Color Filling Your Glock's Engravings with Nail Polish

I found some videos on Youtube with instructions on how to add colors to your firearms' engravings. Some use Crayons, some with Modelling Paints, but I chose to do mine using Nail Polish because I felt it would be more durable than using Crayons, and yet easier to find than other paint materials. Here is the video that I used for instructions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcLzaxqsOCE

This works not only on the slide, but on the Polymer magazines as well. Here are the end results on my Glock 22:



Just follow the instructions on the video, and you should be fine. A couple of important notes, though to remember, though, based on my experience doing this:

'Choosing the Materials'
I used the "Caronia" brand for the Nail Polish, and "Bobbie" brand for the Nail Polish Remover, although any other brand you can find will do. These can easily be bought at your neighborhood SM Department Store. If the Saleslady starts giving you strange looks, just explain right away that you are using these for your gun's engravings. Of course, she will probably just think, "Yeah, right". The polish and remover are dirt cheap, I was able to buy 2 colors and 1 remover for under P100.

When choosing the Nail Polish colors, remember to choose "bright" colors (i.e. White, Yellow, etc.) as much as possible. If you are to use "dark" colors (i.e., Red, Blue, etc.), try to use the "brighter" versions of these dark colors, like "Bright Red", for example. Or "Neon Blue". The reason is that if you don't use them, you won't be able to see much the colors once it dries against the flat black background of the slide. One suggestion is that if you can't find a bright version of Red, then Orange is a good substitute.

My Glock 22 in Machine Pistol Configuration

I was generally satisfied with the Glock 23 Machine Pistol configuration that I assembled, it can easily contain short full automatic bursts into a man-sized target at around 13 meters. However, I felt I could build a better Machine Pistol, one that would enable me to shoot full automatic bursts accurately at even longer ranges. For this reason, I decided to buy a Glock 22, as I felt the recoil-reducing accessories and/or parts necessary for building a better Glock Machine Pistol are only currently available on the full-sized Glocks. 

These recoil-reducing accessories are mainly the Endotactical Tactical Stock Adaptor - Glock (TSA-G), coupled with a Magpul Utility Battle Rifle (UBR) Stock. I have reviewed these separately, you can find them here and here. Aside from this, I also used the CAA Tactical Folding Grip Glock - Small (FGG-S), and a Lone Wolf Compensator (coupled to a Lone Wolf Threaded Barrel).


'First Firing Range Session'
With everything more or less ready, I took my Glock 22 in its Machine Pistol configuration into the shooting range for the first time. I used Target Boards, at my standard range of 13 meters. First test was using the STOCK or FACTORY BARREL, with 50 rounds of Semi-Wadcutter, Teflon-Coated (SWC-TC) reloads in standard .40S&W loadings. Recoil was quite noticeable, with the UBR Stock jumping up and into my shoulders with some vigorousity. 

My Magpul UBR for Glock Review

'Magpul UBR Stock'
I was able to buy a China-copy of the Magpul UBR to go with my Endotactical TSA-G. I went with the Magpul UBR mainly because of its looks. I have seen pictures of Glocks with the TSA-G and Magpul Compact Type - Restricted (CTR) stock, and it looked awkward, as the stock looked too big for the pistol. On the other hand, the Magpul Utility Battle Rifle (UBR) looked just about right with the pistol as it is less bulky overall compared to the CTR stock.

In fact, among all the Magpul stocks, as well as collapsible M4 Carbine stocks made by other manufacturers, the UBR looks the most compact, probably after the Ace Ultralight Stock. The Ace Ultralight Stock was actually my first choice, but I just couldn't find anybody selling it in the country, or online.

The seller advertised it as a "Magpul PTS UBR", but I know better, because the unit is marked "Magpul Industries Corporation" on one side, and "Boulder, Colorado, USA" on the other side. A genuine Magpul PTS UBR would've been marked "Magpul PTS" and/or "Professional Training and Simulation". Besides, the unit was priced only have of what a genuine Magpul USA or PTS UBR.

The unit is very well made, though. The workmanship is excellent, very little flashes, no unsightly marks, and the fit of the parts are tight, almost no wobble when the stock is fully extended. The only fly in the ointment is a wayward nut that was not installed properly on one side of the unit, causing it to tilt during installation, of which up to now I am unable to correct. Nevertheless, I'm pretty happy with the unit.

The unit felt a bit rear-heavy initially, so I decided to remove all the items that I do not intend to use with the unit, namely the:
- Storage Plate and Cover;
- Quick Disconnect (QD) Sling Mounts, both front and rear, and the Screws, Nuts, Washers, and Mounting Cups.

Glock 23 Machine Pistol Configuration Part Four

'FSSG Full-Auto Accuracy'
The Drop-In FSSG that I have been using has worked well in terms of providing select-fire capability to my Glock 23 reliably, but I do have one issue with it, and that is in terms of ACCURACY when shooting it at full auto.

I first noticed when I saw that the spread of shots at 10 meters was quite large. The first shot would be dead on, but then the second and third shots would be way off by a couple of inches from eacch other. A rough estimate would be like this: If I aim at the bottom of the target, the first shot would hit spot on the lower right side of the abdomen, then the second would be on the chest area on the left side of the chest of the target, and finally the third shot on the left shoulder or left side of the face area of the target (see picture below).



I found this a bit strange, because the other metal FSSG that was given to me shot quite good at 10 meters (see my previous blog here). With everything else the same (i.e., same configuration, same distance, same ammo, etc.) from the pictures it looked like the metal FSSG was shooting tighter groups by about 3-4 inches.

