Glocking Tall

After shooting the GSSF match on Sunday, I was on Twitter, and I did a simple search for "GSSF." one of the tweeters who showed up the most was @GlockingTall, who is Andy at the blog Glocking Tall.

One thing led to another, and Andy asked me to contribute a post about the modifications I've done to my Glock for GSSF. Check it out.

Thanks, Andy, for having me, and I look forward to contributing more about Glocks in the future.

GSSF River Bend Ballistic Challenge V

Photo courtesy of Glocking Tall

On Sunday July 15, 2012, I traveled to the River Bend Gun Club in Dawsonville, Georgia, for the GSSF River Bend Ballistic Challenge V.  

As usual, I shot my Gen2 Glock 17 Bruce, and it performed perfectly, as expected. For those unfamiliar, you can refer to the GSSF course of fire here. 

MATCH PREMLINARIES

The GSSF course of fire consists of ten strings – 4 on Glock the Plates, and 3 each on 5 To Glock and Glock M. So, owning 11 magazines, I am able to pre-load my magazines and not have to do so at the range. That’s a nice thing.

One thing to remember is that we are allowed 11 rounds total per string, so if I load all my magazines with 11, and I don’t shoot the gun dry, I will need to strip one round off the next magazine before using it.

In fact, since 5 To Glock is exactly two shots per target, with no chance of make-ups as there are on the other two stages, I load my magazines 11 – 10 – 9. Then, I have one in the chamber after the first two strings, but the slide is closed. And, the slide locks back empty after the last shot, so showing clear is simple.

Before the match I did my usual pre-match checklist. 

Life has a way of throwing curve balls, though, and one thing I learned in baseball was never to sit on a pitch, that is, never assume you know what’s coming next.  This came to the forefront with a pre-match malfunction.

For dry firing I almost always install my plastic 5.11 training barrel. However, during the course of practice, the end of the recoil spring must have slipped off the notch in the barrel, because I couldn’t get the slide to slip off as I disassembled it, no matter how hard I tried. I tried everything I knew to get the slide off, to no avail. Finally, I had to resort to cutting the guide rod, and replacing it with a spare.

SHOOTING THE MATCH

When I arrived, it had been raining, sometimes hard, for about an hour. Footing was still good, but some stages had the cardboard NRA targets covered with plastic to protect them.

I elected to shoot Glock The Plates first, without a warm-up round, since the plates weren't affected by the rain. Bad idea. I left 4 plates standing my first round, and I could tell from the paint missing from the support that I had been shooting low and a little left, meaning I was jerking the trigger. I know enough from golf not to try and diagnose and fix problems mid match, so I just aimed a little high and right, and I had no misses the rest of the day. My Plates runs were in the mid-7 second range, which was about a second longer than normal, but that was okay.

I had one other close call, when I flinched on one of the long 25 yard shots on 5 To Glock. I called the shot low, and I thought it might be a miss, but it was a D, low and left. Even the RO commented when we were scoring. Some of my other 5 To Glock shots were in the D range, and those 3 second penalties hurt.

Some time while I was waiting for the third stage, Glock M, it stopped raining and the sun came out, all in the space of about 2 minutes. The temperature climbed, but the humidity stayed the same – 100 percent.

All this meant good hydration was essential. I had already drunk about 300 ml of the 1L of sports drink I had brought, and I drank another 500 ml while I waited, and ate a couple of granola bars. Of course, none of this alleviated the temptation to walk across the way to the Holy Smoke barbecue stand operated by a local church. The wind was blowing that tempting smoke our way all day. But I resisted.

I shot the last stage in a decent time, with all Alphas and three Charlies. One thing I did now that the sun was out was step forward a foot or so, so that my fiber optic front sight was fully illuminated by the sun. This helped a lot.

All in all, my overall match score was 188.1, not a good time at all. Four Mikes and a bunch of Deltas, combined with subconsciously slow shooting in the rain, add up.

AFTER THE MATCH

There are usually a decent number of booths at the Dawsonville match, but a lot of them called it quits during the rain, before I arrived. So, I didn’t get to buy any cool Glock items.

I did pay a visit to the factory Armorer, even though Bruce had been given the once over just a couple of months ago to relieve the Gen2 frame. I also told him about my training barrel incident, and he gave me a new recoil spring, making this the third year in a row my recoil spring has been replaced. Everything else was fine, though, as I expected.

I was tweeting after the match, and found a new blog, Glocking Tall (@GlockingTall), whose author was at the match as well. I am looking forward to getting to know him, and I added him to the blog roll today. 

