models and looks like a single piece. However, due to the new design with thinner housing walls, it has the same sized window as an ACRO, so that fast target acquisition and equally fast retrieval of the illuminated dot after a shot has been fired are retained. A battery life of 50,000 hours is promised on daylight setting level 7. A battery container on the side for a CR2032 button cell enables easy, convenient battery replacement without removing the COA from the slide. While the ACRO Gen1 and Gen2 were tested for ruggedness with 20,000 rounds in .40 S&W, the new Aimpoint COA underwent tough endurance tests with 40,000 rounds in 9 mm Luger.
On which GLOCK models is the new Aimpoint COA red dot sight available? And what were our first impressions on the shooting range?

For the launch, GLOCK is offering the 9mm Luger pistol models G19 Gen5, G45 and G47 with double-stack magazines and capacities of 15+1 and 17+1 cartridges as well as the two slimline models G43X and G48 with firepower of 10+1 cartridges in the new "A-CUT COA" combos. These five pistols will be available from 20 January this year and should also be attractively priced. In addition, the GLOCK G45 in 9mm Luger and G20 in 10mm Auto were shown in a limited "Hunter Edition" with a green Cerakote finish, suppressor ready barrel and other factory available extras for the first time. We will shortly be reporting in detail on these pistol models as well as on the brand new, beautifully designed GLOCK GTL II LED gun light.

We were able to test fire all these new guns and the white light module at the GLOCK in-house shooting range under the guidance of the GLOCK tactical shooting training team, which consists exclusively of former members of the Jagdkommando (the Austrian Armed Forces' special forces unit). Personally, I particularly liked the GLOCK G47 and G45 A-CUT-COA pistols, because I prefer full-size GLOCK models and their handling characteristics. Fast target acquisition and accurate hit placements were always guaranteed at close range, even under adverse lighting conditions and even when wearing an Ops Core helmet with night vision goggles in complete darkness. Follow-up shots could be fired with the illuminated dot barely moving out of the generously dimensioned sight window of the Aimpoint COA. As mentioned, the sight also cuts a first-class figure on the compact slimline pistols.

Incidentally, GLOCK announced that it will probably be offering shooting courses for civilians for the first time in the company's history in the foreseeable future. Stay tuned!
Further information can be found at www.eu.glock.com