Glocks are great pistols for a variety of reasons. They’re cheap. They run no matter what, and they are easy to upgrade. For these reasons I decided to upgrade my Glock 17, including custom cerakoting, adding a red dot sight, and much more. Keep reading to see if I made a killer Glock, or a hunk of junk!
The allure of a custom gun is strong, especially for those who’ve been shooting stock guns for a while. There’s just one problem with custom guns. They often don’t work very well. Ask anyone who’s modified their pistol significantly, and you’re likely to find someone who’s run into serious issues with that firearm.
My initial intention with this build was to create a custom Glock 17 that would be suitable for shooting in the USPSA Carry Optics Division. I knew that if I was going to shoot this in competition, I absolutely could not build a finicky toy gun, that only occasionally worked. To compound this difficulty, I would be doing nearly all the work myself, with the aid of Youtube. Needless to say, I’m no gunsmith.
This lead me to look for modifications that were well designed, from a manufacturer that had a great reputation in the industry. As a result, I contacted Taran Tactical and they agreed to provided several of their products, in exchange for an honest review. Needless to say, their gear performed flawlessly, and I figure if it’s good enough for John Wick, it’s good enough for me.
The Custom Glock Build List
I started this build with a Glock 17 Generation 4. I have had this pistol for several years, and just kept it lying around in the safe. I’ve found this pistol to shoot well, and perform reliably for a bone stock firearm. To be honest, it was like driving a Toyota Corolla, sure it worked all the time, but you weren’t exactly excited about driving it.
I then decided that my next addition to the pistol would be a quality, durable red dot sight. After scouring the internets, and reviewing my old article on red dots and pistols, I came to the conclusion that I would add the Leupold Delta Point Pro, with the 7.5 MOA Triangle reticle. I chose that version specifically as many competition shooters prefer the large reticle for close targets. They will then use the tip of the triangle for difficult targets, giving them both speed and accuracy on all targets.
In order to mount the optic on my stock Gen 4 slide, I had to get it milled. For this I turned to Fabricated Arms. If you’ve read my previous article about custom Sig Sauer P365’s you’ll know that Chris at Fabricated Arms does great work.
He did an amazing job for me, creating a custom version of his predator slide. The optic was cut into the slide incredibly precisely. In fact, the optic would stay in the notch, without the screws, even when the slide was turned sideways. This precise mill work is crucial for red dot optics. If it slides in the notch, it will batter itself to death by recoil, and will not hold a zero.
Glock 17 Gen 4 Custom Frame Work
Frame work on a Glock is actually something that is easy to do yourself. I’ve stippled tons of things previously, but never a whole pistol. To help out with this, I purchased a stipple kit from OT Defense. This included several tips, and patterns I could choose for the firearm.
First, I completely disassembled the frame, sanding it smooth. I then undercut the trigger guard slightly, and got to work with the stippling. I chose the waffle tip, and spent about 2 hours stippling the frame. It turned out better than I expected.
I then sent the slide and finished frame to get cerakoted. I told the company I wanted a multicam black finish but as you can see they interpreted that as more of a navy blue. I wasn’t thrilled with the coating, but the colors are starting to grow on me.
If you like this type of article and want to get more like it sent directly to your inbox, then click here to join the Tier Three Team. It’s totally free, and totally awesome. If you don’t, I’ll assume that you support Jane Fonda.
Modifying Glock Internals
Because this is a competition gun, it needs a competition trigger. Taran Tactical sent me their excellent Grandmaster Connector Kit. This was fairly easy to install, after watching a few videos online.
This trigger reduced the pull weight between 3-5lbs. Each Glock is different, but I found mine to be roughly 3lbs. The trigger itself is light and smooth, but don’t expect it to be a custom 1911. There is very little stacking, and there is no clear “wall” on the trigger. To be clear, there never was a clear wall on this Glock trigger, just an area where you knew the wall should be.
Most importantly this trigger is reliable and predictable. This allows you to learn where the trigger breaks, and work the trigger quickly. I’m not much of a trigger snob, and I can’t for-see a reason why I would ever need anything different on my Glock.
I also installed a Taran Tactical Tungsten Guide Rod and Spring. This added some much needed weight to the front of the pistol. The idea is to reduce muzzle flip at the front of the gun. I don’t know if I can feel any particular difference, but the gun does feel a little better to me with the weight out front.
Modifying Glock Controls
The last items on the agenda were to modify the external controls and parts. I added an extended slide release, which was crucial, as it was very easy to slip off of the factory slide release.
I also added a brass grip plug, which adds weight to the firearm as well. I normally shoot steel guns in competition, and I wanted to bring the weight of this Glock closer in line with what I’m accustomed to.
