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Old December 5, 2012, 03:27 PM   #1
deadcoyote
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Workshop idea: Robar-like grip chop on a Glock?

Robar offers what I feel is a very useful service, they will take your full or mid-size Glock frame and chop it down, round it out, and restipple it to look nice. It will then accept sub compact mags and have minimal printing under a T-shirt. Not a big deal to some, but I live in CA and think this would be swell.

Big catch: the service is $300 plus all the fee's (in CA at least) of turning pistol over to FFL for shipping and receiving etc.. So I just bought a police buy back Glock 22 for $330, I figure I'll just buy another and do it myself. Looking for any tips from folks who've attempted a similar project.
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Old December 5, 2012, 11:54 PM   #2
Gats Italian
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Here's a wild notion: Why not buy a handgun, that, you know, fits your hand?
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Old December 6, 2012, 12:05 AM   #3
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Measure twice (or more like 5-6 times), cut once. I get what you want to attempt. Before you go a-hacking though, study other work, measure and consider the ramifications.
If you've not stippled a polymer before, get yourself a good, temperature adjustable, wood burning or pencil soldering iron with assorted tips and some scrap plastic. Use enough heat to displace the plastic without turning it into a puddle.
Don't touch the gun until you've got something you like on scrap. Use a silver Sharpie and draw the pattern directly on the gun... don't "freestyle" it.
You can sand the plastic to create a different look than just raw stippling. Acetone can be used to soften, shine and smooth a surface.

That's it... have fun!
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Old December 6, 2012, 12:09 AM   #4
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So why not buy a Glock 27 in the first place? I guess maybe you want the longer barrel for performance and sight radius to make it easier to shoot. I could do so much more with $300+.

I carry a Glock 26 myself and I love it for a carry gun.
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Old December 6, 2012, 12:19 AM   #5
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQ5NiZh37VE


Not a big fan of Rob Pincus but I might try this on my g22.
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Old December 6, 2012, 12:30 AM   #6
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That's the great thing about plastic mastic guns, you can just cut them up. >-< for real though, why do this? why not just put yours for sale and buy a new one in 27/26. Why would you want to chop your gun up?
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Old December 6, 2012, 12:43 AM   #7
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9mm "Why would you want to chop your gun up?"

Watch the video, longer sight radius & more weight for less recoil.
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Old December 6, 2012, 01:31 PM   #8
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Quote:
9mm "Why would you want to chop your gun up?"

Watch the video, longer sight radius & more weight for less recoil.
Honestly, I'm surprised more companies don't offer pistols like this in a factory configuration. Aside from the Springfield XD and 1911 which can be had with the smaller lower and longer upper half, I don't think anyone else is really doing this. The benefits of the smaller frame for carry and longer sight radius/barrel for velocity/accuracy are exceptional, so it seems it would be something more popular. But perhaps there's not enough of a market to justify the production costs?
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Old December 6, 2012, 04:06 PM   #9
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While it wasn't well received here, I will just throw out that I found a gunshop in OR which offers this service for $75. I'm going for it.
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Old December 6, 2012, 04:09 PM   #10
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Personally, I dont really see the point of chopping the frame, but if its something you want to do, hey, have at it. I carry a 17 year round, and dont have any troubles doing so. They really arent "big" guns, and conceal well enough as they are.

As far as "shootability" of the smaller guns, I have a couple of 26's as well, and they are just as easy to shoot as the 17's. I doubt youre really going to see a whole lot of, if any, difference between them.

The one thing I will recommend is stippling, and that goes for any of them (well, except for the RTF2's). The improvement in how the gun feels in your hand and how it shoots, especially with sweaty hands, is pretty dramatic.

Stippling isnt hard at all to do, and if youre the least bit handy, you can certainly do it yourself. All you need is a soldering/wood burning pen and some time. If you have a Glock field knife, they make a great piece to practice on, as the plastic on them isnt really much different than the pistols, and the knife can certainly benefit from the stipple job itself. Ive done a bunch of both pistols and knives now, and have a couple more I plan on doing over winter layoff. I just follow the natural lines of the gun, and dont mark anything out. Start with areas you want done the most, and see where it goes from there.
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Old December 7, 2012, 09:33 AM   #11
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I have been seeing this mod around lately and plan on doing it with a Glock 19. The official model I have seen is called the Glock 26L. It gives you better concealability with the longer barrel and sight radius.

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Old December 7, 2012, 10:17 AM   #12
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I definitely see the idea behind it. In most cases the slide is pointed down your pants so the grip is the part that prints the most. I see you have decided to get it done. Good luck, let us know what you think when you get it back.
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Old December 7, 2012, 11:55 AM   #13
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I'm 6'6" and wear T-shirts everywhere. at my height the IWB length of the slide isnt the issue, it's the grip.
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Old December 7, 2012, 01:17 PM   #14
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Quote:
Honestly, I'm surprised more companies don't offer pistols like this in a factory configuration. Aside from the Springfield XD and 1911 which can be had with the smaller lower and longer upper half, I don't think anyone else is really doing this. The benefits of the smaller frame for carry and longer sight radius/barrel for velocity/accuracy are exceptional, so it seems it would be something more popular. But perhaps there's not enough of a market to justify the production costs?
There have been others made as well like the P9 Covert, but for the most part they seem to be made in much smaller numbers. I think many of the companies see no reason to go with a "happy medium" due to the number of other options available (from both them and their competitors). They would serve a smaller group of people, and a company like Glock seems happy with where they are. Plus, who really wants to track 13 different models of the same caliber?

I think they are best suited for custom jobs, or in cases (like the 1911) where reliability comes into question. I do see the benefits, and would probably consider it if I had a Glock. There are so many options for increased magazine capacity/larger grip sleeves, so why not?
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Old December 7, 2012, 02:39 PM   #15
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I went the other way with mine. The extra sight radius is minimal and I have very large meaty hands. I use the G27 with the 23 mag and grip enhancer.
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Old December 7, 2012, 06:24 PM   #16
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The Company I'm using is out of Bend named Springer Precision. The price is cheap and they have a gallery of completed work on their site that looks good.
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Old December 7, 2012, 08:13 PM   #17
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I might like it owb, but not iwb, and probably only as long as the G23/19.
I wouldnt be in a hurry to trade away the rounded muzzle of the 26/27 for sight radius or recoil - both characteristics are fine for me in those smaller pistols as-is.

On a tall fella, the longer slide might even carry a little better tho.. more weight lower down, maybe it wont flop out as much the G26/27 and instead just kinda hang there naturally.
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Old December 7, 2012, 09:06 PM   #18
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Springfield makes a nice stock model in .45 called the XD45 Compact. I have thought about getting one myself, but I prefer the 9mm.
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