So now we wait for Glock to post the scores. I won't win a gun for coming in first, but in a few weeks the final scores will be posted, including the random drawings. There's hope for me yet.

Match Checklist

Courtesy of Everyday No Days Off

In the course of seeing how bad the video quality was from the Memorial Day Steel Match, compared to the HD video I shot earlier, I edited my Match Checklist this morning to add my HD camera. I use this checklist to remind me of what I need to do, and I typically start it a few days before the match.

I thought I would share it with you. Here’s the checklist. Feel free to copy it for your own use.

By the way, Bruce is my Glock 17.

Clean and inspect

q  Detail strip Bruce, inspect all parts, safety check

q  Install (-) connector on Bruce

q  Clean Bruce as needed

q  Lubricate

q  Inspect magazine bodies, springs, and followers

q  Inspect belt, holster, and magazine pouches

q  Inspect and clean hearing protection and eye protection

Prepare

q  Load magazines

q  Make up sports drink

q  One water bottle in freezer

q  Print directions to the range

Pack

q  Bruce

q  Liberty

q  Magazines

q  Extra ammo

q  Clean towel

q  Sweat towels

q  Eye & ear protection

q  Knee pads

q  Hat

q  Sunscreen

q  Bug spray

q  Rain gear

q  Granola

q  Lunch

Load car

q  Shooting bag

q  Armorer case

q  Camping chair

q  Extra ammo

q  Gun cart

q  Golf umbrella

q  Water and sports drink

q  Directions

q  Still camera

q  HD video

In Memoriam

Photo courtesy of the USAMU via the Military Marksmanship Association.

I was clicking around today looking for information on the US Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU), when I came across the website for the Military Marksmanship Association, a private, non-profit group made up of former USAMU members. I was surprised to find there on the first page a familiar name, SFC Jason Sargent.

The last time I shot a GSSF match at Fort Benning in 2008, the USAMU served as Range Officers. Sergeant Sargent was the RO when I shot 5 to Glock. How could I forget that name?

I was also shooting with another shooter, for whom it was actually the first time they had shot a pistol. I was fascinated with how patient the other RO was with this new shooter, even though her strings took minutes to complete.

While we waited, SFC Sargent asked me, "Would you mind if I gave you a pointer?"

Well, duh. When the US Army Marksmanship Unit offers you free advice, you take it.

It turns out I was slapping the trigger, that is, removing my trigger finger from the trigger after every shot. He showed me how to shoot with reset, that it, to hold the trigger until the gun cycled, then release it just enough to reset the trigger, ready to fire. The difference was palpable, and I was able to reduce the time on my next string of fire by over 3 seconds.

It was probably the most valuable shooting advice I've every gotten, and I remember it vividly. After all, like I said, you don't forget someone named Sergeant Sargent.

But today, on the front page, was a link to SFC Sargent's obituary. I was stunned.

I will let you read his story. I certainly cannot do it justice.

SFC Sargent, thank you for your service, and for your advice. You will be remembered.

Upside, Downside

Part of the benefits of being a member of the GSSF and attending matches is the factory armorers are there. They will check out your Glocks and replace any parts that are worn. Now, even though I'm a trained and certified Armorer, I like to have my guns looked over at least once a year by the pros. An upside is that the factory guys are not very reluctant to change parts, so your Glocks always stay factory fresh.

So, after checking out all three Glocks, the only thing they did was replace the trigger bar on my G17. I had noticed some scratches on the top of the cross piece, and I guess he thought it was enough to warrant replacement. Better safe than sorry, I suppose.

Then, when time came to put the slide back together, I noticed he also replaced the rear cover plate. I think it was because he had misplaced the original. I was sad. This was an original piece from 1992. Now I am left with the frame, the slide, and the barrel.

Now, as a downside, this meant that part of my cleaning routine on Sunday was a 5 cent trigger job, just an abbreviated version of the 25 cent trigger job. All I had to do was polish the new trigger bar.

I dry fired a bunch since then and I can't tell much difference. That's an upside.

Glock Annual Shoot 2011

R. Lee Ermey and Travis Tritt pose with the GSSF MatchMeisters prior to the Gunny Challenge. Note the orange "Guns Save Lives" button from GeorgiaCarry.org that the Gunny is wearing.


This past weekend the Glock Annual Shoot XVIII was held at the South River Gun Club in Conyers, Georgia. This is the culminating match for the Glock Sports Shooting Foundation, or GSSF, and, as in previous years, it certainly lived up to its billing.

