One of the best things about Glocks is that they’re one of the most upgradeable pistols in the world. There’s no other handgun that’s easier to work on and has the extensive aftermarket support that Glocks have.
Our Best Choice
Ameriglo Hackathorn Night Sight Set
SPOILER—if you want to buy just one thing for your Glock that will help you get the most from your gun, get new sights. The Ameriglo Hackathorn Night Sight Set is an excellent all-purpose sight set that will improve the performance of your Glock in any shooting context.
The Top Glock Upgrades in the Market Today









The Best Glock Upgrades to Put on Your Glock ASAP
We’re going to do things a little different this time. Rather than go in order of price, we’ve organized the best Glock upgrades in the order of importance, from the upgrades that you should add immediately, to those that could be considered optional.
Let’s check out these parts.
1. Ameriglo Hackathorn Night Sight Set - Glock Sights
As you may have discovered, Glocks come with plastic sights. The Ameriglo Hackathorn Night Sight Set is a great set of steel sights that work for all types of shooting.
Obviously, the first big win about these sights is that they’re steel. They’re durable enough for one-handed weapon manipulations. And they’ll hold securely in your slide for the life of your gun, whereas the plastic sights tend to warp and loosen over time.
Additionally, the steel has a better matte finish than plastic. And the backside of the rear notch is serrated. These features reduce glare and give you a blacker, crisper rear notch for faster and more precise sight alignment.
At the other end, the front sight has a high visibility insert that makes it super easy to pick up and focus on your front sight. So you can get your sights lined up and on target faster for a quicker first shot.
The high visibility front sight and flat black rear notch are ideal for defensive use.
It’s the most efficient iron sight configuration for a defensive gun. But it’s also excellent for any other sort of shooting—competition, recreation, or tactical.
So, if you’re still rocking your plastic Glock sights, grab these sights so every part of your gun will hold up to any abuse.
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2. Overwatch Precision Polymer DAT Trigger Kit - Glock Trigger
Glocks are known for their mediocre trigger. It’s not terrible. But there are plenty of guns with better triggers. The Overwatch Precision Polymer DAT Trigger Kit massively improves the trigger press on your gun, without altering any of the key internals.
Since you’re not changing any springs or internal safety parts, this trigger won’t change the pull weight. All you’re really changing is the trigger shoe (the included trigger bar is a stock Glock trigger bar). So your gun remains almost entirely stock, which is necessary for competition and defensive guns in some states.
Also, the trigger shoe is the same polymer that Glock uses in their stock triggers. So the trigger surface feels about the same.
The big difference is the shape of the trigger. The flat-face trigger slightly reduces the length of pull, minimizes the travel and overtravel, and gives you more consistent trigger finger placement.
The end result is a cleaner, straight-to-the-rear trigger press. It makes it much easier to press your trigger without disturbing your point of aim. Additionally, the wider trigger face makes it feel easier to press the trigger, even though the pull weight doesn’t change.
Some shooters may prefer an aluminum trigger shoe. But the polymer will hold up just as long as a stock Glock trigger, which lasts just as long as the rest of the gun. So there’s no durability compromise.
There are trigger kits that upgrade more parts of your gun and have a more dramatic effect on the pull weight. But this trigger is easily the most improvement-per-dollar for your gun.
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3. Glock Extended Magazine Release - Glock Magazine Release
The standard Glock magazine release is very streamlined, which is good in many ways. However, many shooters find it difficult to reach the magazine release without breaking their grip on the gun. Glock recognized this and produced the Glock Extended Magazine Release.
The first selling point of this upgrade is that it’s a genuine Glock part. So you know that it’s made just as well as the original magazine release. And it’s guaranteed to fit, as long as you get the one that matches your Glock model.
In terms of design, this magazine release is well thought-out.
It’s just a bit longer than the standard magazine release. So you can reliably release your magazine without compromising your grip on your gun, even if you have short thumbs.
