u/Spiritual_Tell680

Picked up a new Glock 17 Gen 6, so naturally I had to get a picture of it next to my Roland-style Gen 3 build.

The 17.3 is my take on a Roland-style Glock. I started with an OEM Gen 3 slide and SCT 17 frame and gradually built it into what you see here. Wager Machine Works milled the slide for the optic, and the trigger uses Ghost components and currently breaks around 3.5-4 lbs. The PMM Ultra comp/barrel makes it an extremely flat-shooting gun. It’s currently wearing an RMR HRS, although I still plan on moving an SRO onto it.

17.3 Roland build:

- OEM Glock 17 Gen 3 slide, milled by Wager Machine Works
- SCT 17 assembled frame
- SCT aluminum magwell
- Ghost Unit 3.0 connector
- Ghost 6 lb striker spring
- Ghost reduced-power safety plunger spring
- Ghost 6 lb extra-power trigger spring
- PMM Ultra Comp and barrel
- Glock Gen 5 magazines with Shield +5 extensions
- Trijicon RMR HRS
- SureFire X300T-B
- Howie’s Hockey Tape

The 17.6, on the other hand, is basically the opposite approach. It’s completely stock internally. The only additions are a Trijicon RMR HD 3.25 MOA and SureFire X300. No trigger work, no comp, no aftermarket frame or other internal modifications. For now I want to shoot it exactly as Glock designed it and see what the Gen 6 can do before I decide whether it needs anything.

It makes for a pretty interesting side-by-side: a heavily modified Gen 3 that represents years of Glock aftermarket development versus Glock’s newest factory iteration of the same basic platform.

I’m especially interested in putting them against each other on the timer. The Roland has the advantage of the comp and tuned trigger, but I’m curious how close I can get with the completely stock 17.6.

Shot my first PCSL 2-gun match this weekend and finished second to last. 😂

It was honestly a pretty humbling experience. I’m coming into PCSL from shooting PRS/gas gun precision and DMR matches, where I’ve been able to place near the top of my division locally. PCSL was a completely different animal and exposed a lot of things I need to work on.

I had some ammo and magazine issues, my stage planning definitely needed work, and I managed to fail to engage targets on almost every stage. So there’s obviously a lot to clean up before the next one.

That being said, 76% of my shots were Alphas, and when I actually put together a clean run, I felt pretty good about how I was shooting and moving. The raw shooting wasn’t really what killed me. Stage execution, target accountability, and keeping everything running were much bigger problems.

One of my biggest equipment takeaways was that I don’t think the 13.9” 6.5 Grendel is going to see much more PCSL use. I never touched my 1-10x Vudu the entire match. I shot every stage through the offset dot. Between that and the recoil of Grendel, I’ve decided to simplify things and stick with an 11.5” 5.56 with a red dot for PCSL. It’s cheaper to practice with, softer shooting, and easier to stay on target with.

Second to last or not, I had an absolute blast. I learned a ton, and I’m looking forward to the next 2-gun match and coming back a little more locked in.

I recently crossed the 2,000-round mark with my Apollo 11, so I figured it was time for a longer-term update. I’ve used this pistol almost exclusively for matches over the last six months, along with quite a bit of range time, so at this point I feel like I have a pretty good idea of what it does well and where LFA could improve it.

For some context, I paid less than $800 out the door for this pistol. It came with one magazine and a soft case. At this price point, I’m completely okay with a basic soft case, although I do think including two or three magazines would make the package considerably better.

Fit, finish, and machining

The pictures probably explain this better than I can.

There are definitely visible machine marks in several areas of the pistol. What I find interesting is that they seem to show up primarily around transitions, changes in height, radiuses, and other areas where the cutter is moving from one surface or geometry to another. On long, straight surfaces without transitions, the machining generally looks pretty smooth.

Does any of this affect function? No.

Would it be nice to see these areas cleaned up before the pistols leave the factory and get shipped to dealers? Absolutely.

At under $800, I don’t expect Staccato-level finishing, and I would rather have money spent on proper function than cosmetic polishing. Still, another finishing pass in some of these areas would make the pistol look considerably more refined.

Reliability

Mechanically, this gun has been excellent.
In roughly 2,000 rounds, I’ve had two failures to feed, and both occurred while shooting extremely cheap Herter’s ammunition.

My normal ammunition is Federal 115gr and S&B 124gr, and I have experienced zero malfunctions with either.

I’ve used Mec-Gar, Springfield Prodigy, and Staccato magazines. Interestingly, my Mec-Gar magazines have been the most reliable overall. The Staccato and Prodigy magazines feed perfectly well, but they don’t always lock the slide back after the last round. I consider that a magazine issue rather than a pistol issue, and I’m going to try 18% springs in those magazines.

As far as feeding, extracting, ejecting, and actually going bang when I pull the trigger, the Apollo has been extremely dependable.

Accuracy

Accuracy has also been very good.
I’m not a Grand Master or even an A-class shooter. I’m a pretty solid B shooter, so take that for what it’s worth. Standing and shooting slow fire at 25 yards, I can consistently keep my shots inside something roughly the size of a postcard with this pistol.

