Posted: 7/12/2015 10:24:39 PM EDT
| I just got a new 19 and after shooting it I have thought of a few things I want to change out on my pistol. I'm thinking a smooth G17 trigger, Glock factory extended slide stop, and Vickers Battlesights. Anything else that I should look at? Also, should I be able to install the trigger and slide release or shou,d I take my pistol to a Glock Armorer? |
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Vickers Mag Release and the Vickers Extended Slide Release are both money well spent.
You should be able to install both with just a basic Glock punch. Both fairly simple It goes without saying to get rid of the plastic factory sights. Be sure to get some good quality night sights (I like Trujicon). Have someone with a sight pusher install your night sights - you don't want bubba with a hammer whacking away on your expensive sights trying to get them centered on the slide... I'd recommend not doing your own trigger work, unless you have someone who knows their way around to guide you the first time. Also with the Glock you can always adjust your trigger to your preference with the right kits (Ghost or Zev). BIGGER_HAMMER 
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The sights you are looking to install are good. I've gravitated to Heinie and Warren Tactical two dot vertical sights over the years. The extended controls are great and makes it easier to manipulate. Finally, I've used different aftermarket trigger kits over the years and settled on Zev Technologies Ultimate Fulcrum Trigger kits. These kits ROCK.
BTW, if you can field strip your Glock you can DIY. No need to go to a gunsmith. |
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It never ceases to amaze me. What? All the crap that people install on their Glocks! There are numerous Glock disassembly/reassembly videos on YouTube. Most of them contain one sort of mistake, or another; but the critical point for you is going to be understanding how the trigger housing, trigger spring, and back end of the trigger bar fit together. Got a cell phone? Take a picture of this 3 piece unit after you've got it out of the pistol.
Two things: (1) Twist the trigger bar up and out of its recess in the THU ('trigger housing unit' as it used to be called). The still attached trigger spring will come out with it. (2) Take a careful look at that spring! Notice that it is installed in the exact shape of a letter, 'S'. Make sure that you reinstall it that way. If you put the spring back on in the form of a, 'Z' then you've done it wrong. When you have the trigger bar out of the pistol you should take the opportunity to polish the inner side of the TB's, 'bird's head'. (The humped area at the back of the bar, farthest away from the trigger.) Polish the front edge of the trigger bar's, 'cruciform' too. (The part that makes contact with the face of the striker lug - Which should, also, be polished.) Finally, polish the area around the inside of the connector's cantilevered, 'shelf' where the trigger bar rides and makes contact. (All of those crappy YouTube videos can help you with understanding what needs to be polished.) I've used and carried Glock pistols for more than a decade, now. I've, also, done a lot of fast firing and used my Glocks extensively. On one occasion I fired almost 200 rounds in, something like, 8 minutes! Unless you have small hands or unusually short thumbs you don't need an extended slide stop. (I never use mine! Either I induce a Glock's locked-back slide to slam shut on magazine insertion; or I go, 'H.O.T.' (Hand Over Top) the rest of the time.) As for using an extended magazine release? Personally, I'd NEVER put one of those things on one of my Glocks. The magazine release is a weak point in the Glock design. The spring is already too weak; and the magazine release's head is already too large. 3 TIMES DURING THE PAST 12 YEARS I've had a Glock magazine fall out of the butt of my holstered pistol; AND, as far as I'm concerned, 3 times is way too often! (For those who might be wondering: Yes, prior to failure my magazines WERE firmly locked into the frame; and, in 2 of the 3 events, the magazines had been locked in place for longer a couple of hours.) Neither would I be happy with that Vickers sight. As far as I'm concerned the best Glock combat sights are the Straight Eight, 'Slant Pro' sights made by Richard Heinie. AmeriGlo's, 'Spartan Tactical' (the Hackathorn design) and, 'Pro' sights are also useful as well as being, 'right up there' with Trijicon and Meprolight. Which ....... having actually had to use these, so-called, 'night sights' I don't really care for. Why? In my experience, in anything other than twilight, the front dots are way too bright for grabbing a clearly visible front sight picture; and THIS is the reason, 'Why' I consider the Heinie, 'Straight Eight' design to be such ingenious combat pistol sights! Clearly (Yes, that's a pun!) Richard Heinie knew what he was doing when he invented this sight. Now that the vials have been upgraded, another pistol sight set I'd recommend to you is the TruGlo, 'TFX'. As for the Wilson sight set you're looking at? I wouldn't, personally, use any such a sight set. (Good pistol sights are just too important!) Here's my own G-19. The action is (I'm positive.) as smooth as any action could be while still using a stock trigger bar. I installed the setscrew trigger stop, and fitted the (expensive) Bar-Sto Precision barrel myself. 
