This pocket dump comes to us from Florida and includes a customized GLOCK 43 and a ZT 0350 folding knife.

There are two schools of thought on customizing carry guns. One says it’s fine and don’t worry about it while the other firmly states making significant changes from the factory features can be detrimental if you end up needing it for self-defense purposes. What do you think? Is it cool to customize a carry gun or should you stick to the factory features, at least in general (sights being the exception)?

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45 COMMENTS

  1. How many times are you going to post this golden garbage? Same user, same gun, slightly different accessories.

    • I predict…. 387 more times.
      Unless they come up with something even sillier to fall in love with. But at least this time it’s a different photo, albeit of the same old BS.

  2. I don’t much think customizing a gun matters that much unless you do things that make it look like a toy and a kid ends up playing with it and this leads to a disaster.

    I mean, we talk about changing sights and springs and triggers and no one has a problem with that but one could easily see an overzealous DA arguing that you “customized” the gun to make murder easier.

    Side note: That knife shows some decent wear and the wallet looks used. This isn’t some guy showing off his new stuff or, if it is, he’s done a good job of throwing us off by adding items that show signs of actual use.

    • The early 43s had a terrible connector that felt like you hit a brick wall before the release. That drove a lot of the early adopters to aftermarket connectors.

      Current 43s ship with a much better trigger courtesy of revised connector geometry.

      Glock won’t ship it to you unless you are a certified armorer. But they will ship it to your LGS for free.

    • I own and carry a G43 frequently.

      I have an Overwatch Precision Polymer DAT trigger and Ghost End Connector reducing trigger break to 5.5 lbs. Smooth and crisp with short reset. Matches my G32 w/ Polymer DAT trigger PERFECTLY.

      Some extended Mag releases work well and are cost effective, BUT LIKE MOST ACCESSORIES ARE NOT FOR EVERYBODY. Same for extended slide releases. I do not run either in any of my Glocks.

  4. Functional customization, sure. Not decorative customization to make it look battle-worn when it’s not, or a pretty trigger. But if it makes you happy, go for it, everyone has different tastes.

  5. What’s with this piss poor gold paint job glock that keeps showing up. It’s like someone is trying to be a baller but really sucks at it or has been at it since the early 90s.

  7. I’ve said this before and I’m saying it one more time before I unsubscribe. The term “pocket dump of the day” just seems to me to diminish and cheapen the quality and integrity of this site. And makes me question why I continue to be a part of this group.

    Charles Thie, LtCol ret., USAF
    Life Nember NRA, VFW, AL

    I’m unsubscribing

      • I suppose it’s similar to the term info dump? Do you object to that or an ammo dump?

        I didn’t know we could subscribe to this, I just go to the website and read and comment, and get smacked down by PG2 🙂

      • I question how many people legitimately walk around with all this shit in their pockets. Between the sneaky sponsored content ads and rehashed articles, it is getting stale.

      • Sounds more like an operator than a Fudd. Operators don’t advertise. Only wannabes want to show off their stuff.

    • Is he too stupid to realize he can skip some posts? I wonder if this is how he handled his military affairs? We are all probably lucky he was forced to retire.

      • TTAG has been on a downward spiral for several years. Once thry ran through reviews of existing guns and gun related content the site became starved for content. I suspect Robert saw the handwriting on the wall and took the money and ran. TTAG has exceeded its operational life by a wide margin.

        I think most of the readership sticks around for the occasional useful article and the lack of an alternative.

    • I, too, have noticed the decline in this site since Farago sold out. Apparently he was the voice of restraint and reason, but without that, it’s just become reruns and adverts disguised as news items.

  8. I hear a lot of people talk about the concept of gun customization getting armed defenders in hot water in court, but not a lot of cases involving your average armed Joe on the street. Cops, on the other hand…anyone remember “you’re f**ked”?

  9. Custom or stock, once you use it it’s gonna wind up sitting in a bag in the evidence room until things get resolved (it’s gonna be a while). Then you get to hire an attorney to petition to get it back. They don’t have to give it back any sooner than the state law says. (How many of us looked it up and know what number is?) That’s money sitting where you are getting no use of it and essentially comes down to buying the thing twice in whatever condition it comes back in. Evidence/property…eh, they don’t have so much of a customer service program, and they had no control of that water line breaking over a three day weekend, so do you want it back or not? Sure there are a wide range of firearms to choose from. If I have to give one up to sit on a shelf for six months to a year, chances are it’s gonna be a box stock Glock. -30-

  10. If you have a really “tricked out” weapon, chances are it will get “lost” at some point while in police custody. At any rate, don’t EDC something you’re emotionally attached to and be prepared to get a court order to get it returned.

  11. Who the hell cares? Carry what you want.. I’m sure the owner has had enough time with the weapon system to trust it’ll go bang for em’ when they need it.

