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.

My Glock 23 Review Part Five

'Reloads on Stock Barrel'
There has been a lot of written articles about not using Teflon reloads on the stock .40S&W Glock barrel as this would be prone to the kaBoom! or kB! issue. I thought about getting one of those aftermarket barrels which Twin Pines is selling for P7.5k, they are also recommended for shooting Teflon reloads, but then I noticed that a lot of Glock .40S&W owners also has been saying that they have been using Teflon reloads on their stock Glock barrels, so I decided just take a chance and start using reloads. Besides, I just could not afford to keep shooting brandnew FMJ ammo at P21.50 per pop.

As of this writing, I have shot around 950 rounds of Semi-Wadcutter Teflon reloads on my Glock, of which 350 rounds was fired at full auto, and so far I have had no serious issues yet. I do understand the risk, perhaps one of these days I will regret this action and ruin my precious Glock. But, then again, in my humble opinion, as long as I use quality reloads, I should have a good chance of continuing of having a good, shooting experience.

By "quality" reloads, I mean reloads from the major shooting ranges (i.e., those with multiple branches, like Jethro Dionisio, Armscor, etc.). If the shooting range is a small, mom and pop or backyard affair, I think it is worth the risk of buying reloads from major reloaders (i.e., Stronghand, Magnus, etc.), and just bringing it to the range and paying for the corkage fees.

I do make it a habit of cleaning a pistol thoroughly (especially the barrel) within 24-hours of each shooting session. My late father told me you have that amount of time before the corrossive components of the powder residue starts corroding and pitting your barrel. I don't know if that's true, but it does make for a great shooting habit.

One problem I do see with using reloads, is how dirty the gun can be afterwards, especially since I average firing 100 rounds per shooting session. The dirt gets into the nook and crannies of my unit, so I have to detail strip it every time I clean it, to remove the smell and the soot. Strangely, though, the barrel doesn't seem to be excessively fouled up after a shooting session. The barrel remains in excellent condition, with no pittings on it.

Glock 23 Machine Pistol Configuration Part Two

'Heavier Recoil Springs'
I was thinking of putting an extra power recoil spring to reduce wear and tear on the gun especially since I am now firing full auto on it, it sort of makes sense. However, it turns out that there are some adverse effects when using heavier recoil springs, like increased muzzle flip and felt recoil based on this advise from Springtech: http://www.custom-glock.com/springtech.html

They recommend using a LOWER strength recoil spring to reduce felt recoil and muzzle flip, but that would increase the wear and tear on the gun, especially if I use it at full-auto. As it is, I think I will stay with the stock recoil spring for now.

'Alternative Extended Magazine Option'
They are selling those 22 round .40S&W magazines at Makati Cinema Square (MCS) at insane prices, so on alternative to getting higher capacity magazines at cheaper prices for your Compact-sized Glock would be to:
a) Buy magazines used for the full-sized Glocks;
b) Buy magazine extensions for it.

Magazines for full sized Glocks will fit into the compact units, meaning a Glock 22 mag will fit into a Glock 23, if you don't mind the bottom of the mag extending out from your magwell. But then again, if are going to replace and extend the basepads, it wouldn't matter anyway. Trust Trade seems to offer the cheapest Glock magazines, I bought Glock 22 (with "Austria" markings ) Generation 4 magazines (with ambidextrous locking depressions) from them for only P1.7k (with flat basepads).

Take note, though, that removing the baseplates on the stock Glock magazines can be a pretty difficult thing to do, thanks to the over-zealous locking protrusions. In the end, I decided to just remove those protrusions using a cutter to make it easier to remove/install those basepads. I don't think this will affect the functionality of the unit, as the magazine spring tension should be enough to lock those basepads in place.

Glock 23 Machine Pistol Configuration Part One

'Glock Full Auto - Initial Shots'
I had an all-metal Fire Selector Switch for Glock (FSSG) that was given to me by a gunsmith (see "My Fab Defense KPOS Review Part 3" for the full story), and I wanted to try it out, just to see how full auto fire would be with a .40S&W caliber round and a compact frame like the Glock 23. The FSSG is currently stuck on full-auto mode only, I dare not have it fitted again to have select fire capability for fear that it will be ruined again.

I wanted to fire it free hand (i.e., without the help of a shoulder stock and/or front grip), only using my two hands. I haven't fired any pistol in full auto before, so I decided to take it slow, loading only three rounds into the magazines for every shot. I was afraid that if I load a full magazine, the worst will happen and I will start shooting the ceiling if the recoil was severe. I used my standard shooting settings: 13 meters, SWC-TC reloads.

When I fired the first shot, I was surprised at the violence of the recoil. Since I'm firing a .40S&W round, the recoil of three shots was severe, I could feel a tingling in my right hand. Muzzle climb was severe also: I aimed at the center, and the first shot was at center, the second higher, and the third out of the target board. I shot nine more rounds of three rounds per magazine for a total of twelve, and out of those twelve rounds, only seven hit the target board, two of which hit both ears of the target. I even tried aiming at the bottom of the target to compensate for the muzzle climb, but to no avail.



Lesson learned is you definitely cannot fire full auto using a .40S&W caliber in a compact pistol free hand, and hope to have decent accuracy, at least not at 13 meters. At this point, I decided to take a break, go outside, and buy a Fab Defense GLR 440 Stock. I wanted to see how much control a shoulder stock will give me when I shoot the pistol.