By Scott Smith
Contributing Editor
I have been involved in the shooting sports since my early teenage years. Back then it was shooting skeet and trap to improve small game hunting skills. Other options would have been shooting NRA and CMP style matches, but those are just too slow moving. Today all of those disciplines are still played, however, I have moved on to action shooting such as three gun, USPSA and IDPA. These sports allow me to shoot firearms that I find fun, versatile and that I have spent most of my adult life using in one uniform or another.
At the heart of action shooting is the pistol. In three gun competition being average with your handgun will not win you the match, but it will lose the match. In USPSA and IDPA your pistol must perform on demand in all conditions. This is why pistols such as Glocks and Springfield XDms are so popular; they are accurate and reliable out of the box.
Glock (6000 Highlands Pkwy, Dept TGM, Smyrna, GA 30082; phone:770-432-1202; online:glock.com) has become a major player in USPSA in Limited, Limited 10, Production and Open classes and is a favorite in IDPA for Enhanced and Stock Service Pistol, with a few showing up in Custom Defensive Pistol Class. What makes the Glock so popular is that you can literally have a Glock for each class, out of the box; save for Open Class. To run your Glock in Open Class, you need more than a stock pistol but one can be built inexpensively compared to a full house “comp pistol.” When I started shooting USPSA and later IDPA my pistol of choice was and still is a Glock 17. Many folks will scoff at that because of the 9mm cartridge, which means I shoot minor power factor and am severely penalized for “non-A zone” hits. That is okay with me, after having titanium knees installed shooting is for fun and refining my shooting skills. Today my 20-year-old G17 has had a face lift, aggressive dimpling of the grip, 10-8 Performance sights installed on the factory slide, and Lone Wolf built an Open Class top end for it. This allows me to literally have one pistol to cover most of the classes in action pistol shooting.
The one size fits all G17 is mostly stock. The only change to the factory trigger was to add a NY trigger spring, competition connector with all the bearing surfaces, including the firing pin safety and striker, hand polished to reduce drag. This combination and work gives one trigger very similar to a 1911 without spending major league dollars for a custom trigger job. According to my pull gauge my G17 trigger is five and a half pounds which for my purposes is fine. For my skill level and age I would not benefit from the added cost of match trigger job.
To make the G17 more user friendly for action pistol shooting the carry/duty tritium sights need to be replaced. For me the choice was easy, 10-8 Performance’s 0.156” rear notch with a 0.115” wide X 0.235” high fiber optic front. This pairing is fast, accurate and you can change the front fibers to meet the surroundings. 10-8’s sights are rugged and have been racking up wins in both USPSA and IDPA locally, nationally and internationally.
The last modification to the Glock was to stipple the grip. Older Glocks like mine have very poor grip purchase in wet or hot sweaty conditions and require some improvement. My G17 was stippled to correct this shortcoming. It was aggressive to ensure a solid grip in the wettest conditions. There were a few spots that were too aggressive but fine emery cloth made short work of those overly sharp spots and edges.
The base Glock 17 enhancements were complete at this point. Now it was time to build the complete top end for the “open Glock”. From previous articles I had a KKM single port barrel. While I could have used this in the stock slide, I could not readily swap out the 10-8 rear sight for the Trijicon RMR (49385 Shafer Ave, Dept TGM, Wixom, Michigan, 48393; phone: 248-960-7700; 0nline:trijicon.com) red dot sight for an “open gun.” Fortunately, Lone Wolf Distributors (106 Shannon Ln., Dept. TGM, Priest River, ID 83856; phone: 208-448-0600; online: lonewolfdist.com) offers complete slides and they can machine the slide to low mount a mini red dot.
