"Dremeling the Glock"

by Robin Taylor, USPSA Staff

What the Factory Wishes We Wouldn't Do

A lot of what practical shooter do to their guns hardly deserves to be called "gunsmithing." Grinding off a sharp corner
doesn't require training -- nor does adding skate tape or widening the rear sight cut with a file.

These sorts of modifications aren't pretty, but often they directly enhance a shooter's ability to control the gun.

Front Sight tracked down multi-year Glock Shooting Sports Foundation champion (and USPSA master) Dale Rhea for
some advice on "Dremeling" a stock Glock.

For those of you who don't know him, Dale Rhea has won more GSSF matches than any other single competitor.
Recognized by Glock in 1999 as the top man in the sport, Rhea's penchant for experimentation has made him into a
one-man encyclopedia for what you can, and cannot do to a Glock.

When we ran him down in early August of 2000, Rhea had some 18 GSSF wins to his credit -- including a handful of
wins at Glock's GSSF nationals. He's got another year, and another handful of wins under his belt. By the time this
reaches you, his win total should be well over 20.

Glock allows a shooter to win three guns as an "amateur" class before forcing them into their "open/master" class.
Staying on top here is demanding, and shooters trying to use truly stock guns generally get eaten alive. Nobody beats
an all-comers field, including shooting greats like Mickey Fowler and Bobby Carver, without a lot of skill, and Dale
does it with amazing regularity. Speedy times on the plate rack are his signature, with Dale dropping five sets of six 8-
inch plates (fives starts from low ready) in a as little as 10.04 -- with a non-compensated gun. [Editor's note: A GSSF
match actually has only four plate strings.]

Dale attacks his guns with Frankenstinian glee, cutting plastic here, grinding metal there, until he emerges with a
product that feels and acts quite differently from the original. His 2-pound triggers and skeletonized guns are known
far and wide, as is his reputation for speed on the GSSF course. The Frankenstein analogy fits his guns as well, since
virtually all of them were built up out of Rhea's large inventory of prize guns (he has won 18 in GSSF alone). His
current IPSC gun uses a Glock 24 top end mounted on a Glock 35 lower, sprung with specially molded springs to
approximate a progressive 14-pound recoil spring.

The Frame Group

If you're squeamish about carving plastic off your frame, stop reading right now. Likewise, if you're shooting a Glock
in Production Division, get your rulebook out before you start hacking. Any "Externally Visible" change other than
skate tape and sights will boot you out of Production.

Modifying the frame a little too much sent some of Dale's guns to gun buyback programs, so proceed with GREAT
care. Unlike a modular-framed STI or SV, Glock grip sections are not easily replaced.

Improving mechanical advantage over recoil forms the focus for most of the changes that Rhea and others of his ilk
make to their guns. Glocks start with a naturally high grip, but thinning the plastic here and there can make noticeable
improvements. on the whole, Rhea makes four major changes to the frame:

Thin the bottom of the trigger guard.

Raise the beavertail.
"Shave" the trigger guard (a la fast draw)
Add skate tape, front and back
Thinning the bottom of the trigger guard
If you own a Dremel tool, get it out. This is the sort of activity where a Dremel is hard to replace. Attach a cylindrical
sanding drum to your Dremel (or another small rotary sander) and stat contemplating the bottom rear of the trigger
guard.
The stock trigger guard bends up slightly just before it meets the grip, creating a space for your shooting hand's second
finger. Unless you have narrow fingers, there usually isn't enough space. Instead, the corner created by that bend
forces your shooting hand down slightly, Rhea thins the trigger guard at this point, and takes some additional meat off
of that corner.

"That really makes the gun much more comfortable to shoot, and it raises your hand slightly," he says.

The plastic of the grip body is very thin here, so make sure you only cut the trigger guard. You should be able to raise
your hand by about 1/4 inch, if not a little more.

"I try to cut enough space for this finger as well," says Rhea, indicating the index finger on his support hand.

You can work the frame independently of the gun, but gently clamping the slide of the still-assembled gun into a
padded vise (magazine well pointing up) makes working the plastic much easier.

Raising the Beavertail

Glocks come with relatively high-cut beavertails, but any improvement here spells a significant gain in terms of
leverage and control.

