Moving on down the gun to the grip, it’s time for the final series of modifications. On previous generations of Glocks, it was common to stipple the grip or add skateboard tape to get a little bit of extra traction on the gripping surfaces. The Gen 4 Glock 35 has a grip that is aggressively textured, making such a modification virtually unnecessary. The Gen 4 models also have replaceable backstraps to tailor the grip to fit an individual’s hands. However, remaining from previous iterations is the ridge in the magazine well. A lip inside the magazine well on the Glock 35 creates a void between the space where the magazine is inserted and the outside of the backstrap. It exists as an attachment point for a pistol lanyard for military use, but in competition shooting only creates a handy place for the magazine to hang up during a speed reload. The simplest solution is to use a Glockmeister grip plug to fill in the void. The plug is a small piece of plastic that slides in place, using the lanyard attachment hole to lock it securely. It’s cost-effective and elegant; it’s also very small-scale. Going big on the modification means purchasing another part from Glockworx—the Gen 4 Speed Feed Magazine Well. The Speed Feed attaches in a similar fashion to the grip plug, but provides a much larger target area for the reload. Even bobbled reloads go home smoothly with the Speed Feed. Adding the Speed Feed magazine well does make one more change a necessity—the factory magazines won’t work with the deeper magazine opening. Extended basepads need to be installed so that the magazines can be fully seated. Options here are multiple, but the most common are the Arredondo basepads, which add five rounds of capacity to the Glock 35, or the factory Glock +2 extensions, which add two rounds.

After almost 30 years on the U.S. market, the Glock family of pistols has reached a point of ubiquity similar to that of the M1911 pistol and AR-15 rifle. A Glock owner has nearly endless avenues for customization and personalization. The Gen 4 Glock 35 went from a standard Glock pistol suitable for home defense to a purpose-built, ready-for-action competition race gun. For less than $1,000 out the door, a Glock is ready to compete alongside custom high-end M1911s with more than triple its price tag. No professional gunsmith required, either—all it takes is a little bit of time, skill, and an $8 Glock Armorer’s Disassembly Tool.