My Review of the Fab Defense Glock TacticSkin and Recoil Spring Buffer Part One

Right Side view of my Glock 22 with the Fab Defense TacticSkin.

Ever since Fab Defense released the Glock TacticSkin Slide Cover I think around last year, I have always wanted to have one, and I finally was able to acquire it recently.

'Unboxing'
In the tradition of those "unboxing" videos and pictures prevalent now in the internet for Gadgets and just about everything else, here is my unboxing picture of the TacticSkin. The package came with the following items:
- Clear, resealable bag
- Manufacturer's logo and promotional material on a cardboard rectangle
- The TacticSkin itself
- Recoil Spring Buffer
- Ultimate Arms Gear Sticker

Contents of the Fab Defense TacticSkin Package.

The Recoil Spring Buffer was a nice surprise, I've always wanted to try one myself. It is placed on the front part of the slide and is supposed to lessen wear on tear between the slide and the frame by dampening the forces both receive during recoil. It also supposedly lessens the felt recoil of the gun.

'First Fitting'
Unfortunately there are no instructions that came with the package on how to fit it, but after experimenting around I found that the best way is to first "hook" the front part of the skin on the gun's muzzle, then work your way back by fitting it into the slide. Initially you will find some resistance when you reach the area around the ejection port where the Extractor protrudes slightly, but after only a couple of cycles of putting it on and taking it out, the fit becomes a lot better. Taking it off is just the reverse, just start with pulling up the rear of the "skin" and then work your way to the muzzle.

I found an initial FITTING PROBLEM with my gun, I found it hard to push the slide back, and the slide also had problems going into battery. The reason is mainly because the front part of the skin was rubbing against the Recoil Guide Rod I was using and causing friction. Remember that I am using the DPM Recoil Reduction System with its Full-Length Recoil Spring Rod, if I had been using the thinner Stock or Factory Polymer Recoil Guide Rod, I probably would not have had this problem.

Part of the TacticSkin rubbing with the Recoil Spring Guide and causing friction.

Fortunately, the problem is easy to solve with the use of an ordinary Cutter. Since the material is made out of soft plastic, I just used the Cutter to slowly remove a little bit of material at a time from the area of the skin that rubs against the rod. I just used Trial and Error, remove a little bit, fit and push the slide back. If there is still friction, then just remove a little bit more material then try again. After awhile the problem disappeared.

Area reworked on the TacticSkin and the ordinary Cutter I used to rework it with.

Installation of the Recoil Spring Buffer was easy, just fit it on the inner part of the front of the slide in between the slide and the Recoil Spring Guide. It will make attachment of the Recoil Guide Rod System a little bit harder, but not too much and easily dealt with.

The Recoil Buffer shown attached between the Slide and the Recoil Spring Guide.

'Functionality'
The main reason I wanted this on my Glock was because it was a convenient way to allow me to grip the slide at the front and then slide it back, which was my main method of cocking the Striker back when dry-firing. The matte plastic, non-slippery material along with the serrations and protrusion allows a more solid grip on the slide resulting in easier checking of the chamber as that is how I prefer to partially open the slide by gripping its front part.

The next reason was the looks, it was a good way to improve the look of my Glock, make it more "exotic" without spending a lot of money or making permanent modifications on the slide. Actually, these skins are available in a lot of colors, from military colors like Olive Drab and Tan to the garish Yellow or even Pink, but I decided to go with the business-like Black to reflect the original color of the gun.

Third was for heat protection. As you fire more rounds, that front part of the gun gets hot, very HOT to the touch depending on how many rounds and how fast you fire the gun. The TacticSkin will protect your hand from the heat, and is made of heat-resistant material so you won't have to worry about it melting on the slide.

'Holster Problem'
The only sort of issue I found with it is that it even though it is thin, it does add up some bulk into the slide, enough of it that it won't fit into my form-fitted Kydex holster. An ideal holster for it would probably be one made of a flexible material such as nylon so it will be able to accommodate the Glock with or without the TacticSkin. Or perhaps one of those "open" holsters used for competition which retains the pistol thru the Trigger Guard and Muzzle. At any rate, I am now shopping around for a new holster to go along with it.

About as far as I can insert the Glock with the TacticSkin into the form-fitted Kydex holster I had before.

'Parting Shot'
So far the TacticSkin was everything that I expected it to be, improving the looks of my gun and at the same time still provide a lot of functionality. I will be making a "Part Two" of this blog, it will focus on finding a holster that will go along with it and also how it performs under actual firing conditions. I don't know when I will be able to shoot this setup, though, thanks to new Draconian Firearms Law implemented by PNoy and his henchman, Chief Purisima-Santisima. Hopefully soon, so I can finally finish this blog series ...

(End of Part One)