Using that same drum sander head, Rhea goes to work on the beavertail, removing a thin slice of plastic on the
underside of the beavertail. Don't overdo this cut. The Glock's extractor assembly (and associated trigger parts) lives
just beyond this thin plastic wall. If you cut too much plastic you risk having eh extractor assembly break through in
recoil -- putting you in the market for a new frame.

"You may want to de-horn the underside of the slice after you do this," says Rhea.

Shooters with wide, fleshy hands sometimes cut their hands on the stock Glock slide. Raising the beavertail
exacerbates that tendency, so watch for it.

Dale Rhea moonlights in USPSA/IPSC (shown here competing in Master class at the 1999 Limited Nationals) but his
main game is GSSF. In GSSF, Rhea is widely held to be the top man in the sport.
Shaving the trigger guard
When you look at a fast-draw shooter's competition gun, one of the first things that jumps out at you is the "shaved"
trigger guard. Gunsmiths grind away the right side of the trigger guard (for right-handers), leaving a spidery remnant
of perhaps one third of the original guard's width.

GSSF, IPSC, and fast draw all require their competitors to start with their fingers out of the trigger guard. Getting
access to the trigger quickly is much more critical in GSSF and fast draw, but IPSC shooters may want to consider this
option.

Rather than radically "shave" the guard, Rhea employs the same drum sander head to widen the curve of the trigger
guard from the inside out, emphasizing the right side. The resulting cut gives more clearance for Rhea's relatively long
trigger finger without significantly compromising the profile of the trigger guard. A lot of IPSC holsters retain the gun
using the trigger guard, so put a lot of forethought into any frame modification like this. Most designs retain the gun
using the bottom or left side of the trigger guard, so look before you leap.

Add skate tape

Rather than buy from conventional firearm channels, Rhea buys 3M deck-tread traction strips for his "skate tape." Cut
to shape with a razor blade, Rhea says the 3M product offers a much more aggressive gripping surface, better adhesive,
and it's cheaper to boot.

"When I put it on I wrap it tight with two layers of heavy shock cord and leave it for a couple of days," he says. "That
gives the adhesive a chance to really stick on there good. When you take the shock cord off, the grip tape is really
solid."
Glock frames have a nasty habit of flexing in recoil, which can bedevil adhesives. Rhea says lashing the tape on and
giving it those few days to adhere makes a noticeable difference.

Rhea covers the finger grooves found on the newer Glock frames with grip tape, which mellows their profile enough to
fit his hand comfortably. Some shooters (particularly those with large hands) may want to grind these off, or find an
earlier-generation frame.

The Slide Group

Taking his gun's top end in hand, Rhea suggests a wide range of modifications to improve functioning, and to radically
enhance the gun's trigger action, ejection, and performance.

When you take apart a Glock, the simplicity of the mechanism is really striking. In fact, the Glock has a lot more in
common with a Stanley staple gun than it does with many autoloading pistols. Taking the top end of one of his Glocks
in hand, Rhea began to suggest a wide range of modifications to improve functioning, and radically enhance the gun's
trigger. None of his changes were particularly high-tech, and all of them involved modifications to a factory part.
Most of these improvements can be done with tools as coarse as a framing hammer, putting them well within the range
of even the most humble home craftsman. Remember, whe we started this series, we said this article wasn't about
"gunsmithing." This is "Dremeling," a decidedly more low-tech affair.

As a general rule, Rhea looks at performing the following modifications with any of his personal guns. I think of these
as the "slide group":

Tightening the slide to frame fit

Lowering the ejection port
Extending the ejector
Replacing the sights
If that guns is destined to shoot matches in a serious way (no home defense applications), he adds the following
changes to the trigger group. We'll deal with those in a few minutes.

Skeletonize and modify the striker

Change the trigger geometry
Install a modified 3 1/2 pound connector
Doctor the springs
Tightening the slide to frame fit
The loose fit of the slide on the Glock helps enhance its reliability, but shooter pay a price for it in the way the trigger
behaves. On a lot of Glocks (particularly well-used .40's), the slide will drop slightly when the trigger bar hits the
connector. On some guns, you can actually feel the slide moving up and down as the trigger bar begins to descend.

