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Gaming your Glock! - USPSA Production Legal Mods List


Moltke

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Production Glock Modification List

The point of making this thread was to give Production Glock shooters a central place to come to check ALL the modifications they CAN make to their guns and remain Production legal. Even with all the restrictions in Production, so much can be modified on a Glock, possibly some parts that a competitor has given no thought to. Often times I have heard that X isn’t worth changing because it doesn’t matter. Well, that may be true. For others it may offer some limited competitive advantage that most shooters will never see. But, for some who have never thought to do X, it may matter, and to anyone who wants to take every possible advantage allowed in a Production gun, here are your options. I’m not trying to push any products or services, or saying that to be competitive you should do all these things, I’m just trying to sensibly lay out the options and spread some knowledge.

I. First we must ask ourselves what are the parts available in Production rules for modification?

Slide

“You may replace the slide with an OEM or aftermarket slide which is of the same length, contour, and caliber as the original slide for that model of gun.” (Appendix D4, Rule 21.3)

Barrel

“You may replace the barrel with an OEM or aftermarket barrel which is of the same length, contour and caliber as the original barrel for that model of gun.” (Appendix D4, Rule 21.3)

Grip

“For semi-automatic Production guns, grip tape, grip sleeves, checkering, stippling or other texture may only be applied in the areas shown in appendix E4.” (Appendix D4, Rule 21.4 and Appendix E4)

Internal Parts (OEM/Aftermarket)

“Any other part which is NOT visible when the gun is in battery is considered an internal part, MAY be modified or replaced with OEM or aftermarket parts.” (Appendix D4, Rule 21.5)

Guide Rod

Recoil Spring

Striker

Spacer sleeve

Firing pin spring

Spring cups

Firing pin safety

Firing pin safety spring

Magazine Catch Spring

Extractor Depressor Plunger

Extractor Depressor Plunger Spring

Slide Lock Spring (but not slide lock lever)

Locking Block

Trigger Mechanism Housing

Ejector

Connector

Trigger Spring

Trigger Bar

Channel Liner

Externally Visible Parts (OEM/Aftermarket)

“Sights, firing pins, firing pin retainers, extractors and ejectors MAY be replaced with OEM or aftermarket parts.” (Appendix D4, Rule 21.6)

Sights

Frame pins?

Extractor

Externally Visible Parts (OEM only)

“Any other components which are externally visible may ONLY be replaced with OEM parts, which are offered on the specific model of gun, or another approved gun from the same manufacturer.” (Appendix D4, Rule 21.6)

Spring-Loaded Bearing

Slide Cover Plate

Magazine Catch

Slide Lock

Slide Stop Lever

Trigger

Frame pins?

II. Then we must ask ourselves what parts on a Glock pistol, will result in a competitive advantage? These are the ones I think could result in a competitive advantage.

Slide Parts

Sights

Slide

Barrel

Guide Rod

Recoil Spring

Striker

Striker Spring

Firing Pin Safety

Firing Pin Safety Spring

Extractor

Extractor spring

Frame Parts

Grip

Trigger Bar

Connector

Trigger Spring

Trigger Mechanism Housing

No Competitive Advantage

Spacer Sleeve

Magazine Catch Spring

Extractor Depressor Plunger

Extractor Depressor Plunger Spring

Slide Lock Spring (but not slide lock lever)

Locking Block

Channel Liner

Spring Cups

Ejector

Frame pins?

III. So now that we’ve established what can be upgraded to yield a competitive advantage, what are the options?

Slide Parts

Sights – Sights are personal so before you buy something that you think is amazing, look at all your options. There are black sights, dot sights, fiber optics, fixed, adjustable, and the list goes on. Personally I like black serrated front and rear sights with a thin front post and a thin rear notch, but I would have never known if I hadn’t tried a dozen various options. (Popular companies are Dawson Precision, Warren Tactical, etc)

Slide – Glock slides can be fitted to rails and this will help with trigger pull and accuracy. (JP Enterprises offers this service but it is also possible to do yourself if you can find the thread on Enos and you’re familiar with gunsmithing. I would not recommend you do this yourself if you are not experienced.)

