One of the greatest fantasy beliefs of the anti gun crowd (including the news media) is that a concealed carry permit holder is likely to have their handgun taken away from them and used against themselves. Is it possible? Sure, but if you make weapon retention part of your plan and training, this scenario will only remain a dream of the anti-gunners. Understand the local news stations would love to talk for hours on end about a CCW permit holder who had their gun taken away and used on them to help ingrain into the general public why concealed carry is such a bad idea. If it happened to a law enforcement officer (which it does) though, the news media wouldn’t touch the story other than a small blurb in the back page of the Midlands section, and it won’t be on the 10:00 news.
In general CCW permit holders don’t necessarily need Level III retention holsters (such as Law Enforcement Officers who open carry), however CCW permit holders still have a need to know and understand how to retain their handgun, and how to disarm someone if needed. I strongly recommend that you pursue training opportunities to learn these techniques (you are not going to learn them over the internet alone). Reading on the internet and watching training DVD’s are an OK place to start, but I highly recommend you seek out professional training in this area, and most importantly find a partner to practice the techniques you learn. If you don’t practice what you learn, it will do you no good when the time comes.
Some martial arts schools will offer training in weapons retention / disarming. Seek out Instructors who can teach you simple proven techniques. If you need a book with 200 different positions and poses to learn, forget it! You aren’t going to remember all of those fancy techniques when the time comes. Best yet if you can find a law enforcement trained individual who has been trained in a system such a PPCT (Pressure Point Control Tactics), and if they are willing to teach you the weapons retention component of PPCT, you better jump on that opportunity. A concealed carry permit holder can learn a lot from the Law Enforcement community on this topic
Retention of your handgun begins with AWARENESS!!! You must be constantly aware of what is going on around you. Never, ever let an adversary get too close to you. Keep yourself positioned so that the side of your body that your weapon is located on is kept turned away from the adversary. Watch their hands!!!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Concealed Carry Permit Holders Wearing Badges
Two words could sum up the title of this post.... "Bad Idea". I have never heard a strong argument from anyone to justify why someone should wear one of these badges... They say, well what if you accidentally expose your gun? My answer, you should do a better job of hiding your gun.
In the state of Nebraska, there is a very vague law about impersonating a Peace Officer, however in my opinion if you wear one of these badges, you are trying to impersonate a Peace Officer.
Nebraska Law:
28-610. Impersonating a peace officer; penalty.
(1) A person commits the offense of impersonating a peace officer if he falsely pretends to be a peace officer and performs any act in that pretended capacity.
(2) Impersonating a peace officer is a Class I misdemeanor. (Meaning you face up to 1 year in jail and $1,000 fine)
In the state of Utah, they definitely have a sensible law against non-law enforcement individuals (such as a CCW permit holder) carrying a badge.
Utah Law:
76-8-512(3) A person is guilty of a class B misdemeanor who: displays or possesses without authority any badge…or a reasonable facsimile… with the intent to induce another to submit to or rely on his pretended official authority
OK, so what spurred this post? I came across a picture of an individual wearing one of these badges on his belt during an internet search today for some local Nebraska concealed carry issues. While this guy was proudly wearing this badge, I am too embarrassed for him to even post a link to the picture!!! :-)
In the state of Nebraska, there is a very vague law about impersonating a Peace Officer, however in my opinion if you wear one of these badges, you are trying to impersonate a Peace Officer.
Nebraska Law:
28-610. Impersonating a peace officer; penalty.
(1) A person commits the offense of impersonating a peace officer if he falsely pretends to be a peace officer and performs any act in that pretended capacity.
(2) Impersonating a peace officer is a Class I misdemeanor. (Meaning you face up to 1 year in jail and $1,000 fine)
In the state of Utah, they definitely have a sensible law against non-law enforcement individuals (such as a CCW permit holder) carrying a badge.
