Just as I have posted my Glock 42 & 43, I have decided to post the Glock 19! Plenty of Pm's asking about the work and mods, as well as recommendations on shops. Well, For me, Glocks are all about 2 things (outside the reliability and simplification of the weapon system) 1. Keeping them stock and really putting them to work (IE Carry, Train, Defend), or 2. Piecing them together to match your own personality and have fun. Since Glocks are so simple, most of us can play with them and get them to a place where we really can enjoy them! In traditional super extra cool Glock fanboy fashion, this one is called "Symba". I've owned this 19 for well over 4 years and she was pretty beat up when I decided to give it a facelift.
As most of you all know, I am really a 1911 guy at heart and have posted some of the finest 1911's that have ever graced this earth.... so in saying that, I am usually not big on plastic striker fired guns (outside of Glocks). So it just makes sense to pretty up a few of the old ones I had laying around. This gun shoots like a dream! I have not had a chance to throw major amounts of rounds down range since putting in the Lantac barrel, but enough to know its very nice!
Let me take a moment and outline what I did with the pistol and actually run down the features on it, and why I did what I did.
When I was considering doing this, I wanted to really read up on after market Glock mods, and find the guys taking Glock to another level... in terms of craftsmanship and pushing the weapon to its limits... thats the point right! I would say the same for 1911 smiths!
First the Slide: The slide cuts were done by Loki Tactical... This is probably the least functional upgrade on the entire gun and one that I wanted pretty much because I liked the look of it. The windows serve no major purpose (yeah yeah Glock fan boys will talk about faster cycle time...blah blah. This is a carry gun... not a competition gun. No one wants to hear about cycle times... With that said, the chamfers, and serrations on the sides are crazy good! Far, far better than stock and very much useful if needed for manipulation off of a surface if you were down to one hand. To add to that, the front mouth gives some manipulation advantages as well. The milling and work done is very nice. Before anyone gets to crazy here, I 100% understand that the slide is technically "weaker" now and that front end might not be as beneficial as I think given the wrong circumstances. I get it, no need to go there. Again, I like it and I find the pros out weigh the cons.
When it comes to the Frame: I could have sent it to 5B or a ton of other really talented guys who are stippling Glock frames, but one really stood out to me. Sean Harder over at Flayed Customs. I had never seen such perfect Glock frame work before. Its clean and pushes the limits to anything I have seen done in terms of stipple work. The top finger cut and double under cut, with removal of gen 4 finger grooves allows for my hand to naturally fit perfectly on the frame (unlike before). It gives the ability to grip the gun much, much higher than stock or even a lot of traditional stipple jobs. The actual frame reduction also allows for a far better grip, and control of the weapon... Additional cuts outs and Angled trigger guard work, Glove bevels (and opening the trigger gaurd up), magwel shaping and blending, along with the perfect texture for carry makes this fame special. The stipple work and boarders are aggressive, but not overly uncomfortable (esp if its hitting your skin on IWB carry). Not only functional but, it looks amazing! I can honestly say I have not seen a better Glock frame than this one!
The Trigger: This comes in from Johnny Glocks, which for me is the absolute gold standard in Glock trigger work. Jack really does know his stuff and understands exactly how to make a better trigger than stock and still stay 100% reliable. There are not many triggers I would trust in terms of lightening up springs, esp for carry or combat use, but he is one! In addition to that, the flat faced poly shoe has some advantages over an aluminum one (less carbon build up is the one I will note causing issues if its not cleaned up over a long period of time). To add to that, the flat triggers just work for me. The feel better, I can control the firearm much better, and the flat shoes give a false sense of travel for me which is what makes it feel lighter.
The barrel... Is it more accurate? Probably not however, I am a hand-loader and although I know you can shoot lead out of a hex/poly rifle barrel, I personally do not like to. For me, it was really the biggest reason to swap barrels... and its just what I did. I know the "TIN/gold" barrel is really played out but, I have been a fan of the looks since day one. I used to own a Salient G19 with TIN barrel... so it was only natural to go back to that for this one. Call me lame, I dont care... Its mine and I like it, all that matters here
! I will say of all the aftermarket barrels I have had in Glocks over the years, the Lantac is by far the tightest out of the box fit.
Sights... Glock plastic just doesnt do it for me, and I have a hard time using them to be totally honest. Since I did change out the sights... why not go with the same ones that are 42 and 43 for consistency reasons!
Mag Extensions... easy enough... more bullets is more better especially in a gun fight.
Extended Controls... These are not really necessary items, but they are very very cheap upgrades... so since I had already gone nuts on the thing, I figured why not. They look nice, they are very nice for quick mag dumps and reloads, as well as quicker disassembly.
Thats pretty much the entire pistol! I do like it... and because I am an aesthetics kind of person I just want my Glocks to look a bit different! I dont know what the dollar amount I have wrapped up into it, but will say its def north of 1K.
IMO, came this came out really fantastic, hope you all enjoyed it!
