Let's talk "Roland Special"

[Hayseed]

I'm surprised I haven't seen much info about the "Roland Special" style Glock on this site.

Here's the apparent back story:
https://youtu.be/Yfl9DupLLmw

Apparently, it was the brainchild of a guy at AWG who has an affinity for Stephen King novels.

I already see the benefit of an mrds on a pistol and it being more than a passing fad. But this is pretty much like running an open gun for defense. I'm seeing more companies making comps for this setup now.

I really can see a benefit to the sight, light and mag well, but I have never shot a comp'd 9mm. Does it really mitigate recoil enough to be worthwhile? Folks say it doesn't flash too much at night to be a problem but i can imagine the increased noise and concussion could be an issue.

So, passing fad? Worthwhile concept?

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[Wake27]

There's a huge thread on Lightfighter I think, definitely one on P&S. TBH, I thought the comp was a stupid fad until I heard the guy explain his reasoning for it. Now it makes enough sense that I'm putting together the plans for my own version. Recoil just did an online article on the TBRCi Micro Comp, which may become one of the bigger competitors to the KKM. They have some shots of the fireball at night. Personally, here's what I'm thinking:

1. Vortex Venom - Promotive and Vortex had an awesome sale for the holidays, I got way too good of a deal to pass up. I was going to go with the smaller Viper, but didn't like that the battery was bottom mount and wasn't a fan of the zeroing lock screws in the back. The Venom had significantly better reviews and will sit on my 15-22 until I am able to throw it on the Glock.
2. Unity Atom Slide - I really don't like making permanent changes to my stuff because I am always experimenting to find something that works better for me. This gives me the most flexibility, even if I do lose some compatibility with holsters. I need to register at Primary and Secondary to ask Doc where he gets his slides milled for the Atom mount, that may be a better alternative.
3. S3F threaded match barrel - standard threads so that I can use the same barrel with a suppressor when I move back to free America. I'm pretty sure the stock Glock can out shoot me, but it won't hurt to have a better barrel while I clean up my skills.
4. TBRCi Micro Comp - will fit standard threaded barrels
5. Agency Arms Magwell - I have Vickers plates on a bunch of my Glock mags. I really don't understand how Raven made a magwell that isn't compatible with a Vickers part since they seem to work together fairly often.
6. Holsters - Will probably be a mix between Eidolon and either the 6345DO or the holsterops cutdown 7TS, which ever requires less modification.

[_Stormin_]

I have a comp'd 9mm open class Glock.The thing is like a loud 22... The muzzle flip is non-existent and I've got a Micro on an ALG mount so that the red dot isn't moving with the slide.

It would be impractical for carry, but it's damned fast and accurate. Mounting the RDS to the slide would be easier, but I didn't much care for the optic moving with the slide when I shot a G19 MOS.

[nate89]

I tried the concept out a few months ago, and I eventually sold the components. I didn't have a "true" roland special, mine was as follows

ATOM slide
3.5 MOA Adjustable LED RMR
KKM Barrel/Comp
Stock internals
Minus connector
X300U

I like the idea, and I enjoyed shooting it. The comp does help, but not to the extent of a true open gun. The dot does make shots at distance much easier (100 yds plus on B/C steel pretty much on command). I have been shooting P series sigs for the last couple years, and although I do have glocks, I decided that I had too much money tied up in a gun I wasn't shooting as much as it should be, so I got rid of it.

A few thoughts
-it will not make a mediocre shooter a gunfighter. It has a better sighting system, shoots a bit flatter, and has a quality light for identifying people and things in low light. I would guess that anyone who can actually gain a significant benefit, and fully appreciate the advantages, from this style of Glock is already a pretty squared away shooter.
-I think many of the features are not a passing fad, but will be more common in the future, especially the dots on the slide. More and more companies (Sig, Glock, Springfield, etc.) offer pistols from the factory with red dots, or at least a way to easily attach them. Lights are getting brighter, lighter, smaller, and I think will be more and more common in the future. The comp is nice, but I don't see it gaining the same universal acceptance as a red dot. Magwell is minimalist and both helps with a proper grip (at least for me), prevents people with larger hands from pinching themselves when inserting mags, and obviously helps prevent messed up reloads.
-The comp does work. Especially when you can shoot a gun with a dot with and without the comp, when tracking the dot you do notice a difference. When I would shoot a bill drill, I wasn't really any faster with the Roland, but my group was tighter. I believe the reason was that the gun isn't going to make my trigger finger faster, but it did help the gun return to the target quicker when the shot went off.
-A small thing is that the comp helps keep the light clean. After shooting even a hundred rounds in a 19 with an x300u, it gets dirty to the point that light output is significantly diminished. Yes you can treat the lens with the wd40 pen/chapstick/etc. before shooting, but solving the problem of build-up is a good thing.

TL;DR; the idea has merit, it can help you shoot to your ability, and has many features that I see becoming more and more common, not merely a passing fad. Although the hardware will change (I see more and more people going to a T1/T2 instead of the RMR for example), the idea of the gun is here to stay.

[opngrnd]

What about noise? I can understand that the increase in noise isn't going to be the biggest deal for a person with good ears given how rare a defensive encounter will probably happen, but some of us have gotten pretty lucky and gotten rid of much of our pesky healing abilities. Does it make the weapon significantly louder?

[GTF425]

The comp shows its colors running hotter ammo.

It's a very well configured Glock 19. Basicload knows his shit.

[bighawk]

I've shot a KKM comped G19 with an atom slide wearing a Leopold deltapoint pro and it's probably the flattest shooting gun I've ever shot.

I have a G19 and a G17 with RMRs and I have a TBRCI micro comp coming in Monday to try out and see how I like it.. it appealed to me due to using any barrel threaded in 1/2x28 (which I already own) I carry appendix with either Glock wearing an X300 ultra so the length of the comp is of no concern to me. If it aids my shooting ability in any way without affecting the function I'm interested in trying it out.

[Hayseed]

I have had a Silencerco g19 barrel collecting dust, so I went ahead and bought a TBRCI micro comp as well.
I have been shooting with an rmr for a while, so I guess it's the last piece of the puzzle, just wasn't sure if the comp was more an Instagram cool guy piece.

What ammo is cycling the comps well?

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[_Stormin_]

What ammo is cycling the comps well?

Freedom 9mm 124 gr will NOT cycle the comp'd pistol with a factory RSA. (Current ammo I run in my open gun with a 13lb spring in place of the factory spring.)

Hornady 9mm 135 gr Critical Duty will run just fine with my factory RSA. (Current carry ammo. Granted, I don't carry this pistol, but I did shoot it to see how well it worked.)

What about noise? I can understand that the increase in noise isn't going to be the biggest deal for a person with good ears given how rare a defensive encounter will probably happen, but some of us have gotten pretty lucky and gotten rid of much of our pesky healing abilities. Does it make the weapon significantly louder?

Never fired it without ear pro, but I'm guessing if you're pulling your pistol to engage a threat without ear pro, your hearing only matters if you remain alive. Nobody at the range complains about it, and if you've ever shot a wheel gun in a magnum caliber, they're the real beasts with noise...

[Hayseed]

Freedom 9mm 124 gr will NOT cycle the comp'd pistol with a factory RSA. (Current ammo I run in my open gun with a 13lb spring in place of the factory spring.)

Hornady 9mm 135 gr Critical Duty will run just fine with my factory RSA. (Current carry ammo. Granted, I don't carry this pistol, but I did shoot it to see how well it worked.)

Never messed around with RSAs. Did you have to change out your striker spring?

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