Utah Law:
76-8-512(3) A person is guilty of a class B misdemeanor who: displays or possesses without authority any badge…or a reasonable facsimile… with the intent to induce another to submit to or rely on his pretended official authority
OK, so what spurred this post? I came across a picture of an individual wearing one of these badges on his belt during an internet search today for some local Nebraska concealed carry issues. While this guy was proudly wearing this badge, I am too embarrassed for him to even post a link to the picture!!! :-)
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Why you don't handle firearms when drinking...
http://www.journalstar.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/article_ea7ee80e-c95a-11de-bc3b-001cc4c03286.html
Here is another perfect example of why you should not ever handle a firearm when you have been drinking alcohol. It is pretty simple folks, alcohol impairs your judgement.... If you can't see that, then please sell your firearms or give them to someone responsible. There is nothing wrong with enjoying a drink at all, just leave the gun safe locked.
While you are at it, if you are enjoying your favorite alcoholic beverage, please do so in a place where you don't have to drive... Or have someone else drive you.
The idiots at the Lincoln Journal Star just love these type of stories... They get all giddy when these things happen and start tripping over themselves. Yes there have been three gun related deaths in Lincoln this year, and the common link in each of them is NEGLIGENT handling, by untrained individuals.
Here is another perfect example of why you should not ever handle a firearm when you have been drinking alcohol. It is pretty simple folks, alcohol impairs your judgement.... If you can't see that, then please sell your firearms or give them to someone responsible. There is nothing wrong with enjoying a drink at all, just leave the gun safe locked.
While you are at it, if you are enjoying your favorite alcoholic beverage, please do so in a place where you don't have to drive... Or have someone else drive you.
The idiots at the Lincoln Journal Star just love these type of stories... They get all giddy when these things happen and start tripping over themselves. Yes there have been three gun related deaths in Lincoln this year, and the common link in each of them is NEGLIGENT handling, by untrained individuals.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Which states concealed carry permits should I get?
If you are a Nebraska resident, then you must have a Nebraska concealed handgun permit in order to carry concealed here. You can get other states non-resident permits though in addition to your Nebraska permit which expands the number of states you can legally carry concealed in. While there are a few different states that issue non-resident permits, by far today the one with the best coverage is the Utah Concealed Firearm Permit. Nebraska residents who get both a Nebraska Concealed Handgun Permit and a Utah Concealed Firearm Permit end up with coverage to carry in 35 states! You can get these non-resident permits that I will discuss completely through the mail, you do not have to travel to these states to get them.
The Florida non-resident permit is also another good option, however it is more expensive to get, costs more to renew, and covers a couple less states. The Florida permit costs $117 for a seven year permit, and then $107 to renew. The Nebraska permit is valid in Florida now, so if you like to travel to Florida then you are covered there.
Often I am asked about the state of Iowa, well Iowa is not real friendly to concealed carry yet. The state of Iowa does not recognize any other states concealed carry permit; you must have an Iowa “Permit to Carry Weapons” in order to carry there. The state of Iowa does issue non-resident permits to Nebraska residents, however they can be difficult to get. Iowa has two different permits, the “Professional Permit” and the “Non-Professional Permit”. In order to get the Professional permit, you must have a job that requires you to carry a firearm through Iowa. With a Professional Permit, you may only carry while you are technically “working”. In order to get the Non-Professional permit, you must show documented proof of a threat on your life in Iowa that would give you justification to carry. If you have the job or justification, the permit process is actually pretty simple to go through, however unfortunately most average people don’t meet these requirements. The Iowa permit only costs $10, but must be renewed every year.
To get the Utah CFP, you must first complete a Utah training class, taught by a Utah BCI certified Instructor. Be careful here… There are some Nebraska Concealed Carry Instructors who are telling people they can sign off on the Utah training requirement, and THEY ARE NOT UTAH CERTIFIED INSTRUCTORS. (Guess what happens when they sign for you? Utah rejects your application, and makes you take another class.) You can go to the BCI website to confirm that your instructor is indeed certified by Utah:
http://www.des.utah.gov/bci/documents/insoutstate_061.pdf
Once you have taken the Utah class, you will mail in your application (including your Instructors certification stamp), a photo copy of your driver’s license, a set of your fingerprints, a passport quality photo and the $65.25 permit fee. The NE State Patrol will fingerprint you and give you a copy of the fingerprint card for no charge. Go to Walgreens or Wal-Mart to get a passport quality photo taken (about $8-$10). Current processing time for a Utah CFP is approximately 60-90 days.