Barrel – Accurized barrels can be used, and fitted to the gun. (Wilson Combat, KKM, Barsto, Lone Wolf Distributing, Briley offer aftermarket options)

Guide Rod – Heavier guide rods can be used to make the gun more front heavy and reduce felt recoil. (Various manufacturers offer stainless, tungsten, captured/un-captured options.)

Recoil Spring – Spring weight can be tuned to your ammo/load. (Find out what is optimal for your pet load, and understand that this may affect a custom tuned extractor and therefore your ejection pattern.)

Striker – A lightened striker with extended firing pin tip can be used for a reduced trigger weight while mitigating the risk of light strikes. Additionally, some work may be done to the foot of the striker to smooth out the part sitting against the rear of the cruciform. (Polishing an OEM part such as in this tutorial - http://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?p=1288310#post1288310, or buying something from Glockworx, Lightning Stike, or Jaeger are common options when changing strikers.)

Striker Spring – A lighter spring can be used to reduce pull weight but it should be strong enough to avoid light strikes. (Wolff, Glockworx, Glockmeister, Vanek are good options but people have also measured and cut their factory springs with mixed results if you are so inclined)

Firing Pin Safety – A rounded, lightened, polished safety can be used to reduce pull weight and smooth the "bump" that happens when the vertical section of the trigger bar pushes the firing pin safety out of the way. (Glockmeister, Glockworx, Lonewolf, and Zev offer parts to this effect but a home job is available here - http://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?p=1288350#post1288350)

Firing Pin Safety Spring – A lightened spring can be used to reduce pull weight but it should be strong enough to keep the mechanism engaged when not shooting. (Glockmeister, Glockworx, Lonewolf, Zev offer this part)

Extractor – The extractor can be custom tuned for a good ejection pattern instead of throwing brass everywhere, many Glocks have reported erractic ejection patterns to include throwing brass back at the shooter's face. According to this thread on Enos discussing the an aftermarket extractor and the rules – http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=180075, the APEX extractor is legal in Production. An APEX extractor can be bought and installed by following this link - http://www.apextactical.com/blog/index.php/random-apex/apex-glock-extractor-g-fre-fitting/)

Extractor Spring – The extractor spring needs to be correct for a tuned extractor, if you're going to use the OEM extractor then use the OEM spring. If you're going to use an APEX extractor, use the APEX spring.

Frame Parts

Grip – Apply stippling or grip tape where it is allowed. Most of the time having stippling or grip tape won't make a big difference, but sometimes it does. (Professional grade stippling is offered by a bunch of companies however an amateur job can be just as effective, and there are also multiple options for grip tape – Dawson, Gorilla, etc.)

Trigger Bar – The trigger bar can be polished with angles reduced and smoothed where it contacts other internals for a reduced and smoothed trigger pull. (There are several companies that offer “upgraded” trigger bars with drop in kits however this can be accomplished using OEM parts at this link and you'll be fine as long as you're not overly agressive - http://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?p=1287081#post1287081)

Connector – The connector should be polished and slightly bent out from the housing towards the frame to prevent contact with the backside of the connector channel in the trigger housing. (There are several companies that offer pre-polished connectors, and even a few that offer an even lighter angle of descent on the connector’s arm which will reduce trigger pull further but increase the distance the trigger travels. If you’re content with the OEM weight and just want a smoother pull, you can find out how to do it yourself here - http://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?p=1287847#post1287847)

Trigger Spring – The trigger spring can be replaced with a heavier spring for a lighter pull. (Several companies offer aftermarket trigger springs such as Glockmeister, Zev, etc)

Trigger Mechanism Housing – An overtravel stop can be built in to the housing to prevent the trigger from being pulled rearward more than necessary. (Several companies offer these with drop in kits)

I hope this information was helpful to some of you in some way, and gives you a starting off point to modify your Glock pistol into a Production Race Gun if you choose to do so. I understand that not everyone is going to see all the parts as big advantages and I don't want the thread to devolve into bickering about what's "worth" changing. If you have more parts to list, or ways to enchance a Glock and keep it Production legal, please join in on this thread.