The motion is usually small -- only perhaps .010 inches, but it's noticeable in fine aiming. Tightengin the slide-to-
frame fit all but eliminates this travel.

"Tightening the slide improves the trigger, not accuracy," emphasized Rhea.

By eliminating this excess travel, you bed the slide down to the frame, which gets rid of one hitch in the trigger pull.
At the same time, lowering the slide like this increases the amount of engagement between the striker and the trigger
cruciform (important if you polish, or make any changes to the striker).

Look at your Glock carefully from the side. Usually you can see the metal frame rails reflecting light from between the
slide and the frame. Use a pencil to mark the center of each frame rail on the slide, then get a feel for how much top to
bottom play exists between the slide and frame.

Limited shooters usually need to tighten the rear portion of the slide only, but if you have thoughts of using a frame-
mounted scope, Rhea says a close fit at the front and rear is essential.
Once you have the slide marked, field strip the gun and lay the slide belly-up on an anvil of vise. Take a hammer and
gently tap on the slide rails at the pencil marks. Reassemble the gun, and note whether the top-to-bottom movement
has changed.

When I first did this to one of my "project" Glocks, I glimpsed my reflection in the window, and burst out laughing.
Here I was, poised to start banging away on a perfectly good slide with a framing hammer? Why not get the splitting
maul out so I can work on my watch! When I finished, however, my oldest and loosest Glock had been transformed
into my tightest, with the crispest trigger of the bunch.

I KNOW THIS IS AN OBVIOUS POINT, but do this gradually. The penalty for over-tightening the slide is severe.
I've got one gun that now has a noticeable rough spot in its travel thanks to my overly-enthusiastic "help." I'm just glad
I didn't have to discard the slide.

Lowering the ejection port

Again, this is something that a Limited gun doesn't really need, but scope gunners who want to keep the brass off their
scope will find it invaluable. When you look at the ejection port on a used .40, typically you can see a yellow stain
from brass hitting the inside of the ejection port -- this is your target area.

Rhea re-contours the inside of the slide here, lowering that inside corner. On .40's, he doesn't remove a lot of metal, but
on the 9mm, he drops that corner by almost 3/16 of an inch. Rhea says that if you turn that sharp corner into a rounded
curve, your brass should start ejecting more uniformly.

Here again, your going to need that Dremel tool -- only with a find stone grinding wheel attached. Forget trying to use
a file, Glock slides are so hard, they're practically off the Rockwell chart. Normal drills don't work, normal cutters
don't work, and many files just refuse to cut. Once you grind through the Glock's super-hard surface, however, the
metal softens up considerably, so grind with care.

Extending the ejector

Getting his 9mm GSSF gun to eject cleanly out from under a low-mounted scope gave Rhea some extra gray hair, and
drove a great many of his innovations. One of the weirdest involves extending the ejector.

"If you've got cases ejecting straight up and landing on your head, try this," says Rhea.

The ejector on a Glock is a tiny metal stinger supported by a plastic housing (which also contains many of the trigger
parts). Remove the metal ejector from the plastic housing and heat it up cherry red. Use a hammer to flatten the
ejector out (forcing it to grow longer and thinner) taking care to restore the angle on the ejector before the metal starts
to cool.

"You want it to get about 25 thousandths longer," says Rhea. "Don't worry about trying to harden it; the case hits the
ejector pretty straight, and it doesn't get a whole lot of force applied to it."

Replacing the sights

The flimsy nature of the Glock's plastic front sight is well-documented. Although it works well (particularly in low
light), the little plastic sight just can't take the abuse.

Low-profile Heinie and Novak sights have become extremely common among USPSA-shooting Glock owners, but you
will find a vast range of sight combinations at the range. Rhea uses the Heinie, but modifies his to include an "Enos
cut" and a thinner-than-normal .09" front blade.

The "Enos cut" changes the square opening in the rear of the sight into pyramid, giving the shooter a wider field of
view -- particularly when used with that skinny front sight. You will need a small set of fiels to do this job -- at least
until someone starts making that cut for sale. Shooters can apply a gentle "Enos cut" to the stock plastic sights as well,
but be careful -- you risk creating burrs and will weaken the sight.