Please understand that although Nebraska recognizes the Florida, Iowa and Utah permits here… If you are a Nebraska resident, you must get a Nebraska concealed carry permit. A Nebraska resident may not carry concealed here using another states non-resident permit.
If you have any questions about these permits or training classes, please drop me an email and I will be happy to help.
Chris Zeeb
NE CCW Training (NE Firearms Training LLC)
www.neccwtraining.com
chris@neccwtraining.com
The Florida non-resident permit is also another good option, however it is more expensive to get, costs more to renew, and covers a couple less states. The Florida permit costs $117 for a seven year permit, and then $107 to renew. The Nebraska permit is valid in Florida now, so if you like to travel to Florida then you are covered there.
Often I am asked about the state of Iowa, well Iowa is not real friendly to concealed carry yet. The state of Iowa does not recognize any other states concealed carry permit; you must have an Iowa “Permit to Carry Weapons” in order to carry there. The state of Iowa does issue non-resident permits to Nebraska residents, however they can be difficult to get. Iowa has two different permits, the “Professional Permit” and the “Non-Professional Permit”. In order to get the Professional permit, you must have a job that requires you to carry a firearm through Iowa. With a Professional Permit, you may only carry while you are technically “working”. In order to get the Non-Professional permit, you must show documented proof of a threat on your life in Iowa that would give you justification to carry. If you have the job or justification, the permit process is actually pretty simple to go through, however unfortunately most average people don’t meet these requirements. The Iowa permit only costs $10, but must be renewed every year.
To get the Utah CFP, you must first complete a Utah training class, taught by a Utah BCI certified Instructor. Be careful here… There are some Nebraska Concealed Carry Instructors who are telling people they can sign off on the Utah training requirement, and THEY ARE NOT UTAH CERTIFIED INSTRUCTORS. (Guess what happens when they sign for you? Utah rejects your application, and makes you take another class.) You can go to the BCI website to confirm that your instructor is indeed certified by Utah:
http://www.des.utah.gov/bci/documents/insoutstate_061.pdf
Once you have taken the Utah class, you will mail in your application (including your Instructors certification stamp), a photo copy of your driver’s license, a set of your fingerprints, a passport quality photo and the $65.25 permit fee. The NE State Patrol will fingerprint you and give you a copy of the fingerprint card for no charge. Go to Walgreens or Wal-Mart to get a passport quality photo taken (about $8-$10). Current processing time for a Utah CFP is approximately 60-90 days.
Please understand that although Nebraska recognizes the Florida, Iowa and Utah permits here… If you are a Nebraska resident, you must get a Nebraska concealed carry permit. A Nebraska resident may not carry concealed here using another states non-resident permit.
If you have any questions about these permits or training classes, please drop me an email and I will be happy to help.
Chris Zeeb
NE CCW Training (NE Firearms Training LLC)
www.neccwtraining.com
chris@neccwtraining.com
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Carrying Concealed and Stopped by the Police
In the state of Nebraska you are required by law to immediately inform a police officer who officially stops, detains or questions you that you are carrying a concealed handgun. Notification is not required in some states (ie. Utah, Missouri, Iowa, etc…) however it is a very wise thing to do. I have talked with some people who are of the opinion that it is none of the Police Officer’s business that they are carrying, since they are not doing anything wrong. In part I agree it is not really a Police Officer’s business whether I am carrying or not, however should it be discovered by the Officer that you are carrying because of accidental exposure of your gun; you will likely be staring down the business end of that Officer’s duty weapon. These tense moments for both you and the Officer could have simply been avoided by you just telling the Officer that you had the gun. I am sure there are a number of Officers who during a traffic stop discovered a gun when the driver reached into the glove box to get their registration.
