Glock 47 MOS

[cordex]

I stopped by a couple gun shops on Monday and ended up going home with a brand new Glock 47 MOS.

For the uninitiated, the Glock 47 is essentially a Glock 17 but configured such that you can swap slides with a Gen 5 Glock 19 if you want (which is, in my opinion, how Glocks should have been since the G19 came out).  I happened to have a Gen 5 Glock 19, so I swapped slides leaving me with essentially a G45 and a G19L MOS.  I'm going to set the pseudo G45 aside for a bit and focus on the G19L MOS, because that's the gun I have been wanting for years.  It can take 17 and 15 round magazines, grip small enough to conceal but with a little extra barrel length and the option for optics.  What's not to love?

When I was buying the 47 I also bought an optic the salesdrone recommended to go with it - a Vortex Defender CCW.  I'm sure anyone who knows the Glock MOS system and pistol optics has already started shaking their head, but as someone who has only shot other people's optic-equipped Glocks and previously only owned a .22 with a MRDS I didn't know squat about the half-dozen common mount platforms.

The G47 came with a single MOS plate that didn't work with the Defender CCW, so I ordered a 4 pack of factory Glock adapter plates.  Several of those said they support Vortex optics, so I should be good.  Except I'm not, because the Defender CCW uses an RMSc mount which is intended for even smaller pistols like the G43x.

Okay, an excuse to buy a G43x someday, but I don't really want to buy another optic right away after dropping all that money on the gun and the currently useless optic.  There are some boutique manufacturers that will sell an $80 mount to solve the problem, but I feel like I'm chasing the wrong solution there anyway.

Wait, says I, didn't I put a little Holosun 507 on my SBR 9mm a while back?  That's a pistol optic, right?

Sure enough, I had a plate that worked with that sight and got it mounted last night.  I had to modify the holster on my battle belt a little so it would work with the optic, but a dremel and some milling bits and I had that sorted in short order. 

Now that I've got an optic mounted I need to sight it in.  I've got to help my brother-in-law load some firewood after work, but if I have time I'll run it back and try it out on the range.

[cordex]

I was too impatient to wait for the Locktite 222 but figured it could take a couple magazines. I got it sighted in and then took a Holosun to the forehead.

Oh well.  Hopefully it’ll be close when I remount it.

[Ben]

I was too impatient to wait for the Locktite 222 but figured it could take a couple magazines. I got it sighted in and then took a Holosun to the forehead.

Oh well.  Hopefully it’ll be close when I remount it.

 

Congrats on the new blaster though. 

[MechAg94]

I was too impatient to wait for the Locktite 222 but figured it could take a couple magazines. I got it sighted in and then took a Holosun to the forehead.

Oh well.  Hopefully it’ll be close when I remount it.

I have a G19 MOS.  I believe I also took a red dot to the head.  I have heard that you have to get the right screws that are long enough to screw in with the optic.  The screws that come with it won't screw in enough to stay under firing.  Sounds like Glock has still not fixed this issue. 

These links are just the first couple that came up on a search. 
https://www.battlewerx.com/replacement-screw-kit-for-glock-mos-trijicon-rmr/
https://www.amazon.com/Trijicon-AC32064-Mounting-Springfield-Models/dp/B00T31NK86

[cordex]

Got the optic remounted with Locktite.

While I love the increased accuracy and speed, I am increasingly disappointed in the handgun optic experience, at least for double stack 9mm Glocks. In addition to the half dozen or so optic footprints (and there are at least three different versions of MOS alone) requiring arcane mounts and adapter plates to accommodate a given optic, even the screws are screwy.

For the Glock MOS you basically have to get screws of the correct diameter and thread pitch (for MOS plate 02 I’ve seen people claim it was M3, M4, and 6-32 - I checked and mine is 6-32), make sure the screws are too long, install the optic on the plate apart from the gun and grind the screws flush to the plate. Then remove the plate from the optic and mount it on the gun.

Despite buying a gun that came from the factory “optics ready” I had to spend a long time researching exactly how to mount a very common optic, got tons of bad info online, and still had to break out the Dremel when I finally found the “right” way. That is stupid.

We are at the weird stage where a pistol optics are extremely useful but - at least for one of the most common handgun platforms - require an enthusiast or professional to implement.

If this is generally reflective of the state of handgun optic mounting then it speaks volumes how valuable pistol red dots are for people to bother with them at all.

[cordex]

Yeah, you beat me to it.

[MechAg94]

The only other pistol that I have had eject a red dot is the S&W M&P 10mm.  The screws just came loose on that one and I didn't catch it in time.  That pistol has some jarring recoil. 

I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep the red dot on that pistol so I didn't use any thread locker.

[MechAg94]

My Arex Delta M pistol came with all the plates and screws needed to adapt to just about any optic type.  I believe the S&W M&P pistols did as well.  The Walther PDP didn't come with plates, but they are available.  Others do well with that also.  Glock does NOT. 

Honestly, I would have expected someone like Glock to come up with their own unique mounting solution.  Everyone would adapt to them.  With their pistols, you could practically just cut a groove into the sides and make a modified clamp on scope mount.  Sort of like the Aimpoint mount I guess.

[dogmush]

MOS is the shitiest optics mounting solution out there.  Despite having several optics mounted Glocks, I have not, and won't use it.

Truth be told I'm not a huge fan of any of the "adapter plate" solutions,  although I get why so e makers use them.  My Canick has a plates, but they are thick enough to work well.  The M&P CORE system with it's plastic adapters is also pretty sketchy.

