View Full Version : Help guide me in customizing a couple of Glocks.
Hello everyone...
I have two Glocks I am wanting to customize. One is a G17L that I want to use as a test bed for aftermarket parts and various trigger set ups. The other is an old G26 with it's share of dings and holster wear.
What I'd like to know is what trigger set ups have you used that help improve take up and eleminate creep? Just generally make the trigger crisper.
Is there any aftermarket barrels that you prefer over factory ones?
Any recomendations for night sights for my G17L? I've been looking at the windage adjustable ones made by Meprolight as well as the Novak style ones. I run XS Big Dots on my carry guns.
I want to try and stipple the grip on my G26. I was wondering though, is there a way to achive more of a checkered type pattern rather than the moonscape type that is so common? I have a couple of beat up Pmags and A&G grip extenders to practice on.
Lastly, I want to strip the finish of the slide and barrel of my G26 and polish it to a mirror like finish. Besides a Dremel, some polishing wheels and metal polish, what do I need to achive this?
Any advice is greatly appreciated and thanks in advance to all who reply...
You could make your own tip to get a checkered pattern for the stippling. You could do it cheap and easy by dremeling the desired pattern into a nail head, or you could come up with something more complex.
A lot of people like to use a minus connector with a NY spring.it's just a few dollars in parts.leaves pull weight about the same but crisper break.
If you want to improve the trigger
http://www.glockworx.com/Detail.aspx?PROD=156206&CAT=3688
Most people tell me when they try out the Glock I have it installed on that it is the best trigger they've ever felt on a striker fired weapon.
I wouldn't change the barrel. The stock barrels are very high quality and very adequate for anything you want to do. The marginal accuracy to be gained from an aftermarket barrel will only be attainable if you have one fitted anyways.
While shooting at a couple of IPDA (International Defensive Pistol Association) matches, almost 1/2 the shooters had Glocks. The only Glocks that quit running were due to aftermarket parts. You name it, barrels, titanium strikers, triggers, etc. If a part was mucked with, the gun usually quit at some point. The stock guns ran perfectly everytime (including mine). Something to think about. Stick with customizing the grip, nice sights, etc.
The glock finish is one of the best available. If you strip it with a dremel, I think it'll look TERRIBLE. Best bet is to send it to a professional coater and have it done in a color you want.
While shooting at a couple of IPDA (International Defensive Pistol Association) matches, almost 1/2 the shooters had Glocks. The only Glocks that quit running were due to aftermarket parts. You name it, barrels, titanium strikers, triggers, etc. If a part was mucked with, the gun usually quit at some point. The stock guns ran perfectly everytime (including mine). Something to think about. Stick with customizing the grip, nice sights, etc.
The glock finish is one of the best available. If you strip it with a dremel, I think it'll look TERRIBLE. Best bet is to send it to a professional coater and have it done in a color you want.
This is pretty much how it goes.
If you want your Glock to be bet-your-life reliable...leave it alone.
I don't know what your intended uses are for this gun, though. Since it's a long slide version, you are considering adjustable sites, and you referenced your carry gun's sites it seems like this might be a range/fun/competition gun that won't see defensive use. In that case...go ahead and muck with it if like.
Evil Colt 6920
08-01-12, 15:58
Another +1 for leave them alone internally. The only trigger mod I would make would be swapping in a Glock 3.5lb connector. Lucky for me, mine came with one originally. As far as polishing the slide, it can be a lot of work unless you have the right tools. And a dremel is not one of them. DO NOT DREMEL YOUR GLOCK. My G34 had a lot of holster wear, I polished it and it looks good. They WILL rust if not clear coated or maintained regularly. So it can be more of a pain in the ass than its worth. I advise against polishing. If you really want a polished glock and have never polished one yourself, I suggest letting a professional do it. If your still stuck on DIY polishing, PM me I can tell you what to do and more importantly, what NOT to do.
elephantrider
08-01-12, 22:17
Hello everyone...
What I'd like to know is what trigger set ups have you used that help improve take up and eleminate creep? Just generally make the trigger crisper.
The simplest mod you can make would be to do some polishing on the stock Glock parts. Takes about 15-20 minutes and a few $$ worth of polish and Q-tips
Here is a decent how-to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XJxltxvAo4&feature=plcp
Next step would be to replace the connector with the Glock (-) 3.5-4.0lb connector for about $20-25. You can polish that as well.
As others have said, by going farther than this and you may start treading into making your Glock less reliable and/or safe.
Personally I added a new trigger/trigger bar by Glockworx as well. No i'll effects so far and it helped clean up the pre-travel a little bit. Here is what I used: http://www.glockworx.com/Detail.aspx?PROD=156500&CAT=3688 (I used the Compettion model with less pretravel, but there is still plenty of pre-travel in the trigger, it's just a bit more predictable now)
You can get fully tuned trigger kits for $130 and up from the likes of Vanek, Glockworx, and Glock Triggers, but here is where people can start having little reliability issues. My friend is using a Glockworx Fulcrum kit and started having light primer stikes. I've never had that problem with my setup. THese may work just fine for you, but it is probably better to start with eh the cheaper trigger mods and then decide if you need something more extreme.