"It's especially good on the plates," says Rhea. "You can see practically the whole plate, instead of having your sights
block it out."
Trigger Group

Ask 15 USPSA shooters what they like LEAST about the Glock, and better than half will respond with "THE
TRIGGER!"

If anyone is qualified to speak on how to improve the Glock trigger, that person has to be Dale Rhea. When Rhea sits
down to bring one of his guns up to speed, he makes all the more obvious changes first (tightening the slide to frame
fit, etc.) then focuses on some relatively arcane changes to the trigger group.

Note the thinned shank of the connector at left. Likewise, note the slashes on the modified striker at right. Look
closely at the top of the right-hand striker, and you will see the 45-degree angled cut that Rhea applies.
The list of changes includes:

Skeletonizing and modifying the striker

Changing the trigger geometry
Modifying the 3 1/2 pound connector
Doctoring the springs
Modifying the striker

Shooters can avoid a lot of trouble by using one of the ultra-light strikers on the market today -- be it a titanium or
skeletonized tool steel model. Dale Rhea avoids both products, saying that the stock parts (with changes) have worked
out best for him over the long run.

When I talk with Rhea about re-touching strikers, I get the feeling this is something he works on during Washington's
long winter nights. It's painstaking work, where one mistake means throwing the entire striker in the garbage.

Working with his hands under a magnifier, Rhea makes a series of cuts at varying points around the striker.

He reduces the center of the striker shaft, reducing its diameter. He then mounts a super-thin cut-off wheel in this
Dremel, and makes deep longitudinal slices into the head of the striker, plus one deep slide into the back of the striker.
I'm not going to present the exact cuts, but I will outline one of the simplest.

Before finishing, Rhea holds the striker's hook (which engages the trigger bar) against the grinding wheel and cuts the
left side of the hood off at a 45-degree angle. Instead of a broad square engagement, the new striker engages on about
half of the original contact surface.

"The trigger bar torques down on one side as you pull it through," says Rhea. "By taking the striker off at an angle like
that, you get a crisper release, plus you have less surface to disengage."

Tightening the slide usually adds to the striker's engagement, making this a less radical change than it might first appear
to be.

Changing the trigger geometry

Once he has a striker looking the way he wants, Rhea turns to the trigger bar itself.

"The way the trigger bar is set up, the spring on it actually helps you pull the trigger. It also pulls the trigger bar up to
re-catch the striker when it returns. It doesn't need to pull up that hard, and that creates extra resistance."

To optimize the assisting effect of the trigger return spring and minimize drag, Rhea grinds off the bottom of the trigger
bar, then drills a new hole for the return spring immediately above the original. The total change in length is less than
1/2 inch, but when taken in concert with Rhea's other changes, it helps create a silky-smooth 2-pound trigger that
retains the full travel and full depth of striker engagement found on the original.
"You've got o anneal the trigger bar tab in order to drill it, those parts are really, really hard."

Totally disassemble the trigger bar assembly, then heat the tab red hot using a plumber's torch, he coaches. Let the tab
air-cool gradually, and you will be able to drill it.

Modifying the 3 1/2 pound connector

Any Glock jockey worth is salt already has a 3 1/2 pound connector installed. You can buy these connectors from a
variety of suppliers, but here again Rhea advocates sticking with the stock part -- citing problems with metallurgy and
angles on some of the after-market brands.

Once you have modified the trigger bar so that the trigger return spring pulls up less strongly, you may need to thin out
the connector to make sure the trigger bar still lifts up to re-engage the striker the way it should.

"The connector causes resistance to the travel of the trigger bar -- especially after firing," says Rhea. "You need the
connector to apply pressure, but it doesn't have to be THAT strong."

Rhea explained that there are two ways to reduce the pressure on the trigger bar from the connector: you can bend the
connector (and risk breaking it), or you can thin it down.

Rhea strongly advocates thinning a small section of the connector's flex area. This allows the connector (an overgrown
leaf spring) to bend more easily and allows more precise tuning.

Grinding and thinning also weakens the part, so once you have it finished, you will need to inspect the connnector
frequently for cracks.

Doctoring the springs

Flat-wound coil springs set the Glock recoil and striker springs apart from their contemporaries. You can clip these
springs back by a coil or two, but it's not a good idea. Rhea only does that tot he striker spring. After-market options
abound, but again, Rhea sticks with a modified Glock part.

