CCW Gun Series: Making Your Carry Glock Rock
This is the first installment in the “getting the most out of your firearms” series of articles. There are a lot of opinions out there about what modification, or which part, is best. There is a lot of people tinkering on their Glocks and have some good ideas but what would a gunsmith do to his own weapon in order to get the most out of it? Well, knowing how firearms function we tend to be a no nonsense kind of group. If it is a “fluff” item that does the gun absolutely no good...we tend to leave them alone.
Let’s start out by stating the obvious. The Glock is a very simple machine. There, we got that out in the open. The Glock isn’t a complicated, must time right, kind of sidearm. That being said, like all machines, there are several ways to improve it for your intended purpose. Competition would have you go one direction and carry would have you go, mostly, the opposite direction. For this article I’m going to concentrate on the Carry side of Glock because I think it will do the most good.
I think a great place to start is where to get what you need. There's really only a few places that I would consider so, let's take them one at at time.
Naturally we have to start with the best gunsmith supply site. They have all the best tools, most current production parts, and more than it’s share of custom parts. Brownells is the “go-to” spot for every gunsmith in the country and where I suggest you get most of your tools. Their armorer kits are a great but for Glock there really isn’t enough to put together a full kit. Instead there’s just a few things you’ll need. THIS set of tools is a great start. It has the punches you need, a front sight tool, and even an allen wrench for adjustable sights. Oh, and here’s the kicker...all the bits can be stored in the screwdriver handle. All you need from there is a small mallet. Plastic, brass, or rawhide works just fine. They’re hard enough to get the job done and won’t damage the finish like a steel hammer. THIS is one of my favorites. It has both a brass head for needing to drive out a pin and a nylon head for final blows that won't to mar finishes. For almost everything you'll need to do that is all you'll need.
For parts Brownells will have just about anything you will want or need. Threaded and non threaded barrels, extended slide stops, night sights, and trigger connectors all in
one simple search for Glock parts. Shipping has become a bit of a concern though. There was an "upgrade" to their system and now things may flow better for them but shippping times went from 3 days, from placing the order to it's arrival, to at least 7. Don't ask me why because no one in my network can get an answer out of them. That being said Brownells will remain my "go to" site for almost every project I do.
Lone Wolf actually isn't on my "go to" list but when it comes to Glock they do have some good stuff, if it's in stock. They make their own frame for Glock, named the Timberwolf with a slightly different grip. I got to shoot one of the prototypes and wasn't pleased with it at all. They Polymer was too thin, in my opinion, and the mag well was easily flexible with a good shooting grip. I'm told they fixed some of the problems with it but after feeling that lump of crap prototype in my hand I never wanted to try another.
As far as having some good parts, yes, they do and are generally decently priced so Lone Wolf is a site to keep in mind. I have their link on their name above.
Glock Store is by far my favorite place to get parts. There's a couple of reasons. They have everything I'm looking for. I'm not just talking about the basics either. They have some great aluminum magazine base pads that you can get laser engraved. You can use a graphic from their list or use your company logo. Anything custom that you could possible want, they have. The other reason I like these guys is how they take care of their customers. I know as a dealer for them that they go out of their way to make sure that my order is taken and shipped swiftly. If I need to talk to someone they about an issue, they have a guy just for the dealers. That's all he does is take care of dealers all day and he seems genuinely eager to do so. Add in that they have good prices and you have a winner for anything Glock.
Okay, why don't we jump into the weapon itself? For concealed carry it’s good to keep things simple. Keep in mind that as a defense gun it may, at some point, be used as such. While we all pray that day never comes the reality is that we aren’t seeing a great decline in violence throughout the world. So what modifications will you be able to get past the Grand Jury? So what does that mean?
We all know Massad Ayoob. He is the expert of experts when it comes to self defense law on a national scale. According to him we need to stay inside the “Common Standard and Practice” and yes, that’s the legal term for it. What it means is that if we go outside these standards, and that essentially means the standards of the expert witness for the guy trying to put you in jail for defending your life. So it’s something to bullet proof ourselves from. So far we’re clear as mud, right? That’s the point but basically...just don’t give the prosecution any ammo to use against you. It’s something that needs to be looked into before making modifications to your carry gun.
So what things are common practice with Glocks?