*Diclaimer - All parts should be changed by a certified gunsmith, someone who is qualified to do the work, or yourself AT YOUR OWN RISK. Additionally, if you are unsure of the parts being legal in the division that you shoot in then check before you shoot, be able to cite the rules supporting your gear, or be ready to play in Open with the true race guns.

Edited by Moltke
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There's a lot of threads on Enos about changing this part or that part, and many posts about "I did this/that", but there's not one consolidated list of everything that can be changed. What people do with it now is up to them, but I'd like to see what other people who are familiar with other popular Production guns could do along these same lines for a M&P, Beretta, XD, whatever.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Weight may be an issue depending on some mods like a heavy guide rod (probably the biggest weight addition), but fitting in the box should not be an issue because no external mods are happening. Even if some external parts are changed, they will be the same size / profile as before (other than sights...?).

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

I've read about the internal magwell (Sevigny Speedway is one type, Accurate Iron also does one that looks nice) on some other threads. The consensus seems to be that it is legal. I haven't had it done yet, but would like to... Thoughts or suggestions?

IMHO, Glocks don't really need a magwell. I have a magwell on my Open G22 and noticed there really isn't much advantage when reloading over my production G35 without a magwell. The only reason I still have a magwell on my Open G22 is for extra weight. Again IMHO, the Glock really is too lite for Open without adding weight.

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Weight may be an issue depending on some mods like a heavy guide rod (probably the biggest weight addition), but fitting in the box should not be an issue because no external mods are happening. Even if some external parts are changed, they will be the same size / profile as before (other than sights...?).

some put base pads on their mags that make the gun not fit in the box.

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Speaking for myself, except for a very few things, I can install most of what you listed, without paying a Gunsmith big bucks.

Okay...

A.T. makes a valid point. There is actually no reason to have a gunsmith do anything to a Glock. That is the beauty of the Glock platform even over many other Production guns. With a Glocks in competition book, some tools from the garage and a kitchen table you can do virtually anything to a Glock. Also, Glocks are much more tolerant of us messing with them. You can change springs and strikers without going too overboard and they will still work just fine as long as you feed them good ammo.

I always get a kick out of the guy at gunshows who is the "Glock Doc" :sick:

Great post though with lots of good info. :cheers:

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Weight may be an issue depending on some mods like a heavy guide rod (probably the biggest weight addition), but fitting in the box should not be an issue because no external mods are happening. Even if some external parts are changed, they will be the same size / profile as before (other than sights...?).

some put base pads on their mags that make the gun not fit in the box.

Is that Prod legal?

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The "disclaimer" was added just so when someone botches a modification then I can refer them to it when they whine to me about how I led them wrong.

Like many Glock owners, I do all my own Glock work too.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Some people are just not mechanically grounded. These are the same types that hear "glock race trigger" and think of run away guns full autoing because they don't know what surfaces are the "contact" ones you give a simple polish to. These are the same people who claim using anything but factory parts will turn your glock into a malfunction factory.

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My 2 cents, quick/easy things to do to a Glock for USPSA in order of priority:

1. Get a better sight picture. Can be as simple as using razor and file to narrow the factory FS, widen the rear notch, and tone down the white dot and outline w/Sharpie pens (I liked green front sight, blue rear outline).

2. Hang as much grip tape or texturing on the gun as is legal for your division.

3. Try several people's match triggers and see if you do better with lighter, longer release/reset, or necessarily heavier, shorter release/reset.

4. Find a cheap way (there are many) to accomplish your choice on #3 above. Search this site for "vertical test" and be sure your gun passes.

5. Hang as much weight on the gun as is legal for your division. For Production this is not much. For Limited, 10-12 ounces is possible, including a mag well which is a must for all divisions but Production where you use the Plug.

