Two of Mine
Let's take a fully reliable, internationally recognized by elite units pistol, that has proven itself over three and a half decades, changed the face of pistols, revolutionized the polymer framed handgun world, known for its inherit accuracy, durability and reliability right out of the box, and ........dump $2,000 into it and make it less reliable, prone to malfunctions and weakened in key frame areas while offering solutions to problems that do not exist.
I am talking about Glock modifications. No, not changing out mere sights - that is acceptable, albeit, not absolutely 100% necessary as the pistol stocks sights actually do function well and will allow for accurate shots. What we are talking about is this:
What you see there is a lot of money transfer solutions or cancer - eye cancer. These are solutions for transferring YOUR money to someone else and nothing else. They will not make a 10 moa shooter a 1 moa shooter. There are a lot of 10 moa pistol shooters who have 1-2 moa capable stock Glocks - and not even $5,000,000 in US cash, unmarked hundred dollar bills will miraculously transmogrify those shooters into 1 moa shooters.
Having trained with firearms in the tactical and defensive setting for decades as well as getting paid to do so, certain truths have been either passed on or taught to me over the years:
1.) A Pistol is a secondary weapon. It is only necessary if your long gun is broken, lost, or out of ammunition.
2.) Often times some elite units have foregone even carrying their pistols into theater due to weight and space, where carrying additional rifle magazines was a higher priority. (Robert O'Neil and other Operators have been quoted on this point in interviews where, "What weapon?" questions abounded). This point is to emphasize that the pistol is not the most critical piece of kit, and the Military when issued Glocks, changes little to nothing on them.
3.) Overly modifying and changing a stock Glock can and usually does reduce the reliability of the pistol.
99.9% of these "modifications" are a waste of money that you will never get back out of the gun. Anyone can sell a stock Glock for no less than 10% or 20% less than its cost, if the pistol is in reasonable condition. If you have a highly customized Glock, with $2000 or so into it, you will never get that out of it and if you do, you happened upon the dumbest, crayon eating, knuckle dragging sucker the world has ever seen. Please get me his contact info so I can sell him some used USGI AR mags for $45 each.
First, let's address the frame changes. You have seen them, the over stippled, soldering iron melted, destroyed pistol frames, thinned to the point where light nearly comes through, weakened in key areas, however now it, "fiTs mUh gRiP bEtTeR!". If you have a hard time shooting a stock Glocks grip angle, shoot it more? Practice. The 1st and 2nd time I ever shot a MEUSOC pistol qualification with a stock Glock 17 I passed. The second time was one of my highest scores and higher than any score I had achieved with my Colt 1911 that was my carry piece for 10 years.
Believe me, if you are suffering in your "sPliT tiMeS!" and "gRip AnGlE", it has nothing to do with the pistol that seems to work well and be adopted by literally MILLIONS of ground forces, Police, security and elite units. Are you special or something? So you're differently abled? I get it, your hands are not like other humans - ok.... Can't shoot a stock Glock frame? Train.
I have seen frames stippled so much they failed. Yes, broke. Done. New gun purchase time. Ever take a ultra thin polymer stippled pistol into temperatures of 10-20 below zero and collided with something hard while in soft carry or dropped it? There is a reason Austrian Engineers designed the Glock frame to the dimensions and specs if currently is measured at - regardless of what some booger eater with a paracord survival bracelet tells you. There are gloves, skate tape and even the leaving it alone option for dealing with Glock frames.
Barrels that are gold, purple, rainbow colored - please go stand over there, I would prefer you not shoot near me, better yet, I'll go back to the private range.
Perfect example was a text a few weeks ago from a buddy that included photos of several bizarre malfunctions in a Glock 19. There were fail to extracts (repeatedly), with even a double feed where it failed to extract the spent case and rammed another round right up that cases A**. I took one look and replied, "After market barrel?".
