Best Glock Upgrades [Hands-on]: Defense, Competition, & Custom
Want the perfect Glock for your purpose...at your budget? We cover upgrades like triggers, lights, slides, grips, sights, and more.
PPT Founder. NRA Pistol Instructor. USPSA/3-Gun/NRL22 Competitor. 250+ articles
We review products independently. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn a commission to help support our testing. Learn more.
Maybe your new Glock isn't quite "Perfection"...yet. Or maybe your old Glock has lost that new gun smell.
Either way, you're covered since Glock has one of the best aftermarket upgrades and mods in the business.
Learn about the essential upgrades I do to my defensive home and CCW Glocks. Plus the best mods for competition.
And of course...fully custom builds that might tend to be more Gucci than practical.
Now with a video detailing each of our 8 personal builds...
Need a Glock to customize? Hit up our list of the Best Glocks for our favorites.
The Quick List
- Best Custom Upgrade: Grey Ghost Precision Glock SlidesJump to details ↓
- Best Value Trigger Drop-In for Competition: Apex Glock TriggerJump to details ↓
- Best CCW Upgrade: Glock Extended Magazine ReleaseJump to details ↓
- Best Glock Barrel: Lone Wolf Glock BarrelJump to details ↓
- Best Competition Comp Upgrade: Tyrant Designs Glock T-CompJump to details ↓
- Best Home Defense Upgrae: Glock 3-dot Night SightsJump to details ↓
Table of Contents
Why You Should Trust Us
Hi, I’m Eric, and I’m the founder of Pew Pew Tactical. I’ve loved firearms since forever and have been professionally testing and writing about guns since 2015.
I own and have shot various Glocks, as well as built a number of Glock clones from the ground up. And unlike some sites that copy us, we have hands-on tested every aftermarket part on this list.
This list is the culmination of our team knowledge and we strive to keep things up-to-date based on our real-world experiences and continued testing.
Home Defense & CCW Glock Upgrades
The primary advice is to not alter your gun for home defense or CCW. But I keep mine pretty "stock" for the most part with Glock OEM parts.
1. Glock Extended Slide Stop Lever
I like to reload from a locked slide position using the slide stop lever. I know tons of people out there preach the slide racking method, but for me, I prefer using my thumbs to activate the slide stop lever.
It saves some time, and I always practice the same motion for my Glocks & 1911s. If anything, it gives me two options of how I want to reload.
For Glocks, I find that the stock version is hard to consistently activate using either of my thumbs. When I upgraded to the extended version, it became infinitely easier to release the slide every time.
Learn how to install it here with video and step-by-step picture walkthroughs.
2. Glock Extended Magazine Release
With my hand geometry and strength, I found I always had to shift my right-hand grip in order to reach the stock magazine release. Once I upgraded to the extended version, I was hitting the magazine release every time without losing my grip.
I take the mod one step further and sandpaper the edges to take away the sharp edges (me and my dainty hands). I also like to sand away extra material in the bottom left-hand corner of the release to give room for my right-hand middle finger.
Make sure to choose the correct Gen version.
For instructions and video on how to install the extended magazine release, check out our other blog post.
3. Ghost 3.5 lb Trigger Connector
The Glock trigger could be a lot better. There are plenty of complete drop-in solutions, but I wanted to keep it as stock as possible to maintain maximum reliability.
So I swapped out the stock 5.5-pound trigger connector with the Ghost 3.5-pound trigger connector. It doesn't drop the trigger pull weight exactly by 2 pounds, but more like 1 pound and change, which is still a significant factor in making more accurate shots.
The Ghost version is supposedly self-cleaning and has run flawlessly in my Glocks.
Check out how to install the trigger connector here.
4. Night Sights or Fiber Optic Sights
If I could only choose one essential upgrade to the Glock, it would be to swap out its crappy standard sights that consist of a white "U" in the rear with a white dot.
I prefer night sights for self-defense and even class situations since I definitely want to be able to see my sights in the dark.
For competition, I like having fiber optic sights, which draw in ambient light and focus it, so you see a bright red/green dot in front. Be sure to check out some of my other favorite sights in our Best Glock Sights article.
Good thing there are tons of options, and it is relatively easy to install yourself.
5. Talon Grips
For a long time, I was all about doing my own stippling by taking a soldering iron to the polymer grip area to make it a lot more grippy.
You can learn how to do it here, but there is a great non-destructive method to add more grip in the form of Talon Grips.
Talon offers three different texture options: A rubberized texture, a sandpaper-like granulate texture, and their "Pro" texture, which is a combination of the rubberized and granulate.
I prefer the rubber type, as it's better suited for CCW and doesn't snag on clothing as much as the sandpaper-like granulate type. Here is my G19 with the rubber version compared to the stippled G17.
6. Extended Basepads
If you're running a smaller Glock, such as the G43 or G26, it's possible you can't quite get a full grip on such a short frame, or that you find that capacity lacking.
We are a fan of the magazine extensions from Tyrant Designs, as they both increase the capacity while also giving you more surface area to grip.