The RMR had to be shipped to Lone Wolf to do the inletting on their stainless steel slide. The folks at Lone Wolf suggested having the mini red dot milled into the slide instead of using a dovetail mount. This lowers the sight putting it more in line where your iron sights would normally be, allowing you to find the dot much quicker. It is also a more secure mount than the dovetail base mount. Because there are different RMRs on the market, send the sight to Lone Wolf. You do not want to ruin the slide with the wrong machining. If you wish, Lone Wolf also has iron sights that can co-witness with a mini red dot. The folks at Lone Wolf melted the RMR in perfectly and the KKM barrel mated with the slide like they both came off the same production line. Lone Wolf finished the slide with Lone Wolf and Glock OEM parts for me, whichever was more cost effective. The total retail price of the slide as Lone Wolf Distributors built it for me was approximately $600. Bear in mind I supplied the barrel and sight; those will set you back at least $900. Building the “open gun” was not cheap, but I wanted to use exactly the same lower for all my shooting, so I paid the price.
One more item was required for the competition Glock: a holster. My 20-year-old Glock has been happy in a purple Blade Tech (5530 184th St. E, Dept. TGM, Puyallup, WA 98375; phone: 253-655-8059; online: bladetech.com) holster, so I figured the competition Glock would be happy in a Pro Series Speed Holster with a pair of single Pro Series Magazine Pouches and a Classic—all four items with TekLoks for easy on/off the range belt. Blade Tech’s Pro Series Holsters and Magazine Pouches are adjustable for angle to facilitate a smooth fast draw of your pistol or magazines. Glock and Blade Tech give the end user an all weather durable and reliable competition set.
All that remained to see was how well the upgraded G17 and custom “open upper” performed at the range. After two decades I knew the Glock was reliable, I simply needed to see how the new sights and upper performed. I used a mix of factory ammunition to verify the 10-8 Performance sights were still on. Not surprisingly the G17 was still holding 3½-inch 11-shot groups (maximum capacity for all IDPA and USPSA Production classes). What did improve was sight acquisition and first shot time, thanks to the fiber optic front sight.
The Lone Wolf/Trijicon/KKM top end was what needed to be zeroed and played with. To test the top end I used CorBon and Federal +P ammunition to ensure proper cycling (the added weight of the sight and barrel port affects slide cycling). I was shocked the pistol was zeroed in five shots and after that was laying bullet on bullet at 25 yards. This setup is accurate enough that shooting one-inch circles at 25 yards was possible; the 3.25 MOA dot aids in precision shooting. I cannot give you details on my speed with the rig because I am working on finding the dot, but it is wicked accurate. If you get the urge to build a Glock to meet your needs, I suggest doing it with parts from 10-8 Performance, Lone Wolf Distributors, KKM, and Trijicon. You won’t go wrong.
I have found running the “open Glock” is a great time. It is fast accurate and runs like a stock Glock. Being able to build or purchase an additional top end for your Glock from Lone Wolf Distributors will expand your action shooting fun.
While building the multi-use Glock I did come across a few parts that some shooters will find useful; first is the Grip Force Adapter(PO Box 222, Dept. TGM, Willoughby, OH, 44096; phone: 440-497-7014; online: gripforceproducts.com). This is a drop in beavertail that attaches to the frame using the supplied pin. It installs in seconds, simply drive out the frame pin, slip the GFA over the frame tang and put in the new pin. The GFA allows you to achieve the highest grip you can on a Glock. For shooters who have big hands this will keep you from getting slide bite; however you cannot shoot Production or SSP with it installed.
Next from Tango Down (1588 Arrow Highway, Unit F, Dept. TGM, La Verne, CA 91750; phone: 909-392-4757; online: tangodown.com) are Vickers Glock Magazine Pads ($18.50 for 5) and Tactical Magazine Release ($16.92). The Tactical Magazine Release is slightly longer than the OEM piece making it easier to reach if you have small hands. The Vickers Mag Pads are slightly wider than the factory original, making it easier to strip a stuck Glock magazine and they give you a more solid grip during reloads. These small parts all make Glocks more user friendly under stress.
The other pistol I have been drawn to for shooting is the Springfield Armory XDm 5.25 Comp (420 W Main St., Dept. TGM, Geneseo, IL 61254; Phone: 800-680-6866; Online: springfield-armory.com). Having a lot of experience with a XD Service in 9mm and 45ACP, I had confidence the XDm Comp would be a practically perfect pistol for Limited and Limited 10 classes in USPSA.
