Steel Challenge Red Dot Glock Build

The video review.

When I decided to build a Glock for steel challenges I had a few solid build options in mind. I wanted something with a red dot and I wanted it milled into the slide. I didn’t want to deal with some less than perfect adapter that would fit in the rear site dovetail but only after some “grind to fit paint to match”. I know that some people get away with that and have no problems with it but if I was going to undertake this built I was going to pay to do it right the first time.

I started by picking up the Glock from local gun store and function testing it at the range for a couple hundred rounds making sure there were no issues or anything that needed attention before I started the build process. Once that was done I went ahead and ordered a new barrel with a fully supported chamber from Lone Wolf so that I could stop getting that “Glock Smile” brass that the Glock is so famous for. I hoped that would allow me to recover some of my brass for reloading without having to run it through a full length sizing die and eyeballing every single piece.

Once the barrel was ordered I went ahead and did more research on triggers, I had heard very good things about the Apex trigger for the Smith & Wesson series of handguns and the reviews for Glocks also seemed very positive. Let’s be honest, if a company can make it so the trash Smith M&P trigger pull feels amazing, I figured they had to be magical in a Glock. There are any other great options out there – this just hit my high notes and was in my price range.

After I installed the new trigger and safety plunger that Apex recommended for smoother crisper trigger pull, I popped the new barrel in and took it to the range again to function test everything. My first shot with the new trigger and barrel was a direct bull’s-eye wiping out the “X”. It was only good shooting from there on.

The trigger reset has an audible click and is shorter than stock. I found I could ride the reset very easily, getting my second shot off faster. The trigger pull itself was shortened and lightened, but not so much as to make a hazard during competition. It is also not too light to use for a concealed carry weapon.

With all of that function testing done I went ahead and shipped the slide to Lone Wolf for slide melt, machining, Ceracoting, and red dot install. A few agonizing weeks later I got the complete package back.

Lone Wolf did an amazing job with everything I had them do. The machining was spot on, the finish looks great and the red dot was installed perfectly. Their communication and updates during the work were phenomenal. I threw a laser in the barrel and did a quick rough sight in on the red dot to get me started and took a down to my local range to see how it functioned. The vortex red dot is bright and clear and after 20 minutes of fine tuning I was driving tacks.

The best pistol group I’ve ever shot was using this gun – I put five shots through one hole.

Needless to say I am extremely pleased with this gun. Everything went together perfectly and everything came out the way I wanted it. When I used it at my first steel challenge, although a learning experience, I had a ton of fun shooting with this gun. I’m already looking forward to my next steel challenge and have already ordered a bunch of mags and reloading components to be better set up. Below is a few quick excerpts from my first day.

I know this may not be in some peoples budget and it may not be something that really peaks your interest, but its what I envisioned for myself. It’s something that I researched a ton to put together to be the gun that I wanted to shoot. Sure there are some places I could have chosen a more expensive option, like the barrel and the red dot or even the trigger. But I went for solid reviews solid performance and decent price I didn’t want to throw an extra couple thousand at this gun to have perform at a level better than I could ever use it.

Right now this gun will shoot better that I can, the performance is above my skill set at the moment. But it’s a gun that I can master the red dot with, practice with and upgrade parts if I ever feel the need. Although to be honest I don’t think I will ever upgrade other then some springs or other small parts. If I get to the point or I believe I need more gun I will start from scratch and build another one – this one is just set up so well that it’s not worth tearing apart.

Now with all of that positive stuff said there is one negative with this gun. Something about the way the extractor in injector work with this gun throws the brass directly up out of the chamber where it is smacked by the red dot. This is led to the hood on the red dot being dinged up and I am afraid eventually I’m going to take a piece of brass to the lens. I am currently working on a fix for this issue with a mix of new extractors and recoil spring weights. It’s actually a known problem with some series of Glock, although it hit and miss on each Glock some people catch brass to the face all the time. On mine it just smacks my red dot. This does not affect the function of the weapon at all it’s just an annoyance that I’m on a quest to fix. You can see the case dings below.

If I was going to do this again right now I would do everything the exact same way. I love the trigger I love the way this slide is milled, the red dot is fantastic, the barrel from Lone Wolf is extremely accurate and has produced some of my best groups for the pistol to date. If you’ve been on the fence with upgrading your gun I could honestly say I would not hesitate to do this – any of it.

The best part about this is you can do one thing at a time a red dot when you have some extra cash, a new trigger when you have a little more. The slide milling and red dot are the most expensive, and I would have to say before you commit to modifying your slide make sure you shoot someone’s gun that has a red dot so you know if you actually like it. I know a few people who really do not like using red dots over iron sights so this would be wasted if you found out you are one of those people.