Triggers
It have become common practice to replace the trigger connector. The thing to watch out for is the weight rating on it. According to Massad Ayoob carrying a competition pistol for defense is asking for trouble. So where does that leave us? Glock makes two connectors, a 5.5lb and a 3.5lb. On the Glock website they used to (can’t find it sorry for no link) specifically state that the 3.5lb is “competition only” and not for self defense. In other words they have already engineered the trigger weight with adrenaline in mind. This is the established “common practice” weight and the safe bet when it comes to facing a prosecutor.
Okay, link time. There are a couple types that are noteworthy. The straight 5lb replacement and the fitted replacement. For connectors I go straight to Ghost Inc. Sure everyone has a few of their parts but none carry all of them. I especially like their 5lb Patrol connector. It’s simple and easily installed. So we maintain factory weight and get a better part. Why? Because they take the time to put a nice shiny finish on it. A smoother surface works like butter against a smooth surface. Which isn’t foreshadowing at all...
Then we have the fitted. These I would not attempt unless you are trained to do it. It takes knowing how the gun functions so you can shave a little off, reassemble, and test it...over and over until you get it just right. It can be a long process but the fitting has some major benefits. It takes out the overtravel that makes some have accuracy problems. Oh, and because of that...your trigger reset is shorter. That’s a big deal for me.
Now, for trigger springs there are a couple different choices to go with. You can stay with the factory style or the “New York” style trigger spring. Using the factory style won't change the feel of the trigger unless you play around with the weight of the spring. With the New York style it WILL increase the weight of the trigger.
The New York style trigger spring was developed for the NYPD that, for some reason, want their officers to have the heaviest trigger possible. But what you get in return is a really positive reset. You ease off on trigger pressure and it will push against you to get that reset. It’s a feature I really like. So, is there a trick to getting all the sweet benefits of an awesome trigger connector and the NY spring and not have a 20lb trigger pull? Why, yes there is. You simply take the 3.5lb connector and use the Olive green NY spring. That will get you back up to the factory 5lbs to chase away the lawyers and keep all the tricks to a smooth trigger.
Magazine Release
There isn’t as much to say about magazine releases. Some want you to cut on the frame. I don’t even use those simply because I don’t like weakening the frame if I can keep from it. The “drop in” ones...are a little more tricky than that. The release is controlled by a single piece of straight wire spring. It’s a little touch and go at first but once you get the hang of it you’ll have the release out and the new one replaced in no time. It’s also worth mentioning that generations 1-3 will take one style release and the gen 4 will take another. The links provided will give you both styles.
Recoil Spring
If there’s any part on the Glock that I don’t like it’s the recoil spring assembly. I’m just not a fan of Polymer guide rods. Eventually they break but in the meantime they flex...a lot. The last thing you want to have happen is a broken guide rod when seconds count (yes I’ve actually had Glocks come in for repair with broken guide rods). The answer to that is to change it out for something better. Although there is a difference between a gen 1-3 assembly and a gen 4 assembly the answer is the same.
To put the strength back, and add to the reliability of the platform, there are two options. Stainless steel, which is a great option, and Tungsten. Stainless steel gives you all the rigidity you need and keeps the weight addition down to the bare minimum. Tungsten does a couple of things for you. It gives you everything that stainless does and gives you some extra weight right under the barrel. That little bit of extra weight helps reduce muzzle flip. That can be the advantage you’re looking for in a defense or competition pistol.
That just leaves one final step to make your carry Glock something amazing. The internal work. If there’s one thing that makes a difference in a Glock it’s a little polishing. Now you can spend a bunch of money on a nickel coated trigger bar or you can do it on the cheap side. The reason for the nickel coating is to provide an one hundred percent smooth surface. Well if you polish anywhere that sees wear marks then you’ll get the same results with a fraction of the cost. The other part that I like to polish is the striker. Less friction...faster striker.
So what do you polish with? Well, I do it on a polishing wheel with polish fine enough that it doesn’t remove metal. For you let's give a quick search of Brownells and get some Flitz polish. It won’t give you the same finish as a buffing wheel but without the equipment your gunsmith will have it’s the closest we can get.
Well, that does it. We’ve covered all the basics. Change out your parts, polish anything that rubs on anything else, put on a set of your favorite night sights, lubricate with Slipstream, and Carry On.
You may also like other articles in this series.
