Getting tired of pistols with holes in the top of the slide...

**TED** · 07-08-18, 05:53

When Glock did it with he 17L and the 24 it was for a specific engineering reason, to make the weight the same so they could use the same recoil system/assembly.

I think many companies are doing it just for looks. I prefer not having holes in my slide for both cosmetic reasons and dirt ingress reasons.

Is it just me thinking this?

TED

**joeg26er** · 07-08-18, 06:05

I also agree
Has anyone done a torture test with a ventilated slide vs not?
I’ve personally stayed away from this trend
It does look “cool “ though

I think there are plenty of other ways to reduce slide weight other than holes that allow debris ingress
Tritopping
Extended FCS
Deeper milling of grooves

**tvfreakarms** · 07-08-18, 06:29

Edc. Don't carry with slide cuts.
It's cool to have options and different design and looks to a pistol.
I'm sure if drop it in mud that could cause problem.

Sent from my ZTE A2017U using Tapatalk

**sinister** · 07-08-18, 08:04

I agree.

Gen 5 Glock 34 no longer has the top slide port. I wouldn't have bought the G41 if it had one.

**panzerr** · 07-08-18, 08:17

I like the idea of less reciprocating mass. Some cuts can look cool, but it seems too many are over-done. I would go with some moderate slide milling before cuts, but it's not a large enough priority of mine. After all, glocks work great out of the box and why screw with that unless you're getting bored?

**WillBrink** · 07-08-18, 08:55

Less access to the internals of my guns, the better. Never had an interest in holes in slides, cool factor or not. Always seemed like a potential avoidable problem in the making.

**ST911** · 07-08-18, 08:57

I find debris concerns in G34/35 cuts to be overestimated. Folks that are doing all the other cosmetic, sporting, slide lightening cuts tend to be messing with other parts of the gun too, so who knows how the gun will run.

**Circle_10** · 07-08-18, 09:11

Just an anecdote I'll throw in for laughs....

Years ago in the early 2000s when I was like 20 years old or so I went to a local gun shop and saw a G34 in the display case. I didn't know much about Glocks and was puzzled by the open topped slide, I knew that Glock had some ported barrel models and thought perhaps the cutout on the top of the G34's slide had some sort of compensator function.... except I noticed there were no corresponding ports cut into the top of the barrel itself.
So I asked the guy working the counter why that G34 had a cutout in the slide but no cutouts in the barrel and luckily, he set me straight...

He explained that the cutout in the G34/35 slides were so the barrel had room to expand as it heated up during firing.

Now I found myself in the unenviable position of knowing the guy had to be full of shit but not actually knowing the correct explanation with which I could refute his statement.

It's still one of my favorite "gun shop idiocy" anecdotes.