Your G17 offers suitable firepower and easy handling, but from the factory, it’s a pretty plain gun. There’s a lot you can do to boost performance, and upgrading in many cases is not as involved, difficult or expensive as you might assume.
With that said, here are three easy and practical upgrades you can make that will kickstart handling, corral muzzle flip, and potentially improve accuracy.
Glock 17 Slide Upgrades
One of the easiest things you can do to improve your G17’s performance (and boost aesthetics, too) is upgrade the slide.
Our specific recommendation is an X1 Glock 17 slide upgrade from NineX19. These G17 slide replacements strike the perfect balance between form and function.
They have large, precision-machined windows that lighten the slide, lowering reciprocating mass, cutting back on felt recoil and muzzle flip, and keeping your sights trained on target. This skeletonized feature may also aid the barrel in heat dissipation, extending service life.
Not only are these USA-made, CNC-machined Glock 17 slides better in terms of handling and recoil reduction; they’re also cut to accept an RMR-pattern optic, so you can update your Glock through that avenue as well.
For what it’s worth, they also boost the aesthetic of your G17, and are available in black nitride as well as FDE and Sig Dark Gray Cerakote.
By the way, there are other Glock 17 slide upgrades available at NineX19. You can check them out via the previous link.
The Guide Rod
Guess what: there is a problem with your stock Glock 17 guide rod. It’s made of polymer.
Now, in the spirit of fairness, we’ll break this down entirely. The polymer guide rod is lighter, which results in quicker handling, and for all intents and purposes it’s just as durable as steel. One might even say it has an edge over steel since polymer is not subject to the damage of corrosion.
But the fact that it isn’t steel is, itself, the problem. The lightness of the stock polymer guide rod actually results in a muzzle-light handgun that, though it may feel as though it handles better, is not well balanced.
There are tungsten guide rods you can get for your G17; they will add weight near the muzzle, and that’s the entire point.
A heavier guide rod is like a stabilizer for the handgun; it adds mass near the muzzle, which helps keep it down when you’re firing. Upgrading both the guide rod and the G17 slide will help keep muzzle jump under control so you can make faster, more accurate follow up shots.
The Trigger
Nothing against your G17’s stock trigger, but it’s not as good as a NineX19/Steel City Arsenal (SCA) Glock trigger replacement.
These are made with revised pin locations and flex honed main trigger pin holes, enabling a smoother pull and a shorter reset, along with polished trigger bars that offer a crisper break.
Plus, they’re drop-safe and made with anodized aluminum and steel components that are durable, corrosion-resistant and long-lasting.
Boost Handling and Performance with These Upgrades
These three upgrades are straightforward, easy to make, and will boost the performance of your G17. It doesn’t take much to take a good thing and make it great; if you want proof, make one of these upgrades, take your G17 to the range and see if you notice the difference. You will.