The reality is Police Officers deal with some real knuckleheads and some real bad people, so they are overly cautious with everyone they deal with. (And they should be!) The bottom line is YOUR Attitude and YOUR Actions will determine how well the traffic stop goes. Just tell the Officer you have a firearm, be courteous and be cooperative, even if you are inconvenienced or you are about to get a ticket. Being a jerk to the Officer is not going to help you any. DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT try to debate an Officer on the side of the road as to what your Constitutional Rights are. You will be wasting your breath.
Be careful how you choose your words when stopped by a Law Enforcement Officer, don’t announce as they are walking up to the car, “I HAVE A GUN!” Rather it would be much better to just state, “Officer I am carrying a firearm, and it is located __________”. Do not go reaching for anything, just keep your hands on the steering wheel (palms flat), and ask the Officer before making any movements. For example if the Officer asks you for your license and registration, you might say “My license is in my wallet in my back pocket, would you like me to go ahead and get it out of there?” “My registration is the in glove box, would you like me to go ahead and get it out of there?” If you are stopped at night, turn on your dome light to help the Officer see in your vehicle better.
What if you are NOT carrying and you are stopped by the Police? Should you tell them that you are a permit holder? ABSOLUTELY! If they take your driver’s license and are going to run your name through the computer, then they are going to find out that you are a permit holder. It would be very prudent for you to say before they go run your name, “Officer I am a concealed handgun permit holder, however I am NOT carrying at this time”. This way when the Officer runs your name and the dispatcher signals them that you are permit holder, the Officer isn’t left wondering whether or not you forgot to tell them that you had a gun. If you are NOT carrying and you are just having a conversation with an Officer (they are not running your name for some reason), then you should not say anything about the carry permit.
Do not engage in a debate on the street with a Law Enforcement Officer about concealed carry or your constitutional rights. Just be polite, respectful and honest with them. Be sure to immediately inform the Officer of the handgun, and do everything possible to cooperate with the Officer, and help put them at ease. Some Officers will want to stand around and talk guns, others won’t. I have yet to hear a report from a concealed handgun permit holder that they were treated poorly by an Officer during a traffic stop. Remember YOUR Attitude and YOUR Actions will determine how well the traffic stop goes.
The reality is Police Officers deal with some real knuckleheads and some real bad people, so they are overly cautious with everyone they deal with. (And they should be!) The bottom line is YOUR Attitude and YOUR Actions will determine how well the traffic stop goes. Just tell the Officer you have a firearm, be courteous and be cooperative, even if you are inconvenienced or you are about to get a ticket. Being a jerk to the Officer is not going to help you any. DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT try to debate an Officer on the side of the road as to what your Constitutional Rights are. You will be wasting your breath.
Be careful how you choose your words when stopped by a Law Enforcement Officer, don’t announce as they are walking up to the car, “I HAVE A GUN!” Rather it would be much better to just state, “Officer I am carrying a firearm, and it is located __________”. Do not go reaching for anything, just keep your hands on the steering wheel (palms flat), and ask the Officer before making any movements. For example if the Officer asks you for your license and registration, you might say “My license is in my wallet in my back pocket, would you like me to go ahead and get it out of there?” “My registration is the in glove box, would you like me to go ahead and get it out of there?” If you are stopped at night, turn on your dome light to help the Officer see in your vehicle better.
What if you are NOT carrying and you are stopped by the Police? Should you tell them that you are a permit holder? ABSOLUTELY! If they take your driver’s license and are going to run your name through the computer, then they are going to find out that you are a permit holder. It would be very prudent for you to say before they go run your name, “Officer I am a concealed handgun permit holder, however I am NOT carrying at this time”. This way when the Officer runs your name and the dispatcher signals them that you are permit holder, the Officer isn’t left wondering whether or not you forgot to tell them that you had a gun. If you are NOT carrying and you are just having a conversation with an Officer (they are not running your name for some reason), then you should not say anything about the carry permit.