The narrow muzzle-ports are primarily used for added control and more rapid front-sight recovery during rapid fire. I do a lot of pistol shooting; and I've come to rely on the added comfort of the Hogue, 'Hand-All' soft rubber grip sleeve. (Which I've learned to love!) 
NOTE: If you use a Dremel Tool in order to polish your Glock internals, be extra careful to only polish, and DO NOT REMOVE ANY METAL. In particular, STAY AWAY FROM ALL EDGES, and DO NOT CHANGE ANY OF THE EDGE ANGLES. |
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Just picked up 17 this weekend. For me, mandatory upgrades have always been G34 slide stop, large frame magazine release, lone wolf 3.5lb connector and a wolf spring pack. Then polish, polish, polish. I am on the fence about picking up an OC triggers setup.
OP, you did be able to do everything but the sights. |
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I just got a new 19 and after shooting it I have thought of a few things I want to change out on my pistol. I'm thinking a smooth G17 trigger, Glock factory extended slide stop, and Vickers Battlesights. Anything else that I should look at? Also, should I be able to install the trigger and slide release or shou,d I take my pistol to a Glock Armorer? That should all be fine and shouldn't compromise reliability. Sights are pretty personal, and everyone has their favorites. Installation is pretty easy. All of the instructions are available readily, as are videos on Youtube. The tools are cheap too. While it is apart, do the $0.25 trigger job. It gets rid of some of the gritty feeling you might have without affecting reliability. If you really want a lighter trigger, try a Glock OEM "-" 3.5 connector, such as the one that comes stock in the G34. Don't chase unicorns with your trigger. |
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Raven - just over a decade? Ha :) my first firing of a glock occured right around 1989/90.
I got flamed hard for this in another post but after thirty plus years around pistols I simply do not care- The less you mess with the glock the more likely it will remain reliable. Replacing oem for oem if you want. ( for what limited "advantage" it might provide) would seem reasonable I have seen far more modified glocks choke than stock |
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Raven - just over a decade? Ha :) my first firing of a glock occured right around 1989/90. I got flamed hard for this in another post but after thirty plus years around pistols I simply do not care- The less you mess with the glock the more likely it will remain reliable. Replacing oem for oem if you want. ( for what limited "advantage" it might provide) would seem reasonable I have seen far more modified glocks choke than stock This. Especially springs. Don't be a pussy. Shoot the gun the way it came. It it hurts too much, soften it up a little. 
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I noticed my trigger is pretty gritty before it breaks, will this get better with use? My friend's 19 with maybe 1500 rounds through it has no grit. Yes everything will smooth out and feel better as you shoot it more. I have a G19.4 it took about 1K to get everything feeling good. I did not do the high polish job (.25 job) as just shooting it does the same thing. Dry firing will do this also. ETA no matter what some of these guys say it is not true that a modified Glock is less reliable hundreds of us have modified Glocks (I own 10 Glocks none of which are stock and I have no issues I know it is a small sample size). A modified Glock that was not modified properly will not be reliable though. Not to mention stock Glocks can have issues too. |
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Yes everything will smooth out and feel better as you shoot it more. I have a G19.4 it took about 1K to get everything feeling good. I did not do the high polish job (.25 job) as just shooting it does the same thing. Dry firing will do this also. Quoted:
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I noticed my trigger is pretty gritty before it breaks, will this get better with use? My friend's 19 with maybe 1500 rounds through it has no grit. Yes everything will smooth out and feel better as you shoot it more. I have a G19.4 it took about 1K to get everything feeling good. I did not do the high polish job (.25 job) as just shooting it does the same thing. Dry firing will do this also. OK sounds good. I don't want to go crazy replacing and modifying stuff. |
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OK sounds good. I don't want to go crazy replacing and modifying stuff. Quoted:
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I noticed my trigger is pretty gritty before it breaks, will this get better with use? My friend's 19 with maybe 1500 rounds through it has no grit. Yes everything will smooth out and feel better as you shoot it more. I have a G19.4 it took about 1K to get everything feeling good. I did not do the high polish job (.25 job) as just shooting it does the same thing. Dry firing will do this also. OK sounds good. I don't want to go crazy replacing and modifying stuff. I hear you.... my personal carry I have a heavy trigger reset spring, G17 trigger, ext slide stop and Heinie sights. Trigger is about 4.6-4.7# consistently. |
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I noticed my trigger is pretty gritty before it breaks, will this get better with use? My friend's 19 with maybe 1500 rounds through it has no grit. Yes, it will probably smooth up. Make sure you are putting a drop of oil on the connector. The $0.25 trigger job can also help, and is crazy easy to do. |
| Odds are pretty good your local Police or Sheriff is carrying a Glock...ask one of their offices what modifications they make to their duty weapons? My guess is they use Trijicon or Meprolight sights, a TLR-1....and that's it. They know to not mess with the internals on a gun you may stake your life on. Competition shooters and the like...all bets are off. Any and everything is fair game to change or mofify. Personally on my Glocks I use an OEM "-" connector, OEM extended slide release and Truglo TFX sights. Although I have found that the Vickers magazine baseplates are pretty nice. Swap out what you want really, but if it's a carry gun, do as little as possible and shoot it as much as possible. |
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The Vickers Battlesights are great. I'd say they're on par with the Trijicon HDs and all the fancy Ameriglos (Hacks, I-dots, etc.). I have Trij HDs on my G43 because I think they're REALLY fast (though not as accurate at distance--which isn't a big deal for a G43), but prefer taller F/O sights for my main carry and competition gun.