    “Why is Glock’s motto ‘perfection’ when there is an entire market to make it ‘perfect-er’?”
    -Anonymous

  12. Carry what you shoot, and shoot what you carry… whether that is fully custom or stock is up to you, I don’t care. For me personally, my guns are customized, because that is what I shoot, so that is what I carry.

  13. I say live like you wanna live.

    I would stay away from “Punisher” logos and othe stupid stuff like that.

    But you do you.

  15. we don’t want to see this gold glock anymore. this site’s quality has been slipping the last couple months.

  16. It depends on the customizing. I think carry guns should look like traditional GUNS. Black, blue, or a silver finish. No slide cuts. No decorative Cerakote. And defniitely no Punisher skulls, Molon Labe, III%, etc.

  17. Why carry a custom or expensive gun. If you are involved in a self defense shooting the police will confiscate the gun until the investigation is over. And some departments that aren’t gun friendly will keep it forever or destroy it.

    • We are all different. For me, the cost of the gun is not an issue, so we carry the guns that work best for us. My wife is carrying a Boberg 9mm that cost over $1,300. Why? Because it is easier to carry and far faster for her to draw and fire accurately with than all of the much cheaper poly wonders.

      For that matter, I’m also faster on draw, presentation, and accurate fire with her gun that any other gun I’ve ever carried. So, after working with hers, I bought a Bond Arms Bullpup (Boberg had sold to Bond) for me, also an expensive gun.

      The point to a serious social situation is to be the first one to deliver rounds accurately. If spending the extra money on a gun does that, then the money becomes less important – assuming money is not a real issue.

      I have always carried better guns because the purpose of carrying in the first place seemed important enough to me to do so. If a gun is confiscated because of a shooting and the shooting was, in fact, legal, you will get the gun back anywhere I am aware of.

      • First part is a call judgement that is a fair assessment, but you are wrong about ease of getting your gun back. Even in Second Amendment friendly places it might still cost more in legal fees to get your gun back in a reasonable amount of time than the gun is woryh. You would probably be better off just buying another gun.

  18. Killem All Let G-d Sort it out or Smile on the barrel crown. Not so much.. Might not help in court.
    Functional upgrades to make it a better weapon. Im all for that. If I ever bought a gun with a mag disconnect. Like my Hi Power. That was the 1st thing to go. Id take my chances in court with a gun like that. But Id also hate to loose it in evidence lockup.

  19. i got the plastic trigger gone and replaced with steel. now that there is a 238/ 938 legion model will they sell me the flat trigger?
    crown barrels, polish feed ramps.
    “smile wait for flash.”

  20. I’ll never forget the Zimmerman trial and the prosecution asking the state’s firearms expert about the trigger on his KelTec. He asked about the weight of teh trigger.

    The gun was within the manufacturer’s specifications. So it never went anywhere. But I wonder what would have happened if it had been less.

    https://youtu.be/hOtDPKIxzzQ?t=674

  21. Well for one thing, nothing you can do to a Glock will ever make it *pretty*. They are just ugly and that’s that. Paint, chrome, gold or even foofoo lace is just gonna make it uglier. A Glock is a 20 oz. hammer in the gun world – it works great but it’s never ever gonna be more than a 20 oz. hammer. The Glock will wait patiently in your truck while you’re attending the BBQ with your 1911 or Smith.

  22. My LC9s Pro is Duracoated in Vortex Stealth Shadow, looks good with the brown leather of the holster. My SR9c is stock—minus mag disconnect 😀

  23. “Customization” would also cover things like different/night sights, a different bottom to a magazine, grips/grip panels, an extended safety or mag release. WTF is the big deal? If someone can make a EDC piece more ergonomic or usable for him/her/itself- who among us should worry about it?

  25. Yes and no.

    I customized my 1911 because it didn’t take long to realize I don’t like hammer bite.

    I didn’t customize my XD(m) because I was broke the years I carried it.

    I didn’t customize my current EDC, an M11-A1, because, well, Sig….

  26. My Beretta 96A1 has the ultra thin G10 grips, a little color to the gun and a helluva grip. I bought it used and likely wouldn’t have added anything to it on my own, but the grips really to add a lot to the way it handles. My Rhino 200DS came with the black rubber grips but I hated them, so I ordered the olive wood replacement. Adds some length to the grip and doesn’t collect dust or lint from clothing when concealed. That is the extent I think other than perhaps some trigger work that I’d ever do to a handgun. If I ever make the move to get a .327 Federal revolver I’ll likely get some G10 or wood grips.

  27. There is one example I know of where a modified gun was used against a defendant in court, and it was a cop who had a “you’re fucked” dust cover on his AR-15. His was found not guilty.

    I sure wouldn’t do such a thing to a departmentally used firearm, but the chances of using a personal weapon is remote enough that I wouldn’t be worried about it.

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