The match consisted of the normal GSSF match I've written about before, plus the Gunny Challenge VII. The Gunny Challenge, named for Glock's celebrity spokesman R. Lee Ermey, is a special match pitting the winners of GSSF matches around the country against each other, vying for a first prize of $5,000.

The Gunny Challenge was won, for the second year in a row, by Butch Barton. Bryan Dover took second, followed by 2009's winner Dennis Kirchoff, and David Knight in 4th.

Here's the finals, from my Youtube channel:



Here's Butch receiving the Gunny Trophy:

After the Gunny Challenge came a special head to head match between the Gunny and country music star Travis Tritt. Gunny won, 5 - 0.

The Gunny squeezes of a shot from the Gen4 G35, with GSSF Director Chris Edwards acting as RO.

Of course, all this was a side show to the real attraction, the Glock Annual Shoot. This event has grown just about every year, and this year there were 1,025 entries in the various categories. This made it the largest action pistol match in history, breaking the old record of 744 entries, set last year by the Glock Annual Shoot XVII.

Fortunately, there weren't 1,025 people there, since the rules allow shooters to enter multiple categories. But it was definitely a crowded venue.

I shot on Saturday, arriving at the range about 10:30 AM. Already, the bays were crowded, so once I signed in and received my stickers, I signed up for what looked like the 3 least crowded bays. Not that it mattered - I still had to wait about an hour at each one.

My shooting was okay. I shot Glock the Plates first, leaving no plates, with times in the mid 7's. Not really fast, but I was determined not to leave any plates. Missed plates carry a 10 second penalty.

Glock M

My second stage was Glock M, and I shot it with times in the 8's. Again I had no misses, and was only 4 shots down, meaning I had only 4 shots out of the A-B main scoring range. All those shots were on the farther targets, which I should have taken as foreshadowing.

By then, the Gunny Challenge was getting close, so I had lunch and watched the match. I also shot video of the Gunny Challenge, and I've posted the finals on my Youtube channel, along with video of two of the stages, Glock M and Glock the Plates. No, those are not me shooting. Next year I'll bring a tripod.

After the Gunny Challenge, I took advantage of the lull in the action and shot the 5 to Glock as soon as I could. I shot in the 7's, but I missed 4 targets, all on the farthest one. Looking back, I realize I should have gone to a safe area and dry fired a little while to get back the trigger feel.

All in all my score, with penalties, was 160 and change, which is a little worse than I shot at Dawsonville earlier in the year. Oh, well.

+++

One thing was missing from this year's Glock Annual Shoot - the Glock shooting team. Usually, they have been on hand with product demonstrations, autographs, and just plain shooting fun. But with the recent departure of Dave Sevigny, the remaining Team members Randi Rogers and Tori Nonaka were not in attendance. Hopefully next year we will see them again, maybe with a new team member.

Because of the GSSF rules which award random prizes based on the number of entries, there will be 41 Glocks awarded. Maybe I'll win one - I did in 2009, that's where Liberty, my G19, came from!

One more thing - I heard that the last 26 entries had to have their paperwork filled out buy hand, because the staff found out their software didn't support over 999 entries. I'm sure they'll have that software problem worked out by next year. But it's a nice problem to have.

Shooter Ready?

I've been spending the week preparing for the biggest GSSF match of the year, the Glock Annual Shoot at the South River Gun Club in Conyers, Georgia, this weekend. My prep has been a little more focused this year.

I did a deep clean of my G17 last weekend, and cleaned and inspected all my magazines. I have enough magazines to shoot the whole match without reloading now, so that will make my day easier.

I have been doing the Wall Drill for ten minutes every evening, and I can only trust that this has helped. It sure seems like the front sight is a lot more stable than when I started.

Yesterday, I went to the range at lunch, and shot my 100 round GSSF practice routine:

Using a 1/3 scale NRA D-1 target from GlockFAQ:

From the ready position, I come up and shoot one round into the A or B ring. Repeat for a 16 round magazine.

From ready, come up and shoot 2 rounds into the A or B ring. Do this for 2 16 round magazines.

From ready, come up and shoot 2 rounds into the A or B ring, then transition to a second target and shoot 2 rounds. Repeat 3 times.

From ready, shoot 2, transition, shoot 2, and continue to transition until the magazine is empty.

I was careful to use good form with follow-up, as I learned at my training with Tom Givens.

