# Slide Cuts



## bbouche19

Ok, so I have seen a few modifications being done in some litterary magazines and in a few other places on the web. They look cool and I could see them giving what they are market to be able to do, reduce recoil, and allow for faster subsequent shots. (see below for what I am referencing)

Raptor Cuts

However, it seems to me, that if you do this to a field gun, or one that you work with, that the slide and barrel would get damaged easier from dirt and other foreign particles that could be introduced in the cuts in the slide. Am I imagining a problem or does this seem logical, or has anyone experienced or not expericing this issue? I have an issue on another of my polymer framed weapons that the frame is getting damaged from the +p loads I am using. Wouldn't this lightening of the frame increase the forces on the overall frame of the weapon, increasing stress and causing damage to the frame/slide juncture from the lighter slide?

Thoughts anyone?


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## BigCityChief

I have had no negative experiences over the years with ported/compensated weapons. Use good holsters and clean your weapon regularly and you'll have no problems. On the issue of frame wear with +P rounds, either discontinue their use or change ammunition.


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## bbouche19

Thanks for the help! Does everyone else agree with this?


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## TAPnRACK

I'm getting em' on my Sig P226... no issues that I've heard of... otherwise I wouldn't do it. 

You'll be fine, I may even port the barrel.


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## Glock Doctor

BigCityChief said:


> I have had no negative experiences over the years with ported/compensated weapons. Use good holsters and clean your weapon regularly and you'll have no problems. On the issue of frame wear with +P rounds, either discontinue their use or change ammunition.


Me too! I use extended barrels and muzzle ports on every Glock I own. In fact I have more than 30 years' experience using ported (NOT, 'compensated') pistol barrels; and I, too, have never had a problem of any kind with any ported barrel.

Still this, 'Raptor Cut' thing seems like, 'tits on a bull' to me. If there is a potential problem inherent to many Glock pistols it is that Glock slides tend to move too fast; consequently, I see no advantage in making any Glock slide lighter than it already is - I mean, 'What for'? You don't have to shoot pistols for too many years before you appreciate that a pistol with a heavier muzzle is easier to instinctively shoot straight than one with a lighter muzzle. When it comes to fast accurate pistol shooting: Longer barrels, and heavier muzzles are always easier-to-use.

As for the +P ammunition? Not at the moment, but in years past I usually fire a good 10 to 15 thousand pistol rounds each year. Personally, I prefer to use rounds that handle easily and shoot straight. Yes, there are occasions when I do pistol combat drills that require the use of, 'hot' ammo (like at the end of a routine practice session). I, also, require students to regularly demonstrate proficiency with, 'full house' ammo; and, before a student leaves the range I'll see what he (or she) can do with a couple of, 'hot magazines or cylinders'.

In my experience this is as much practice with, 'hot' +P ammo as any pistolero ever really needs to do. Most pistol practice is best carried out with moderately powerful, 'range ammo'. When I'm training I hand out many of the loaded magazines or speedloaders at the start of each relay. I've yet to see any pistol student I regarded as competent so much as, 'miss a beat' when the ammo I handed him began to, 'make more noise' or, 'recoil heavily'. Once in awhile I'll hear a remark like, '_Those last speedloaders you handed me seemed to kick more_'; or some such other remark; but the truism is that when a student is warmed up and used to managing recoil there is NO DISTINCTION between the use of standard velocity, and +P ammo.

Proper recoil management is a skill that you can learn just like any other skill set. When you've, 'got the rhythm', you've got the rhythm. There's no pressing need to shoot, 'hot ammo' all of the time; and, personally, this is not a way in which I would want to train pistol students. My preference is to, 'work a student' into skillfully managing recoil EASILY. Once I see that a person, 'has the muscle rhythm' and is carefully watching his front sight and, thus, correctly managing the muzzle, THAT is when I'll start handing out, (the much more expensive) 'hot stuff'.

This pistol training method has worked very well for me for many years, now; and, as I continue to age and become less patient, I've found that this is the best way I know to quickly bring my students up to adequate, 'self defense speed' with a handgun. Less wasted ammunition, greater muzzle control, and far fewer missed shots! (It's all in the discovery and maintenance of, 'the rhythm' at which a student learns how to control and fire his pistol.) :smt002

PS: Here's a picture of a, 'real Glock'. (One you could give, 'dancing lessons' with!) It don't need no stink 'in slide cuts; in fact, on a Glock it's usually best to leave the slide alone!










Yes, I know all about the factory slide cuts in a slide 'n barrel ported Glock. I, also, know about the inevitable 3 to 4 percent reduction in velocity (and subsequent slide speed) that Glock's method of slide/barrel porting is sure to produce! (This is the Smyrna factory's estimate of velocity reduction - NOT mine.)


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## Overkill0084

For a range toy, I'm sure they're lovely. Useless, but lovely. Much like those big assed wings you see on ratty old Civics.
For a duty/defense weapon, they look to me like crap catchers that are worse than useless.

IMHO, money better spent on something else.

Shooting lots of +p ammo will take it's toll in additional wear. That's simply the cost of doing business. You might want to think about experimenting with different recoil springs to see if they will mitigate some of the wear. Lightening the slide will change the math and should be accounted for somewhere in the overall picture. I'm sure an engineer could give a thorough dissertation about all the different variables. As I'm not an engineer, I'll stop now.


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