But, Glock rounded the front edge of the magazine release. So it doesn’t catch or snag on things.
The only downside is that it sticks out far enough that you can release the magazine if you lay the gun on its side and push down on it. But this is a minor issue because the magazine doesn’t release without pressing down on the gun to actuate the release.
Overall, this extended magazine release is the most affordable ergonomics upgrade you can add to your gun.
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4. Tyrant Designs Gen4 & Gen5 Glock Extended Magazine Release - Aluminum Glock Magazine Release
If you prefer a metal magazine release, the Tyrant Designs Gen4 & Gen5 Glock Extended Magazine Release is one of your best options.
The obvious upgrade you get from this magazine release is more durability. Aluminum construction is more rigid and durable than the standard polymer Glock magazine release.
The main benefit here is that you’ll get a lot more positive operation from your magazine release. Your magazine will seat more positively and lockup more securely in the magazine well, which is nice.
Additionally, when you press the magazine release, the aluminum won’t flex the way polymer does. So you get a faster, more positive magazine release when you drop your magazine.
Then there’s the texture. This magazine release is cut with a chevron texture on the contact surface.
The texture feels good and gives really positive tactile feedback. And this magazine release is ever so slightly extended. That makes it easier to reach your magazine release, even if you have short gnome thumbs (like me).
However, the texture has a very distinctive look. It’s a fairly aggressive aesthetic. And this magazine release comes in a bunch of different colors. So you can get this magazine release in a color that matches your gun.
Now, don’t get me wrong. This magazine release looks cool. But it’s definitely nothing like the standard Glock magazine release texture. If you prefer the look of a standard magazine release, this one might be a bit over the top for you.
Even though this Tyrant Designs magazine release may not be for everyone aesthetically, it’s an excellent option for those who want the added durability and rigidity of an aluminum magazine release.
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5. Lone Wolf Distributors Extended Slide Lock Lever for Glock - Glock Extended Slide Lock
This is a minor upgrade. But it’s one that you are pretty much guaranteed to use. The Lone Wolf Distributors Extended Slide Lock Lever for Glock makes it much easier to disassemble your gun.
The stock Glock slide lock can be difficult to get a hold of when you’re taking your gun apart.
This slide lock is 3mm longer than the factory slide lock. This makes it much easier to get your fingers on, even when your fingers are oily or wet.
However, the slide lock is low profile enough that it won’t snag or scratch things.
It’s made of the same steel as the factory slide lock. And you can install this part in less than a minute.
The only thing to watch out for is the serrations on the ends. The factory slide lock has fairly rounded-off serrations.
The serrations on this slide lock are not so rounded. So it can be a bit painful if you pinch and pull down on your slide lock really hard.
Even so, an extended slide lock is one of the most affordable and easiest Glock upgrades that improves the overall experience of owning a Glock.
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6. TangoDown Enhanced Slide Stop for Glock - Glock Slide Stop
Glocks are extremely well-designed, streamlined guns. There’s almost nothing to catch or snag. The downside to this is that some of the controls can be tricky to reach. The TangoDown Enhanced Slide Stop for Glock makes it much easier to use your slide stop to lock the slide open or release the slide, if you use it for that.
First, this slide stop has more aggressive serrations on the face of the lever. That way you can get a better purchase to push it up or down. This is especially helpful for those who use their slide stop to release their slide.
Also, the top edge of this model protrudes just slightly more than the stock slide stop. This makes it much easier to actuate the slide stop, even with short or slippery thumbs.
But this slide stop is still very streamlined. It won’t snag on stuff. And it fits in almost any holster just fine.
This model is stamped from 4130 steel and heat treated to ensure that it’s just as durable—if not more durable—than the factory slide stop.
So it will last as long as your gun.
Also, the finish seems to be slightly more durable than the Glock slide stop. If you’re not a fan of the classic worn silver slide stop, that’s a bonus for you.
It takes a bit more work to install than an extended magazine release. But an extended slide stop adds more ease of operation to your gun than you might expect.