Is there any aftermarket barrels that you prefer over factory ones?
Not really much benefit to aftermarket barrels in 9mm. Only benefit might be if you want use lead bullets, but even that doesn't make much sense to me. Stock barrels in 9mm are plenty accurate and safe.
Any recomendations for night sights for my G17L? I've been looking at the windage adjustable ones made by Meprolight as well as the Novak style ones. I run XS Big Dots on my carry guns.
My personal favorites are the 10-8 Performance with either a font brass bead or tritium bead. I use the plain .140" wide rear U-notch. I find these to be a good balance between speed and precision to use.
Second choice would be Warren Tacticals in a similar front bead rear U-notch setup.
Windage adjustment usually isn't needed, provided you get the rear sight setup correctly in the first place. The XS sights, while fast, I find to bluky for any sort of precise shots.
I want to try and stipple the grip on my G26. I was wondering though, is there a way to achive more of a checkered type pattern rather than the moonscape type that is so common? I have a couple of beat up Pmags and A&G grip extenders to practice on.
There are plenty of how-to's out there on this. You can make your own patterned tip and practice with it. Just make sure you will be happy with it before you dig into your Glock frame. I just have mine done by Coldborecustoms and coulnd't be happier with the results.
Lastly, I want to strip the finish of the slide and barrel of my G26 and polish it to a mirror like finish. Besides a Dremel, some polishing wheels and metal polish, what do I need to achive this?
As others have already voiced, I would avoid stripping the slide finish. You will have no rust protection, and it will rust quickly. The factory finish is good, even though it is worn, I doubt it is rusting, right? There are plenty of better options than polishing it yourself. You can have Glock factory re-finish the slide for about $65. The barrel can be re-finished at the factor as well. If you absolutly have to have a silver bling look, then go with one of the Nickle Boron type finishes similar to Fail Zero. They wont add anything performance wise to the gun, but they are the best of the shiny silver finishes (wont peel off or rust).
I wouldn't change the barrel. The stock barrels are very high quality and very adequate for anything you want to do. The marginal accuracy to be gained from an aftermarket barrel will only be attainable if you have one fitted anyways.
Not really much benefit to aftermarket barrels in 9mm. Only benefit might be if you want use lead bullets, but even that doesn't make much sense to me. Stock barrels in 9mm are plenty accurate and safe.
Just wanted to clarify that these two comments are over-generalizations and not entirely accurate...
I am in complete agreement that stock barrels are plenty accurate and very reliable, but aftermarket barrels from certain manufacturers have generally proven themselves to be measurably more accurate with no noticeable effects on reliability.
For Glocks, the usual names such as Barsto, Wilson Combat, and KKM generally get mentioned. Even drop-in KKM barrels (versus fitted) have been shown to shoot more accurately than stock ones.
In general, it won't do you any good if you purchase a match barrel and cannot take advantage of its accuracy because you're not a good enough shooter. Money spent on instruction and practice would be more valuable here.
Here's a pretty good thread on Glock barrels, where M4Guru shoots a few groups:
http://m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=104955&highlight=kkm
I recently acquired a drop-in KKM barrel for my Glock19.
This 10 round group was shot at 25 yards, offhand, standing, and unsupported before I zeroed the rear sight. Ammo is Federal American Eagle 115 grain. Prior to this, I was shooting consistent 4" groups with this particular gun and ammo combination.
https://www.m4carbine.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=13101&stc=1&d=1344017472
Thank you for all the advice and input gentlemen.
I wasn't planning to remove the finish on the G26 with a dremel, just polish it. I was unsure of how to remove the factory finish. I was originally leaning more to a two tone finish like the Fail Zero Glocks but I was just wondering what I could do myself on the cheap. It is a gun I very seldom carry so I don't want to do anything to hamper reliablity. I'm looking for an OD G26 to replace it as a carry gun so I can go ape shit with this one.
As far as the G17L it is just something I'm gonna have fun with and try out different things on. I have yet to put round 1 down the barrel. I'm not really into "race guns" so i don't want to put an RMR on it or anything like that. I just want to try out some different trigger setups and such to see if I find something I like better. I don't understand adjustable sights for a pistol and that's why I'm so unsure which direction to go fixed vs adjustable. I just know I want to keep with tritium night sights as that is what I am most used to. It came with one of those flared and extended mag well things on it and I'm not sure if I like it or not.
My G19 that is my primary carry outside of work is stock other the XS Big Dot sights and smooth face trigger. My G17 for bumps in the night just has an Insight M6 on it and a +2 extension on the magazine.
That's no fun!