Do not engage in a debate on the street with a Law Enforcement Officer about concealed carry or your constitutional rights. Just be polite, respectful and honest with them. Be sure to immediately inform the Officer of the handgun, and do everything possible to cooperate with the Officer, and help put them at ease. Some Officers will want to stand around and talk guns, others won’t. I have yet to hear a report from a concealed handgun permit holder that they were treated poorly by an Officer during a traffic stop. Remember YOUR Attitude and YOUR Actions will determine how well the traffic stop goes.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Open Carry in Nebraska
The open carrying of handguns in Nebraska is not regulated by law. So yes basically you can strap on a handgun in a holster on your belt and walk into the local grocery store and you are not violating any law. Yes you can carry a loaded handgun in your vehicle in Nebraska as long as it is out in the open (not concealed), no permit needed. For the record you can also have a loaded rifle in your car, again as long as it is not concealed… However you CANNOT have a loaded shotgun in your vehicle because you would be in violation of one of the large number of Game & Parks laws of Nebraska.
The only exceptions to this are: You cannot take a firearm somewhere prohibited by Federal law, such as a Federal building (Post Office, Military base, etc…) You also cannot have a firearm on school property unless it is unloaded and encased. Concealed Handgun Permit holders can keep their loaded handguns secured in their vehicle on school property under the clarified law passed this year (LB 430). Also you cannot have a handgun in your possession in the city of Omaha unless it is registered with the Omaha Police Division and you have proof of training on you. Long guns must be broken down and cased to be transported in the city of Omaha. With such wonderful strict laws in the city of Omaha, I have to wonder why it is still such a cesspool of crime. I thought all of those grand restrictions on gun ownership and possession were the answer to Omaha’s crime problem? Well we see how that has worked.
If you are a concealed carry permit holder I would not recommend open carrying into a place that has a sign prohibiting concealed carry. Although in reading the laws, one could argue that you are not technically breaking the law, since the law clearly says “concealed handguns are prohibited” however I don’t think you would find a sympathetic judge or jury to side with you on that one. If there is a no guns sign, and you are a Concealed handgun permit holder, you should not carry into a posted place. Now if you are not a Concealed Handgun Permit holder, you cannot be charged with violating the concealed handgun permit act by carrying into a posted place or premises. Of course again I would not recommend that you do this because you will quite possibly experience some hassles, inconveniences and possibly some legal battles.
It is my opinion that open carrying is not a great idea because it draws unwanted attention to you. I think it is fine in the car; nobody is going to see it anyway unless they walk up to your car. If you open carry, you better be prepared to deal with Susie Soccer Mom who calls the Police on you, and the cops come rushing to the “man with a gun” call. Some of the big city Police Chiefs have proclaimed that if anyone open-carries in their city they will be arrested for “disturbing the peace”. So understand you can face being arrested, however there is a slim chance in hell that charge will stick, and I believe these Chief’s are just bluffing because they don’t like citizens carrying guns. (Of course they are the only ones “Professional enough”.
It just really bothers me that a good honest responsible citizen who has proper training cannot carry a handgun in the open without being questioned or harassed. There are a few Law Enforcement officers that I have observed (some small town police officers, sheriffs and game wardens) who are complete derelicts; however nobody questions their ability to carry a firearm because they have a badge… They just carry wherever they want and whenever they want. For the record I am not suggesting that a civilian carry one of these ridiculous Concealed Carry Permit Holder badges that some unscrupulous people are selling online. You are impersonating a Police Officer by displaying one of these badges.
If you are going to open carry, I recommend that you use a holster with some security retention features. Most Law Enforcement Officers carry a Level II or Level III retention holster to help counter an attempted gun grab. Open carrying could possibly expose you to this, since everyone will now know you have firearm. With concealed carry, you don’t necessarily need a Level III retention holster, because if properly concealed, nobody should know you have the gun.
Bottom line… You have a concealed carry permit. Keep it concealed.
