Tag: glock

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Polymer80 P940Cv1 first impressions

Polymer80 P940Cv1 kitI’ve had my Polymer 80 P940Cv1 frame quit for quite awhile – a couple years in fact. I’ve had it so long I forgot where I got some of the parts. Anyway, some friends have been wanting to go shooting yesterday and I had some spare time. Last week I bought a cordless Dremel so I could finally finish this thing. This won’t be a complete review of the P940Cv1, just my initial impressions. After I have a chance to shoot it more and gather my notes I’ll do a complete review and shooting report.

The instructions suck…

The  P940Cv1 doesn’t come with instructions, which is kind of weird considering it’s not obvious how it goes together. Polymer80 has instructions in PDF format on their web site, but these instructions are much better IMO. Polymer80 recommends using a slide vise and drill press for the milling operations on the frame. My drill press wasn’t deep enough to fit the slide vise, so I tried holding the block by hand. BIG mistake – the bit grabbed the frame and marred it pretty good before I got it away from the bit. My bad…

Looking for solutions, I found a video from Marine Gun Builder that shows how to finish a Polymer80 frame without a drill press. I couldn’t afford the fancy fret snips he recommends so I got the closest snips I could find at Home Depot. They worked OK, but my frame didn’t turn out nearly as pretty as Marine Gun Builder’s. No worries – I’d already marred it anyway. The important thing was – would it shoot? More on that later…

Other parts you’ll need

The Polymer80 kits only come with the parts needed for the frame itself.  Besides the frame kit, you’ll need a Frame Parts Kit (not sold by Polymer80) and a complete slide assembly. The Polymer 80 frames need Glock Gen 3 compatible parts. If you use Gen 4 or later parts you might damage the frame and will definitely void your warranty. Polymer80 specifically mentions that Lone Wolf Distributors uses some Gen 4 parts in their kits, in spite of labeling them as “Gen 3 compatible.” Simple – don’t use a Lone Wolf Distributor kit in your P80 frame kit. I prefer OEM Glock parts that I get from Glockmeister. For my slide, I bought a no-name Gen 3 compatible G19 slide assembly on eBay.

One thing to watch for is to make sure you put the right parts in the right hole. The 2 pins that come with the frame kit are for the front and back holes in the frame. The middle (small) hole is for the locking block pin that will come with your Frame Parts Kit. You’ll need to install this pin before installing the slide release assembly but after putting the trigger assembly in place. This part was a little confusing to me so I had to call Polymer80 for guidance. I can let you know they DO answer the phone and were able to help me. GREAT customer service.

P940Cv1 - 2 types of pins
The top pin with the bulged ends is the rear pin for the slide locking block

Problems? What problems?

The only problem I had putting together the P940Cv1 kit was the slide block spring. For some reason I can’t get it to seat correctly. It’s in the front groove far enough to not fall out, but barely. This might be due to the fact that I started way back when with a Lone Wolf Distributors kit, and the spring might have come from them – which could mean it’s a Gen 4 part (for some reason, Glock changed this spring from Gen 3 to Gen 4). I have known Gen 3 springs on the way from Glockmeister, so we’ll see. The one I put in held well enough for test firing.

Other than that, no problems that weren’t self induced. The pins were really tight, but that might actually be a good thing. For those familiar with Glocks, this won’t come apart easily with the Glock tool. Hammer and punch will definitely be needed. Once I got it put together, it function checked fine so off to the range…

Complete P940Cv1 ready to go shooting

 

But does it shoot?

I didn’t have any Gen 3 G19 magazines, so I borrowed one from my Gen 4. Fit was fine. I had some reservations about shooting it because of the slide lock spring issue, but life is short so… I loaded 2 rounds into the mag and inserted. Seated fine, so far so good. Time to pull the trigger. Took aim, pulled the trigger, and… it went bang just like it’s supposed to. Second round fed OK, pulled the trigger again, went bang again, and the slide locked back on the empty magazine just like it’s supposed to.

Inserted a full magazine. Bang… bang… and ftf. Drop magazine, clear round, insert magazine, rack slide, and… ftf. Lather, rinse, repeat and… another ftf. On the 3rd try I used the slide release instead of racking the slide and the round fed. (I SWEAR I wasn’t “riding the slide”…) I shot the remaining rounds in the magazine with no issues. Shot through two more full mags with no issues and called it a day. A successful day.