I also shot my Buck Mark a bunch. The work I did last weekend paid off. I kept the targets, but the first photos I took didn't come out well. From 7 yards, shooting 1 round a second, I was able to shoot a ragged hole. At 10 yeards, I shot 20 rounds as fast as I could, and all 20 were in a 3 inch circle.

I also had zero failures to extract, which had been a source of annoyance for us at the range the last time we went. Part of the work I had done involved removing the extractor, cleaning it well, and polishing it with the Dremel buffing wheel.

On thing I noticed was the Browning extractor had sharp edges all around, unlike the factory Ruger extractor on my 10/22. I assume Browning's manufacturing process involves cutting instead of stamping. In any case, the extractor was very nice, especially once I smoothed it up with the buffer.


I plan to shoot Saturday at Conyers, in the morning. If any of you plan to be there, email me and we'll get together.

Otherwise, look for some video on my Youtube channel, probably Sunday evening.

Match Report

Photo courtesy of River Bend Gun Club Action Pistol group

Saturday July 16 was quite a shooting day. I had planned on shooting the GSSF match at the River Bend Gun Club in Dawsonville, Georgia, and I found out late in the week from Staci Boudreau, a fellow shooter on Twitter, that the club's monthly Action Pistol match was also held that morning. So I met Staci and her husband Bruce at RBGC for a full day of shooting.

The River Bend Gun Club, RBGC, is a very well kept and well run club located a few miles off I-575 about 50 miles north of Atlanta. I first shot there as a guest of a co-worker a few years ago, and it's only gotten better since. I've shot GSSF and USPSA there, and now Action Pistol.

The RBGC Action Pistol match is very much like the matches I first shot in Alabama 18 years ago. It's not affiliated with any organization like USPSA, which gives them a lot of freedom in stage design, gun classifications, and the like. I shot Production class, because that's what I shoot in USPSA, and I wanted to keep the more frequent magazine change as a part of the test. Oh, I was tempted to shoot Limited, since I could have loaded my magazines to 19 and blazed away. Maybe next time.

First, I think the safety briefing that was given was about the best briefing I have ever had. He went over all the rules of the match, and all the safety points. Nothing was glossed over, that there was no assumption about anyone's previous shooting experience. It was presented with ease, and no one seemed anxious to move on. Very refreshing.

Also refreshing - literally - was the weather, around 75 degrees at the start of the match, and drizzling most of the time. Shooting a Glock, all I had to do was wipe off my grips before shooting. The weather started to dry up by the end of the match, though.

There were three stages, and each tested different shooting skills. The first stage was all steel plates, either classic round plates, steel bowling pins, pepper poppers, or steel IPSC targets. You either hit or not, and it all came down to time. The second stage was classic run and gun, with an added twist - the last series of targets included one target that had a badge around its neck, representing an undercover policeman, and the ROs changed which target was the LEO before each run. At least one shooter in our squad shot the cop.

Stage 3 took advantage of the non-USPSA rules, in that it only required shooters to neutralize the targets, which was defined as one shot in the A area, or 2 in the B and/or C area. Shots in the D range just made the target angry. There were several shots around barricades, and if you aimed center of mass and saw an A hit, move on.

There were unpleasant surprises, though, as some shooters received Failures to Neutralize, because they assumed a single headshot was a neutralizer, not seeing that they had actually hit the B area in the head.

After that, we enjoyed a great hamburger and hotdog lunch, then headed up the hill to the Cowboy range, where the GSSF match was already under way.

After signing in, we shot the three stages I talked about last week. I shot a very good match for me, with zero misses except one steel plate left standing. My score was 121 seconds and change, which is a 15 second improvement over my personal best.

Bruce shot a lot better than I, with a score of 83. Well done.

I arrived home about 4:30, after leaving the house at 7 AM. A quick peak as I cleaned out the car revealed that my Glock didn't really need cleaning. I just brushed out the trigger group, ran a rod brush through the barrel, and put him away. The Glock 19 I took as a backup got the carry loads back in, and went in my waistband.

The GSSF scores will be posted later today, Monday, and in a few weeks, the prizes will be awarded. But believe me, before then, we'll be back on the range.

Glock Sport Shooting Foundation

I am surprised when I talk with fellow Glock owners who are unaware of the Glock Sport Shooting Foundation, or GSSF. I then realized I hadn’t done a full post explaining what this organization was or how to join. Let’s correct that today.

