Rumor has it that Glock has a new 9mm pistol in the works. As in, a different kind of handgun. It looks like Glock is working on an all-new design with a new operating system.

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Designed for the German Police, the Glock 46 looks somewhat similar to a Glock 19. A mid-size service pistol, the Glock 46 borrows from multiple generations and adds a few new ones as well.

Several standout features on the frame include a straight grip without any fingergrooves. Also the frame has a long, integral beavertail on the backstrap. And the front of the grip doesn’t have a magazine removal cutout, either, which can pinch fingers when reloading.

The Glock 46 is ambidextrous where it counts, at the slide release, and it has a reversible magazine button. It also has an enlarged trigger housing and thinner, flatter trigger.

The updated design also doesn’t require users to pull the trigger during disassembly. This is a major safety concern, particularly for military, police and other agency users. All around the Glock 46 looks easier to handle with better ergonomics.

What’s really different is the gun’s operation. The Glock 46 doesn’t use a Browning-style tilting barrel locking system. It’s built around a cam-actuated rotating barrel action.

Only a small number of modern handguns use a rotating barrel lockup. Rotating barrels are less common but offer a smoother locking system. Because the barrel doesn’t tilt it also generates less recoil.

See Also: Next Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0–More LIke Glock 19 2.0

Combined with the enlarged beavertail backstrap and Glock’s archetypal low bore axis the Glock 46 promises to be one of the softest shooting service pistols in production.

The big question is if, or when, will this gun be available to consumers? Obviously, the Glock 46 is a Glock 19 killer, so with the recent introduction of the Gen 5 Glock 19 Glock has little reason to compete with itself.

Still, with its unusual operating system and frankly, best of the best Glock ergonomics, it would be foolish for the company to avoid selling this to the public. A lot of buyers are ready to give Glock their money for a gun like this, including people who swore off Glock entirely.

Photos confirming the new rotating barrel pistol from Das Magazin für Waffenbesitzer (The Magazine for Weapon Owners), a German magazine.

We have to wonder if the Glock 46 is the tip of the iceberg, since there’s no mention of a Glock 44 or Glock 45. If the Glock 46 follows the Glock 19, than the Glock 44 could be a full-size rotating barrel pistol and the Glock 45 could be a machine pistol.

While it may not happen tomorrow or next month or even this year, Glock would have to have serious doubts not to bring this gun to the American market.

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