Mounting System
Akey element to this concept is the mounting system, which GLOCK calls “A-CUT,” presumably because of the angles at which the slide is cut for the sight. There is no interfacing mounting plate and no little screws being tormented by the force of the slide rocketing back and forth with each shot. The COA direct mounts to the slide. Picture a mortise in front where the front of the sight’s mount levers in, and the sight unit is now pressed flat onto the spot milled for it atop the slide. Then, behind it is inset a piece that includes a steel BUIS (BackUp Iron Sight), which screws down — with big, rugged, serious screws — to lock the sight in place. “In place,” in this case, has roughly half an inch of solid slide behind it. With the relatively low mounting of the optic, tall “suppressor height” sights are not required.
I am not an engineer, but it looks to be as if this is gonna be rock solid and should virtually eliminate any shear factor on those screws. I’ve been shooting red dots on handguns since 1988, and this is the best set-up for a pistol with carry optics that I’ve seen yet.
Another advantage: You can change the battery without removing the sight and not have to worry about re-sighting in the gun.
The first ready-mounted optic-on-the-gun carry package I saw was from SIG, and I’m glad to see GLOCK doing the same. Not every pistol-packer is a do-it-yourself-er, and it’s easier for a lot of people to get everything they feel they need in one package, assembled and ready to go.
To put icing on the cake, the test gun came from GLOCK with both steel irons and the Aimpoint COA sighted in dead-on out of the box. And they were already co-witnessed, to boot. All that was needed for my own needs was swapping the mag release to the right side for my trigger finger instead of my arthritic right thumb to operate. So long as I had a strong firing stance, one-handed or two, the red dot never left the target during rapid fire, and the GLOCK/Aimpoint combo “hit where it looked.”
With an MSRP of $1,165 for our tested gun and sight ready to go, it looks like a solid value.
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