Reply: "YES!". Then followed an explanation of this high end blah blah blah blah moa blah blah match grade blah blah Ademantium finished cryogenically engineered meteorite bones lubricated with unicorn saliva. Fact was, upon inspection and measuring - the chamber was out of spec by mere ten thousandths and too tight. Just too tight enough that the wonderful factory new, high end ammunition was having a difficult time being extracted after the cases expanded in the chamber. Uh oh. "dAtS nOt oK iS iT fELLaS?"
Some after market barrels may be ok. Would I ever buy one? No. Solution to problem that does not exist. Every factory Glock I own has a factory Glock barrel, polygonal rated for more rounds than I will ever be able to afford to shoot, made of the highest grades of steel and finely machined, finished with either their Tenifer and whatever else came next (Nitride?) hits steel torso targets at 50 meters consistently. I qualify with them in the professional setting routinely. The pistols as is, are absolutely combat effective and there is no reason to compromise that by sending some doofus money to make me a barrel that reduces my reliability odds while barely enhancing the accuracy beyond the factory ability.
The only ammunition I feed the Glocks is ball ammunition, and jacketed ammunition. I have no need for a rifled non-polygonal barrel to shoot, "mUh LeAd rELoAdS". If you need to shoot lead for some reason, then by all means get a cheap one for that alone. I prefer to shoot or train with what is as close to what I will be carrying as possible.
Brakes & RMRs. Dumb. 9mm, low bore height Glocks - have such little recoil, you would have to have a palsy combined with Lou Gehrig's disease to benefit from the recoil reduction offered by the weight and size adding brake. Absolutely the most unnecessary modification to date.
Actual Derpa Derp:
The RMRs and any other reflex sight may aid some shooters who spend time adjusting to them and training with them, however I hate batteries. No, I hate them. If given the option - I always choose the analog, low-tech version that is robust, durable, reliable and ever present, aways "on" - Irons. I have shot irons my whole life. I have tried out RMRs. It did little for me. Changing the profile and size of the pistol as well as now relying on power, glass, a reticle all of that, shy'd me away. When shooting alongside others with them I see little improvement in shooting times or accuracy. As for dumping another $600-$800 into a secondary weapon, so as to have a less reliable, soon to be obsolete sighting system? No thanks. My irons will never be obsolete. In 6 months when the iPhone 27 comes out and your RMR is looked upon like an 8 track record by the Bee Gees you can't give away, I'll still rock my Sevigny's.
Triggers? Stock triggers are 4.5 to 5.5 pounds. They work well and plenty, thousands, tens of thousands can shoot stock Glock triggers like champs. All of mine are stock and all of Hickok45s are stock as well (ever see him with his 90 yard gong?). Glock triggers improve and lighten over time. I can see dropping in a $10 connector or something cheap that gets the 5.5 lbs to the 4 lb range, however again - my times, targets and scores with a secondary, holstered 99.9% of the time, back up in case my long guns is broken, lost or out of ammunition weapon, tell me that a trigger is unnecessary.
Finishes? What? Guys strip off the only finish I have never in my life around firearms seen rust and put another finish on it? Why? That's just stupid? For what? The color? Really? What are they color coordinating their tactical gunfighting attire on their way to a baby shower? WTF? Man up and leave your Glocks color alone. If you want to change it to match the theater of operation - hit it wish a rattle can like a man. This is out of control.
Dremel tools should be banned and anyone who thinks that programming CNC machines to reduce the mass of the Glock slides by carving it to look like some alien fighting, star wars blaster is just trying to fulfill some comic book fantasy land where guns look cool and make super pew pew sounds when fighting evil villains and inter galactic mutants. Removing portions of the slide opens the internals to foreign contamination, debris/water, lessens reciprocating mass (of which the pistol was designed around by large cranial vault Austrian Engineers).
There are many solutions to problems that don't exist. Avoid them all. Remember this: All you need is a stock Colt 6920 and a Glock 19. Don't change anything. Leave them alone. Get ammo and mags and train with them. They will, together, accomplish 99.999999999% of anything required or asked of them.
Authors opinions are his own and not those of any company, department, or governing body. The author is experienced in the tactical environment, medicine and the employment of a myriad of weapons.
