I received two different orders from various tactical companies last week, so this weekend I sat down and did the various installations. Then I loaded up my magazines and went out to test them and the upgrades to my gun.
I have replaced my Glock 23 for concealed carry to a Glock 48 because it is slimmer and lighter. While I am comfortable with a 9mm bullet, I was less comfortable with the loss of capacity. With the larger .40 caliber gun, I carried 13 or 14 rounds in the gun and 15 rounds in my spare magazine for a total of almost 30 rounds. With the Glock 48, the magazine only holds ten rounds, cutting my round count by 30 percent. The packages I received included two ways to address that problem.
Magazine Extension
The first method was to use a Ghost Tactical +4 magazine extension, which was $19.95. The hardest thing about installing the extension was removing the original base plate from the magazine. Glock makes it tougher than many other manufacturers, but if you shove the Glock tool or a punch into the hole and shove, it comes off. Pull out the spring and remove the follower. Then install the follower on the longer spring that comes with the mag extension. Slide the mag extension onto the base of the magazine until it clicks. Slide the spring and follower into the magazine body and then re-install the baseplate, which now fits on the base of the extension. Voila! My ten-round magazine now holds 14 rounds.
I fired at least three magazines through it during the range session and it performed perfectly. I will continue to test it. This magazine is now my full-time backup magazine. The extra four rounds boost my on-body ammo supply by 20 percent.
ETS Extended Magazines
From another company, I purchased two ETS Extended magazines that fit the Glock 48 and the 43X an holds 19 rounds. That’s almost double the standard capacity. I purchased smoke, which looks black from a distance but gives me the ability to look at the magazine and see how many rounds remain.
These magazines also functioned flawlessly during my range session.
During reload drills, I dropped all my magazines on gravel, something that makes me wince, but nothing broke. My gut tells me the metal-lined plastic in the factory Glock magazines are probably tougher than the ETS magazines, but I didn’t see any damage or scratches to any of the magazines.
I removed an OEM magazine from my EDC bag and replaced it with the 19-round ETS magazine. So when I carry my EDC bag, I have 24 or 25 rounds on my body and 19 in the bag. That’s the equivalent of three Glock 23 magazines, bringing me back up to par with my prior load out.
When I travel by car, I have an additional 10-round magazine accessible from the front seat and a second one (unloaded) in my tool box. So if I am trapped somewhere by an EMP or CME that knocks out transportation, I will have five magazines and an extra 125 rounds.
Trigger Pull Improvement
I have never seen a Glock leave the factory with an easy-to-shoot trigger, so since I was ordering from Ghost, I added a Ghost Edge Connector to my shopping cart. I installed it before going to the range, and it made a remarkable difference. Is my trigger crisp now? No, but it is much softer with less build up.
The full-size Glock I use when shooting matches has a trigger I bought over-sized and had to stone by hand to fit and tune. That gun has a better trigger and less over travel, but the danger with hand-fitting is that you could go too far and ruin the part. The Ghost Edge dropped right in with no fitting. A very easy install that anyone who can punch out two pins can do. Ghost has an instructional video on YouTube.
Best of all, the Ghost Edge connector is only $24.95. I have installed their 3.5 pound connector in other guns, and they are only $12.95. This is probably the most cost effective “trigger job” you can get for your Glock.
Glock vs 1911
I can’t discuss trigger pulls without wishing I was carrying a 1911. A good 1911 trigger is the standard against which I measure all others. I’ve never fired a Glock that measured up.
Sadly, the 1911 is heavier and holds only 8 rounds. My extended magazines for the 1911 hold ten rounds. Of course, its bullets are heavier and larger in diameter and the .45ACP is known for one-shot-stops even with ball ammunition. While I have carried he 1911 and two spare magazines, I don’t see myself going back to it.
Nonetheless, I am tempted to get the slide from one of my 1911s cut for a RMR optic and mount a dot on it. I think I’ll do this with a Glock 23 first. Neither will be happening soon; I gotta save up some money before I do that. Plus, gun stuff is not my prepping priority, even if it is fun.
Gen 5 Glock
The Glock 48 is the first Glock I own that qualifies for the Gen 5 label. Most of mine are Gen 1 and 2 with one Gen 3 thrown in. So this was the first time I had done a full disassembly of the slide and then removed the pins from the frame to do the trigger job. I like the changes they made to the extractor and to the slide release. The latter is an improvement, both for the type of spring it now uses and ease of reassembly.
Still, there’s nothing wrong with my old Glocks. They work fine. My original is coming up to the 30th anniversary of my purchase and still goes “Bang” without fail.
Speaking of old, the ammo I used today included a box of 115 grain Winchester white box on which I’d written “practice” and two other boxes of Winchester ammo I had purchased in 2007. Ammo I set aside for practice has been stored in the car or other location where it has been subjected to a range of humidity or extreme temperatures. Despite this, every round fired. This should show you that you can buy ammo when it is on sale and save it for decades without any loss of performance or acurracy. Stack it deep, folks.