Remember that the striker and recoil springs work in concert. Pressure from the trigger (transferred to the striker
spring) would open the slide if the recoil spring was missing. Thus, if you reduce the recoil spring weight too much, or
shorten the spring so it becomes weak at the limits of its travel, the gun will unlock when you start to pull the trigger.
This is terribly unsafe, and can occur in a stock gun if you change the striker spring without changing a worn-out recoil
spring.

Rhea has played with virtually every spring and guide rod combination available.

"I got all the way down to a 12-pound spring," says Rhea, "but I started having trouble with doubling."

His solution is to transform the stock recoil spring into a progressive spring that starts to open at around 14 pounds.

Rhea chucks a captive recoil spring/guide rod assembly into his 1/2" electric drill. Laying the side of the spring against
an abrasive with the drill running creates an hourglass-shaped recoil spring. The finished spring is reduced in
poundage, but not in length, nor in critical diameter at either end. The slide starts moving early (keeping the muzzle
flip flatter) but snaps forward strongly, propelled by the 22-pound ends of the spring.

"Now that we're shooting at 165 power factor, this Glock 24 shoots really flat," Rhea marvels. "I bought a Glock 35,
but I like this set-up so much, I don't have a reason to change it."

Rhea uses the frame from a Glock 35, mated to the 6-inch slide of the Glock 24. For ammo, he uses 180-grain
Montana Gold bullets, propelled by Vit N320 in Limited competition.

Where should I polish?

All metal contact surfaces, from the trigger pin to the firing pin channel in the slide
Trigger pin, between the grooves
Trigger bar
Top of firing pin safety plunger cam
Bottom of drop safety wings where they contact the plastic trigger mechanism
housing
Aft end on both sides of the curved projection that contacts the trigger housing,
connector, and frame
Top of the curved projection that contacts the connector
End of trigger bar that contacts the firing pin
Connector where it contacts the trigger bar, and both sides
Firing pin*
Firing pin spring
Firing pin safety*
Firing pin safety spring
Firing pin channel, deep inside slide where the forward fat part of the firing pin resides
Firing pin safety bore, at bottom of slide
Channel cut on bottom of slide through which the firing pin protrudes to contact the trigger
bar
* These parts are plated. You may see some plating failure where it's peeling. The part can
be sent back to Glock for a replacement that may likely peel also. The broken plating may
be removed and the edges smoothed. It's possible that a large piece of plating, should it
flake off and get into the wrong area, could cause a malfunction, though I haven't heard
reports of this.

Polishing Glock Triggers

Glock trigger pull effort can be reduced and made smooth by reducing friction. This is done by
polishing all metal contact surfaces in the trigger set. Which parts do I polish?

The easiest and most common technique is to polish the contact areas using a high speed rotary
tool with cotton buffs and a non-abrasive metal polish such as Flitz or Simichrome. People who've
used both are generally in favor of Simichrome, although I've only tried Flitz. Either product can be
found at hardware stores, motorcycle shops, or ordered from internet suppliers such as Brownell's.
Some also have used a cotton swab chucked into a drill, run at slow speed.
To get started, chuck the cotton buff into the rotary tool. Shake the polish to mix the contents, then
drip some onto the buff. Wait for the polish to absorb into the cotton, then hold the tool down into a
trashcan. Power up the tool to sling off excess liquid. Apply the buff to the metal making controlled
even passes. The spinning action of the buff moves the polish across the surface of the work. Not a
lot of pressure is needed. Excessive speed and pressure, and moving the buff across sharp angles
will cause premature wear to the buff.
This level of polishing cleans small burrs and residue left from the factory and leaves the metal
shiny. I recommend this procedure for those who are unsure of their tool handling skills or the risks
inherent in using a more aggressive treatment. Metal parts cannot be ruined by using a non-abrasive
cleaner since almost no material is removed. This technique alone leaves minor and major
roughness, and high and low areas virtually untouched dimensionally. The result is usually a
significant improvement in trigger pull versus unpolished parts. Before working on your Glock,
practice with a piece of tarnished jewelry. The owner will love the high shine that results. Look
closely however, and you'll see that dents and scratches are still there.

