Round Up: Glock G17 Upgrades

Contrary to what some believe, there’s nothing wrong with running stock Glocks, which, for the most part, I tend to do. However, one of the perks of being one of world’s most-ubiquitous duty 9 mm handguns is the bevy of accessories and upgrades that exist for models such as the Glock G17.

Trigger: Apex Tactical Action Enhancement Kit (MSRP: $140)

One of the Glock G17’s greatest strengths is can also be its Achilles heel: The trigger. The “Safe-Action” system is fantastic because the Glock’s striker is never fully cocked, even when a round is chambered. When the shooter pulls the trigger, its designed to finish cocking during the latter part of its travel up until the trigger breaks and trips the sear. Historically, this has meant that stock Glocks have suffered from “middle-of-the-road” triggers.

Apex Tactical offers a complete trigger-assembly replacement kit for all generations of Glock G17 and similar models. The kit includes an Apex Performance connector and Apex trigger bar, and customers can choose Apex’s Type 3 or the Apex Classic trigger shoe.

This kit drop-in replacement trigger can:

• Reduce trigger pull weight by approximately 1 pound.
• Reduce trigger pre-travel, overall travel and reset distance
• Smooth out the uptake and reset
• Add a crisp trigger break
• Maintain factory safety values

Barrel: Boresight Solutions Advantage Precision Match Barrel (MSRP: $194)

Aftermarket match-grade drop-in (or fitted barrels) can be a boon to any handgun shooter who is looking to enhance their pistol’s accuracy or to take advantage of the marriage between a given twist-rate and their preferred load. Nearly three years ago, Boresight Solutions launched its drop-in line of match grade stainless steel Advantage Precision barrels. Available for all generations of Glock G17 pistols, the Boresight Advantage Precision barrel is reamed with a tighter match chamber and externally double-honed for maximum smoothness.

Sights: XS Sights Fiber Optic Sights (MSRP: $59)

Last year, XS Sights launched a set of Glock-compatible fiber-optic sights that don’t break the bank. These simple sights have an eye-grabbing and easy to see thicker section of fiber-optic green rod (a piece of red fiber optic is also included) at the front. On the rear they’re cut with a very generous square notch while also having a serrated rear face. For their price, these offer an excellent value, especially over stock factory polymer Glock G17 sights.

Slide: ZEV Z17 Duty Stripped Slide (MSRP: $299)

On the topic of sighting systems, it’s hard to ignore the existence of red dot optics in 2025. The question about sending out a slide (or buying a slide with a direct cut to match your optic’s footprint) vs. using a plate-based mounting system is one I’ve covered in the past.

Depending on the end-user’s specific needs and wants, it may make sense to send out their existing slides to be milled in order to receive a dot, or they may be better off buying an aftermarket slide. Consider the Zev Technologies Z17 Duty stripped slides for Glock G17 models. Offered for all generations of Glock pistols, these slides are already cut from the factory for the optic footprint of your choice and therefore skip the mounting plate issue altogether. Like the Boresight Solutions AP Barrel above, the Zev Z17 Duty slide is machined to match-grade tolerances from stainless steel and is engineered to be duty-grade reliable.

Magazine Release: TangoDown Vickers Tactical Magazine Release (MSRP: $19.20)

TangoDown sells an inexpensive magazine release manufactured from the same polymer material that Glock frames are also built with. This simple upgrade has a re-profiled face that makes it easier for shooters with shorter thumbs to drop their magazines without needing to break or undo their master firing grip. Like many of the accessories listed here, it’s available for all generations of the Glock G17 pistol.