The Glock

The GLOCK pistol is the most popular pistol in the world, and it is the firearm of choice for more than 65% of all law enforcement officers in the United States. The GLOCK pistol has shot it’s way to popularity by offering the most durable, reliable pistol on the market for the money. In short, the GLOCK is the best valued pistol you can buy.

GLOCK’s innovative design has made it the most durable, reliable pistol on the market due to its Safe Action® system that is manufactured with only 34 component parts, which is far less parts than GLOCK’s competition. The less moving parts, the less chance there is for failure or malfunction.

While GLOCK is the best valued pistol on the market right now, there are still some very reasonable upgrades and accessories that can be added at very little cost. These GLOCK upgrades are recommended primarily intended for GLOCKs used as home self-defense firearms and target shooting. They are not necessarily recommended if you plan to use your GLOCK as a concealed carry weapon.

The Best Glock Upgrades

3.5 Lbs Trigger Connector ($14-$21) 

The GLOCK standard trigger out of the factory is 5.5 lbs, which is still a great trigger weight, but why not knock 2 additional pounds off the weight? Adding GLOCK’s 3.5 lbs trigger will reduce the amount of squeeze required for firing the pistol. The 3.5 lbs GLOCK Trigger Connector can be purchased for around $25.

Stainless Steel Guide Rod ($18-$30)

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The failures that occur in GLOCK pistols are far and few between, but one recommended GLOCK upgrade that might make you a little more confident in your GLOCK’s reliability, is a stainless steel guide rod. The guide rod on the GLOCK is probably the part that gets the most active abuse, being that it captures the energy of the slide movement when the pistol is fired. This part from the factory is made of polymer (plastic), and even though the possibility of it breaking is not likely, it is possible, and has happened. Replacing your factory guide rod on your GLOCK with a stainless or Tungsten guide rod will also help reduce recoil and muzzle jump.

Night Sites ($80-$129)
Personally, I believe there is no reason to not have night sites on every single self-defense pistol you own. Night sites on your GLOCK is a must have, and there are hundreds of options to choose from. My favorite GLOCK night sites are made by Tru Glo. TruGlo’s TFO Tritium & Fiber Optic night sites are the brightest day and night sites on the market. They offer excellent transition through all light conditions, CNC machined steel construction, green front and rear, concealed fiber cannot be seen by target, fits standard holsters, and they have a snag-resistant design.

Extended Slide Release / Slide Stop Lever ($12-$14)
Both the magazine release and the slide release that comes factory on the GLOCK are designed to be low profile. Because of the low profile design, functioning them quickly and smoothly can be difficult for some people. The benefit of the low profile design is that the slide release will not catch or snag as easily on foreign objects, which is why I suggested in the beginning of this post that these upgrades are not necessarily for concealed carry. However, by adding the extended mag release on the GLOCK, the user can easily lock and release the slide with very little effort.

Extended Mag Release ($6-$8)
The same principles carry over to the magazine release for the Gen 3 and below models. It’s not likely that you’ll be needing to reload a new magazine into your GLOCK. If you can’t get the job done in the first round or two, then you probably shouldn’t be carrying a firearm, or you’re in a much worse situation than one can plan for. The factory magazine release on the GLOCK is also low profile, and most people find themselves having to readjust their grip position in order to navigate their thumb to the magazine release. This is not good. The last thing you ever want to have to do in a combat situation is to have to leave your combat-ready grip in order to reload your weapon. The extended magazine release solves this problem by exceeding from the gun by about 3 times the amount of the factory magazine release.