The only exceptions to this are: You cannot take a firearm somewhere prohibited by Federal law, such as a Federal building (Post Office, Military base, etc…) You also cannot have a firearm on school property unless it is unloaded and encased. Concealed Handgun Permit holders can keep their loaded handguns secured in their vehicle on school property under the clarified law passed this year (LB 430). Also you cannot have a handgun in your possession in the city of Omaha unless it is registered with the Omaha Police Division and you have proof of training on you. Long guns must be broken down and cased to be transported in the city of Omaha. With such wonderful strict laws in the city of Omaha, I have to wonder why it is still such a cesspool of crime. I thought all of those grand restrictions on gun ownership and possession were the answer to Omaha’s crime problem? Well we see how that has worked.
If you are a concealed carry permit holder I would not recommend open carrying into a place that has a sign prohibiting concealed carry. Although in reading the laws, one could argue that you are not technically breaking the law, since the law clearly says “concealed handguns are prohibited” however I don’t think you would find a sympathetic judge or jury to side with you on that one. If there is a no guns sign, and you are a Concealed handgun permit holder, you should not carry into a posted place. Now if you are not a Concealed Handgun Permit holder, you cannot be charged with violating the concealed handgun permit act by carrying into a posted place or premises. Of course again I would not recommend that you do this because you will quite possibly experience some hassles, inconveniences and possibly some legal battles.
It is my opinion that open carrying is not a great idea because it draws unwanted attention to you. I think it is fine in the car; nobody is going to see it anyway unless they walk up to your car. If you open carry, you better be prepared to deal with Susie Soccer Mom who calls the Police on you, and the cops come rushing to the “man with a gun” call. Some of the big city Police Chiefs have proclaimed that if anyone open-carries in their city they will be arrested for “disturbing the peace”. So understand you can face being arrested, however there is a slim chance in hell that charge will stick, and I believe these Chief’s are just bluffing because they don’t like citizens carrying guns. (Of course they are the only ones “Professional enough”.
It just really bothers me that a good honest responsible citizen who has proper training cannot carry a handgun in the open without being questioned or harassed. There are a few Law Enforcement officers that I have observed (some small town police officers, sheriffs and game wardens) who are complete derelicts; however nobody questions their ability to carry a firearm because they have a badge… They just carry wherever they want and whenever they want. For the record I am not suggesting that a civilian carry one of these ridiculous Concealed Carry Permit Holder badges that some unscrupulous people are selling online. You are impersonating a Police Officer by displaying one of these badges.
If you are going to open carry, I recommend that you use a holster with some security retention features. Most Law Enforcement Officers carry a Level II or Level III retention holster to help counter an attempted gun grab. Open carrying could possibly expose you to this, since everyone will now know you have firearm. With concealed carry, you don’t necessarily need a Level III retention holster, because if properly concealed, nobody should know you have the gun.
Bottom line… You have a concealed carry permit. Keep it concealed.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Gunsmiths and Glocks
Gunsmiths and Glocks blend like Oil and Water.
Gunsmiths generally don’t like Glocks and/or bad-mouth them, mainly because they cannot make a living doing custom work and custom fitting parts to the Glock. Glocks are best left stock internally for the most part. I see it over and over; a shooter gets bitten by the Glock bug… Goes out and buys one and then wastes a bunch of money on junky aftermarket parts. They start off with a metal guide rod and lighter recoil spring. They are afraid of the plastic guide rod breaking (which I have never personally seen), and then of course they want the lighter recoil spring to make the gun feel like it shoots softer. Well of course the gun has the softer shooting feel; however the reliability of the Glock has now been sacrificed. Next thing I hear from the shooter then is how the Glock is a piece of junk because it won’t work.