I didn’t do any formal accuracy testing, but it seemed as accurate as my Glock 22 that I brought for comparison. So far, I’m happy. In fact, happy enough that I ordered a P940Cv1 second frame kit, along with their subcompact (P940SC). Hopefully the next one will turn out as nice as the ones Marine Gun Builder turns out. Until next time…

Peace out,
porcupine

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Glock G44 – finally, a 22LR Glock

Glock G44Early this week Glock announced their newest pistol – the Glock 44 in 22LR. If you CCW a Glock 19 this is great news. I’m a firm believer in the saying “train how you fight.” If you carry a Glock, the G44 lets you do just that with cheap 22 LR ammo. The Glock 44 uses the same operating system and holsters as the Glock 19. Unlike other companies’ training pistols, the G44 looks, feels, and works almost exactly like all other Glock pistols.

Haters still gonna hate…

I was really surprised to see so many negative comments on some of the message boards I read. Should have been a long slide. Why only 10 round magazines? Not as innovative as Taurus (WTF???). Glocks are over rated(???). The .world doesn’t need another 22LR semi auto pistol. Ruger Mk4 is more accurate (probably right, but how do they know if they haven’t shot the G44?). I guess haters gonna hate no matter what. I think they’re all missing the point…

Actually the G44 really is innovative, in spite of the haters. It’s probably the first striker fired 22LR pistol on the market and it’s definitely the first “defensive” pistol offered by a firearms maker that functions exactly the same as their center fire version. That means the G44 trigger feels just like the G19 trigger. It means you can use your G19 carry holster to train with your G44. The sights and sight radius are the same (that’s why it’s not a long slide). And the 10 round magazines? Who cares? It’s a training gun, not a carry gun. Besides, the 10 round mags are 50 state legal.

Since I CCW a Glock 19, I know my next pistol is going to be the G44. It should be available on January 20, 2020. I’m already saving my money. Can’t wait to try it, and I’ll post a full review when I get it. Until next time…

Peace out,
porcupine

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Glock 22 Police Trade In

Lately a lot of online vendors have Glock 22 Police Trade In pistols for only $299.95. If you like Glocks, that’s a smoking hot deal. I usually like to buy new, but I also appreciate a good deal. I’ve been on a pretty tight budget lately so I decided to try this cheap gun. Like I said they’re all over right now, I bought mine from Recoil Gunworks. It’s a Glock, what could go wrong? As it turned out, so far so good. Besides the gun, I added a 3-pack of G22 magazines for an extra $34.95.

Out of the box…

My police trade in came with factory night sights, factory case, and 4 magazines (1 included plus the add-on 3 pack). Except for holster wear on the slide release and rear sight, the gun looked like new on the outside. Same on the inside. Either someone did a stellar cleaning job or it was fired very little. The night sights are dim, but then they’re probably at least 10 years old. Still better than the junk plastic sights that Glock puts on most of their pistols.

I was really happy with the finish. Sometime during the Gen 3 run, Glock changed from their Tennifer finish to something different. Most think the earlier finish is better, and this gun has the early Tennifer. Very nice…

The magazines were a mixed bag. One was a Gen 3 mag and the others were all Gen 4. The Gen 3 mag was easy to load with a full 15 rounds so I guess it was kept loaded all the time. The Gen 4 mags had stiffer springs so I’m guessing they weren’t used much. Some of them had department markings on them. For $34.95 I’m not complaining…

But it’s a 40…

So what? The 40 S&W is an interesting cartridge… Less power than 45 ACP or 10mm and less capacity than 9mm. That’s if you’re a “glass half empty” type. I’m more “glass half full” so I look at it as having more power than 9mm and more capacity than 45 ACP. That and more controllable and easier to conceal than a 10mm pistol. YMMV but to me that looks pretty good.

Ammo is cheap too. You can find premium self defense ammo (Winchester Ranger 165 gr) just as cheap as  9mm and cheaper than 45 ACP. I just got 500 rounds for $400, shipped. For plinking ammo, 9mm is cheaper but not by a lot.

The 40 S&W is snappier than 9mm, but the Glock design helps tame the recoil. It’s also harder on guns than 9mm or 45 ACP, so if you get one of these I’d recommend getting a new recoil spring assembly. They’re cheap insurance, mine should be here next week. Then I can do a range test.

Get ’em while they’re hot…

Right now, these are easy to find because lots of police departments are switching from 40 S&W back to 9mm. I think they’ll be harder to find as time goes on. I got mine from Recoil Gunworks but I saw at least 3 other online vendors with the same price. I even found one seller with G22 Gen 4 pistols for $329. If you like Glocks, that is a smoking hot deal. Whether Gen 3 or Gen 4, I don’t think you can go wrong with one of these G22 police trade in guns.

They’re perfect for a truck gun, nightstand gun, plinker, IDPA, or even CCW if you can comfortably conceal a full size pistol.

