Anyone have experience with Brownells aftermarket line of Glock replacement slides?

Anyone?

I bought a Brownells G43 slide with the RMSc cut. I’ve had it several years now with no issues. All OEM internals fit and function fine. Slide to frame fit is just as good as the OEM slide. Based on my sample size of 1, I would purchase another Brownells slide if the features and price lined up with what I needed.

quote:

Originally posted by Phred:
I bought a Brownells G43 slide with the RMSc cut.

I bought exactly the same slide and sent it back after four stoppages in first forty rounds on a G43x that had been absolutely reliable with OEM slide.

Well, crud.

I had a 19 slide that functioned very well however the rmr pocket was too tight. The rmr functioned on a different gun but was a squeeze to get into the brownells pocket. As I'm assuming the result, the rmr would only power intermittently. It worked fine on a different gun with no squeeze to fit the pocket. I emailed them and they stated to clean the battery contacts. Rather disappointing as they didn't budge from that position when I still had issues. I ended up trading the slide when I sold the pistol.

I'd try a different route or hope they changed both their cuts and their CS. They may be great for other stuff but that was as stated, disappointing.

As an alternative I hear really good things about the Grey Ghost slides.

I have a 26 Gen 4 RMR cut slide that has done great...but it's my second one. The first one had a bur or something inside the firing pin safety pocket and had to be replaced under warranty. The overall finish of the ones I have seen is top notch, though.

A friend of mine bought one for a Glock 26 P80 build that he made. Optic cut slide. Pretty good build that worked with 100% reliability.

I borrowed that gun for a while and really liked it. He had a Holosun red dot (don't know the model) on it.

I had one for a G34 and the EDP hole was not drilled deep enough. The EDP stuck out the back of the slide. Sent it back and got a new one. Same problem. Told Brownells and didn’t seem to care. Sent it back for a refund. Never tried again.

I'm surprised to hear about the issues people have had here. It's unfortunate to hear about those problems, and it's a good thing that Brownells has an easy return policy. I've seen probably hundreds of examples of pistols built with Brownells slides on various forums (check out the Polymer80 picture thread on ARFCOM). In my opinion, they are the best bang for the buck when building your own pistol or getting into pistol red dots for the first time. While there are always quality control issues in every product line, from what I've seen online and my personal experience, those are an anomaly when it comes to these slides. People that run into issues with products are understandably going to speak up, while the many that perform without issue go chugging along.

I have a G19 Gen 3 RMR slide that I bought about five years ago. The RMR was snug enough that I had to use the mounting screws to synch it down into the optic cut, tightening them a little at a time, alternating back and forth. It's a Cerakoted OD Green RMR though, which adds a little thickness, and it fit perfectly in the end.

I finished the slide with Glock factory parts and Ameriglo suppressor sights, paired it with a Brownells barrel, and it functions flawlessly. My only minor complaint is that the edges of the cocking serrations are a bit sharp and could have been smoothed down a little more in the finishing process. I've heard that Brownells has fixed that in the last couple years.

I personally recommend these slides as a great starting point if you're not ready to pay or wait for a custom milling job and want to try out an optic without modifying your original Glock slide. With the coupons they offer, they're an affordable option for building a plain iron sight pistol too.

I have four Brownells slides, one G19 size, two full size, and one G34 size. One of the full-size had a few break-in hiccups. All have been 100% since break-in.

I have one on a 26 and it's fine, however the first one had a bur somewhere that prevented installing either the extractor or the firing pin channel liner...I just can't remember which (and I have no idea why I can only narrow my memory to those two parts.

Brownells has a no questions asked, lifetime return policy. The slides are good looking and well made. Probably worth the gamble.

I have a 17 gen 3 RMR slide.

Its performance has been indistinguishable from the factory slide. I have used it in our agency MRDS transition course in a borrowed Safariland 6360 where it functioned perfectly.

About 1500 rounds at present. No malfunctions. Have not carried it on the road.

I have a G34 RMR slide. Only issue I had with the slide was that the striker channel seems to be tighter than OEM. I was unable to insert a Lone Wolf channel liner, but a Glock OEM part fit just fine. Other than that, I have had no issues with the slide. My SRO went on without issues and has remained fixed in place.

I have a G19 and G17 both with RMR cuts. No issues with either one.