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MOS or Milled slide


Hunter1998

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Ready to enter carry optics.

Was planning on purchasing a Glock 34 MOS, fellow shooter recommends having current slide milled. Said it would be a more precise fit and had  other benefits. Any advice on this? 

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Milled slide allows the dot to be mounted closer to the bore, and is easier to get "used to".  

 

MOS allows you to mount different red dots if you change your mind later about the brand of optic you want to run.  

 

End of the day, you make your choice, and pay your money. 

 

There is no one "RIGHT ANSWER"!  If there was, it would be much easier, huh?  

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Some more thoughts...  

 

If you strip a thread in the plate system, you just buy a new plate.  If you strip a thread in the slide, it has to be drilled out and re-tapped, or worse.  

 

The milled slide looks "neater" because the pocket is milled JUST for the optic you are using.  

 

If you DO decide to have the slide milled, make sure whoever does the machine work understands the correct angle to mill it, and leaves "bosses" for the optic to index one.  Makes it more secure, IMO.  

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Another option is to buy an aftermarket slide for your pistol that has already been milled...  Like one of these:  

 

https://www.brownells.com/handgun-parts/slide-parts/slides/rmr-cut-slide-for-glock-34-prod125167.aspx?avs|Make~~Model_1=Glock__34  

 

http://primarymachine.com/glock-ucc-basic-slide-w-internals/  

 

Lots of other choices out there as well...  

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My thoughts are, I can buy a complete gun with mos plate for under $700.00 vs slide work or aftermarket slide for $400.00 to 

$600.00 depending on variation.

That would have better resale value in future. 

 

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I personally like the idea of factory plate system. 

 

I've never tried one that's been milled. Even though I've never tired one, I don't believe it to be any better or worse. 

 

I'd say choose whichever option is easier/cheeper for you.  

 

 

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I like the MOS approach because dot technology and mounting patterns are most likely to change before I wear a Glock out. 

 

That being said said you can get a much cleaner look with less opportunities for failure with a dedicated slide cut.... I just don’t like being married to a single optic or pattern. 

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I would go MOS. There are a few companies coming out with plates for the MOS which hug the dot instead of leaving it open on the front and back. That should fix any issues with a lack of support and even though the dot will sit a little bit lower being milled, once you get used to it, you'll have no problem with the MOS. Plus being able to change dots if you have issues or something new comes out is an invaluable option.

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I’ve done both and to be honest I’m not sure which one I like better.  You definitely have more flexibility with the MOS and maybe it comes at a price (slightly higher sight, less support for the optic) but I don’t have high enough yearly round counts to see any difference.  At the end of the day the actual red dot is most often the weak link, some can last awhile and some break within a few hundred rounds.

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After playing around with MOS, I'd do a milled slide personally.  The advantage is flexibility for an MOS, but they are mounted too high for a naturally presentation IMHO.  Yes, you could get used to it to where it isn't an issue, but then you'd probably be presenting low with your iron sight pistols.  Just my two cents...

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I'd go with the MOS just for the sake of changing dots. Unless you have a lot of time with a particular dot that you know you will stay with. I know a lot of dots have the same footprint but I'd still like the option of using any dot I want. 

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  • 1 month later...
On 7/15/2019 at 10:25 AM, fbzero said:

After playing around with MOS, I'd do a milled slide personally.  The advantage is flexibility for an MOS, but they are mounted too high for a naturally presentation IMHO.  Yes, you could get used to it to where it isn't an issue, but then you'd probably be presenting low with your iron sight pistols.  Just my two cents...

How much lower would a milled slide be over MOS slide?  Thanks!

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1 hour ago, Snowman50 said:

How much lower would a milled slide be over MOS slide?  Thanks!


I can't answer that in terms of an exact measurement, as I do not have any of mine milled currently(considering it, but with a baby on the way it doesn't seem like a very good use of money right now).  I'm going off of comparing my MOS to friend's milled slides.  When I present mine, the dot tends to be out of view until I push down a bit.  This doesn't happen with the milled slides that friends have let me take a look at, presumably because they are sitting some amount lower.  I never measured it though.

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32 minutes ago, fbzero said:


I can't answer that in terms of an exact measurement, as I do not have any of mine milled currently(considering it, but with a baby on the way it doesn't seem like a very good use of money right now).  I'm going off of comparing my MOS to friend's milled slides.  When I present mine, the dot tends to be out of view until I push down a bit.  This doesn't happen with the milled slides that friends have let me take a look at, presumably because they are sitting some amount lower.  I never measured it though.

