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Well, I think I've done it: the ultimate “Block Glock.” What do I mean by that? This is the squarest Glock you could possibly conceive of, but it's not just about being square. This is my go-to handgun for any situation. I love this gun. And honestly, all the accessories and everything else included have made it a complete package. I will share with you exactly how I'm running this pistol to give you some ideas about what you could do with your Glock, especially if you want it to be as blocky as possible, but also to give you some ideas about good quality accessories that have worked for me very well and provide me with confidence that this pistol's going to defend me and my life if needed.
Here in the United States, we enjoy being self-reliant, and that is something that I'm working on being better at. Part of self-reliance, though, is understanding that the police aren't always able to come to save you, especially if you live in a rural environment like I do. So, we must be a little bit more particular about how we're going to defend ourselves and what pieces of equipment we're going to use in that regard. And the Glock, although you might not like it because of ergonomics, aesthetics, or even just because it's too popular, really is still the gold standard of defensive pistols because of its track record of reliability, the logistics system that supports it, and the fact that they're just good pistols. I don't like them better than some of my other guns, but I like how practical they are. And that's what it comes down to in the end.
Slide, Frame, and Magazine
This Glock started life as a Glock 45. It still looks like a Glock 45, but the slide will reveal that it is, in fact, a Glock 19 Gen 5 MOS slide. Why is that? Because I go through a lot of guns, I switch things out, and I try to figure out what works best for me. What I ended up with is a Glock 45 frame with my Glock 19 slide because I had the suppressor height sights installed with the red dot optic, and that is what I ended up liking the best. However, I did not like the frame on the Glock 19 Gen 5 because it's just a little too short for me personally. It might be perfect for you.
Everything is stock from the factory. I'm not the guy who suggests doing tons of aftermarket stuff to your Glock pistol. You can, and you should enjoy that process if that’s what you like. Something I've considered doing would be a Radian Ramjet Afterburner. The reason for that is that they seem to be well-reviewed. People are saying they're reliable, and they do decrease recoil. However, I like to keep my internal parts factory mainly because this is how the gun was designed to be reliable. As soon as you start changing out Glock trigger systems, recoil springs, and guide rods, and changing out every single lever and button within the gun, people often run into reliability issues. Because this pistol is specifically made for defensive purposes and it's a Glock, which in many ways feels to me more like a tool than a gun, I don't feel the need to do those things. I just want the gun to work and to be as reliable as humanly possible. One thing I will say is if you shoot a lot, you will notice these triggers do improve, and this gun has a much better trigger than it did when I originally got it because of how much I've shot it since.
I have 17-round magazines for this setup, so for a pistol, that’s a lot of capacity.
Optic
On the top, I have an Aimpoint ACRO P-2. It is an enclosed red dot optic, which means it has glass on the front as well as on the back. Why does that matter? Well, if you ever carry your gun outside the waistband in a holster, and it's raining or snowing or dusty or anything along those lines, it can occlude the emitter when you pull out your pistol. I had that happen to me recently. You don't generally have that problem with an enclosed red dot optic. The other reason I like the Aimpoint is that it's relatively durable, or at least it has been for me. I know that that might not be as important to some people, but when it comes to a pistol that I specifically rely on for concealed carry as well as any other home defense-style purpose, I want to be sure the equipment that's attached to it is top-notch if possible. Other great manufacturers out there make high-quality optics at a lower price point, such as the ones made by Sig Sauer. They have some excellent new optics, which I've been having a good time with. Vortex and Holosun have some excellent red dot sight options as well. So, there are several good manufacturers out there who make optics that would save you some money and be just as reliable. The one thing they don't have on the ACRO P-2, though, is how square it is. And that's important when you want your Glock to be a block.
I bought the Aimpoint ACRO plate because some of the other MOS plates have been known to have issues. This one hasn't given me any problems. After at least 1,500 rounds, probably more, this Aimpoint plate directly from Aimpoint has held up to abuse without issue. We’re talking about shooting this thing in negative 30 degrees, where the metal becomes slightly more brittle, so things are good to go in that department. The optic itself has some wear on it and has seen its share of abuse as well. I don't drop these things or throw them at bricks just to find out what happens, but I do put them through their paces, and I use them as intended. In that process, stuff gets banged around. So far, so good. No issues there. My witness mark on the mounting screw has not moved once at all.
Iron Sights
I wanted redundant sighting systems to accommodate the optic while maintaining reliability. There are several options available for Glock 19 suppressor sights. I installed the Ameriglo XL Suppressor Sight Set for Glock. What that does is provide a co-witness through the red dot optic. If the red dot sight were to go down due to shattered glass, a dead battery, or failed electronics, for example, the sights are still there and can be seen directly through the optic window as a secondary sighting system. That redundancy on a pistol is very important to me. If I only had irons, I'd be comfortable with that because irons typically don’t fail. I have seen them fly off Glocks and other pistols, but it’s rare. Red dots, however, fail regularly, so having a way to aim without the necessity of the dot is important, in my opinion.
The Ameriglo suppressor-height sights I chose are blacked-out sights. They're not Tritium sights, nor do they have any level of paint or color on them to draw your eye because I don't want to be distracted by the sights when the red dot is working. Another consideration is that if you get suppressor-height night sights for backup sights, they can be helpful if the sight goes down at night. However, if you intend to use this gun with night vision, those Tritium inserts can mess up the sight picture. They give off a lot of light, and your night vision will pick that up, so you won't be able to see your sight picture very well at all. Also, keep in mind that being able to see these blacked-out sights is not an issue at all if using them in tandem with a weapon-mounted light. So, the only thing night sights are good for is at night, but if I'm using my light to see what I'm aiming at, I don't need night sights. The last consideration is that sights with Tritium inserts cost more than those without.
Mounted Light
My tactical light is a Surefire XR1-A, a newer Surefire light with two lamp heads. I'm using it because it accomplishes a few goals. One, it keeps the package compact. Regarding concealed carry, I've found that not having a protruding light on the gun makes me much more comfortable. I don't have to have as large a holster. Sitting down while carrying the pistol is easier because you have less length going into your pant line. I prefer flush-fit lights for concealed carry specifically. This light is also extremely powerful. It puts out 800 lumens, which, compared to other offerings on the market, is pretty much the top dog. It’s very focused as well. It has a high candela, which means the beam hits what you aim at rather than simply flooding the room with light. It’s an expensive light, but a very good one. It uses a proprietary battery, so some people may not find this light the ideal choice. However, the battery does last a long time. You generally don't need your battery to do a lot more than just keep your light on for a few seconds at a time. What's nice about these batteries is they're rechargeable and swappable, so if you have more than one of these, you can put a new one in without removing the light from the gun while you recharge the other.
Summary
This is my go-to pistol for just about anything. This might change in the future, as I often change things around to experience what may be better or find out it wasn't, which is also important. Honestly, there are pistols I like better. I have a Sig P229 Legion. It feels amazing in my hands. It shoots like a dream. The Glock is not as nice to shoot. It doesn't feel as good ergonomically. It is boring and basic, but sometimes boring and basic has a better chance of saving your life - because this Glock will run. Did I mention that the Glock has fewer than 40 parts inside? They're very easy to work on and very easy to stock up on spare parts for. There's a reason why it's so universal. You can say the same thing about an AR-15 (though most people are no longer arguing that point). So, if you want to have the blockiest Glock you can have, now you know what to do.
--Magic Prepper
