Morgan,
 
I have enjoyed reading your book “How to Customize Your Glock” and like the detailed step-by-step photographs. I have the Glock 26 and have added a few minor items.
 
1. Extended slide lock – because of my fumble fingers the stock one was hard to use.
2. Extended magazine release – easier to operate.
3. Storm Lake SS ‘match’ barrel – just to compare accuracy, haven’t decided yet which is best.
4. Pearce Grips magazine extensions – gives my pinky someplace to go.
 
It came with the tritium sights so I don’t have to deal with that change-out.
 
Do you have a recommended brand and type of ammo for use in a concealed-carry mode? My concealed-carry instructor said during the class that he uses a alternating load of FMJ and ammo by a company called RBCD Performance Plus. He claimed that they have the highest shock transfer of any ammo sold to the public. Is P+ ammo safe in the Glock?
 
Sincerely,
 
Alex C.

Alex,

Thanks for letting me know how you like the book.  Reader feedback is very important to me.

 Right off, let’s answer the +P question.  Glocks are fully capable of withstanding the increased pressures of +P and even +P+ loadings.  The question is, will they operate reliably shooting that ammo.  Some smaller-framed pistols (not just Glocks) exhibit more failures with high-pressure ammo because of increased slide speed.  So before you start carrying any round, you’ve got to test it thoroughly.  So in your 26 particularly, shoot a box or two before depending on it.
 
Your instructor’s philosophy is a sound one.  But it is only one.  On the street, there is no way to predict what situation is going to present itself to you.  As far as bullet design goes, there is a continuum from maximum penetration to most expansion.  The heavier, slower solid projectiles go into the target deeper.  The lighter, faster, “structured” projectiles expand quicker.  By “structured” I mean pre-fragmented, containing shot, deeply scored petal-type forms, etc.
 
The FBI and most defensive experts prefer something in the middle.  They want the bullet to go at least twelve inches into the target and expand about twice its original diameter.  Can this be done?  Yes, but it is a compromise because there are a lot of variables on the street.  Will that some bullet go through a car door or a windshield?  Will it make it through a heavy winter jacket even?  Will it pass through the intended target and endanger bystanders?  Will a round missing the target go through several walls and endanger bystanders? 
 
What your instructor has chosen to do is to make that same compromise by selecting rounds from the two extremes of the continuum.  The FMJ bullet is obviously the penetrator.  And the RBCD is the rapid expander.  Others Start with some FMJ and go to frangible.  Others have a magazine of one and another magazine of the other.  Some carry only one of the extremes.  Most people who carry for defense of themselves and loved ones find a round that is reliable, moderately expensive and somewhere in the middle.
 
Is mixing ammo in one magazine a good idea?  It depends on the shooter and the gun.  FMJ is heavy, so recoil is going to be more than the extremely light RBCD pre-fragmented rounds.  Will this be a problem for the shooter placing follow-up shots?  Will this be a problem for the gun to reliable cycle?  You must pay up front so you don’t pay on your way out.  You’ve got to test your theory, yourself and your gun.  Buy enough ammo and shoot it in various conditions to prove to yourself that your ammo selection is reliable and effective. 
 
I won’t make a specific ammo recommendation, but I will say that some of the new 147 grain 9mm rounds are very impressive.
 
In the final analysis, “stopping power” comes down to shot placement a lot more than how big the hole would have been.  Only destroying the central nervous system of the target will immediately stop any threat.  Will a bigger bullet, deeper hole, larger wound channel, more energy, etc facilitate the destruction of the central nervous system?  Only if it’s headed in the right direction to begin with.
 
Hope this helps,
Morgan
 

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