Are your friends milled slides for glock?  I ask because  Glocks POA is lower than 1911's, CZ's, etc.

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1 hour ago, fbzero said:


I can't answer that in terms of an exact measurement, as I do not have any of mine milled currently(considering it, but with a baby on the way it doesn't seem like a very good use of money right now).  I'm going off of comparing my MOS to friend's milled slides.  When I present mine, the dot tends to be out of view until I push down a bit.  This doesn't happen with the milled slides that friends have let me take a look at, presumably because they are sitting some amount lower.  I never measured it though.

I have a hard time buying that. My only red dot glock is a milled brownells slide on a Gen 3. I have to kink my wrist down a slight bit to naturally index the dot. if i present like I would with irons, the dot isn't there. 

 

So, said another way, IMO both a milled and MOS Glock require different presentation and you'd have to get used to either option if coming from irons. 

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On 7/12/2019 at 6:53 PM, Hunter1998 said:

My thoughts are, I can buy a complete gun with mos plate for under $700.00 vs slide work or aftermarket slide for $400.00 to 

$600.00 depending on variation.

That would have better resale value in future. 

 

 

If you're spending $400-$600 to have a Glock slide milled, you got hosed. $75-$125 is about right, depending who does it and how. The cost of milling is very comparable to the MOS upgrade cost. 

Milled slides hold the optic more securely and can handle more abuse. The MOS system gives you flexibility in optics choices if you're someone who wants to buy several red dots and try them out, but most of the time when I've seen that it's guys trying to buy cheap optics, and they end up spending more in the long run than just starting with an RMR or DPP. 

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12 hours ago, TrackCage said:

I have a hard time buying that. My only red dot glock is a milled brownells slide on a Gen 3. I have to kink my wrist down a slight bit to naturally index the dot. if i present like I would with irons, the dot isn't there. 

 

So, said another way, IMO both a milled and MOS Glock require different presentation and you'd have to get used to either option if coming from irons. 

 

 

^^^ This has been my experience. I was quite used to my G35 with irons until my presbyopia (natural loss of near vision with age) made it impossible to see the front sight..

 

Two of my three Glock pistols (G35 and G17) have red dots now but my G22 with Crimson Trace laser grip does not for obvious reasons.

 

After shooting for almost 25 years with irons, it has taken a lot of practice to get my presentations consistent with the red dots so they are in view. I walk around the house with an empty gun and point at light bulbs, electrical switches, hinges on doors, etc. in attempt to develop the new muscle memory. Slow progress is being made.

 

The second challenge of the red dot is keeping both eyes open and leading with the eyes to the next target as the gun follows and shooting as soon as the dot arrives (a la Frank Procter). I am having the same problem with my PCC and AR when trying to prepare for matches with closer targets where both eyes open is faster.

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20 hours ago, Snowman50 said:

Are your friends milled slides for glock?  I ask because  Glocks POA is lower than 1911's, CZ's, etc.

Yes, they are Glock.  IMHO, it would be pointless to compare this between entirely different styles of firearm.

 

19 hours ago, TrackCage said:

I have a hard time buying that. My only red dot glock is a milled brownells slide on a Gen 3. I have to kink my wrist down a slight bit to naturally index the dot. if i present like I would with irons, the dot isn't there. 

 

So, said another way, IMO both a milled and MOS Glock require different presentation and you'd have to get used to either option if coming from irons. 

I don't entirely agree with your statement here.  The part I agree with is that a red dot sitting higher than iron sights is going to present differently.  There's no getting around it.  The difference is to what extreme that is.  A milled red dot sits lower than a MOS model with a plate, though still not as low as iron sights with 99% of red dots out there(there are 1-2 options that will co-witness with standard iron sights on a milled slide).

 

For me, it seems to work like this:
MOS:  I present as I would with irons, red dot is out of the window(high).  I can press down to bring it into the picture.

 

Milled:  I present as I would with irons, red dot is high in the window, but not out.  I can confidently hit my target without adjusting my presentation.

To me, of those two options, milled would be my preference.  The most preferred option would be a dot that would co-witness with standard sights on a milled slide to keep the same presentation.  Reviews on the ones available currently aren't solid enough for me to take a leap of faith that they will be reliable.

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