Custom Glock Slides Guide

We’re all about tricking out our GST-9’s with custom Glock slides as all G19 Gen 1-3 slides are completely compatible with the GST-9 frame. But even if you don’t have one and only have a Glock handgun, you might want to get fancy with that too! Today we dive into the world of custom Glock slides and share with you some of the most prominent companies in the aftermarket Glock industry today and the awesome products that they make.

But first, a quick DISCLAIMER:

Unless specifically noted otherwise, products mentioned in this blog are not authorized, endorsed, manufactured or warrantied by GLOCK. GLOCK does not guarantee that these products are compatible with GLOCK pistols.

“GLOCK” is a federally registered trademark of GLOCK, Inc. and GLOCK Ges.m.b.H.. Neither 80 Percent Arms nor this website are affiliated in any manner with, or otherwise endorsed by, GLOCK, Inc. or GLOCK Ges.mb.b.H.. The use of “Glock” on this page is merely to advertise the sale of GLOCK-style pistol frames, components and aftermarket parts that are compatible with Glock products. For additional genuine GLOCK, Inc. parts and products please visit www.glock.com.

Our Favorite Custom Glock Slide Companies

Below is a list of our favorite custom Glock slide making companies including, of course, ourselves at 80% Arms, Zaffiri Precision, Zev Technologies, Agency Arms, Taran Tactical Innovations and Salient Arms International.

80 Percent Arms

If you haven’t noticed yet, we’re all about the “spooky” stuff so we dubbed our slide offerings as the ‘Wraith’ and the ‘Shadow.’

Wraith RMR Cut Slide - $399.99

The Wraith is an aftermarket G19 slide that comes pre-cut for a  Trijicon RMR red dot sight and several desirable features for a competitive and comparable price to other custom glock slides that are currently popular on the market. Its features includes:

• Forward serrations for better control over the slide no matter how dirty or wet your hands are. It also helps make press-checks that much easier.
• If you have already shot several rounds during a range session, the Wraith slide will have inevitably heated up so touching the ported areas might be too hot. On top of the slide you’ll see scaled serrations which are great for that instance if you need to do a quick press-check.
• Lightning cuts, also known as ported windows for reducing the weight of the slide to better mitigate recoil and allow superb venting for those that use ported barrels.
• The edges of the slides are all beveled to promote faster and smoother in and out movement of a holster with less chance for snagging.
• You can expect the slide to come with a custom Glock slide cover plate as well if you’re not ready to bite the bullet on a red dot sight just yet.
• Only weighs 8.7 ounces.
• Color options include Black Nitride and FDE Cerakote Finish.

Shadow RMR Cut Slide - $399.99

The ‘Shadow’ is an aftermarket G19 slide that comes pre-cut for a Trijicon RMR red dot sight and is a hard-use, no-nonsense design but still comes with highly desirable features which include:

• Since there are no windows on this slide, the Shadow slide includes aggressive striations in front of the ejection port for the best possible handling, weapon manipulation and press-checks in any scenario.
• Forward serrations are included in this slide as well to make racking your Glock 19 effortless.
• RMR cut w/ a custom Glock slide cover plate.
• Beveled edges.
• Only weighs 9.5 ounces.

Zaffiri Precision

We are a big fan of the custom G19 slide we got from Zaffiri to test out on our GST-9’s as you may have seen in some of our photos through social media. If you’re looking for a more affordable (stripped) aftermarket Glock slide definitely give these guys a look. Zaffiri makes several different slides but these are the two that stood out to us:

ZPS.1 - $269

The ZPS.1 G19 custom slide is what we got for our own marketing team and we really enjoy it with a RMR on top. Since there’s only one ported window on the left and right side of the slide, there’s still room for you to safely curl your off hand’s thumb over the slide to do a press-check without getting burned. With Zaffiri, their slide names are kind of plain so you’ll have to make sure you pay attention which slide you’re looking at to avoid unintentionally buying the wrong one (looking at the ports will help). You can get this custom glock 19 slide stripped for $269 and it’s available for Gen 3 - 5 Glocks including the G19X and G45.

ZPS.6 - $349.99

If you want a Glock 19 custom slide with just ported windows galore, and a great price to boot, look no further than the ZPS.6 G19 custom slide. This aftermarket Glock slide has a total of 7 ports with 3 on the left side, 3 on the right side, and 1 on the top of the slide much like how stock Glock 34’s come. Available colors come in TiN(gold), raw silver, armor black, FDE, OD green and sniper grey.

Zev Technologies

Zev is one of the biggest names in aftermarket handgun parts and accessories for Glock, Sig Sauer and other Glock style pistol frames (including the GST-9). We’re no stranger to Zev as we carry some of their extended magazine base pads and have tried out multiple slides of theirs. These are the ones that we have enjoyed using the most so far:

Zev Dragonfly Slide - $420

The Zev Dragonfly slide features several rectangular ported windows on both sides of the slide and you might think “that looks familiar.” Well, that’s because Zev was the first company to make this style of slide ports and several companies now have followed suit with similar designs such as Zaffiri Precision. The Dragonfly is also compatible with the RMR and has become sort of a staple in custom Glock slides for those looking at premium aftermarket slide options. Fun fact: Zev was also the first company to come out with aftermarket dimpled pistol barrels.

