I just purchased a Glock G45. I took it to the range today and liked it. The pistol comes with 4 extra backstraps. Is there a rule of thumb about how to determine which backstrap is right for you? I thought about taking all of them to the range and firing 50 rounds with each backstrap, but figured maybe there was something about picking backstops I did not know. The gun came with 3 magazines, but I am going to buy some more. Is there any best source for Glock magazines? I have used Greg Cote before and have been very happy. Thanks for any help, Ironworker.

Plenty of places have good prices on Glock mags.
Brownells, Midway,etc.
Back straps are a personal preference but most Glock shooters I’ve seen shoot them with no back straps. I wear a size large glove but still prefer no strap when I shoot a Glock .

I haven’t used the backstraps, I like Glocks without.

For magazines (OEM Glock), it’s REALLLY hard to beat Brownells - they offer 10 packs of 17rd G17 mags for $189.99, then you can usually find a coupon code for $10-20 off with free shipping, bringing the price down to around $17-18 per mag. Compared to the typically $30-40 for SIG / HK / S&W mags, that is great.

Congrats on your new Glock.

50 rounds with each would be the way to go. The larger strap with the tail fit best with my paws. Don't rule out having no backstrap at all.

At least it makes for a good excuse to squeeze off a few boxes. Let us know how it turns out.

Silly question but does the 45 use plain old 17 mags??
If so CDNN has Glock Mags for 18.88 at the moment think shipping was flat 8.99 last order.

You will find Glock mags come up in the classifieds here with regularity and can usually get a killer deal on them. I have also used Brownells like Rhino suggested.

My suggestion is to not rush into it. Sooner or later someone will have a good sale on them and you'll be able to save a good deal of money off the normal prices.

the good thing about Glock mags is that everyone carries them so don't limit your searches to the larger retailers. I was able to snag three brand new gen 3 G23 mags for 45 bucks from a smaller retailer a few months back ass they were blowing them out.

Yeah lots of places have G17 mags in the $18-21 dollar range - shipping is usually the deciding factor.

But after having a Brownells/Geissele RFT go tits up and appreciating their “forever guarantee”, I’ve started to try to use Brownells for everything I buy, as long as the price is close - of course there are plenty of things they don’t have that I want, so I still shop other places but those 10 packs of mags are great.

To your question about Glock mags, yes all G17 magazines are usable on the G45. The only odd duck is the G19X which WONT work with Gen5 G17s due to the lip on the gun interfering with the new base plate. But aside from that, all current production mags will work.

Also for range mags at times you can find Magpul Glock mags for around $10-11 each. At their normal price of $15-16, they aren’t worth it but at times places dump them pretty cheap. I have had issues with them and steel cased ammo, but they work fine with brass.

Actually, the G19X works great with any Glock mag with a Vickers baseplate installed; it clears the forward lip, no problem. I shot 250 rounds this morning at the range with the 19X, using plain old G17 mags and a Vickers baseplate.

I don't use the extra backstops.

The Gen 4 and Gen 5 pistols without the backstrap attachments are shorter on the grip length front to back, more akin to what they did with the G21 vs. G21SF (short frame). The same holds true with the G19, G17, etc, using no backstrap; it makes for a shorter frame and in essence turns a G19 into a G19sf. I prefer no backstrap. The backstraps look and feel awkward to me.

Whatever backstrap feels good to you is the one to use. I personally use none, despite my big hands. it's 100% your preference and feel, no rule to go by.

Enjoy the new Glock.... It won't be your last

IMO, choice of backstrap had nothing to do with the subjective "feel", at least for me. Only way to evaluate is take it to the range and shoot. Take notes, make sure your technique is consistent. Doesn't have to be done in one range session. If there is no difference in hits, then go to which feels best.

I spent a year screwing around with backstraps for my Gen4 G19 and G34. Tried None, M, L and Gripforce Adapter. Beavertail and no beavertails. Eventually ended up with L adapter and no beavertail, even though I have small hands. It was more about where the trigger finger was positioned than anything else. I preferred the "feel" of other backstraps (including None), but shot better with the L.

Glocks are very sensitive to grip technique, hand positioning and trigger finger placement. More so than any other pistol I have used over the past fifty years. They shoot just fine now that I cracked the code and figured it out.

quote:

Originally posted by Ironworker:

Is there a rule of thumb about how to determine which backstrap is right for you? I thought about taking all of them to the range and firing 50 rounds with each backstrap, but figured maybe there was something about picking backstops I did not know.

Backstraps with beavertails are for those who get a Glock slide bite. If you shoot your G45 as is and don't get a slide bite, you can put those two backstraps aside.

My personal rule for backstraps, which comes from Glock and HK experience, is a primacy of trigger finger positioning at a break point followed by tight and uninterrupted 360 circle of a grip coverage with my hands. I find Glock grips large enough so for my glove size 8 hands the preference is a bare Gen 4/5 frame, or grip reduced Gen 3 (Gen 3 = Gen 4/5 + M sized backstrap).

There seem to be two schools of thought on backstrap selection. One is subjective: If it feels good, use it. The other is objective and results-oriented: Choose the one that lets you shoot most accurately.

Nipper is right: If there is no difference in results, choose the one that feels best. But if one enables you to shoot better, I think that's the one you should use.

I am one of the ones that prefers the medium back strap with the beaver tail as my mitts are a little too big and I always get slide bite. I wish Glock would just extend the tang slightly so I wouldn't need the straps. The frame feels much better without the back straps and for the life of me I don't know why Glock doesn't make that change, as other gun manufacturers have a larger tang.