The GSSF is owned and operated by Glock, Inc., out of their US headquarters in Smyrna, Georgia. They organize and run about 36 matches a year, all over the country, with the much appreciated assistance of a lot of people at local host ranges. The schedule can be found at the GSSF website, www.gssfonline.com. Joining GSSF is just $35 for the first year, and $25 to renew, plus $25 per match for each pistol you compete with. (More on that later.)

But the bounty comes with the prize packages. In addition to awarding Glock pistols for winners, and cash for other high finishers, they also award a lot of cash, complementary membership renewals, and free pistols at random to competitors. In the 15 years I’ve been competing, I have only won a prize once for my finish – I won $100 for taking second in my class. But I’ve also won $100 once, $50 twice, two annual renewals, and – YES – a brand new Glock of my choice. (That’s where Libert, my G19, came from!)

GSSF is open to any Glock shooter, regardless of age or experience. There are different classifications for shooters, ranging from Amateur Civilian (which would include most of us), to Guardian (for police and military) to Master (for those who are ranked Master or Grand Master in other groups). All you need is a Glock pistol and at least 4 magazines, plus 104 rounds of ammo. And, if you have more than one pistol, you can enter more than one classification, which increases your chances of winning a random prize.

Admittedly, GSSF seems like a rather low-intensity competition, when compared with USPSA or IDPA. There are no reloads or movement during the stages, and the stages start at low ready, rather than being drawn from a holster. This is perfect for the new shooter, but don’t think it makes matches a cake walk for experienced shooters. This just shifts the emphasis from transitions to accuracy.

To level the playing field, and to account for the restrictive gun laws in some states, all magazines start with 10 rounds, and you are allowed one in the chamber. There is an exception for the Glock 36, which only holds 6 rounds to start, in a class called Heavy Metal, and if you shoot another .45ACP or 10mm Glock, you can enter that class as well, and self limit your magazines to 6 shots each, plus one in the chamber.

Scoring is based on time, with penalties assessed for errant shots or misses. The match uses three kinds of targets - the NRA D-1 target, also called the Tombstone; steel pepper poppers; and 6 inch steel plates.

For the metal targets, scoring is easy. If you knock the popper or the plate down, there is no penalty. If you leave one standing, you add 10 seconds. Ouch.

For the Tombstone targets, all shots in the A or B area incur no penalty. Shots in the C area add 0.5 econds for each, and shots in the D area count for 3 extra seconds each. Complete misses add 10 seconds. Ouch.

Every match I’ve been to has included the same 3 stages, and they are run just about the same everywhere. I tried to find some good examples of these stages, but the best ones are actually on the GSSF website itself, which I liked above.

5 to Glock:

This stage is five Tombstone targets, spaced from 5 yards out to 25 yards. Sometimes these are in a straight diagonal, and sometimes they are staggered. The point here is to test transitions from target to target, and to test your ability to make the longer shots as well as the close shots.

This stage is shot three times. At the end of the stage, all three times are added up, and each target is assessed. There should be 6 shots on each target, and penalties are added accordingly.

Glock M

The stage is named for its similarity to the letter M. From left to right, there is a Tombstone target at 7 yards, a Tombstone at 15 yards, 3 pepper poppers at 11 yards, then another 15 yard Tombstone, and a 7 yard Tombstone. This stage is also shot three times, with only one popper being shot on each run through.

Here’s where a little strategy comes in. I generally shoot all the Tombstone targets, left to right, 2 each, then shoot the pepper popper. This means I’ve shot 8 shots, leaving me three shots to knock the popper down. If I leave a popper standing, then it’s my fault, but I’ve never left a popper standing.

Glock the Plates

This is the simplest stage of all – just 6, 6 inch steel plates, at 11 yards. Knock them all down in the shortest time. This stage is shot four times.

But, as is often the case, the simplest stage is not necessarily the easiest. I have probably left more plates standing in my GSSF career than any other. For me, this stage embodies all the fundamentals of good shooting – sight picture, trigger control, and follow-through. When I get all these where they should be, and my shot cadence is right, I clean this stage. My technique is to shoot each plate in order, whether I hit it or not, then come back and take the ones I miss.



GSSF can be an excellent entry into competitive pistol shooting, and it is also a great complement to other shooting games for more experienced shooters. If you own a Glock, give them a look. For that matter, sign up, and come shoot with me next Saturday, July 16, at the Riverbend Gun Club in Canton, Georgia.

The Advantage of Youth

Number One Son and I spent the late afternoon Sunday in the back yard playing a few plinking games. First we ran a little run and gun using his Airsoft pistols against the garden flags. They give definite feedback when hit.