Again, I call this one the "Symba"
Slide Milling: Loki Tactical
Sights: Trijicon HD
Frame: Flayed Customs
Trigger: Johhny Glock Carry Combat
Mag Release: Agency
Slide takedown pin: Hyve
Slide Stop: Vickers Tactical
Base pads: Taran Tactical
As most of you all know, I am really a 1911 guy at heart and have posted some of the finest 1911's that have ever graced this earth.... so in saying that, I am usually not big on plastic striker fired guns (outside of Glocks). So it just makes sense to pretty up a few of the old ones I had laying around. This gun shoots like a dream! I have not had a chance to throw major amounts of rounds down range since putting in the Lantac barrel, but enough to know its very nice!
Let me take a moment and outline what I did with the pistol and actually run down the features on it, and why I did what I did.
When I was considering doing this, I wanted to really read up on after market Glock mods, and find the guys taking Glock to another level... in terms of craftsmanship and pushing the weapon to its limits... thats the point right! I would say the same for 1911 smiths!
First the Slide: The slide cuts were done by Loki Tactical... This is probably the least functional upgrade on the entire gun and one that I wanted pretty much because I liked the look of it. The windows serve no major purpose (yeah yeah Glock fan boys will talk about faster cycle time...blah blah. This is a carry gun... not a competition gun. No one wants to hear about cycle times... With that said, the chamfers, and serrations on the sides are crazy good! Far, far better than stock and very much useful if needed for manipulation off of a surface if you were down to one hand. To add to that, the front mouth gives some manipulation advantages as well. The milling and work done is very nice. Before anyone gets to crazy here, I 100% understand that the slide is technically "weaker" now and that front end might not be as beneficial as I think given the wrong circumstances. I get it, no need to go there. Again, I like it and I find the pros out weigh the cons.
When it comes to the Frame: I could have sent it to 5B or a ton of other really talented guys who are stippling Glock frames, but one really stood out to me. Sean Harder over at Flayed Customs. I had never seen such perfect Glock frame work before. Its clean and pushes the limits to anything I have seen done in terms of stipple work. The top finger cut and double under cut, with removal of gen 4 finger grooves allows for my hand to naturally fit perfectly on the frame (unlike before). It gives the ability to grip the gun much, much higher than stock or even a lot of traditional stipple jobs. The actual frame reduction also allows for a far better grip, and control of the weapon... Additional cuts outs and Angled trigger guard work, Glove bevels (and opening the trigger gaurd up), magwel shaping and blending, along with the perfect texture for carry makes this fame special. The stipple work and boarders are aggressive, but not overly uncomfortable (esp if its hitting your skin on IWB carry). Not only functional but, it looks amazing! I can honestly say I have not seen a better Glock frame than this one!
The Trigger: This comes in from Johnny Glocks, which for me is the absolute gold standard in Glock trigger work. Jack really does know his stuff and understands exactly how to make a better trigger than stock and still stay 100% reliable. There are not many triggers I would trust in terms of lightening up springs, esp for carry or combat use, but he is one! In addition to that, the flat faced poly shoe has some advantages over an aluminum one (less carbon build up is the one I will note causing issues if its not cleaned up over a long period of time). To add to that, the flat triggers just work for me. The feel better, I can control the firearm much better, and the flat shoes give a false sense of travel for me which is what makes it feel lighter.
The barrel... Is it more accurate? Probably not however, I am a hand-loader and although I know you can shoot lead out of a hex/poly rifle barrel, I personally do not like to. For me, it was really the biggest reason to swap barrels... and its just what I did. I know the "TIN/gold" barrel is really played out but, I have been a fan of the looks since day one. I used to own a Salient G19 with TIN barrel... so it was only natural to go back to that for this one. Call me lame, I dont care... Its mine and I like it, all that matters here
! I will say of all the aftermarket barrels I have had in Glocks over the years, the Lantac is by far the tightest out of the box fit. Sights... Glock plastic just doesnt do it for me, and I have a hard time using them to be totally honest. Since I did change out the sights... why not go with the same ones that are 42 and 43 for consistency reasons!
Mag Extensions... easy enough... more bullets is more better especially in a gun fight.
Extended Controls... These are not really necessary items, but they are very very cheap upgrades... so since I had already gone nuts on the thing, I figured why not. They look nice, they are very nice for quick mag dumps and reloads, as well as quicker disassembly.
Thats pretty much the entire pistol! I do like it... and because I am an aesthetics kind of person I just want my Glocks to look a bit different! I dont know what the dollar amount I have wrapped up into it, but will say its def north of 1K.
IMO, came this came out really fantastic, hope you all enjoyed it!
Again, I call this one the "Symba"
Slide Milling: Loki Tactical
Sights: Trijicon HD
Frame: Flayed Customs
Trigger: Johhny Glock Carry Combat
Mag Release: Agency
Slide takedown pin: Hyve
Slide Stop: Vickers Tactical
Base pads: Taran Tactical
