Joel Park's USPSA Carry Optics Glock 34 Setup

Carry Optics is quickly becoming one of the most popular divisions, but attaching an electronic red dot sight to the slide of a handgun and competing with it gave me some initial concerns. The main concern I had is regarding equipment reliability. Will the red dot come loose? Will the electronics fail? I talked with several high-volume shooters that I trust to answer these questions. They all said the Trijicon SRO is their go-to, with several of them having very high round counts between multiple optics. After I determined it wasn’t a nightmare just waiting to happen, I decided to set up a few Carry Optics guns.

Since I work with a lot of shooters that use Glocks, I decided on a Glock 34 Gen 5 MOS. I strongly prefer not having finger grooves on the frame and the forward cocking serrations are nice to have. The interchangeable backstraps give lots of options to get the gun to fit your hand. I was warned about the MOS plates being a weak point on those guns and was advised to get a CHPWS adapter plate. I was also cautioned to make sure to read the directions for mounting the optic, and to torque the screws exactly as recommended.

Light triggers are fun to use, but I don’t have the patience for light strikes and reliability concerns. I’ve been using TTI spring kits in my other Glocks and I’ve never had an issue while doing yearly spring replacements. The factory trigger shoe is fine, but after trying some options on a friend's gun, I settled on the Apex Tactical triggers for my guns. Apex triggers have a wide flat trigger face that allows more contact with the trigger and feel very comfortable to me. I shoot a variety of ammo and stayed with the factory recoil spring.

I have used Henning Group mag extensions exclusively for a few years and appreciate the design they use with a screw holding the basepad on. I’ve never had a basepad fall off or come loose until I want it to. The magazines aren’t overly sensitive to cleaning as long as there aren’t large amounts of loose dirt, gravel, sand etc inside the tube.

My first few range trips were very productive, and I quickly remembered how important support hand grip is on a Glock frame. To help with traction, I ordered a Talon Grip in the Granulate texture that is precut for each specific Glock generation and backstrap configuration. Following the directions for install is critical to ensure they stay in place. I set the grip tape exactly where I want it, then heat up the grip with a hairdryer to get the grip hot, grip the frame as hard as I can while pressing from all angles, then repeat three to four times.

Another improvement I have made is adding a CHPWS Speed Feed and Stone Bridge Gun Works Target Focus Trainer to my guns. Glocks have a ledge in the back of the grip that mags can easily get caught on. The CHPWS Aluminum and Heavy Brass models add weight to the back of the gun while eliminating that ledge and adding a bit of a funnel. I don’t have a preference between the Aluminum and Brass models, but I definitely prefer having one of them in my guns because it changes the balance and makes reloads a bit easier.

Occluding the dot has helped me a lot in my training and learning with red dot handguns. I’ve used various forms of tape and target pasters to cover the muzzle side of the window on my red dot. The benefit is it forces me to stay target focused while shooting, since some bad things can happen from staring at the dot during the wrong times. An example is staring at the dot during a target transition which could cause an imprecise transition or to over swing the target. I plan to explain how it’s helped me in more detail in a future article. The Stone Bridge Gun Works - Target Focus Trainer is the best product I have found to occlude the dot. It doesn’t make a mess on your optic from tape, and it’s easily added and removed as needed. I also prefer the dot being totally blocked with a black background as opposed to some light coming through the glass, which causes the dot to really stand out on a bright sunny day.

The main theme for my entire setup is trying to create the most reliable equipment I can, that doesn’t run on the ragged edge or require a strict cleaning regimen. Asking for experiences with gear from people you trust or trying friend’s guns is wise before making a large purchase. If my friends give me cautions for setup, I am going to listen, so I can learn from their mistakes. 

Joel Park
Host of Training Group Live by PSTG podcast