Zev Citadel Slide - $441

Zev’s Citadel slide strikes us as a great aftermarket ‘duty’ type slide as it doesn’t feature any ports but has serrations covering the entire surface of the slide make it an exceptionally wonderful experience to feel and rack. The functional role of the slide channels on the tope of the Citadel slide is to reduce glare which helps maintain sight picture. All Zev slides have their patented cut which work with the Trijicon RMR along with other red dot sights that have similar profiles. Zev slides are also lighter than factory slides because the less reciprocating mass you have, the less fatigued you’ll be and the better your follow up shot placement will be too. If you’re wanting a Glock 19 custom slide but don’t really want to have ported windows then this is a fantastic option.

Agency Arms

“Welcome to the Brotherhood.” Agency Arms’ marketing is very ‘Agent 47’ esque from the Hitman movie and video game series but we enjoy that. As custom Glock work has become increasingly popular over the past decade, Agency Arms was there at the beginning years of this trend since 2015 specializing in aftermarket weapon modifications for Glock, Sig Sauer, Smith & Wesson, FN Herstal and now Benelli as well.

Urban Combat - $950

The Urban Combat slide is really the one that put Agency Arms on the map and attracted attention from all walks of gun life. In the beginning of the custom glock work hype, no one had really seen a slide that featured weight reductions, additional slide serrations for better grip when racking and ported windows. Around the same time, people were also saying that red dot sights on pistols were “just a fad.” If you’ve got some major muscles to flex, get this because including the sales tax and shipping this custom Glock 19 slide will run about a grand.

Syndicate S2 - $575

Agency slides are expensive, which is why they came out with their ‘Syndicate’ line of products that are more affordable and every bit still sexy. If you’re familiar with the Salient Arms’ Utility slide, this is basically the Agency Arms version of that with ‘knurling’ in the front and rear of the slide. The Syndicate S2 also has a slide cut out for a red dot sight which is seamless. Sometimes you just want things to be simpler and don’t need all the fancy frills and features — this is that slide and it’s available for multiple Glock models.

Taran Tactical Innovations

Also known as TTI, or the training grounds for John Wick actor Keanu Reeves, Taran Tactical has become a household name in the shooting world for Taran Butler’s world class mastery of shooting skills and their really cool products that they sell. Today, you can often see several Hollywood actors and celebrities frequenting the TTI range for a lesson in “how to train like John Wick.”

Combat Master Slide Cuts - $874.99

Initially, Agency Arms was like this too but TTI doesn’t sell physical slides. They only offer a custom Glock slide milling service. That being said, the Combat Master at this point has reached critical success and fame as it’s now even being sold as an airsoft gun replica. To make your stock Glock 19 or Glock 17 slide look like it belongs to John Wick himself, the gunsmithing service for the Combat Master Slide Cuts alone will cost you $874.99.

Salient Arms International

Last but not least we have Salient Arms. I think the first time I saw one of their guns in a movie was one of the newer Transformers flicks. If you recall, Michael Bay has an affinity for explosions and utilizing the U.S. Armed Forces for his films while making them look very BA. So seeing that rifle on display in the movie was a cool moment but we’re also very excited to see our GST-9s show up in some movies as well in the near future. For those in the know, SAI was around about the same time Agency Arms was getting up and started. Before anyone else did this, SAI sold custom Glock builds that were completely tricked out and people were astonished to pay even over a grand for it. Meanwhile today, those same custom Glock builds will run well over two thousand dollars. A very select few retailers have their products in stock, and even fewer carry their complete custom Glocks.

BLU Slide - $2410

Salient Arm’s BLU slide is what is paired with the SAI custom Glock build “ the BLU Standard.” Salient calls this slide’s features the BLU slide cuts which look very similar to Agency Arms’ aggressor slide. There isn’t an optics cut out in the slide but there are weight reductions on the left side of the slide along with a large port on the top side of the slide. Good luck finding this slide being sold alone, you might just have to buy the entire gun which will run you a pretty 241,000 pennies.

Utility Slide $1499

While often out of stock, something slightly more feasible to obtain for a custom Glock 19 slide would be Salient Arms’ Utility Slide which appears to only be sold fully built out and not in a stripped form. That means that the slide comes with iron sights, a barrel, guide rod and a slide parts kit. In the world of custom glock slides, it can get really pricey really fast. If money is of no object, by all means. Indulge yourself with brands like SAI.

Start your next custom Glock style pistol build with 80% Arms!

Are you drooling from looking at all these slides yet? Got the itch to yourself a “Gucci Glock” build? We can help with that. Check out our GST-9 frames to get started and let our awesome customer service team know if you need any help along the way in your build process.

*A few quick tips: Do not buy a Glock 17 custom slide or aftermarket Glock 34 length slide and expect it to work on the GST-9 frame. The GST-9 will only accept custom Glock 19 slides that are for Gen 1 to 3. In order to achieve Glock 17 length with the GST-9 you will need to be a custom Glock 19L slide. In order to achieve Glock 34 length you will need to pair a compensator, such as Strike Industries’ mass driver, with a regular G19 slide. Other caliber slides that are compatible with the GST-9 include the G23 (.40cal) and G32 (.357 SIG) slides.