That's it. Didn't mention most of the options listed in first post. If you do the above and still don't like or feel held back by your Glock, it's time to move on to a different gun platform. HTH

Edited by eric nielsen
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  • 4 weeks later...

Hello,

I recently switched from a glock-19 to G-34 for steel challenge and USPSA.

So as i understand i cannot put a zevtech extended mag release "metal" on my glock-19 but i could use a plastic mag release since the G34 comes with a plastic extended mag release correct?

Since the guide rod isnt visible in battery can i use a zevtech S.S. or tungsten guide rod and if so what rate (lbs) spring would be adventageous using in the G-19 or G34?

Titanium ejector anybody have a personal experience running one?

I already have ZEVTECH spring kit and skeletonized trigger connector and on my smiths guage we got 3.9lb average not 3.5 but it is much better than 5.5-factory. The trigger reset click did suffer with the trigger spring vs stock ive noticed.

Thank you in advance

Nobody had pics soi figure i would add one of my ZEV parts before the FLITZ and dremel.

3042c7893f3bd9e9bb41d702fca5bed3.jpg

Edited by Kimbertarget
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Hello,

I recently switched from a glock-19 to G-34 for steel challenge and USPSA.

So as i understand i cannot put a zevtech extended mag release "metal" on my glock-19 but i could use a plastic mag release since the G34 comes with a plastic extended mag release correct?

Since the guide rod isnt visible in battery can i use a zevtech S.S. or tungsten guide rod and if so what rate (lbs) spring would be adventageous using in the G-19 or G34?

Titanium ejector anybody have a personal experience running one?

I already have ZEVTECH spring kit and skeletonized trigger connector and on my smiths guage we got 3.9lb average not 3.5 but it is much better than 5.5-factory. The trigger reset click did suffer with the trigger spring vs stock ive noticed.

Thank you in advance

Nobody had pics soi figure i would add one of my ZEV parts before the FLITZ and dremel.

3042c7893f3bd9e9bb41d702fca5bed3.jpg

literally all of you rules questions are addressed in two short paragraphs in the rule book

App D4 para 21.5 and 21.6

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Really because i see Mag spring,nothing about extended mag release which is visiible. Also i was asking about spring rate since the guide rods would be legal that was my full question.

How about just a yes or no,instead of the forensics.

Can you use a metal round style non-OEM mag release?

LEGAL? NOT LEGAL?

8fc0ec5e5f4628935876e56237b2e46e.jpg

Any other part which is NOT visible when the gun is in battery is considered an internal part, MAY be modified or replaced with OEM or aftermarket parts. (Appendix D4, Rule 21.5)

Guide Rod

Recoil Spring

Striker

Spacer sleeve

Firing pin spring

Spring cups

Firing pin safety

Firing pin safety spring

Magazine Catch Spring

Extractor Depressor Plunger

Extractor Depressor Plunger Spring

Slide Lock Spring (but not slide lock lever)

Locking Block

Trigger Mechanism Housing

Ejector

Connector

Trigger Spring

Trigger Bar

Channel Liner

Externally Visible Parts (OEM/Aftermarket)

Sights, firing pins, firing pin retainers, extractors and ejectors MAY be replaced with OEM or aftermarket parts. (Appendix D4, Rule 21.6)

Sights

Frame pins?

Extractor

Edited by Kimbertarget
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OK I'll try again. We are talking USPSA rule book right?

D4 21.6 A factory/OEM magazine release which extends
only the length of the magazine release may be used.
A magazine release which provides larger surface
area (paddles, buttons) may only be used if it is an
OEM part available on an approved model of gun.
so obviously the mag release you show is illegal with the button.
Spring? 13 lbs is optimum for most G34's in Production. Stay away from Tungsten guide rods because you still have to make weight.
The rules don't get much more clear than what I told you earlier. You can't just read 4 lines of a rule and think that's all there is to it.
You also should not bring your 31 posts on here and be a dick to somebody trying to help you learn the rules.
As far as I'm concerned you can figure the rest of it out on your own. Good luck.
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