I have huge palms and short stubby fingers, so my thumb needs the glock extended slide-release/stop (which reaches further back than the Vickers I think). |
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Raven - just over a decade? Ha :) my first firing of a glock occured right around 1989/90. I got flamed hard for this in another post but after thirty plus years around pistols I do not care - The less you mess with the glock the more likely it will remain reliable. Replacing oem for oem if you want. ( for what limited "advantage" it might provide) would seem reasonable. I have seen far more modified glocks choke than stock I hear ya, Captain! Perhaps I should have mentioned that I've purchased a total of 3 brand new Glock pistols: 2 G-21's, and 1 G-19(RTF2). NONE OF THEM WORKED PROPERLY ON THE DAY THAT I BROUGHT THEM HOME - NONE - AND THE PROBLEMS WERE ALL SERIOUS! I didn't become a skillful Glock Armorer (a really skillful Glock Armorer) because I wanted to; I was already a decent pistolsmith; and I had no real interest in learning another pistol; but, with 2 G-21's that absolutely would not work properly, and were extremely dangerous to fire while using, 'full house' ammo, I had no choice! I either learned what made these damned plastic pistols, 'tick'; or I was out more than $1,500.00! In the alternative I could also do the immoral thing, take a personal loss, and put these defective Glocks out on the used gun market.
During the course of my investigations I corresponded with other Glock owners - people like members of the Portland Police Bureau, and the Georgia State Patrol - who were experiencing problems with their G-21's, similar to my own: and I, even, spoke with one Glock owner who said that a factory spokesman in Smyrna had told him; (and I quote) 'As many as 15% of all brand new Glock pistols do NOT perform 'up to specification' (Whatever, the hell, that means?) right out of the box!' There was also a number of others (All members of Glock Talk, like the officers from the Indiana State Police, and the Saint Louis (MO) Police Department) who shared numerous unsavory events about their G-22's with everybody else who belonged to GT. Unlike you, and me these other Glock pistol owner/users all agreed that: Glock plastic pistols in particular, and other plastic pistols in general frequently suffered from serious and (often) diversified mechanical and design problems. Worse than this, in a large percentage of problem Glocks, GLOCK FACTORY SERVICE PERSONNEL IN SMYRNA EMPHATICALLY SHOWED THAT THE COMPANY DID NOT CARE; and, to my (continued) personal amazement, the American gun buying public seemed remarkably well inoculated against holding any continued ill-opinion of faulty plastic pistols - especially faulty Glock plastic pistols! It, quite literally, took me years of continued investigation, trial and error modifications, and (admittedly) a bit of luck before I got my 2 troublesome and dangerous-to-shoot Glock pistols to become my FORMERLY troublesome and dangerous-to-shoot Glock pistols; BUT, I finally managed to accomplish the feat! (In an already damned sort of way I was lucky!) 
