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CO - Dovetail Mount v. Slide Melt Pros and Cons


acpie360

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The particular gun in question is a G34, but I think the question applies to all guns in general. Guys who shoot CO at the moment tell me they don't really care for the front/rear BUIS. With dovetail mount, it is pretty much a DIY project and I can always have the option of changing to a different optic or go back to Production. Yes, the sight will sit higher with an adapter plate installed, but how much does it matter? Help me making the decision. Thanks.

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Currently I run a Gen 4 Glock 34 with Burris FF3 using the dovetail mount. It works fine. In March I'll be migrating to a Glock 17 MOS and will be able to mount it on the side. I don't think that's going to make a difference either. How serious are you about CO? If you just want to give it a try then I would stick with the dovetail mount. I plan to shoot it exclusively from now on so that's why I'm migrating to the 17 MOS.

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... How serious are you about CO? If you just want to give it a try then I would stick with the dovetail mount. I plan to shoot it exclusively from now on so that's why I'm migrating to the 17 MOS.

Zack, that's a good question. I guess unless I shoot a few matches, otherwise I would never know. Anyway, I spoke to a local gunsmith this morning. He's a bit iffy on using the dovetail adapter. He said the dovetail on Glock is generally considered "thin" and may not have enough to hold down the sight over time. The MOS is very attractive but first of all it is hard to get in my area and it is as expensive as a high end RDS, which leads back to the question you asked as to how much commitment I have for this division. Thanks for the reply.

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... How serious are you about CO? If you just want to give it a try then I would stick with the dovetail mount. I plan to shoot it exclusively from now on so that's why I'm migrating to the 17 MOS.

Zack, that's a good question. I guess unless I shoot a few matches, otherwise I would never know. Anyway, I spoke to a local gunsmith this morning. He's a bit iffy on using the dovetail adapter. He said the dovetail on Glock is generally considered "thin" and may not have enough to hold down the sight over time. The MOS is very attractive but first of all it is hard to get in my area and it is as expensive as a high end RDS, which leads back to the question you asked as to how much commitment I have for this division. Thanks for the reply.

Average dovetail mounts are $40-50. Cheap way to see if you like CO. It should last long enough to give you feedback. Are you dead set on Glock? There are other choices within a reasonable price point.

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Zack, that's a good question. I guess unless I shoot a few matches, otherwise I would never know. Anyway, I spoke to a local gunsmith this morning. He's a bit iffy on using the dovetail adapter. He said the dovetail on Glock is generally considered "thin" and may not have enough to hold down the sight over time. The MOS is very attractive but first of all it is hard to get in my area and it is as expensive as a high end RDS, which leads back to the question you asked as to how much commitment I have for this division. Thanks for the reply.

I'll be picking up my 17 MOS today so I'll be swapping over but on my Non-MOS 17 I felt the dovetail mount worked very well. I wouldn't hesitate to keep using it. I did use blue locktite on all screws. Which sight are you considering? I'm running a Burris FF3 on mine.

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Zack, my G34 is only a Gen 3 so MOS isn't available and all Gen 4 Glocks are not on CA approved list. I am not dead set on a particular RDS at the moment but if I go with the slide cut option, I'll have Mark Housel from L&M do the work. He's a Trijicon dealer and does fantastic job.

On a perhaps related subject - Would the slide cut weaken the structure around the extractor port area as the metal looks so thin in this picture?

Extractor_port.jpg

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Zack, that's a good question. I guess unless I shoot a few matches, otherwise I would never know. Anyway, I spoke to a local gunsmith this morning. He's a bit iffy on using the dovetail adapter. He said the dovetail on Glock is generally considered "thin" and may not have enough to hold down the sight over time. The MOS is very attractive but first of all it is hard to get in my area and it is as expensive as a high end RDS, which leads back to the question you asked as to how much commitment I have for this division. Thanks for the reply.

I'll be picking up my 17 MOS today so I'll be swapping over but on my Non-MOS 17 I felt the dovetail mount worked very well. I wouldn't hesitate to keep using it. I did use blue locktite on all screws. Which sight are you considering? I'm running a Burris FF3 on mine.
Not a high-stress area.

Zack, my G34 is only a Gen 3 so MOS isn't available and all Gen 4 Glocks are not on CA approved list. I am not dead set on a particular RDS at the moment but if I go with the slide cut option, I'll have Mark Housel from L&M do the work. He's a Trijicon dealer and does fantastic job.

On a perhaps related subject - Would the slide cut weaken the structure around the extractor port area as the metal looks so thin in this picture?

Extractor_port.jpg

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Check with Springer Precision for a dovetail mount for your Glock. I think their one-piece mounts are the best I've seen.

I shoot dots both ways. There is a difference, but whether it means much to you depends on the range of targets you shoot. With the dovetail mounted dot sighted in for 25 yards, I'm 3/4" low at 14 and a little lower at 50. Sighted in for 14 yards, I'm 1+" (4-4.5MOA) high at 25 and about right on at 50. Since my dot is 8MOA, I aim using the top of the dot when shooting precisely at 25 yards.

With the slide mounted dot (my slide was custom milled) zeroed at 25, you are essentially right on at 14 and 36. I haven't shot this at 50, so I don't know POA for that yet.

I shoot both equally well, but I can't go back and forth. The gun has to come up differently for each.

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zzt - What I ended up doing is to buy an aftermarket G34 slide with front serration made by Glock Store Performance Center at $309. I am going to send the aftermarket slide and Burris FF3 to Mark Housel of L&M Precision Gunworks in NC for the slide milling work. The route I am taking allows me to leave my Prod compliant G34 factory slide intact and shoot the CO Division.

Once I have everything ready, I'll sight in my CO G34 at 25-yard. IMHO, you rarely have to go for anything beyond 50-yard except perhaps some classifier stages.

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That's the way to go acpie360. Then, when you tire of CO you can buy a barrel/comp combo and turn it into an Open gun. That's what i did. Two complete uppers, one for Limited and one for Open. Changeover takes about ten seconds.

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Can you use an aftermarket slide in CO? I thought the only modifications that could be made to the slide in CO is to accommodate the optic being mounted?

SLIDES: Current rules remain in effect –You may replace the slide with an OFM or aftermarket slide which is of the same length, contour and caliber as the original slide for that model of gun.

A slide may be modified specifically for the purpose of installing optical sights or cocking serrations. Textured finishes, grip tape, milling or stippling on the slide to provide texture is also allowed. Cuts that are designed to specifically or significantly lighten the slide, such as holes, are ruled as competitive advantage and prohibited.

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I had a G34 gen-3 and a C-More RTS2 sitting around. The RTS2 won't fit the MOS opening, so I bought a dovetail mount from C-More. Installation was easy. There seems to be about a 2 inch vertical difference between 7 yards and 25 yards. I think that I will be sticking with this layout for a while.

Skip

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I wanted to try carry optics and I already had a Glock 34. So I figured the dovetail mount was the easiest, cheapest way to decide whether I liked it. So far, so good.

I don't really see any problem with the offset and I haven't had any problems with security of the mount. Perhaps I'll eventually get another slide, or have this slide milled, but for the interim, the dovetail mount is working fine.

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