Perfection and Resurrection
by Stephen Thompson
Writer / Guninpho.com
One of Glock’s catch phrases is “Glock Perfection”. I have got to agree, in my humble opinion, Glock pistols are nearly perfect. I will admit, I am a “Glockoholic”; owning four of them myself (I have a 19, 23, 27, and a 43). But with just about everything, you can make it just a little better if you try. And in the case of my Generation 3 Glock 19 9mm pistol, I decided to have something special. And special it is.
I started with the basic Glock 19 because I personally find that I am more accurate with a 9mm pistol than any of my other guns. The 19 is a compact pistol that in most instances is easy to conceal yet has a high capacity for ammunition (15 rounds in the standard magazine). And the price is more than reasonable at under $500 in most cases. Out of the box, the gun was accurate and error free. All and all, a decent pistol.
Now I would like to say that this custom work that I had done was all my idea, but in my little group of friends, I am the third one to customize their 19. And being mechanically inept, I sent my precious pistol off to competent hands for the work I wanted done.
First, I wanted to have the grip aggressively stippled and reduced, but I wanted to keep the finger grooves. Second, I wanted to have a beavertail installed (I like to have a high grip and I love the beavertails on my 1911s) and I wanted the trigger guard cut back at the grip so as to facilitate an even higher grip. And speaking of trigger guards, I wanted the bore end of the trigger guard rounded. Last but not least, I wanted maintenance of my custom Glock to be worry free, so I had the slide and the internal workings all special coated.
This was a hefty amount of work to have done. And I found the place to have it all done was through Robar Guns out of Phoenix, Arizona. I shipped off the gun and made my requests. They were able to fulfill all my dreams for my custom Glock. And all of the work was done quickly, professionally, and totally to my satisfaction. The finish came out looking awesome. The black slide was now a very slick (literally slick) satin silver finish using their NP3 process. I quote from Robar’s website:
Robar’s® NP3® finish is an electroless nickel-based finish for steel, stainless steel and aluminum alloys that co-deposits sub-micron particles of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), otherwise known as Teflon™, with electroless nickel. NP3® metal finish offers many benefits. NP3® permits firing for longer periods of time between cleaning, dirt and powder residue have no wet or oily surface to cling to. When cleaning is required, the effort needed is minimal – usually requiring only a soft cloth. NP3® is very corrosion resistant. It provides a high lubricity and low friction co-efficient, greatly increasing the life expectancy of a firearm due to reduced friction wear. NP3® is a satin gray, non-reflective color ideal for all firearms.
I won’t quote prices in this article, as they are subject to change, but let me just say, I did not double the cost of my original Glock with all the work that was done. If there is anything negative I can say about Robar, it is that your gun will be away from home for at least a couple of months. Robar has become very popular, and they are very meticulous with their work, so you have to be patient.
Now, just how does my new Glock shoot? Let me just say, it is now the best shooter I have ever had. With the beavertail and the high, reduced grip, it now fits my hand perfectly. And a good grip will always improve one’s shooting. Since the work was done on the pistol, I have fired over 1000 rounds of ammunition through it, with zero issues; even when using some suspect 9mm reloads that had been laying around. And as Robar said, cleaning is much easier. I use very little, if any, solvent anymore and the gun comes out cleaner than it ever did.
The only thing that was not done on my pistol by Robar was the addition of Truglo green three dot sights (I do have a thing about fiber optic sights….I love them).
So here is a look at my baby as she looks today:
Custom Gen3 Glock 19
I was so impressed with the work done by Robar, that I sent off my stainless Walther/Interarms PPK to have the NP3 done, along with a beavertail added to eliminate the “Walther bite”. I carried this gun for years as a back-up while on patrol, but I rarely shot it as the slide would nick the web behind my thumb every time I shot it. Blood and pain are not what I want to enjoy on the range. The new beavertail took that problem away. And I sent a corroded, very old High Standard 22 magnum derringer to be NP3 coated. This gun’s finish was toasted and rusty from many years of carry in a boot. Here is what these two dinosaurs now look like now:
22 Mag Derringer and Walther PPK
So if you have a gun you want to trick out or resurrect, here are the Internet links to Robar Guns and Truglo:
And as always, if you have a question or comment regarding what I have written, feel free to contact me at steve@guninpho.com .
Isn’t it about time we hit the range again?!