Peace out,
porcupine

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New Glock 47 – pfft…

Glock 47 CBPIn early April, Glock announced a new model as part of an $85 million contract with US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The Glock 47 is the same size as a Gen 5 G17, and not available to civilians. It does have some interesting features though, so it’s worth checking out. I first read about the G47 on a blog I used to respect (emphasis on used to).

Late to the dance and full of… nothing burgers

The post I read was written on May 18, but the gun was announced in early April. In spite of the time lapse, the author manages to write about the Glock 47 without saying ANYTHING about the G47.

Instead, he starts out by berating ‘all the “experts” posting about this new Glock 47 and all the conjecture and general “making shit up” going long(sic) with it.’

Next, he informs us he knows where they get their information and what they’re trying to do with it: ‘They are all surfing each others web postings, trying to be the first to post something significant.’ 

At least he’s a real expert… ‘I’m going to be issued one, and it will be the pistol riding in my holster until I retire. So when I’m getting hands on, while the rest are still reposting the same conjecture you’ll see it here first.’

Facts, not conjecture…

Well, I didn’t want to be mislead by all the “experts” the author is warning about, so I did a Google search for Glock 47. I didn’t find a lot of stuff, but what I did find was factual – no “made up stuff” and no “conjecture.”

The Truth About Glocks…

The truth about Glocks – including the new Glock 47 – is they’re really simple. You don’t need to be too much of an expert to understand them. A current production Glock only has 34 parts, and most parts are interchangeable across the entire line. So I really don’t understand why this particular blogger feels the need to grandstand on this issue. Especially since I’ve never seen him write anything on Glocks before.

What’s special about the Glock 47

So what’s so special about the G47? Not much. It has a full size (G17) frame and a G17 slide. The only thing special about it is the frame will take a G19 slide. That’s it. With the G19 slide, a G47 is the same size as the G19X/G45 (compact slide, full size grip frame).

Before the 19X, G17 slides fit G17 frames and G19 slides fit G19 frames. The 19X frame is basically a G19 frame with a G17 grip. Another way of looking at it would be to call it a G17 frame modified to accept a G19 slide. A G17 slide won’t fit a G19X/G45 frame, just like it won’t fit a G47 frame.

So how do they do it? The logical conclusion is the Glock 47 slide is a G17 slide modified to fit a Glock 19 (or G19X/G45) frame. That’s not “conjecture” or “making shit up.” It’s applying deductive reasoning to commonly known facts about existing Glock pistol models. I don’t see how one “riding in my holster” would make it more understandable.

Glock 47 – bottom line

The G47 is an interesting pistol. The ability to switch between short and long slides makes a lot of sense – especially if you’re a federal agency deploying thousands of pistols. For the average Backyardsman looking for a carry or trail gun? Still interesting, but that’s about it. Would I buy one if they were available to civilians? Probably not. For 9mm, my Glock 17 and Glock 19 suit me just fine.

Peace out,
porcupine

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More Glock goodness…

Glock 35 Gen 4It’s been hectic around here lately. We’re trying to get my wife’s sister and her husband acclimated to life in the US. It’s not working out very well so far. My brother already wants to go back. I’m learning Chinese and trying to come up with things to keep him (them) occupied. They love working in our back yard, they’re both interested in church (and there is a Christian Chinese church in town), and he (my brother) wants to go shooting. We make homemade beef jerky every Saturday. They take long walks with my kids every night. Everything is working out great except my brother already wants to go back to China. I don’t blame him. If I was stuck someplace where almost no one spoke my language I’d feel the same. Unless I found a reason to want to stay…

Glock goodness…

What does any of that have to do with Glocks? Stay with me. I want my in-laws to stay here. I need to come up with a good reason for them to want to stay. What can they do here they can’t do in China? Go shooting. Get involved in the whole gun culture. For handguns, to me that means Glock goodness. In light of that, I just got a Gen 4 Glock 35. I also have a Polymer80 frame and all the parts to build a NAG 19. My brother is interested in hunting and shooting. Introducing him to Glock goodness will be a good thing. That and eventually Black Rifle Disease…

I have lots of vacation time saved up at work. Since Fridays are always slow and vacations are a waste of time, I talked to my boss about just taking Fridays off. He said OK, so most Fridays starting next week will be range days. Just my, my brother, my 2 sons, and some Glock goodness.

Sunday update…

That was yesterday. Today I took the family to a Chinese Christian church. Tried not to look nosy but I managed to notice that my brother sang along with the hymns and read along with the Scripture readings. In the bulletin I saw an announcement for a church camp at the end of August. Another backwoodsman (a.k.a. backyardsman) thing I can do with my new found brother. Making new family traditions and all that…