While stock is fine my personal "evolution" (mod. wise) after somewhere in excess of 250,000 rds. through my guns since '90 or '91 are simple, inexpensive, do not adversely affect reliability, & are the same ones (or some of the same ones) done by most Instructors or Advanced students/ "serial trainers" that I've encountered over the years.
Many people after trying one of my modded guns compared to theirs decided to mod theirs out the same way or at least include part of the mods.
Not that what I do to mine is that special. I have said many times that I've found in life that if professionals in an industry or occupation are consistently doing or using something, whether it be a technique or a piece of equipment... they are probably doing it for a good reason.
Most of these mods are ones I've learned from others over the years.
Highly recommended Mods (pics. on post #18 in this thread):
1. Metal, quality combat sights. My personal favorites are the Ameriglo I-Dot Pro's with the orange front outline. They are rugged, precise, low snag, very fast to pickup, & have the Heinie "Straight 8" tritium dot over a dot system. Some people prefer the Trijicon H-D's that are very similar but more expensive. Huge improvement over the factory "slot-fillers".
I've found them to be a good all around set of sights & have them on most of my guns. For dedicated target guns either the Warren/ Sevigny brand ( I have two sets of them on class "loaner" guns) or Dawson Precision are very popular.
2. Addition of a " - " connector. Slightly lightens the trigger & gives a smooth, clean, crisp break w/ minimal aftertravel. I have found the Lone Wolf Minus Connector to be my personal favorite & order them several at a time. The Ghost seems popular as well.
I insisted on staying with the stock one until attending Rogers Shooting School & shooting around 2000 rds. in 3 days.
Those one handed ( weak or strong side) shots at 20 yds. when the 8" plate is only exposed for 1/2 to 2 or 3 seconds made me a believer of the minus connector. For me & several other shooters I've spoken or trained with experience slightly higher miss rates with the stock connector. During quick one handed shots even a slight twitch will produce a miss out at 15-20+ yards on small targets.
Plus saving that pound 2000 times helped reduce trigger finger exhaustion.
3. Addition of a section of bicycle innertube over the factory grip. The factory grip on the Gen. 4's specifically, are a bit aggressive & will chafe ones side if it is carried against bare skin. If ones hand/ fingers become wet...whether it be due to rain, sweat, or blood the shooter can lose their consistent grip. Most of the aftermarket grips add too much bulk & can be pricey. The bike innertube is usually free & adds almost zero bulk while adding just the right amount of non-skid feel/ texture. This is an old Cop trick that was used on revolvers.
4. Addition of a smooth faced trigger bar replacing the serrated one. The serrated trigger bar causes the trigger finger to go numb during high round count sessions & can be uncomfortable in even short sessions but to many shooters including myself the smooth trigger bar has a much better "feel" or engagement than the serrated one.
Less Important Mods.:
5. Extended slide lock/ release. Helpful during one handed manipulations & faster and or more sure than the factory one for those who use it. This is a not a "must have" but some like it. As long as reliability is not sacrificed it is preferred by some shooters.
If you prefer to use the "over the top" or "slingshot" technique" as taught by most schools... go with it.
I always have but most of the shooters that I've spent time with who have been in firefights "downrange" & had to use a pistol use the slide lock/ release where possible or the other techniques if need be such as when wearing gloves. Too many people obsess or overthink this issue. In my school I demonstrate all 3, discuss the advantages/ disadvantages of each, tell them to practice, then pick what they prefer for their needs but to know practice/ know all of them.
6. Vickers/ Tango Down mag. release. If the factory one works well, run it. If you have issues with mags. sticking during fast, weak-hand, or high stress reloads you might try this mod. out. Larry Vickers knows his way around a Glock & came up with this for a reason. Some of my guns run fine w/o it... others run better with it.
7. Scherer extended butt plug. Again, this is not a "must-have" item but can have some benefits for some shooters. This small unobtrusive addition acts like a mini- magwell helping drive slightly off center reloads home. It also helps reduce the awful pinch experienced on the palm when seating a standard length G-19/23 mag. home hard in that size gun. A better solution that always works is to just use the larger G-17/22 mag. for reloads. In addition to avoiding the palm pinch you have more surface area to grab to correct a double feed malfunction & pick up a couple more rounds w/o really losing any concealability mag-wise.
It does require that you clean the grip channel behind the magwell out frequently as debris can build up over time.
While each person may not feel the need for any, much less all of these mods., these are the most popular mods. that I use & have seen in use by professionals and serious students.
