Glock has been making components and complete pistols in the US for some time now and Austrian production is not being phased out.
Tenifer is simply a trade name for a chemical process that is done in the US under the trade name Melonite. Only a materials engineer can intelligently explain the difference so that shouldn't be an issue from a consumer's standpoint. Either process is just a surface treatment to the metal - an applied finish (like Cerakote) is what gives the slide its finished appearance.
The quality of the US made pistols is indiscernible in appearance or performance.
I never said that Austrian made Glock pistols were no longer going to be produced. Production in Austria will continue, but those pistols will no longer be imported into the USA. Only USA made pistols will be sold in the USA henceforth.
Tennifer and Melonite are NOT the same process, though they are similar in some respects. Tennifer cannot be applied in the USA, so USA made Glocks will NOT have the Tennifer metal treatment, which is the best finish I've ever seen on any weapon.
I carefully looked over an Austrian and a USA made Glock and there is a difference, IMO.
It is cheaper for Glock to make pistols destined for the U.S. market here in the U.S as opposed to making them in Austria and then importing them into the U.S. Plus, there is no import duty imposed on USA made pistols. Glock will therefore make more profit on each USA made Glock. The U.S made pistols sell for the same price as the Austrian ones.
You are correct that Glock has been making pistols in the USA for several years. However, those pistols were never sold in the USA. They were for export only. Now they will be sold in the USA and Austrian made pistols will no longer be imported.
The only positive aspect of this is that Glock can now deliver compact and subcompact pistols made in the USA with smooth face triggers as they no longer have to comply with the ridiculous ATF points system imposed on imported pistols.
Glock has apparently made no formal announcement as to this change in production and is simply slipping the USA made pistols into their USA distribution network in the hope that no one will notice. Most consumers will continue to assume the pistol they just bought is "made in Austria".
Glock Perfection, it would appear, is going to be sacrificed somewhat for Glock Profit.