The next level of polishing uses an abrasive such as jeweler's rouge, which comes in a hard cake
form in blocks or as pictured. It's applied using a rotary tool and cotton buff. The tool is powered up,
then the spinning buff is applied to the rouge. Make controlled, even passes on the surface to be
polished. The rotary action of the buff moves the abrasive across the part to be polished. Motor
speed should be kept slow to avoid heat buildup. Heat will make the rouge soft, causing it to deposit
on the part rather than stay on the buff where its doing the work. Heat may also make the part
uncomfortable to hold. In extreme cases, heat may discolor thin metal pieces; avoid this by keeping
the buff moving. Holding the buff in one spot can remove enough metal to create a low spot. A high
spot can be created if a rouge deposit is allowed to remain and extensive buffing is done around it.
The metal under the deposit doesn't get polished. High speed will cause buffs to wear out
prematurely, since they are soft and will not take much abuse.
Initially, the rouge will deposit slightly then get picked up as the surface gets smoother. Minor
roughness and scratches will disappear, but major imperfections, and high and low spots, will
remain. After treatment with the rouge, give the part a non-abrasive polishing to remove the rouge
and leave the metal clean.

Stoning is a more aggressive treatment than polishing. Abrasive stones of varying grades of
roughness are used to flatten very rough areas, and highs and lows. Stones can also be used to
change angles and how parts interact: counterproductive if done without knowing exactly what
the effect will be.
The scope of this page is limited to smoothing and flattening only. There are a few places I've
discovered where in conjunction with other modifications, the parts set can be finely tuned for
timing and feel of the release.
Stones are available in many grades and shapes. They can be obtained from cutlery shops,
machinist suppliers, or from gun parts dealers. The India stone, about 600 grit, flat and square, is
at the top of the picture. It removes metal quickly. Below is a 1000 grit ceramic stone, also flat
and square. For Glock work, I found that these right-angled flat stones reached all of the
surfaces that I wanted to treat.
Stoning must be done carefully to avoid making the parts fit improperly, but on Glocks there is a
lot of leeway compared to more sensitive parts fit such as sear angles with other trigger designs.
In some locations, stoning should be done conservatively, leaving some rough areas in favor of
avoiding removing too much metal, compromising performance for reliability. This is where
good parts selection becomes important. Each part has different flaws. Try to examine several
for highest grade original finish. It's like selecting lumber from a lumber yard. No one buys the
pieces with all the knots.
Stoning will leave fine scratches. Light buffing to remove only the scratches, followed by non-
abrasive cleaning will result in a smooth, consistent trigger. This is the ultimate friction reducing
treatment.

This connector has been stoned to produce a crisp right angle and flat surfaces where it
contacts the trigger bar.

The connector in the picture has been partially stoned on its side where it contacts the plastic
channel in the trigger mechanism housing. The shiny area has been stoned; the remaining
roughness along the left edge can be easily seen. Imagine what this part looked like straight
from the factory: this surface plays a small role in trigger reset. The cumulative effect of rough
areas elsewhere may add between 1/4 to 1/2 pound to trigger effort.

This side of the trigger bar contacts the plastic frame. It has been stoned: note the nearly even
light reflection off the surface. Before stoning your trigger parts, look at how they reflect light
and compare the difference after stoning.
Stone the other side also.
There is a drop of oil on the part. Oil on flat parts lubricates more effectively. The film is
preserved across the entire surface, rather than getting squished out from between high spots
as uneven contact surfaces move together.
Beneath the curve, the tang that contacts the firing pin has also been stoned, but without
removing much metal. The original angle has been retained.
The narrow curved surface that cams down against the connector has been stoned. All
roughness has been removed by stoning, polishing, then cleaning.
The underside of the left wing can be stoned also. This area rides on the drop safety ramp in the
trigger housing.

Firing pin surface where it contacts the trigger bar after a few passes with the stone. The surface
is already quite flat, but there is a low spot visible at the center of the top third, ringed by tool
marks left by the stone.
Firing pin has been freshly stoned. The stock angle has been preserved. Note the even light
reflection. There is an imperfection on the left edge that I determined was to deep to remove.