There is a gunsmith here in Nebraska who is a world class 1911/2011 pistol builder with one of the best reputations for building a quality gun. However I own a Glock pistol that he worked on (the work was done for a previous owner of this pistol) and when I detail stripped this Glock 17 I couldn’t believe the butcher work this “gunsmith” did inside. So disgusted with what I saw, I immediately shipped the pistol back to Glock to go through it and replace it back to stock the best they could. The trigger connector was ground to change the angle and make an even lighter trigger pull. Heck parts of the trigger connector were ground and rounded that had absolutely no bearing on the trigger pull (I guess he was lost trying to figure out what to do). The firing pin safety spring was cut in half to lighten the trigger pull, and the firing pin lug was ground and rounded so much that the pistol did not have an adequate and safe engagement. This gun was unsafe. The gunsmith had also done a “bang up job” milling a set of Bo-Mar sights into the slide of this gun. Those Bo-Mars looked fantastic, however upon close inspection of the slide in the back right corner on the side of the slide where the frame rails ride was cracked. The slide was cracked by the gunsmith clamping down the slide to machine it for the sights.
My advice is this… If you take the plunge and get a Glock DO NOT LET A GUNSMITH WORK ON IT. Only let someone who has been trained by Glock. Do not add a bunch of aftermarket parts to your gun either, you only lose reliability. It does not take a rocket scientist to work on a Glock, however if you have not been taught properly how the pistol works and how to service it, you are asking for trouble by messing with it. You should not pay a bunch of money to have a Glock Armorer work on your pistol either. Personally I charge the cost of the parts and I do the work for free. I am not in business to make a living working on Glocks, I work on them because I believe in them so strongly and I thoroughly enjoy Glocks as a hobby. If a gun store has a Glock Armorer on staff, they typically install parts that you purchased from them for no charge. Of course if you buy the parts somewhere else, then they are likely going to charge you a small fee for performing the work. Nothing on a Glock takes more than a couple minutes to do though, so if they are charging you by the hour, you really should know that there isn’t much you can spend more than a half hour or so completely going through a Glock pistol.
Below is a list of “must have modifications” that I do to my Glock pistols, as well as a list of “optional modifications” that I think are OK enough for a range gun, however never for a carry gun.
My personal must have modifications:
• New Sights (I prefer Heinie Slant pro sights, but also have carry guns with Meprolight night sights).
• Hogue rubber grip sleeve. (Skateboard tape or A-Grip panels are good too) Go with what feels best to you. Heck a piece of cut up bicycle inner tube makes a good rubber grip on the Glock.
• Glock factory 3.5# Trigger connector (with a NY trigger spring if for a carry gun)
Optional modifications:
• Aftermarket barrel (if you want to shoot cast lead bullets through your Glock)
• $0.25 trigger polishing job. Done by someone who knows what they are doing, and someone who does not start drilling, grinding or removing metal from the internal parts.
• Arredondo or Taylor Freelance magazine extensions for extra high capacity mags.
• Pearce Grip +1 mag extensions for the baby sub-compact Glocks (26-27-33). I like to use these when shooting in GSSF competitions, however I don’t like them for carry purposes.
Modifications I stay away from no matter what:
• Reduced power spring kits. Many people change the firing pin/striker spring to a lighter version which lightens the trigger pull. Well this is all fine and dandy for about the first 500 rounds, until that light spring wears out quickly and then you start experiencing light primer strikes and misfires.
• Multi hundred dollar trigger kits. These people are taking $20 worth of parts, butchering them and then selling them for $200-$300 dollars like they are some magical trigger that is going to make you magically shoot better. These are garbage in my opinion. Don’t waste your money on these kits. Spend it on ammo, or put that money towards a good training class to help improve your shooting skills.
Stay away from all the JUNK aftermarket parts out there.
Gunsmiths generally don’t like Glocks and/or bad-mouth them, mainly because they cannot make a living doing custom work and custom fitting parts to the Glock. Glocks are best left stock internally for the most part. I see it over and over; a shooter gets bitten by the Glock bug… Goes out and buys one and then wastes a bunch of money on junky aftermarket parts. They start off with a metal guide rod and lighter recoil spring. They are afraid of the plastic guide rod breaking (which I have never personally seen), and then of course they want the lighter recoil spring to make the gun feel like it shoots softer. Well of course the gun has the softer shooting feel; however the reliability of the Glock has now been sacrificed. Next thing I hear from the shooter then is how the Glock is a piece of junk because it won’t work.
