Meet the World’s Best Glock Gun ‘Slides’
The Glock pistol can be drastically transformed into whatever you want it to be.
Here's What You Need to Know: Upgrading the slide of a Glock allows it to undergo a substantial improvement.
Glock pistols are some of the most popular and well-renowned handguns on the planet, and the size of the Glock aftermarket is unrivaled.
The aftermarket is so massive, a friend of mine was nearly (let’s say 98.5%) able to build a Glock without having to use any original Glock parts. As most of you may already know, Glock pistols are used around the world and in the US, popular amongst civilians as well as government agencies and military units as standard-issue sidearms.
One of the largest components of the Glock, the slide, is also one of the most sought-after parts for upgrading and customizing. We’ve gathered 5 of our favorite aftermarket Glock slides to share with you today.
Brownells RMR Cut Gen 3 and 4 Slides
Brownells, a company known for its massive catalog of gun parts, has now entered the Glock slide market. They are producing simple and affordable custom slides for gen 3 and gen 4 guns. These slides are perfect for a budget Glock build on a Poly 80 lower receiver, or for those who don’t want a Gucci Glock slide.
These are basic, well-made slides that are designed for duty use and concealed carry. Brownell’s slides come without slide parts so you will need to purchase those separately. Brownell’s Glock slides are RMR cut and ready for an optic. They provide front and rear slide serrations and are treated with numerous finish options. This includes a black nitride, bronze, and FDE.
The Brownells RMR Cut slides have smoothed corners for comfort when carried close to the body. These are well made, simple slides that are a notable upgrade over an OEM slide. The slides come with or without cuts to lighten the slide. Without lightening cuts, you have a weapon better designed for concealed carry. With lightning cuts, you can use a ported barrel and have an excellent weapon for competition. Your options are vast with the Brownells Glock slides, and best of all they are all quite affordable.
The majority of Glock slides on the market are focused on the 9mm models, but the 40 S&W variants are covered by a company called Rock Slide USA. The Glock 22, in particular, is trusted by police officers and home defenders across the country. The 40 S&W is a potent round, and the Glock 22 is a reliable and rugged gun. The Rock Slide offers you a custom slide at an excellent price making the Glock 22 an even better gun.
Rock Slides manufacturers two slide models for the Glock 22, the RS1 and RS2. The RS1 is simpler and offers angled slides for a lighter and more concealable slide that is less likely to snag when being drawn. The RS2 features aggressive vent cuts that reduce weight and allow for ported barrel use. Both slides have an option to be milled for a red dot sight.
The Rock Slides are compatible with Gen 3 frames, as well as Poly 80 frames. These slides are highly affordable, and you have options for stripped slides or complete slides. They also offer custom barrels, as well as several options for sights. Rock Slides is a small company with personable customer service, so give them a look and let us know what you think.
Lone Wolf Distributors AlphaWolf Signature Series Pattern 20 Slides
Lone Wolf Distributors might be one of the oldest providers of custom Glock parts around. For as long as I’ve been into guns I’ve seen advertisements and products from Lone Wolf. What started as a company producing replacement springs and small parts has grown into a company that produces just about everything. They make several lines of custom Glock slides, but the series 20 is by far my favorite.
The Series 20 is their flagship line of slides and are beautifully crafted. These stainless slides are cut to have a unique angle nose with open cut windows in the front of the slide. Glocks are known for being blocky guns, but the Series Pattern 20 slides will certainly aid with that criticism.
The top and side of the slide has lightening cuts, as well as deep, clean scalloping cuts to reduce the slide’s overall weight. This makes it not only lightweight but can reduce recoil by reducing the weight traveling backward and forwards as the gun operates. These slides are brilliant, and Lone Wolf has an excellent reputation for craftsmanship when it comes custom Glock work.
As far as slides go these are some of the most highly customized on the market, and to me are pieces of machined artwork. They are better suited for competition or target practice than duty. The AlphaWolf Signature Series are a great fit for those who want to spice up their standard blocky Glock. The bad news is you are limited to the 9mm Glocks with this series.
Grey Ghost Precision SPG43 Slides
The slides we have covered so far have all been designed for Glock compact and full-sized firearms. Many aftermarket competitors tend to ignore smaller Glcok pistols, like the single stack, pocket-friendly Glock 43. However, Grey Ghost Precision is different, they embraced the Glock 43 with their SPG43 slides.
The SPG 43 slide is highly customized but built for concealed carry. You get some weight reduction through the heavier scalloping and retexturing. These slides are available in the V1 and V2 pattern from Grey Ghost Precision. The V1 features traditional serrations that run diagonally on both the rear and front of the slide. The V2 features a diamond plate pattern, and also runs diagonally for increased grip.
These slides also come cut for the miniaturized Shield RMS red dot sight, which is one of the smallest on the market today. These slides are available in diamond-like coatings in various colors including black, grey, bronze, and FDE. This gives you a very strong and rugged slide designed for concealed carry as well as combat use.
The SPG-43 slides offers your Glock 43 a substantial upgrade that adds both a stylish appearance and makes it more combat-ready.
Gucci Glock is an increasingly popular term used to describe highly customized Glocks. This nickname became popular due to companies like Zev, that produce very high-end slides that both look amazing and function flawlessly. Zev makes tons of different slides for the Glock series, but the Dragonfly is my favorite. The Dragonfly is one of Zev’s earliest designs and is still one of their most popular slide options.
The Zev Dragonfly comes with numerous lightening cuts on the side of the slide which reduces weight while adding stylish flair to your Glock. I’m a big fan of asymmetrical designs and the lightening cuts provide that unique look. These slides are made from stainless steel, then coated with DLC of PVD coatings depending on your color choice. The Black DLC is my favorite due to its “blued” like appearance.
The Dragonfly is also cut for optics to accommodate a Trijicon RMR. The Dragonfly slide is designed to provide tighter tolerances which will provide enhanced precision and greater accuracy for your Glock handgun. Zev was one of the first companies to create highly customized Glock slides and to this day they are making some of the best on the market.
Glocked-Out
Gaston Glock likely never anticipated how his famed Glock pistol would change and grow so much within the civilian aftermarket niche. The Glock pistol can be drastically transformed into whatever you want it to be. Upgrading the slide of a Glock allows it to undergo a substantial improvement and should be done according to how you plan to use it. A concealed carry weapon is different than a competition pistol, so be realistic with your needs and wants.
The 5 slides we’ve listed above are all top-notch, well-reputed, well made, and reliable options for your Glock. These are our favorites, what are yours? Let us know.
This first appeared in Gun News Daily here.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
