If you want better scores in sports shooting, you need a custom competition Glock tailored for performance. The stock versions of Glock’s most popular models are already known for reliability and accuracy under normal shooting circumstances. Glock upgrades can improve aiming, accuracy, trigger pull, and more to take your gun to the next level. Get the parts you need to win from an aftermarket manufacturer you can trust.
Customize for Your Competition
Building a competition Glock starts with understanding what qualities you need most for better scores in your chosen sport. In general, you’ll be balancing four key aspects of shooting:
- Speed – This can be the speed of presentation, the time until the first shot, or how quickly you make it through the course. It can serve as the primary metric among competitors or exist primarily as a tie-breaker if another factor results in a tie.
- Accuracy – Accuracy is a measure of how close to the aiming point–often the target’s bullseye–your shot hits. Almost every shooting competition relies on accuracy to some extent.
- Precision – Often confused with accuracy, precision refers to the ability to place one shot as close as possible to the one before it, creating tight shot groups. This is a primary factor in many marksmanship and practical shooting events.
- Movement – While not directly based on your gun’s performance, the ability to move well with your weapon is vital for practical shooting Glock competitions, and a better gun makes it easier to move efficiently because muscle memory is supported by efficient mechanics.
Competition Glock Upgrades
Aftermarket parts are a cost-effective way to improve your Glock’s performance without spending huge amounts of money taking it to a gunsmith for custom porting, machining, and modifications that can void your warranty. Let’s take a look at some of the top beginner and intermediate-friendly Glock upgrades to get your gun ready for your next event.
Match-Grade Barrels
Match-grade barrels give you the accuracy, precision, and durability you need for a competition Glock you can train and shoot with consistently. Your barrel contains and directs the expanding gasses from the cartridge as they push the bullet through the barrel. Precision-engineered rifling grooves that twist through along the inside of the barrel impart spin on the bullet to stabilize it in flight, increasing its accuracy and precision. Our barrels are made with forged stainless steel with a nitride, TiN, or Chameleon PVD coating to provide better protection from corrosive powder residue and the elements.
Difficulty Level: Beginner
Our Choice: The Judah 17 and Judah 19
Two of our first and most popular barrels. The Judah line is built to be a direct drop-in replacement for your OEM Glock barrel. It’s durable, accurate, and priced to make continuing your customization journey even easier.
Custom Glock Slides
Your competition Glock’s slide offers plenty of upgrade potential over the standard OEM design with its bland, box-like lines and traditional blade and notch iron sights. Our slides start with heat-treated stainless steel bar stock machined to match Glock’s tight tolerances and given a nitride finish to protect the metal from the elements and everyday use. Custom Glock slides are available with a variety of features, including an optics-ready footprint, deeper serrations for better handling, and cutouts that lighten the weight for faster cycling between rounds.
Difficult Level: Beginner (Complete Slide), Intermediate (Slide and Parts)
Our Choice: Revelation 19
Revelation slides are available as a stripped slide, a slide with internal parts, or a full slide assembly with a Revelation barrel in your choice of finish, making this an economical choice for a full Glock upper upgrade. You can also add a reliable red dot sight to complete your kit at a steep discount if you choose the optional upgrade while ordering.
Performance Optics
Modern optics are a must-have competition Glock upgrade. Red dot sights use powerful LED emitters to project a bright reticle onto a specially coated lens. Looking through the lens, you line the reticle up with your aiming point. Look for optics that are parallax-free and have unlimited eye relief to give you quicker target acquisition from any angle the reticle is visible from. Choose your reticle based on your shooting needs. 3 MOA and finer dot sights are good for marksmanship competitions, but a larger dot or circle-dot multi-reticle can be better for providing both speed and accuracy in other shooting events, like practical skills time trials.
Difficulty Level: Beginner
Our Choice: Gideon Optics Alpha, Judge, or Granite Comp
Gideon Optics makes practical red dot sights that are fully featured but don’t break the bank. The Alpha is an RMR footprint optic that fits compatible optics-ready slides and is perfect for a wide range of uses, from self-defense to marksmanship. The Judge has an RMSC pattern that fits slimline Glock models while keeping a low profile against the slide. The Granite Comp is purpose-built for practical shooting Glock competitions with a MOS footprint, large lens, and generous 8 MOA dot for fast and accurate aiming.
Upgraded Trigger Group
The trigger group may take a little more work than some other upgrades, but this Glock upgrade can improve your shot speed and mechanics. Stock trigger springs are heavier and often have longer travel and reset distances than optimal for competition Glocks. A lower spring weight makes it easier to get the smooth pull and breakover needed to reduce the risk of drifting the barrel while firing. Shorter travel and rest distances minimize the range of motion needed to fire the weapon and then reset for the next shot.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Our Choice: Lower Parts Completion Kit
This kit is designed to give homemade gun builders everything they need to finish out their frame, but it’s also a great way to upgrade your shooting experience for smooth, trouble-free operation. Along with a new trigger group, you’ll get the springs and pins necessary to fully refurbish your competition Glock.
Customizing the Customizations
Another benefit of aftermarket parts is that they are just as easy to machine or gunsmith as OEM parts without the same big-name price tag or warranty risk. For example, porting an aftermarket barrel and slide lets you keep your OEM slide and barrel in pristine condition for eventual resale or trade, preserving your gun’s book value while still giving you a tailored competition Glock.
New to Gun Customization
If you haven’t installed Glock upgrades on a gun before, beginner-friendly parts offer you a drop-in entry point. Just keep these tips in mind:
- Know Your Gun – Read your user manual and get familiar with your gun’s parts. The manual will have instructions for basic disassembly. It may also have a diagram featuring the parts of your gun, or you can look online for one from a reputable source.
- Slow and Gentle – When working on your gun, take it slow, make sure you understand instructions, and never force a part into place. While some parts do require manipulation or compression, a brute-force approach will likely result in damage to the part or weapon.
- Know When to Ask for Help – Everyone needs help sometimes, whether it’s another set of hands, a second look from someone with more experience, or professional assistance from a gunsmith. It’s important to know when it’s time to check with your buddies, local gun club, or nearest gunsmith before things go from sideways to worse.
Order Your Custom Gun Parts And Accessories
We’re proud to offer the parts you need to build a competition Glock that meets your shooting needs. Step up your shooting game. Order your Glock upgrades from Patmos Arms today.