Dress up your duty gun

The Glock 17 was introduced in the U.S. in 1986 and the G19 soon followed. Since then, there have been four generations of Glock handguns, but there is a commonality amongst all models. As a firearms trainer, the transition from a Gen1 to a Gen4 similar model is seamless. The U.S. Marines made an official service-wide announcement that the Glock 19 was an authorized individual weapon for Marines assigned to Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC). It’s about time it was “official”, since just about everyone in the Special Operations Community has unofficially been familiar with the Glock 19 since its first delivery.

The Glock is the most commonly used handgun by military and law enforcement forces worldwide and, besides the M-16, is the most easily recognized firearm profile in the industry. The Glock 19 is special. It is the right sized gun for a duty belt or civilian clothes. It has accuracy and capacity for special assignments like diplomatic protection. Foremost, most Glock armorers can rebuild one with a simple tool in only a few minutes. Not only will the Glock 19 withstand serious field use, parts are easy to install and relatively inexpensive. Any manufacturer that makes holsters or accessories will likely make something for a Glock 19. I tested a couple of essential law enforcement products, the ZEV Technologies’ Adjustable Fulcrum Drop-In Trigger Kit for Glock Handguns, and TRUGLO’s new TFX Tritium/Fiber-Optic Day/Night Sights. Both are game changers, but for completely different purposes. This test was done on various Glock models, including one of the best combat guns ever designed, the Glock 19.

Not surprisingly about 65 percent of all law enforcement officers use a Glock as their primary duty gun. Many police departments had some initial reservations about the polymer gun without the manual safety. But the Glock design has been proven over and over. I am partially responsible for my own agency issuing Glocks. We issued another type of handgun prior and I was the guy that kept the guns working. I ordered several Glocks, then left for a Glock Armorer/Range Instructor class, toting my shift supervisor’s Glock 19.

During one of the training sessions we were shooting 4-inch targets offhand at 25 yards. The two guys adjacent to my firing position on the range were testing a Glock 27 and a Glock 26. We swapped for a while and I was able to hit the target consistently with those little guns.

When I got home from the school my guns had arrived. I issued all of the administrators Glocks, then got them on the range for qualification. Everyone qualified in their first attempt. Within a couple of weeks, I had a purchase order for new Glocks and a new policy to issue them. Police range instructors (or those who routinely qualify administrators) will understand the punch line here ... so I will move on.

The ZEV Fulcrum Ultimate Trigger Kit has been used to set multiple world records. Like most ZEV upgrades, a user with the ability to detail strip a Glock can install this kit in only a few minutes. Installation only requires a Glock Armorer’s Tool (a standard 3/32nd punch). ZEV Technologies is known for their technologically advanced firearms parts and accessories. They are recognized as one of the most popular suppliers for competitive shooters. I like their barrels because the interiors are smoother than other match grade products.

At trade shows like the SHOT Show, ZEV Technologies is very easy to find. While most visitor displays usually have intermittent visitors, the ZEV booth was three deep every time I passed it. Their drop-in upgrades have provided competitive shooters custom features at a fraction of the cost. They make skeletonized slides and replacement barrels that are known for accuracy.

The Fulcrum Trigger has a face that is about three times wider than the stock trigger. Firearms trainers know that consistent trigger placement is critical for accuracy. That is, if a shooter does the same thing every time, they will achieve the same results.

The first thing I noticed when I installed my ZEV Fulcrum Ultimate Trigger Kit was the crispness and smoothness in the pre-travel. We all know that shot speed improves when shooters feel the trigger all the way to reset. This trigger is crisp and the pull is consistent throughout the pull. And by the way —I am not advocating, nor recommending anyone to use the ZEV Trigger for duty. For most agencies, to use of this kind of enhancement would be a violation of policy.

So why, then? The ZEV Fulcrum Ultimate Trigger Kit is all about trigger time. When we got out there and compared a shooter’s performance with a stock trigger against the ZEV trigger, scores and time improved. Better groups and time means better training. Using a ZEV Fulcrum Ultimate Trigger Kit for range training is the same concept that most athletic coaches use to improve their athletes. If a single training detractor can be used in training, the athlete can concentrate on other training tasks. I found that handing my ZEV equipped Glock over to someone on the range often eased the training session a bit.

Here’s what we recommend: The ZEV Trigger takes an average of about five minutes to install and function check. Use the duty gun and equipment for practice. Install it at the range, then practice. When the session is done, install the OEM parts. I have been doing this, and it only makes training better.

The TRUGLO TFX sight is a completely different design from common “night sights”. Now that I have had a chance to play with them, I want these sights on all of my guns. They definitely increase the margin for officer safety. They clearly improve sight picture acquisition. TRUGLO TFX sights use tritium capsules and fiber optic light gathering to make the dots in the sights visible day or night. A white ring encircles the front sight, enabling the shooter to acquire it quickly. The tritium is slightly brighter than competitive brands of sights. In the daytime, the fiber optics make the sights so bright that the shooter’s eyeballs are dragged into the sight picture.

It’s always very tempting to dress up one’s duty gun. A few simple rules:

• Never violate any agency policy when it comes to modifying safety equipment.
• Stick to unit insignia and state flags for slide rear plates and magazine bases. Do not put a skull, superhero, or other liability magnet on any piece of safety equipment. Imagine your gun in the evidence locker with “Batman” symbols all over it. An American flag on the duty gun is always acceptable. Each of us swore to defend against those who would attack the principles the American flag represents. A first responder with an American flag on his equipment should always be authorized. Several companies make laser engraved baseplates and side plates. Bastion Inc. has great engraved products, but I like their tactical magazine base plates. These machined T6 base plates don’t have any engraving, but they do have built up areas for rapid magazine extraction.
• Anything that changes a gun’s behavior in the holster should be rejected immediately.

Adding new sights to a duty gun can change the way the officer shoots. As a rule, stick to name brands that are known to fit duty holsters and agree with the agency’s training policy.

Handgun sights will get a lot of abuse, so the material and design should be considered first. I prefer TRUGLO’s CNC steel and their finish, which is particularly abrasion resistant. Anyone who has practiced on handed slide racks will know very quickly if they are running cheap sights. Additionally, duty sights should have a set screw to maintain the zero and be resistant to cleaning chemicals.

During my tests of the TRUGLO TFX sights, I confess I was less than gentle with them. I used them to rack my slide, tried several gun cleaners and ran them on my .45 with 230-grain ball ammo. The fiber optic daytime advantage is so abrupt that any shooter gets a high contrast picture. The nighttime image is crisp, even with my marginal vision. The duty sight should be easy to “pick up” or align, day or night, or the sight is not worth the purchase. TRUGLOs go on my carry guns now.

What other improvements can be made on a duty gun? There are several companies that do a grip reduction, which changes the circumference of the block grip. I had reservations about this kind of work until I had a huge influx of deploying soldiers on our range who simply could not fit the M9. A very clever NCO in their ranks managed to plane a couple of millimeters from the grip scales on their handguns and this helped out half their unit. Agencies should have a policy on grip and front strap reduction that discourages “garage work” and includes a couple of levels of approval. Establish a vendor. Use a reputable company like Robar for grip modifications and gun finishes.

The Glock 19 has an established history in Military and Law Enforcement circles. It can fill a large percentage of duty assignments. Out of the box, the G19 is one of the best choices for service. Train on them with ZEV Triggers. Use TRUGLO sights for duty. And, most important of all, have good policies in your agency for modifications.