# Grip Plug?



## Blackhawkman (Apr 9, 2014)

Well I have grip plugs on my Glock pistols. These will keep the dust & dirt out.







this is a Vickers gp with a 3/32 pin for dis-assembly. Glock 21 gen3.







this is a Ghost gp for my Gen4 g17.







and here is my EDC model 19's gp.
I carry my 19 in a paddle during the summer while doin my chores.

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## AllenFromPa (Dec 4, 2017)

This post has me look at my guns. My smiths could use a plug too. The rest are covered.


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## Craigh (Jul 29, 2016)

Grip plugs will also keep dirt inside from falling out of the gun. Glock designed that to be left open for that very reason. It's the same reason Vickers followers have grooves or holes to let dirt and sand fall out. I think it's just another way to add a little weight and spend a little money.

As most know, I'm not a big fan of Glock handguns and only own one, a model 19. I wouldn't put a butt plug on it though. I just wouldn't want to defeat a positive designed in feature. Besides, they aren't particularly fussy about dirt.

Glock Grip Plugs - Good or Bad? - Monderno


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## Blackhawkman (Apr 9, 2014)

The open space where the grip plug is closed at the top at the frame. Hmmm... no dirt could get to the trigger anyhow. I guess a $100 dollar bill would fit and a grip plug too?

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## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

They're available for people that want them. For those that don't? No one's forcing them to buy them. As for dirt and debris getting in or out of that void? I can't remember the last time I was rolling around in the mud for that to be an issue. As one individual responded to the article-- *Glock Grip Plugs - Good or Bad? - Monderno*: 


> This what I call a myth bothers me, its just ridiculous. anyone who owns and is intimate with their Glock knows the plug is a benefit for loading the mag, *anyone who understands how plastics and polymers work in manufacturing knows that the gun HAS to be manufactured open the way it is.* Glock knows this and offers a way to buy and place a plug in that very spot! I think they leave it out for cost.


I tend to agree that the void is part of the manufacturing process because of the design of those particular guns more than anything. Unless the grip plugs are made of steel any difference in weight would be negligible. Even with a steel plug of that size there would probably be no real noticeable difference. Whether the plug aids in loading the mag or not is certainly debatable.


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## denner12 (Oct 14, 2017)

I would think if you really had a stuck/lodged magazine that open space would give you better access/grip on the magazine for extraction? But what do I know, I only own 1.


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## win231 (Aug 5, 2015)

I thought that hole was for a shoulder stock to be attached.


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## DJ Niner (Oct 3, 2006)

I use the flat-bottom Pearce or Jentra polymer plug in most of my Glocks. Given the angle that most Glocks are carried in a belt holster, and the fact that they spend MUCH more time in the holster than they are out of it, the grip cavity is more likely to gather crud and funnel it to the innards than allow it to depart; so, I plug the cavity to keep the crud outside the pistol from the start. There is a small hole at the top of the grip cavity that leads into the pistol's action area of the frame (under the rear of the trigger bar, in the cruciform sear area), which could allow dust/dirt/water into the pistol action.

The only Glocks I have handy right now that DON'T have a cavity plug installed are an old Gen1 G17, and a brand-new Gen5 G17. If I remove the slide and shine a light up into the grip cavity area, at the top of the frame I can see the light coming out under the sear at the rear of the trigger bar. Try it on your own Glocks, next time you have the slide off the frame.

For those of us in the north country, snow/water in the winter is probably the biggest potential problem. I've fallen in the snow and gotten snow packed around my holstered Glock before. In sub-freezing temps, the plastic frame will warm-up much faster than the metal slide/action parts. Lay your arm on the grip (as I often do) or pull your jacket over it, and the grip heats-up, melts the snow, and the grip cavity can funnel the water right into the metal action parts, where it can re-freeze on the cold metal and cause problems.

As for recoil control, if you combine a large heavy brass grip cavity plug with a tungsten or stainless steel recoil spring rod, and given the added mass of both are located out away from the frame's recoil pivot point, it can really make a difference in the recoil characteristics of an action-competition Glock with light loaded ammo (much less rotational-bounce/whip during firing). The plastic plugs? Not so much.


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## DJ Niner (Oct 3, 2006)

denner12 said:


> I would think if you really had a stuck/lodged magazine that open space would give you better access/grip on the magazine for extraction? But what do I know, I only own 1.


That's why the Gen1 through early Gen3 pistols (along with the new Gen5s) had the half-moon-shaped cutouts on the front and rear edges of the magazine well; to allow the user to strip a mag out of the pistol if you experienced a double-feed stoppage.

However, the early Glock magazines had a nearly recessed base/floorplate, that nestled up snug to the base of the grip/magwell. Newer Glock mags have slightly longer bodies and square-edged floorplates that allow the mag to be grabbed on the sides of the base to forcibly remove it from the pistol, if needed, so I don't think the old cutouts are as important as they used to be, in that respect. Maybe they should be kept on the Gen5 pistols, as the sides of the magwell are slightly flared to speed mag changes, and the flared edges could interfere with a side-grip on the mag base.

I've seen a few Glock customizers add half-moon cuts to the SIDES of the magwell at the base of the grip-frame, to assist in grabbing the mag base if needed, which actually allows a more comfortable, intuitive grip on the mag base, IMO. I'll see if I can find photos of a few of those...

Here ya go:


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## Goldwing (Nov 5, 2014)

Blackhawkman said:


> The open space where the grip plug is closed at the top at the frame. Hmmm... no dirt could get to the trigger anyhow. I guess a $100 dollar bill would fit and a grip plug too?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Technically the top end of the plug opening is open since I can see light through it. My bet is that it is not ever going to make a difference whether the plug is used or not. I like the Benjamin, but not in my Glock.

GW


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## crewchief (Jul 25, 2018)

I wish a trooper from the sand box would chime in here to tell us whether Glocks are plugged there. I'm thinking that the plug would mess up using a lanyard


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