The final addition to the Glock was Taran Tactical +5/6 Basepads. These are legal for Carry Optics Division, and when added to stock Glock 17 Magazines, brings them up to 23 rounds in the tube. Check out the image below for the full build list and prices.
How Does My Gucci Glock Shoot?
I was fully expecting that all of these modifications would affect my pistol’s reliability. I was planning on painstakingly swapping out parts until it functioned well. As it turns out, I had nothing to worry about. So far I’ve put between 500-700 rounds through the pistol, and it has had no malfunctions.
My first range trip included zeroing the Delta Point Pro. This was very easy, something I attribute to the quality machine work from Fabricated Arms. I only had to move the tip of the triangle a few inches down and that was it.
I then put several hundred rounds through the gun in about 30 minutes. I wanted to see how it would work when the gun, and the new parts started to heat up. It worked quite well. However, I did notice more heat coming off of the barrel, due to the relief cuts in the slide. It’s no big deal, just something I noticed compared to full slide guns.
Gucci Glock Accuracy
As readers of this website will know, I tend not to shoot groups from a bench. I prefer to accuracy test the firearm in the manner it would be expected to perform in the real world. Is this the best way to do this? I don’t know, but it makes a certain sense to me.
At the range, I was shooting IPSC C zone steel targets, which are roughly 12 inches wide, by 18in tall. I then began to do a little drill where I shot a round, and walked back about 5 yards every time I hit the target. I kept this up until I missed.
I think I’m going to have to get a bigger range, because I was able to walk all the way back to the fence line, which was 80 yards from the targets. At the 80 yard line, I put four shots on steel without any particular trouble.
I don’t chalk that up to any particular skill of mine, more so towards the accuracy of the red dot, and light trigger pull. Had I more room, I’m sure I could have hit steel at 100+ yards.
I also believe that the added weight helped me shoot the gun quickly. The pistol, as it stands now, is 7.75 ounces heavier than stock, bringing the total weight of the gun with an empty mag to 40.5 ounces. Obviously, this is lighter than a full steel gun, like my CZ Shadow 2, but it feels much better in hand.
I know many new red dot shooters complain about losing the dot in the window, especially when shooting quickly. This never happened to me, for several reasons. One, the Delta Point Pro has a larger window than the Trijicon RMR. Two, the weight, aggressive stippling, and lightening cuts in the slide all help to tame the mighty recoil of the 9mm round. This gun shoots flat!
What Parts are the Most Crucial?
Often times folks who review guns just tell you how awesome the thing they did, or shot was. They don’t really convey what parts of the experience actually matter. For example, while I like the added weight to the Glock frame from the grip plug, and the guide rod, I don’t think it was affecting my shooting much at all.
If I were doing a budget version of this build, I would start with the same pistol, and I would definitely have Fabricated Arms do the milling again. I’d go with the same optic, and I would also install the Taran Tactical Grandmaster Connector Kit. I’d stipple the gun, as that is easy and cheap to do. This would leave you with nearly the same pistol for about half the price!
Everything else was nice, and made the pistol a little more unique, but it wasn’t crucial to the performance. Some folks will wonder why I didn’t swap the stock barrel.
To be perfectly honest, you can squeeze more mechanical accuracy out of the gun with a better barrel, but I don’t think that is the limiting factor to my shooting ability. It’s kind of like adding another 100 horsepower to a race car with bad breaks. You’ve got to get your priorities in order!
Moreover, I did not install iron sights for a specific reason. First, they aren’t needed in a carry optics gun, and secondly I don’t believe they are needed in a self defense gun. Hear me out.
If your red dot fails or becomes obscured, you can still use the aiming window as a rough sight. If you dry fire any kind of regularly, you should be able to hit a man sized target, within 7 yards, without using sights. Your index should be good enough to allow that. I’m not advocating not using sights, I’m just pointing out that you still have methods of aiming that don’t require you lining up three dots on your slide.
Final Thoughts
I plan on shooting this gun for a year or so and then competing in some Carry Optics Division USPSA Matches. I fully believe that red dots on pistols will become as commonplace as they are on rifles. There is good evidence that they help novice and expert shooters alike!
Overall, this build was quite enjoyable. I improved some of my shade tree gun smithing skills, and learned that not all modifications are the devil. Will I use this gun for home defense? Hell no! But I’m sure it won’t hold me back in my next pistol match. Now get out there, and get training!
Any link to Amazon or Brownells is an affiliate link. That means if you make purchases after clicking on the link they pay us a referral fee, at no cost to you. It helps pay for cool reviews like this one. We appreciate the support.