Seriously, if you can't afford a professional finish job on the G26, I wouldn't mess with it. The Tenifer finish is one of the toughest out there, probably needs to be bead blasted to get rid of it. If you're going to buy another G26, why not just re-do the current one? Sure you can't turn the black stock green, but you can get the slide done in a cool looking silver or even green or tan.
What I'd like to know is what trigger set ups have you used that help improve take up and eleminate creep? Just generally make the trigger crisper.
Get a 1911 if you want a crisp trigger. If you shoot a Glock, then drop in a 3.5# OEM connector, do the home-brew trigger job, and shoot it until you make it your bitch.
Is there any aftermarket barrels that you prefer over factory ones?
Test 12-15 factory loads in your OEM barrel first. Some wont group well at all, but 1-2 may group very well. If you still want more accuracy, Wilson sells pretty good barrels.
Any recomendations for night sights for my G17L? I've been looking at the windage adjustable ones made by Meprolight as well as the Novak style ones. I run XS Big Dots on my carry guns.
POI can shift in any direction as you change loads, so I agree on adjustable sights. Meps are OK; so are Dawsons. The Dawson notch is ~0.125 wide. The narrowest tritium front I can find is 0.125, so you may want to have the notch on the Dawson opened up to 0.150 or a bit more.
Adjustable sights + carefully chosen ammo is almost like cheating.
Okie John
Wolf Spyder
08-03-12, 16:38
Big A,
Have you checked into using RIT dye to color the Glock 26 frame? I would stripple the frame and then dye it to the color you want.
By the way, the stock barrel is just fine.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v378/Wolf_Spyder/30rnd10mmsmall.jpg
That's no fun!
Seriously, if you can't afford a professional finish job on the G26, I wouldn't mess with it. The Tenifer finish is one of the toughest out there, probably needs to be bead blasted to get rid of it. If you're going to buy another G26, why not just re-do the current one? Sure you can't turn the black stock green, but you can get the slide done in a cool looking silver or even green or tan.
It's not that I can't afford a professional finish job, it's just that I don't care about this particular gun enough to drop the coin on it. I'd rather send my G17L off for a pro job. I want an OD G26 to go with my OD G17 & G19 so I can have the trifecta. And when I find one I'll make this one a truck gun.
POI can shift in any direction as you change loads, so I agree on adjustable sights. Meps are OK; so are Dawsons. The Dawson notch is ~0.125 wide. The narrowest tritium front I can find is 0.125, so you may want to have the notch on the Dawson opened up to 0.150 or a bit more.
Adjustable sights + carefully chosen ammo is almost like cheating.
Okie John
Can you elaborate on this? All of my pistol shooting has been with fixed sights on combat courses or a static indoor range. I've never played around with adjustable pistol sights.
Can you elaborate on this? All of my pistol shooting has been with fixed sights on combat courses or a static indoor range. I've never played around with adjustable pistol sights.
It's not just the adjustable sights. It's using them to get a precise zero with a load that shoots in the 3" range at 25m. This doesn't have to be expensive duty-grade ammo. Some cheap FMJ ammo shoots that well, but you have to look for it. You also have to test loads beyond about 20m, since you won't see much difference up close. But beyond 20m, good ammo turns in noticeably smaller groups if you can shoot well. The adjustable sights let you zero the gun to put those groups right where you want them, and then my statement holds up.
I used to work on public ranges. Most people can't shoot a decent group beyond 10m, so they rarely shoot at anything much farther away. They don't test ammo to see what shoots well in their guns versus what just makes it go bang. Instead, they buy whatever's cheapest that day. It's always different, so the idea of a zero never occurs to them. POI might move when they switch loads, but they don't shoot well enough to notice. Their sights are close enough to Point of Aim that they never move them, and they blame the gun if they miss anything smaller than an 8" gong at 10m.
When that's the standard, using adjustable sights and good ammo is almost like cheating.
With the right ammo for your pistol and a verified 25-yard zero, you can stay in the zero-down ball of an IDPA target at 50 yards with a stock G17, and you can hit an IDPA target every time at 100 if the wind isn't blowing too hard.
You can get a good zero with fixed sights, but it's way faster and easier with adjustable sights.
Did I answer your question?
Okie John
Did I answer your question?
Okie John
Yes, and I understand that different bullet weights have different ballistics and that factory loads will vary from box to box or even bullet to bullet.
I assume I would need to shoot the pistol from a rest like a rifle to achive the propper zero, or no?
Yes, and I understand that different bullet weights have different ballistics and that factory loads will vary from box to box or even bullet to bullet.
Different bullet weights and different loads may hit different places, but the better factory ammo is incredibly consistent, even lot-to-lot.
I assume I would need to shoot the pistol from a rest like a rifle to achive the propper zero, or no?
A lot of good shooters report that their offhand zero and their bench zero are different. If you don't shoot well offhand, then test ammo from the bench, but zero from offhand.
Okie John
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.