This is far from the first time I've corresponded with someone who expressed the opinion to leave a Glock alone, and not fool with it. I, once, went to college with a bunch of guys who, unquestionably, drank more than they might ever have read a book; but, ....... that's people; and, sadly, the years have taught me, 'People don't change;' or, perhaps, more correctly, 'People rarely, if ever, change for the better.' When I was in college (a long time ago, now) this was true of people and books; and it's still true, today, of people and their plastic Glock pistols. In fact it seems to me that the less someone knows about guns the more inclined he is to hold an opinion to, 'Leave your Glock alone.' Well, I didn't leave my Glocks alone - Not by choice, but, by necessity instead! It took me, something like, 3 full years in order to finally get my G-21's 100% safely up and running; but I finally managed to do it! One of my G-21's now has over 40,000 fired (and absolutely flawless) rounds through it; and the other G-21 has currently surpassed the 26,000 fired round mark. It, also, performs flawlessly. The only precaution I use, nowadays, is that I perform routine maintenance, and periodically change out the springs - in particular the: recoil, magazine, and slide lock springs. It's very safe for me to say that, 'I know, full well, how to tune a Glock;' and I know how to tune a Glock BECAUSE, once I'd purchase these pistols, I had no real choice other than to learn how! In fact, the indifferent and duplicitous factory support staff in Smyrna actually FORCED ME TO LEARN HOW TO SOLVE MY OWN GLOCK PROBLEMS. I haven't been, quite, so lucky with my G-19(RTF2). It DID run very well until around the 2,500 fired round mark; but, then, the moment that damned Glock MIM extractor began to wear, voilà , I began taking red hot brass to the face! I've, now, spent hundreds of hours and, maybe, a thousand dollars on trying to solve this problem. So far I've been through five factory extractors, and one Apex Tactical extractor. I've changed SLB's; I've changed SLB springs; I've changed ejectors; and, today, I've finally got my remarkably stubborn and difficult-to-fix G-19(RTF2) up to the point where it performs reliably (at my best guess) 98 or 99% of the time. How long it will stay this way, though, is anybody's guess? I can say with a certain amount of personal confidence that I suspect I know more about Glock's infamous BTF (brass to the face) problems than most other Glock owners who've had the same problem. I'm, now, able to trust my G-19(RTF2) for EDC; it's just that (as you might be beginning to suspect) I'm a perfectionist by nature; and, by character, a compulsive achiever. I, rather naturally, don't like anything that isn't LEGITIMATELY perfect!
Yes, I trust my Glocks; but, quite honestly, I don't like my Glocks; and, hard won experience has taught me not to trust the company that manufactures and sells them. Whenever someone tells me to, 'Leave a Glock alone' because that's (supposedly) the best way to guarantee a Glock will work, I'm forced to conclude that any such person spends too much time on internet gun forums. Believe me, I know waaa .... y better than to EVER leave a Glock alone! The next two things I'd like to discover about plastic pistols is (1) 'Why' do so many large police departments prefer to trade-in their Glocks at, or shortly before, the 8 year mark? As well as (2) 'What' is the useful, field service life of an unreinforced, non-glass fiber embedded, polymer frame pistol?* At present I don't know the exact answer to these questions; and, maybe, there's not enough time left in my own life in order for me to find out; but I am curious; and I am working on it. (Please don't anyone get back to me with details of Glock's well-known police trade-in and/or exchange program. THAT sort of information I already know about, and am not looking for. I, also, know all about Chuck Taylor's and James Yeager's, 'Glock Torture Tests'. This sort of (essentially) 9 x 19mm advertising hoopla I could perform myself, and do not need.) The mere thought of, 'leaving a Glock alone' seems patently ridiculous to me.) 
* This is NOT the way the original design engineers wanted to build Glock pistols; it is, instead, the way that Gaston Glock insisted these pistols should be built. |
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Raven it sounds like you have had rather bad luck with glocks and if I were you would certainly avoid the platform unless you had no choice based on being required to carry it etc.
I will say that glock puts out some bad guns or that there are some glocks that may be problem children ( In short I am saying I believe you and your experience) but I still believe ( your experience not being typical) more modified glocks fail than stock ones I would like to relate a little story regarding glocks , customer service that may unfortunately parallel your experience : My brother was the range officer for a small ( 70 officer) department and when the glock 22 first came out in the early 90's his agency decided to standardize on this handgun. First range session with about 1/3 the department shooting - over half the extractors broke Call glock - oh so sorry here's new extractors Second range session same story Third same story Finally after replacing almost every extractor in service ( some more than once) and pitching a fit to the company they admit- yep in the rush to get the 40 on market first we made some mistakes but now have it hashed out and here are some more upgraded extractors ( which actually did work) Fast forward six months and another agency locally is having the same problem. Bottom line glock produced defective guns knew they did, put them in the hands of police officers hoping no one would notice and despite identifying the issue still sent out defective guns in subsequent orders! My brother has told me he has other stories. In contrast when they carried another brand gun ( it actually was a mix of approved privately supplied guns) If there were a functional issue with a gun or part he would be contacted by that company making them aware and how to address , even though the agency never officially purchased any- so they let the agency know just in case. Yes I have never had an issue with my stock glock for most people this is still the case but in both business practice and production they are far from perfection. |
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Anyone replaced the slide cover plate? I noticed mine had some dings on it from hitting the ejector when reassembling the pistol. I like the one in the ARFCOM store with the BFL on it. I have never been a fan of personalized cover plates (or dust covers) but a BFL plate is tempting... To the arfstore! Eta: not for $20 |
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....... More modified Glocks fail than stock ones. Yes, taking the broad view, that is a correct statement; but, then again, so is, 'The vast majority of people who have become - or, in fact, are - 'Certified Glock Armorers' actually know next-to-nothing about how to correctly repair either firearms-in-general, or pistols-in-particular.' (Which just might help to explain a lot of other Glock problems, too!)