Then we played Horse (actually, we called it Daisy) with the BB gun on various targets, always mindful of Rule 4, of course. I noticed he was already shooting the BB gun left handed to match his eye dominance, and I asked him how it felt. He answered with a hit on the pie plate at 40 yards, and said, "Pretty good. Your turn." I missed left handed. "D." He then switched and shot right handed, and hit the plate. This one I matched.

Ahh, to be young.

While we were running and gunning I asked him to come with me to the next USPSA match that I shoot, probably in May. I think he'll at least come watch.

He also agreed to come with me to the GSSF match in Dawsonville in July. My guess is that by then he will be a member and will compete. And by 2012 he will probably beat me.

That's the breaks.

Other People's Money

I am the proud owner of three Glocks. That’s Bruce in the middle, flanked by The Duke and Liberty. I’ve built this modest collection all on other people’s money.

Bruce was bought with the proceeds of some stock options that I had to exercise after changing jobs in 1992. I was fine with just one Glock for a while, but after a few years I wanted to add a second gun. My company had a sales contest one fall, and I managed to win enough Visa gift cards to buy a G21SF using my GSSF discount. This one I named The Duke.

Then, 2 years ago, I won a Glock in a random drawing at a GSSF match. A Glock 19 named Liberty joined the gang.

It doesn’t stop with Glocks. I’ve also used a company safety bonus to buy a very nice used Mossberg 500, bank bonus money to buy an SKS, and another sales contest to buy a Ruger 10/22.

The best deal – a coworker called me one Saturday from a gun show. He had found an excellent deal on a couple of Mosin Nagants, which he described as in excellent mechanical shape but needing substantial cleaning. His offer: if I would clean one of them for him, I could have the other one for myself. I agreed. Welcome, Vassily!

Now, if I could just figure out a way to get other people to pay for ammo!

Frankenglock

Starting this blog got me thinking about Bruce, my Gen 2 Glock 17, so I went back and looked through my notes I’ve kept over the years about the changes I’ve made. After marking up an exploded parts diagram, I’ve come to the realization that after 18 years there are only 6 original parts left – the frame, the barrel, the slide, the slide cover plate, and the two pins. Maybe, instead of Bruce, I should name it Frankenglock.

While some parts have been replaced because they broke, and some have been changed deliberately, most of the parts have been replaced as part of my yearly visit with the Glock Armorers at a GSSF match. This is a benefit of belonging to GSSF that cannot be overstated – you get to visit with a professional factory Armorer (not just an amateur like me), who goes over your Glock with a fine toothed comb. They replace any parts that even seem like they might fail in the near future, and in most cases they give you the old parts as spares. Beyond the obvious customer service advantage, this service makes sense economically from Glock’s point of view. Chris Edwards, the GSSF Director at Glock, once told me they save quite a lot of money every year just on shipping charges for warrantee work alone.

The only parts that have been replaced because they actually failed are the rear sight and the extractor. The rear sight was originally an adjustable target sight and was broken when I got it from the pawn shop, a fact I learned from the two policemen I met at the range that first day. The extractor got chipped over time, probably because I ignored good advice and would load a round directly into the barrel then drop the slide on it, rather than loading it through the magazine the way they tell you. Let that be a lesson, kids.

Parts that I’ve changed voluntarily probably aren’t as many as they would be if this were any other pistol. I installed an extended magazine release and an extended slide stop lever to compensate for my short fingers and thumbs. I’ve also installed Warren-Sevigny sights with the fiber optic front sight, and when I’m competing with Bruce, he gets the (-) connector to lighten the trigger pull a little. For carry, the normal connector goes back in, although the current connector is a GSSF replacement.

The only other change I’ve made is to use a slip-on Hogue rubber grip, just to provide some indexing for my grip. Since the Gen 2 frame doesn’t have molded finger grooves, this helps me get the same grip all the time.

All the other parts – trigger, firing pin, recoil spring, internal safeties, and the like – are all factory Glock parts, albeit replacements. I see no reason to mess with what’s worked.

So, that brings us to the point – is Bruce still Bruce? Certainly from the BATFE’s point of view, yes, since it still has the original frame and serial number. Beyond that, I think so. Look at his namesake, Bruce Willis. Is he the same man in Red as he was in Moonlighting? Less hair, move the muscles around some, maybe some additions or subtractions not publicized, but yes, he’s still the same, even better from the added experience. And so it is with my Bruce - still the same, in fact, arguably better.