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The Glock was wide-released shortly after the US Army went to the Beretta. Independant tests showed that the M-17 would have passed every DoD test with flying colours and could have been produced at a lower unit cost than the Beretta. Were it not for timing, the US Army might be carrying Glocks today.
As to contracts, NYPD allows officers to carry Glocks as do a large number of other Metro depts. The biggest reason IMO that Glocks have never gotten much in the way of major police sales is a lack of obvious external safety, which has become a major liability issue for many depts. They like to be able to see that the weapon is on safe instead of just passively safe.
As to the chamber, please remember that the Glock is designed from the ground up to be used by the Austrian military in full field conditions. Berattas aren't, Sigs aren't, S&W aren't. As such, it MUST have looser tolerances in many areas to allow it properly function in extremely adverse conditions. I have a couple of S&W autos. One is a Perf Center Shorty Forty. It's reliable under normal conditions. Get it a bit mucky and it doesn't like to work. The other is a former VA State Police 10mm (love 10mm). It is much sloppier due to being a trooper's carry gun and not being a Perf Center gun to begin with. It doesn't mind some grit, water, etc. My Glock doesn't care about anything. Freeze it, leave it in the mud, bury it in a hole in the ground, doesn't matter. Shakke off the excess garbage and pull the trigger. The bullets still come out like they're supposed to and the action cycles. This is why Glocks are good guns. It really is the Kalshnikov of handguns, it's just made better.
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