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Why do these threads always turn into pissing matches? The OP asked about upgrades and it turns into a do not modify vs modify crowds. The OP wants to modify if you do not like it do not say anything. Why do people who do not modify their Glocks even comment in these thread. If you do not want to modify your Glock good for you but the OP asked for advice and the same people come in with the same conjecture and biased opinions saying the same old tired message with no evidence to back up their claims.
Those who do not want to modify your Glock start a "do not modify my Glock" thread and come up with supporting data to back up your idea show the world these unreliable modified Glocks. Do some testing if you believe your point is so superior or based anywhere in fact that could support your opinion. Rant over.... back to helping OP modify his Glock. |
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I recently put in a KKM barrel, an oem minus connector, and a oem slide lock/slide realease lever. On a 19 Gen4, btw.
I shoot better with the KKM over the oem barrel. Take that for what its worth. I did have two BTF though, but KKM said 2-300 rounds to break in....we will see. Me no likey BTF. I have 200 through that pipe as of today. The minus connector, for me, feels only slightly lighter. But no rounds on it as of today. It will stay though, as it is "better". Again...for me. The oem slide lock/release is not going to stay. Accidentely locked the slide mid mag twice in the same 200 rounds. Thats twice too many for me. Support hand did it, and I aint changing my grip to acommodate it. The Vickers Slide lock/release looks like a better option. Live and learn. But...... I've run the oem with zero problems on any Glock after several thousand rounds...so... Best of luck...YMMV...my $0.02...blah blah blah...so on and so forth. |
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I recently put in a KKM barrel, an oem minus connector, and a oem slide lock/slide realease lever. On a 19 Gen4, btw. I shoot better with the KKM over the oem barrel. Take that for what its worth. I did have two BTF though, but KKM said 2-300 rounds to break in....we will see. Me no likey BTF. I have 200 through that pipe as of today. The minus connector, for me, feels only slightly lighter. But no rounds on it as of today. It will stay though, as it is "better". Again...for me. The oem slide lock/release is not going to stay. Accidentely locked the slide mid mag twice in the same 200 rounds. Thats twice too many for me. Support hand did it, and I aint changing my grip to acommodate it. The Vickers Slide lock/release looks like a better option. Live and learn. But...... I've run the oem with zero problems on any Glock after several thousand rounds...so... Best of luck...YMMV...my $0.02...blah blah blah...so on and so forth. Add a heavier trigger reset spring it lightens to trigger pull, makes the reset more positive, and takes the mushy clunk feeling that you experience with a - connector swap as the striker breaks. |
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I did the best upgrade tonight http://oi60.tinypic.com/2vabb44.jpg http://oi59.tinypic.com/281xx75.jpg Did you use a Dremel w/ poliwhing wheel? |
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Did you use a Dremel w/ poliwhing wheel? Quoted:
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I did the best upgrade tonight http://oi60.tinypic.com/2vabb44.jpg http://oi59.tinypic.com/281xx75.jpg Did you use a Dremel w/ poliwhing wheel? Dremel with felt wheel and turtle wax scratch and swirl remover. |
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Are you going to get the rear sight with with th U notch? I hav seen pictures of it but it is not on their website. Quoted:
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P226, I am probably going to get the ameriglo i dot sights. At $70 they fit the budget and the wants Are you going to get the rear sight with with th U notch? I hav seen pictures of it but it is not on their website. Damn, their site shows square but the pictures on sites show both. I was wanting the rounded ones. |
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Damn, their site shows square but the pictures on sites show both. I was wanting the rounded ones. Quoted:
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P226, I am probably going to get the ameriglo i dot sights. At $70 they fit the budget and the wants Are you going to get the rear sight with with th U notch? I hav seen pictures of it but it is not on their website. Damn, their site shows square but the pictures on sites show both. I was wanting the rounded ones. 226, I installed the I dots and put some rounds down range today. I really like them 
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