* Of course as J. Cooper always put first, reliability is the most important consideration. For a defensive firearm it is critical to test any mod out to make sure it works for you on your gun.
If your stock gun runs fine for you... go with it.
Many people after trying one of my modded guns compared to theirs decided to mod theirs out the same way or at least include part of the mods.
Not that what I do to mine is that special. I have said many times that I've found in life that if professionals in an industry or occupation are consistently doing or using something, whether it be a technique or a piece of equipment... they are probably doing it for a good reason.
Most of these mods are ones I've learned from others over the years.
Highly recommended Mods (pics. on post #18 in this thread):
1. Metal, quality combat sights. My personal favorites are the Ameriglo I-Dot Pro's with the orange front outline. They are rugged, precise, low snag, very fast to pickup, & have the Heinie "Straight 8" tritium dot over a dot system. Some people prefer the Trijicon H-D's that are very similar but more expensive. Huge improvement over the factory "slot-fillers".
I've found them to be a good all around set of sights & have them on most of my guns. For dedicated target guns either the Warren/ Sevigny brand ( I have two sets of them on class "loaner" guns) or Dawson Precision are very popular.
2. Addition of a " - " connector. Slightly lightens the trigger & gives a smooth, clean, crisp break w/ minimal aftertravel. I have found the Lone Wolf Minus Connector to be my personal favorite & order them several at a time. The Ghost seems popular as well.
I insisted on staying with the stock one until attending Rogers Shooting School & shooting around 2000 rds. in 3 days.
Those one handed ( weak or strong side) shots at 20 yds. when the 8" plate is only exposed for 1/2 to 2 or 3 seconds made me a believer of the minus connector. For me & several other shooters I've spoken or trained with experience slightly higher miss rates with the stock connector. During quick one handed shots even a slight twitch will produce a miss out at 15-20+ yards on small targets.
Plus saving that pound 2000 times helped reduce trigger finger exhaustion.
3. Addition of a section of bicycle innertube over the factory grip. The factory grip on the Gen. 4's specifically, are a bit aggressive & will chafe ones side if it is carried against bare skin. If ones hand/ fingers become wet...whether it be due to rain, sweat, or blood the shooter can lose their consistent grip. Most of the aftermarket grips add too much bulk & can be pricey. The bike innertube is usually free & adds almost zero bulk while adding just the right amount of non-skid feel/ texture. This is an old Cop trick that was used on revolvers.
4. Addition of a smooth faced trigger bar replacing the serrated one. The serrated trigger bar causes the trigger finger to go numb during high round count sessions & can be uncomfortable in even short sessions but to many shooters including myself the smooth trigger bar has a much better "feel" or engagement than the serrated one.
Less Important Mods.:
5. Extended slide lock/ release. Helpful during one handed manipulations & faster and or more sure than the factory one for those who use it. This is a not a "must have" but some like it. As long as reliability is not sacrificed it is preferred by some shooters.
If you prefer to use the "over the top" or "slingshot" technique" as taught by most schools... go with it.
I always have but most of the shooters that I've spent time with who have been in firefights "downrange" & had to use a pistol use the slide lock/ release where possible or the other techniques if need be such as when wearing gloves. Too many people obsess or overthink this issue. In my school I demonstrate all 3, discuss the advantages/ disadvantages of each, tell them to practice, then pick what they prefer for their needs but to know practice/ know all of them.
6. Vickers/ Tango Down mag. release. If the factory one works well, run it. If you have issues with mags. sticking during fast, weak-hand, or high stress reloads you might try this mod. out. Larry Vickers knows his way around a Glock & came up with this for a reason. Some of my guns run fine w/o it... others run better with it.
7. Scherer extended butt plug. Again, this is not a "must-have" item but can have some benefits for some shooters. This small unobtrusive addition acts like a mini- magwell helping drive slightly off center reloads home. It also helps reduce the awful pinch experienced on the palm when seating a standard length G-19/23 mag. home hard in that size gun. A better solution that always works is to just use the larger G-17/22 mag. for reloads. In addition to avoiding the palm pinch you have more surface area to grab to correct a double feed malfunction & pick up a couple more rounds w/o really losing any concealability mag-wise.
It does require that you clean the grip channel behind the magwell out frequently as debris can build up over time.
While each person may not feel the need for any, much less all of these mods., these are the most popular mods. that I use & have seen in use by professionals and serious students.
* Of course as J. Cooper always put first, reliability is the most important consideration. For a defensive firearm it is critical to test any mod out to make sure it works for you on your gun.
If your stock gun runs fine for you... go with it.
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