Aftermarket Glock slides are popular upgrades among gun owners who are new to and experienced with gun customization alike. When Gaston Glock introduced his modern take on the semi-automatic handgun to the market, it was immediately polarizing. With its polymer frame, blocky design, and angular ergonomics, it was a far cry from the Colt clones that owned the civilian, law enforcement, and military markets. Glock’s reliability and advanced design have carried it to the peak of the industry, however, in spite of its rectangular aesthetics. Custom Glock slides offer the appearance upgrade many owners yearn for while allowing them to add to their gun’s already formidable capabilities.
The OG (Original Glock) Slide
While the operation of an OEM Glock may be buttery smooth, the slide more closely resembles the stick of butter straight from the package. The exterior slide design could charitably be called minimalist, featuring an almost flat nose, barely rounded corners, and minimal serrations. As more and more aftermarket pistol accessories were introduced to the market, Glock owners had to turn their firearms over to professional gunsmiths to modify their guns to accept optics and accessories. Aftermarket Glock slides became a popular “gateway” customization for budget-conscious and self-reliant Glock owners.
Why Owners Choose Custom Glock Slides
The slide of your gun is the most visible component of your gun, which means it sets the first impression someone forms at the range or gun club about your firearm. It’s also the upper receiver you rely on to support the barrel, chamber rounds, and extract rounds. You aim down it, grip it to rack the slide and load a round, and give it a love tap to make sure the gun is in battery. From a better look to better performance, there are plenty of reasons to choose an aftermarket Glock slide.
Round Out the Edges
Rounded corners on a custom Glock slide help soften the weapon’s profile, reducing its blockiness. They also serve a practical purpose, helping avoid holster snags on the draw or when reupholstering the weapon. It also removes a slight amount of weight from your weapon and makes it more comfortable to manipulate the slide.
Deeper Serrations
The serrations on the OEM slide are shallow and confined to a small area at the rear of the weapon. Custom Glock slides often have more serrations that are cut deeper into the weapon. Aside from giving the slide a more aggressive look, deeper cuts shave a couple of extra grams off the gun while giving you a much better gripping surface. Aftermarket Glock slides with deep front and back serrations are easier to manipulate with wet, oily, or bloody hands in almost any position.
Optics-Ready Milling
Reflex optics and red dot sights help improve accuracy and precision while speeding up target acquisition. These modern pistol sights can replace your iron sights with point-and-shoot simplicity or be installed to co-witness, allowing you to use your optics or your iron sights for aiming. Optics-ready aftermarket Glock slides have a pre-milled optic footprint cut into the slide, making installation easier while providing precise fitment.
Cutouts
Slide cutouts are popular aesthetic upgrades that break up your slide’s lines by removing material near the muzzle of the barrel. They look aggressive and offer a glimpse of your high-end barrel, but they can also have a few performance benefits for your shooting. Less metal means less weight to carry for self-defense or to hold steady during competition shooting.
Change in Size
Aftermarket Glock slides are available in full-size, compact, sub-compact, and slimline formats. While not every slide is compatible with every frame, in many cases, a custom slide and barrel can give you a gun that prints less through clothing for more discreet carry or has the added size and length you need for a shooting experience that’s more range-friendly.
What to Consider When Choosing an Aftermarket Glock Slide
Aftermarket Glock slides let you tailor your gun’s configuration and performance to meet your needs, meaning a slide perfect for one shooter might leave someone else wanting more. That’s why it’s important to consider what you want from a slide, plan your build, and do your research before buying a custom Glock slide that may not meet your needs.
- Expected Use – You’ll need to make different considerations for a gun you’re customizing for concealed carry versus a gun that will be used for competitive shooting in tactical events. While the former might benefit from less weight and a svelte red dot sight, the latter could better use a larger sight and increased weight to counteract recoil and barrel drift.
- Comfort Level – Your firearm needs to fit your preferences, so you may need to ask what feels best when using it. While some gun owners may prefer a lighter gun with deep serrations and cutouts, others could prefer an aftermarket slide that keeps minimal serrations similar to the OEM design but offers rounded corners or an optics-ready design.
- Carry Style – Are you planning on carrying your gun, or will it be safely stored in a safe or lockbox until needed? Is it more important to you to have a lighter gun or one with fewer exterior complications to foul your draw?
- Aesthetics – You like what you like, and every gun owner wants a firearm that looks good they can be proud of.
Our Top Custom Glock Slides
We’re proud to offer aftermarket Glock slides that are precision-engineered for compatibility with both name-brand Glock frames and popular third-party gun frames. They offer the features you want in a custom Glock slide and are available stripped, with the slide and high-quality internal parts, or with the slide, parts, and a high-performance barrel. These are some of our top choices:
For the Purists
If you like the OG slide on your G17, you’ll love the Judah 17. We’ve added front serrations and kept your sight picture simple and reliable with industry-standard notch and blade iron sights. It’s made with 416 stainless steel bar stock and powder-coated for a long service life. Its lineage is clear, but while we stepped up the features, we kept the price tag low.
.40 Caliber Fierceness
The Judah 23 brings Patmos Arms features to everyone’s favorite compact .40 S&W pistol. The Judah has front and back serrations like its full-size 9mm counterpart and the same reliable iron sights. Both have the option of adding a forged barrel for a complete upper receiver upgrade.
All the Bells and Whistles
The Revelation goes beyond an aftermarket Glock replacement slide, instead offering a complete reimagining of the G26’s upper receiver. Deep serrations and cutouts reduce weight while offering a superb grip for easier handling. The optics-ready design mounts popular red dot sights, like those from Gideon Optics, and a precision barrel finishes out your gun customization with a major upgrade to both accuracy and appearance.
Beyond the Glock
While we’ve spent a lot of time perfecting our aftermarket Glock slides, we’re not stopping there. Our Revelation P320 lets you modify your Sig Sauer modular pistol system with a fully-featured slide and barrel that doesn’t break the bank. Be sure to sign up for our email list to get announcements about future products that will bring Patmos Arms precision to even more guns.
Order Your Custom Glock Slide
Get the slide, barrel, and parts your gun customization project needs. Choose how you use your Second Amendment rights. Order your aftermarket Glock slides from Patmos Arms today.