I can't really say for sure how this came about, but my main suspect is the problem is in terms of the LOCK TIME BETWEEN SHOTS. I suspect is the issue, because when I do the Dry-Fire Test I described on another previous blog, the slide sorts of pauses a bit when it is near the end of its travel, before it goes right thru and releases the Striker.

Glock 23 Machine Pistol Configuration Part Three

'Fab Defense FGG-S'
I chose the Fab Defense FGG-S Tactical Folding Grip over other picatinny foregrips out there, mainly because it definitely was made for the Glock in mind, as it does not only attach to the rails, but also on the lower part of the frame, and the front of the trigger guard. This provides more area to distribute the force applied of the foregrip. This minimizes the flexing of the frame when using the foregrip.

It even has a hook-like protrusion at the upper front of the grip that protects your finger from the muzzle blast. Another item I bought online, which arrived about a week later. The only problem with the grip, is that there is a bit of a gap between the FGG-S and the front area of the trigger guard. This gap allows the frame to flex a bit too much, increasing the gap between the slide and the frame, which I was afraid was going to cause malfunctions.

I decided to put some material to fill that gap between the FGG-S and the frame/trigger guard by using 3M double sided tape (used only one side, kept the backing of the other side intact). I used three layers of the 3M tape to effectively fill that gap, and they seem to work very well in minimizing the the flexing of the frame when force is applied to the FGG-S.



One thing to remember when attaching this grip, is to ensure that you don't overtighten the screw, as Glock says that tightening the screws too much of any attachment on the Picatinny rail will cause the gun to malfunction. There really is no need to tighten too much the screws for this grip, the screw is caught between teeths that keep it from moving back and forth anyway. So just use enough force to lock the screw lightly in place.

The Truth About Lone Wolf Barrels for Glock

I decided to write a long piece about Lone Wolf Distributors' (LWD) barrels for Glock, when I noticed that wrong information about these barrels are still prevalent. I own samples of these barrels, and I want to share what I found about them based on my personal shooting experience with them.

'For Shooting Reloads on Glock'
If you look around the local internet firearms forums or local sales/auction sites, you will notice that most of them recommend the use of these barrels so you can shoot reloads on Glock pistols. Glock pistols come from the factory with its own patented type of "Polygonal Rifling", which they claim lessen friction between the barrel and the bullet, thus increasing the velocity of the bullet as it leaves the barrel.

Unfortunately, such rifling tends to build up more deposits in the barrel at a faster rate, which, if the build up is sufficient enough, could cause certain types of catasthropic failures during firing in one form, or the other. This is the reason why Glock in their manual specify that lead bullets NOT be used using the stock or factory barrel. 

My Endotactical TSA-G Review

'Endotactical TSA-G'
The Endotactical Tactical Stock Adapter - Glock (TSA-G) was actually the main reason for my buying a full-sized Glock. The TSA-G fits only full-sized Glock at the moment, and I felt it was much superior than the GLR440 Stock I used on my Glock 23 as it attaches to the Glock on 2 points, compared to the one point on the GLR440. Because of this, you will have better control of the Glock during recoil.

Another advantage of the TSA-G, is that you can use much more solid stocks built for the M4 Carbine, as opposed to the relatively flimsy 1" width Polymer stock of the GLR440. These two advantages I felt will enable much better control of the weapon during full-auto, not resulting in that diagonal climb to 1-2 o'clock that I found when using the GLR440 stock.

I got what is likely to be a China-copy of the TSA-G from a shop at the Makati Cinema Square (MCS). The reason I think it is a China-copy, are three things: First, is the price. The original sells for USD 150 in the US, while I bought it for only P 3,500 (approximately USD 81). Second thing is that the Retaining Pin that secures the unit to the Glock is made of Polymer, while the ones I saw on the videos for the original TSA-Gs are made of Stainless Steel. I don't think this will be much of a factor on the function of the unit, though.

Third is that there is no small ball chain that secures the Retaining Pin to the TSA-G, while the original always had one. I had to buy a small ball chain from the SM Department stor to secure that Retaining Pin to the TSA-G, and keep it from getting lost during handling.

Magpul Products' Availability in the Philippines

(Update Note: I have updated this blog, click here to read about the latest developments about the topic)

MAGPUL is a relatively new company, that has taken the firearms world by storm the last couple of years. The company's official name is "Magpul Industries Corporation", and was founded in 1999. The company is best known for their plastic accessories and parts, specifically for the AR-15/M-4 platform, and their products are not only very well made, but also very elegant and high-tech looking, which is a big part of their success.

I started buying some of their stuff for my Glock (why I am buying M-4 parts for my Glock? Long story, to be taken in other blogs), and I have had a bit of confusion with regards to which of their products are genuine, which are copied from China, etc. So I did a little bit of research, and I would just like to share some of the things I found out.

First, it turns out that Magpul has two main plants in different locations, producing slightly different parts. And these are MAGPUL USA, and MAGPUL PTS.

'Magpul USA'
Magpul USA or officially, "Magpul Industries" is located in Colorado, USA, and the most important thing to remember about them and their products, is that they only serve the US market. US laws by default forbid them to export these parts and/or accessories for high powered rifles to other countries. They can apply for export of these parts and accessories, but for some reason, they have opted not to do so. As a result, this has had a huge impact on the prices of their products outside of the USA.

That inability to export their products is the primary reason for the outrageous prices of ORIGINAL Magpul USA parts in the Philippines. For example, a "Magpul Compact Type - Restricted" (CTR) Stock in the US costs only USD 80, but some shops at the Makati Cinema Square (MCS) sells the same products for approximately USD 348. That is more than four times the retail price in the US. Another example, would be the Magpul Back Up Sight (MBUS) Generation 2 sights, for example. These retail for only USD 40 in the US, but in an MCS shop? P12,000 (approximately USD 279), or around SEVEN times as much.