[cordex]

MOS is the shiniest optics mounting solution out there.  Despite having several optics mounted Glocks, I have not, and won't use it.

Truth be told I'm not a huge fan of any of the "adapter plate" solutions,  although I get why so e makers use them.  My Canick has a plates, but they are thick enough to work well.  The M&P CORE system with it's plastic adapters is also pretty sketchy.

What are the "good" optics mounting options?  Having slides custom milled for a specific footprint?

[Ben]

MOS is the shiniest optics mounting solution out there. 

I'm guessing you didn't mean to put Firefly terminology in that statement. 

Glock is perplexing to me. After all these years, there are so many complaints they could have rectified that ended up creating all their "guchi" competitors. I get their argument about not wanting to affect functionality, but I don't believe any of the most demanded changes are related to mechanical functionality except for the trigger, which, IMO, they did address in the gen 5.

All Glocks at this point should have an optics mount option that works. I'm biased, but they could have copied Shadow Systems. All Glocks at this point should have decent fixed sights. A matter of opinion, but almost every Glock knock-off has better stippling than Glock. Same with slide serration placement and type. Anyway, those are big ones to me that should not increase price much, but would probably keep a lot of people from going to any of the knock-offs, from the PSA price range to the high end Zev range.

EDIT: Personally, one of my bigger complaints is the half-assed "backstrap beavertail". That semi-beavertail clip on is not really a beavertail at all, IMO. For getting high up on the gun without worrying about "Glock bite", the beavertail on my XR920 is just 100% better than the stubby little thing on my G45. Another really easy fix that most all their competitors have done.

[dogmush]

I'm guessing you didn't mean to put Firefly terminology in that statement. 

You are correct.  Typed that on my tablet this morning, and Auto-Correct got me.  Fixed.

What are the "good" optics mounting options?  Having slides custom milled for a specific footprint?

For a Glock?  Yeah, pretty much.  Looking real quick at G45 prices, the MOS is $100ish more than normal.  That's most of the way to a slide milling job.  My 19x is milled direct to the slide, as is one of my P80 19's.  That's pretty much the best way to do it.  Another option, depending on my goas for the build, is an aftermarket slide.  My Gen5 G17 has a Grey ghost slide, and my Gen 5 G19 has an Arc Reactor on it.  Obviously those are more expensive, but I had a semi custom build in mind the whole time with those.  (The G19 I actually bought as a bare frame and assembled from parts). 

The real problem with MOS is that the optic is only held to the plate and the plate is only a few mm thick, so you end up with the optic held in with 2 or 3 threads of a tiny screw.  Loctite helps the screw from backing out, but lots of them just shear.

It's my opinion that the RMR footprint has pretty much won, so that's what I get.  Sure there are some betamax Doctor footprints still out there, but most of the good full size optics are RMR, so go with that. The smaller ones it looks like (as you discovered) RMSc foot print is going to be the standard.

Outside of Glock, Canik uses plates, but the plates are like a 1/4" thick, and allow both them and the optic to get firmly attached.  I don't love C.O.R.E. (S&W) but at least the screws there go into the slide itself and the adapter plate just engages the recoil lugs on the optic.  Shadow Systems has a great multi-optics cut.  The Hellcat and P365 series are direct fit to an RMSc.  But yeah, in general, get a slide with the cut you want, and bolt the optic to the slide.


The real problem with MOS is that the optic is only held to the plate and the plate is only a few mm thick, so you end up with the optic held in with 2 or 3 threads of a tiny screw.  Loctite helps the screw from backing out, but lots of them just shear.

A good practice with any slide mounted optic, in addition to loctite, is to put a small witness mark on the screw and optic and then dab the top of the screw with clear nail polish.  It both provides a visual indicator that the screw isn't backing out, and locks the screw in better.  The nail polish can be removed with acetone and a cotton swap if you need to remove the optic later.

[cordex]

Another option, depending on my goas for the build, is an aftermarket slide.  My Gen5 G17 has a Grey ghost slide, and my Gen 5 G19 has an Arc Reactor on it.  Obviously those are more expensive, but I had a semi custom build in mind the whole time with those.  (The G19 I actually bought as a bare frame and assembled from parts). 

Originally I was going to buy a slide, but after looking around I figured a decent slide would put me in spitting range of a new gun.  In retrospect, it might have been more cost effective than I initially figured.

The real problem with MOS is that the optic is only held to the plate and the plate is only a few mm thick, so you end up with the optic held in with 2 or 3 threads of a tiny screw.  Loctite helps the screw from backing out, but lots of them just shear.

You can say that again.

Thanks for the tip about the witness mark and nail polish.

[cordex]

I haven’t nail polished it yet, but I did put witness marks on.

The weather was much less humid than yesterday and I put 150 rounds through it finishing the zeroing and playing around.

Damn if it isn’t practically cheating. I ran it out to 55 yards and was repeatedly ringing a couple of half scale steel torso targets. Ran a few drills and am going to try a dot torture next time I go out.

[cordex]

I give you: the Glock 1947

[Bogie]

Back in the dark ages, I went to the conservation range with my bud Doc... He was really happy that he'd gotten a scope mount for his SKS and wanted to try it out. I'd put an Aimpoint on a Dan Wesson 6" .357.
 
I outshot him.
 
I miss Doc.
 
I miss that .357.
 
But that day, with that bright red dot, I didn't miss the targets.