For those that just want a little extra ledge to rest their pinky on without modifying the capacity, Pearce Grips has you covered with their grip extensions.
7. Pistol Light
For the home-based or holstered handgun...I highly recommend a pistol light. We go over the Best Pistol Lights in super detail...complete with images of the beams.
Our overall pick goes to the Streamlight TLR-1 series, which lives on my home defense gun and has survived thousands of rounds on the range.
And for those looking for extreme-use duty-grade optics, the current gold standard is still the Surefire X300.
Now let's get into some more fun upgrades to give you the leg up when it comes to competition.
Competition Glock Upgrades
The go-to Glock for competition is the 9mm G34 which sports a longer barrel, slide, and sight radius. It doesn't weigh much more than a G17 since it has cutouts on the slide.
But regardless if you're running the G34, I would suggest extended components from above, plus Talon Grips and the following upgrades.
1. Fiber Optic Sights
You'll want something for quicker acquisition. I recommend going with the TruGlo TFX Fiber Optic + Tritium sights for the best of both worlds.
2. Upgraded Drop-In Trigger
Of course...we have a complete guide to the Best Glock Triggers with videos, but here are our favorites. Our best bang for the buck is the Apex Tactical Trigger.
Which feels & looks very nice. Especially at the price.
If you are looking for something even better, we like the Zev Fulcrum Ultimate trigger package. This kit includes a trigger, trigger bar, trigger block, ejector, connector, trigger spring, and a lightweight stainless steel firing pin and safety plunger.
3. Compensator
Glock compensators have exploded onto the scene, but the Tyrant CNC version is especially easy to put on and it is one-size-fits-all, regardless of generation.
Very noticeable reduction in muzzle rise, especially on my Polymer80 G43 single stack.
4. Magwell
You've probably seen these flared-out additions to the bottom of the grip on most race guns.
Magwell extensions help your reloads become a little faster and more certain because they offer a bigger target.
The idea is simple -- increasing the size of the hole while providing angled walls to help funnel that magazine home makes reloads a snap.
This addition from Tyrant CNC is crafted from aluminum, comes in different colors, and is easy to install on your Glock.
Best Glock Conversion Kit
Want to make your Glock a little more like a carbine? There's a couple Conversion Kits out there but our favorite is the Recover Tactical 20/20.
It will fit all Glock 9mm models and the PSA Dagger.
It stows away nicely folded up which is perfect for a larger handgun safe that can be kept bedside or under your carseat.
Then it opens up and gives you near pistol caliber carbine (PCC) performance with a regular ole Glock.
I would opt for the 20/20NB (cheapest) kit and then add the angled mag pouch like I have above for another point of contact and ability to hold another mag.
Note that you want your red dot as high as possible or else you have an uncomfortable cheek weld. Go with the upper rail add-on or get a high mount like this one.
Best Custom Glock Upgrades
The sky is the limit here...especially if you're going with custom frames like Polymer80s.
See the full guide to how to build your own.
1. Custom Glock Slides
Getting a customized Glock slide lets you have all the serrations, lightening cuts, and red dots mounting options your heart desires.
Our overall favorite slides are the ones from Grey Ghost Precision because of their tight fit, increased accuracy, and sexy looks.
If you are looking for something more affordable, Brownells makes their own excellent aftermarket slides as well.
We cover all the rest of our favorites in Best Glock Slides.
2. Custom Glock Barrels
We love Lone Wolf's barrels, and they've been in the game a long time.
And also newcomer Faxon's (though they've been making great AR-15 barrels for a long time too). Especially if you want something more eye-catching like their gold TiN or chameleon.
Yup, you guessed it. We have a Best Glock Barrels guide too.
3. Best Pistol Red Dot
Our go-to red dot if price is no object is the tried-and-true Trijicon RMR. It is exceedingly durable and uses the most widely available footprint, making finding a compatible slide easy.
If budget is a concern, but you don't want to lose out on quality or features, we highly recommend the Holosun HS407c.
You can check out more options and read more on our favorite choices in our Best Pistol Red Dots article.
4. Tyrant CNC Package
One of our newest mods is a set from Tyrant CNC, which was previously known for some cool AR-15 upgrades. Here, you'll see their extended magazine release (which is the perfect length and has a super positive grip) and extended base pad.
Plus, their backplate. I went with red everything to match the Apex trigger from before.
My Polymer80 G19 might almost be done now! Especially with the release of their Extended Glock Slide Release, which gives the perfect amount of extra grip.
And they also have parts for the G43/G48.
Pretty good value to give your Glock both aesthetic value AND more capacity/grip.
And check out my finally complete Polymer80 G43 with a complete Tyrant upgrade kit.
Final Thoughts
There are a ton of directions you can go when it comes to modifying your Glock or starting a completely custom build. The possibilities are limitless, and our list barely scratches the tip of the iceberg.
Now go forth, and upgrade your Glock!
Let us know your favorite builds in the comments below. Then check out Editor's Picks for our favorite guns and gear.