There is a gunsmith here in Nebraska who is a world class 1911/2011 pistol builder with one of the best reputations for building a quality gun. However I own a Glock pistol that he worked on (the work was done for a previous owner of this pistol) and when I detail stripped this Glock 17 I couldn’t believe the butcher work this “gunsmith” did inside. So disgusted with what I saw, I immediately shipped the pistol back to Glock to go through it and replace it back to stock the best they could. The trigger connector was ground to change the angle and make an even lighter trigger pull. Heck parts of the trigger connector were ground and rounded that had absolutely no bearing on the trigger pull (I guess he was lost trying to figure out what to do). The firing pin safety spring was cut in half to lighten the trigger pull, and the firing pin lug was ground and rounded so much that the pistol did not have an adequate and safe engagement. This gun was unsafe. The gunsmith had also done a “bang up job” milling a set of Bo-Mar sights into the slide of this gun. Those Bo-Mars looked fantastic, however upon close inspection of the slide in the back right corner on the side of the slide where the frame rails ride was cracked. The slide was cracked by the gunsmith clamping down the slide to machine it for the sights.
My advice is this… If you take the plunge and get a Glock DO NOT LET A GUNSMITH WORK ON IT. Only let someone who has been trained by Glock. Do not add a bunch of aftermarket parts to your gun either, you only lose reliability. It does not take a rocket scientist to work on a Glock, however if you have not been taught properly how the pistol works and how to service it, you are asking for trouble by messing with it. You should not pay a bunch of money to have a Glock Armorer work on your pistol either. Personally I charge the cost of the parts and I do the work for free. I am not in business to make a living working on Glocks, I work on them because I believe in them so strongly and I thoroughly enjoy Glocks as a hobby. If a gun store has a Glock Armorer on staff, they typically install parts that you purchased from them for no charge. Of course if you buy the parts somewhere else, then they are likely going to charge you a small fee for performing the work. Nothing on a Glock takes more than a couple minutes to do though, so if they are charging you by the hour, you really should know that there isn’t much you can spend more than a half hour or so completely going through a Glock pistol.
Below is a list of “must have modifications” that I do to my Glock pistols, as well as a list of “optional modifications” that I think are OK enough for a range gun, however never for a carry gun.
My personal must have modifications:
• New Sights (I prefer Heinie Slant pro sights, but also have carry guns with Meprolight night sights).
• Hogue rubber grip sleeve. (Skateboard tape or A-Grip panels are good too) Go with what feels best to you. Heck a piece of cut up bicycle inner tube makes a good rubber grip on the Glock.
• Glock factory 3.5# Trigger connector (with a NY trigger spring if for a carry gun)
Optional modifications:
• Aftermarket barrel (if you want to shoot cast lead bullets through your Glock)
• $0.25 trigger polishing job. Done by someone who knows what they are doing, and someone who does not start drilling, grinding or removing metal from the internal parts.
• Arredondo or Taylor Freelance magazine extensions for extra high capacity mags.
• Pearce Grip +1 mag extensions for the baby sub-compact Glocks (26-27-33). I like to use these when shooting in GSSF competitions, however I don’t like them for carry purposes.
Modifications I stay away from no matter what:
• Reduced power spring kits. Many people change the firing pin/striker spring to a lighter version which lightens the trigger pull. Well this is all fine and dandy for about the first 500 rounds, until that light spring wears out quickly and then you start experiencing light primer strikes and misfires.
• Multi hundred dollar trigger kits. These people are taking $20 worth of parts, butchering them and then selling them for $200-$300 dollars like they are some magical trigger that is going to make you magically shoot better. These are garbage in my opinion. Don’t waste your money on these kits. Spend it on ammo, or put that money towards a good training class to help improve your shooting skills.
Stay away from all the JUNK aftermarket parts out there.
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