Springfield Armory’s XDm Comp was built from the ground up to be an out of the box pistol for competition complete with a lightened slide, 7.25 inch sight radius, fiber optic front sight and fully adjustable rear sight. Like other XDm pistols the back strap of the frame is interchangeable to adjust the fit and feel of the pistol to the end user. While rearranging my storage room I came upon a few thousand rounds of factory and reloaded .40 S&W, which made my decision for me in caliber choice. In .40 S&W the XDm Comp holds 16 rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber which makes it competitive with other pistols used for Limited/L10. The XDm is also good for IDPA’s ESP and SSP classes, depending if you texture the entire grip or just the interchangeable portion of the grip. With no real power factor to worry about, I’d opt for a 9mm XDm not a 40 S&W.
After some initial range work with the XDm, I realized this pistol was ready to run on the competition field. The trigger of the XDm Comp was consistent and smooth; it was the perfect trigger pull for me. Out of the box the XDm was shooting subthree-inch groups with whatever ammunition I had loaded it with. It did not favor reloads, bullet weight or type; it just shot accurately all day long. Out of the box this XDm is one of the best pistols I have shot and I will run it as is with just a few cosmetic changes; the internals will stay factory, that’s how much I like the XDm Comp.
While the pistol was flawless out of the box, it had one shortcoming; like all polymer pistols: the grip. I like aggressive texturing. This was not a big deal and I knew that in about an hour the grip would be textured to my personal liking. Prior to texturing the frame I beveled the area around the magazine release to allow for a more positive feel when dropping the magazine. After the XDm was textured, I wanted it personalized; so I did a digital multi-cam finish to it with Lauer Duracoat.
To make it more competitive I contacted Pistol Gear (online: pistolgear.com) for a few enhancements that can be easily installed by the user. To make reloads a little faster I installed the Operator Magwell ($80), Pistol Gear Slide Stop ($4.95), 140mm Mag Extension (makes capacity 19 rounds-$21.50) and .375 inch Slam Pads ($14.99) for use on standard magazines.
Pistol Gear’s Operator Magwell fits securely to the frame using the supplied grip pin. The directions say you do not need to epoxy the magwell, but I did because the texturing done to the frame changed the outer dimensions. I had no intention of using the XDm Comp for anything other than USPSA, so it’s not an issue to have the magwell permanently attached. The slide stop was an easy install thanks to online directions Pistol Gear has links for. When installing the Slam Pads, make sure they are oil and dirt free otherwise they will not stick. The mag extension replaced the factory spring and base pad in literally seconds.
To finish the XDm package, I ordered a Comp Tac International Holster and double mag pouch ($111.50 combo; 1307 FM 1960 Rd. East, Dept. TGM, Houston, Texas 77073; phone: 866-441-9157; online: comp-tac.com). This holster comes with a paddle, belt and offset/drop attachment to fit your needs while the magazine pouch clips to your belt. I run the holster with the paddle for easy on and off with my Ares Gear Ranger Belt ($89.99, online: aresgear.com). My buddy Cliff at Joint Force Enterprises (4131 Lenox Ave #3, Dept. TGM, Jacksonville, Florida 32254; phone: 904-993-3574; online: facebook/joint force enterprises) dipped the holster and mag pouch in multicam to match the belt and colors of the XDm.
The XDm Comp has been my pistol of choice for shooting USPSA this year. It has run flawlessly and makes me look like I can shoot; have even run some master class classifiers.
This year I have been working with the old school Glock and the new Springfield XDm. These pistols do not require you to spend a fortune to have a competitive pistol; unless you want to run an open class pistol. Then the sky is the limit. Modern polymer pistols big advantage over the venerable 1911 is they really do run well right out of the box with literally any type of ammunition. A reliable pistol with good accuracy will help make you more competitive than a picky custombuilt pistol and for a lot less money. Get out and shoot IDPA, 3 Gun, USPSA; build your skills, have fun, make some new friends.