The dark patch at the center is an example of plating failure. This area will presumably wear
faster than the plating. The surface has been partially stoned, visible along the right edge and
top.
 This notch is quite rough. It moves against the inside of the plastic spacer sleeve.

Trigger bars, stoned (top) and partially stoned (bottom). Neither came flat from the factory. Tool
marks are visible on the bottom part where the stone contacted high spots.
Connector positioned on stone. The bend that cams the trigger bar overhangs the right angle of
the stone. Careful consistent alignment is important to keep the bend straight and preserve the
original angle. If the connector is allowed to wander as its passed across the stone, the bend will
become curved.
In this case, two surfaces can be cut at once. If one surface needs more treatment, pressure
must be shifted proportionally to that area, so the other surface is not excessively cut. In this
case, the broad surface where the flat side of the trigger bar resides was given more treatment
than the angled cam surface inside the bend, which cleaned up quickly.

Connector side positioned on stone.

 Trigger bar positioned for stoning. The plastic base of this stone, intended for sharpening
knives, was handy to protect overhanging parts from being marred by inadvertent contact with
the stone side.
Back to index

This polishing usually yields an improvement over non-abrasive alone, except on higher grade parts
that were smooth to begin with.
The diameter of the buff will determine how fast the work is performed. Large diameter buffs have
higher face speeds, and thus give faster results. The effect can be understood by imagining a
spinning wheel. The inner part of the wheel is traveling slower than the outer part, even though its
turning at the same rpm. There are several types of buff: molded and sewn. The molded buffs are
harder than the sewn ones. Sewn buffs are made from stacked layers of cotton cloth and are gentler
to soft metals such as silver.

Polishing Plastic
In a Flitz ad somewhere I noticed that it was recommended for polishing plastic, so I thought I'd
give it a try. I applied it using the same technique that I would metal. It does smooth plastic
nicely, but must be applied lightly if using a high speed rotary tool.

Some shooters prefer a smooth trigger. The face of this trigger has been lightly polished and is
somewhat smoother than the sides. Much of the speckled finish remains.
The polish smoothed the formerly sharp edges of the trigger safety very nicely, removing tool
marks left from contouring.
 The side rails of this trigger mechanism housing where the trigger bar slides have been polished
with a couple of passes, in hopes of reducing potential binding. The benefit of this is unknown,
since I did not measure trigger pull before the treatment

Trigger Spring Repositioning

WARNING: PERFORM THIS MODIFICATION AT YOUR OWN RISK. Repositioning the trigger
spring is intended for competition use only with a 3.5 lb connector. Done incorrectly, this
modification may make your pistol unreliable. Reset failures may cause the pistol to not fire
when the trigger is pulled. Inconsistent resetting of the trigger bar on the firing pin may
prematurely release the firing pin, and the pistol may not fire. Inconsistent trigger bar reset on
the firing pin combined with a firing pin safety malfunction may allow the pistol to be fired before
the slide is fully forward or unintentionally fire twice. This modification is not intended for duty
or self-defense carry. Function check all safety features after modifications to be sure they were
not disabled by your work.

The trigger spring is installed at an angle and performs two tasks: rearward tension offsets the
firing pin spring resistance, and upward tension resets the trigger bar after the trigger is pulled
and the slide is cycled.

Repositioning the trigger spring to a point higher than its stock hole on the trigger bar will
change the proportional tension to favor rearward pull, which further offsets firing pin spring
tension and reduces trigger pull effort, by over 12 ounces in my gun. Since upward tension is
reduced (but not eliminated), trigger reset may be a problem in pistols where there is significant
friction between parts.

As of July 2000, I have fired 1650 rounds with zero malfunctions after repositioning the trigger
spring. The result may not be the same in other trigger sets that are not stoned smooth and
polished. I clean the mechanism about every 300 - 500 rounds, so performance in a dirty state is
unknown. The longevity potential of this modification is unknown, but so far it has worked.

I have been tracking wear patterns on the firing pin tang where the trigger bar engages, and have
found no evidence of inconsistent reset.
The installed trigger spring angle is about halfway between the horizontal and its stock position,
still allowing substantial upward tension. I have not tried positioning the spring higher and do
not know what the effect would be.