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7. Tyrant Designs Glock Extended Slide Release - Textured Slide Stop
If you want a more aggressive texture for your slide stop, the Tyrant Designs Glock Extended Slide Release offers a more aggressive texture, along with a few other perks.
This slide stop is machined with a chevron texture. The texture gives good tactile feedback. And it’s grippy enough to provide good traction for those who use the slide stop to drop their slide.
Additionally, this model is slightly beveled outward, which makes it easier to reach for locking the slide open or dropping the slide. However, the tiny bit of extension on this slide stop won’t interfere with your holster or anything. That way you won’t have to change or modify your gear.
Then, this slide stop looks cool.
It comes in multiple colors. So you can match your slide stop to whatever color scheme you’ve got going on.
Additionally, the chevron texture looks far more aggressive than the stock slide stop texture. If you like an aggressive aesthetic, you’ll like the look of this slide stop.
But, if you prefer the stock look, this slide stop might look a bit too aggressive for you.
Nothing is for everyone, though. If you want an extended slide stop with a more aggressive feel and look, this slide stop is for you.
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8. TangoDown Grip Plug/Takedown Tool for Glock - Glock Grip Plug
The Glock grip features a hollow pocket under the palm swell. This makes the gun lighter. But it also attracts a lot of dust and dirt. And it’s unused space. The TangoDown Grip Plug/Takedown Tool for Glock keeps your grip from getting stuffed with dirt. And it uses the space for a handy tool.
In addition to the tool and sealing your frame against dirt, the grip plug has a performance benefit: it helps with reloads.
The grip plug provides a ramp that pushes the magazine into the magazine well if you don’t have it perfectly lined up. That way your magazine never catches on the back of the magazine well during a reload, even if you don’t nail the magazine insertion.
Then, this grip plug includes a takedown tool so you can completely disassemble your gun, if need be. And we mean completely. The takedown tool enables you to remove the trigger, trigger mechanism, and all the other frame components for a complete disassembly.
So, no matter what goes wrong, you can fix it.
It’s certainly not a mandatory upgrade. But it helps keep your gun clean, makes your reloads more consistent, and improves your field service capabilities. It’s an affordable way to make your life easier.
9. Tyrant Designs Uni-Comp - Glock Compensator
A compensator is at the bottom of this for a combination of two reasons:
- It’s an entirely optional upgrade.
- You may need to change or modify your holster to fit the compensator.
So you may need to buy new gear to use this upgrade. However, the Tyrant Designs Uni-Comp will reduce felt recoil and keep your muzzle flatter in rapid fire.
And this is one of the best compensator designs I’ve found. Most pistol compensators require a relatively complex installation, with timing and stuff. And sometimes the compensator will cause reliability issues if your handgun has an articulating barrel.
This compensator doesn’t have any of those issues. The installation is super easy. And—at least with Glock pistols—this compensator won’t affect the reliability of your gun.
The installation doesn’t require any complex timing or anything.
All you have to do is put the compensator together and screw it onto your barrel. The rubber o-ring retains the compensator and prevents it from backing off while you’re shooting.
And the internal piece is vented so that it will work, regardless of where the vents end up when the installation is complete. Overall, the installation is one of the simplest of any compensator out there.
Lastly, this compensator is compatible with just about any pistol out there. And, since the installation is so easy, it’s completely reasonable to share this compensator with all your handguns, which saves you a bit of money.
Overall, if you want a compensator that installs easily enough to use on all your pistols, and actually reduces felt recoil, this one is the way to go.
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Completing the Installation
That’s it. If you’ve got yourself a bone stock Glock, it’s time to look into some upgrades. A few simple improvements to your gun can actually improve your performance with your handgun more than you might expect.
And these upgrades are super affordable. So, you can boost your performance on any budget.
If you need a place to start, get the Ameriglo Hackathorn Night Sight Set. They’re great sights that will outperform the stock plastic sights in every way.
Now that you know what you can do, get a few parts and start tinkering with your Glock.