For what I’m doing with it, the gun is more accurate than I need it to be.

Trigger

LFA advertises the trigger at approximately 3.5–4 pounds, and that matches what I’ve experienced.
The trigger is good. It’s reasonably crisp, isn’t mushy, and has been completely serviceable for competition. Again, this isn’t a hand-fit custom 2011 trigger, but for a pistol at this price point I have no complaints about it.

My biggest complaint: the sights

This is where I’ve had my most frustrating problems.

The Apollo uses an RMSc/K-pattern optic cut, which by itself isn’t a problem. I’m running a Holosun 507K, and the optic has repeatedly worked itself loose.

The first time it happened was during a match. Admittedly, I hadn’t used Loctite, so I considered that one my fault. I went home, replaced the screws, applied Loctite, torqued everything properly, and figured the problem was solved.

About 500 rounds later, it loosened again.

I checked screw length, torque, and everything else I could think of. I eventually tried red Loctite. It still came loose after more shooting.

I’ve now moved to Rocksett, so we’ll see what happens.

The rear iron sight gave me a similar headache. At approximately 800 rounds, I noticed that it had started drifting. I recentered it and used a little Loctite. At the next range session, it drifted again.

At that point I removed the irons completely. Now I’m basically keeping my fingers crossed that the dot stays attached through an entire match.

That’s easily my biggest criticism of the pistol because, unlike cosmetic machining marks, a sight moving during a match actually matters.

Apollo 11 vs. other 2011s

I came into 2011s after spending quite a bit of time with traditional 1911s and shooting SASS. This is my third 2011. I also own a Springfield Prodigy and a Staccato P.

My general assessment is pretty simple:

I like the Apollo 11 better than the Prodigy. It is obviously not a Staccato P.

But I also didn’t pay Staccato P money for it.

For less than $800 OTD, I’ve gotten a pistol that is accurate, has a good trigger, and has essentially run for 2,000 rounds with two ammunition-related failures.

That’s pretty hard for me to complain about.

One interesting grip compatibility note (last 3 photos)

I’ve seen quite a few people install Springfield Prodigy grip modules on Apollo 11s, so I experimented with that myself.

The Prodigy grip can be made to work, but it isn’t quite as straightforward as it initially appears. It requires the appropriate Prodigy mainspring housing and a compatible grip safety rather than simply swapping the grip itself.

The Staccato grip module, on the other hand, is surprisingly close to drop-in. Mine required very little fitting.

The comparison photos are especially interesting. Dimensionally, the Staccato grip appears much closer to the factory Apollo aluminum grip than the Prodigy grip does. Looking at them side by side from the front and rear makes the difference pretty obvious.

So if someone is buying an Apollo specifically with the intention of eventually changing the grip, I wouldn’t automatically assume the Prodigy module is the easiest route just because it’s a common swap. A Staccato grip is worth considering.

Overall

After 2,000 rounds, I’m still impressed with the Apollo 11.

There are absolutely places where LFA could improve it. I’d like cleaner machining around some of the transitions. I’d like two or three magazines in the box instead of one. Most importantly, I’d like to see the optic and rear-sight mounting issues addressed.

But the core pistol has been extremely solid.

Less than $800 OTD, approximately 2,000 rounds, two failures with bargain-basement ammunition, and zero malfunctions with my normal Federal 115gr and S&B 124gr.

It’s accurate, the trigger is good, and I’ve trusted it enough to use it as my primary match pistol for the last six months.

I thought these were Gen 2 or Gen 3 but those don’t seem to have the Velcro adjustment at the knee and ankles the way my pants do. The pockets are also definitely not Gen 3.5.

The tag on the inside left pocket is extremely faded, so no information there.

Any insight is appreciated!

I’ve been going back and forth on whether I want to add a compensator to my G17. I’m pretty happy with how the build has come together so far, and it shoots well as-is, but naturally I’m at the point where I’m wondering what else I can do to it.

For those of you running comps on your G17s, do you think the difference is significant enough to be worth it? Any noticeable downsides in reliability or ammo sensitivity?

What comps are you guys running, and what would you recommend for a Gen 3 G17?

I’ve looked at the PMM setup, but I’m definitely open to other options. Ideally, I’d like something that provides a noticeable improvement without making the gun unnecessarily finicky.

So, to comp or not to comp?

Ran this SPR in two matches this month, a DMR match and a Precision Rifle match.

At DMR, I took 1st on two rifle stages, including one with a 750-yard target shot from two different positions. At the Precision Rifle match, I was going up against purpose-built bolt race guns in cartridges like 6BR and still managed to finish in the top third.

I’ve still got a ton of work to do, and plenty of DOPE left to gather and confirm, but I honestly don’t understand the “5.56 is dead” crowd.
Give me a super reliable, well-tuned SPR, good ammo, and confirmed DOPE and I’ll take it over a 6 ARC gas gun.

And that’s coming from a guy who owns two ARCs. 😂

Long live the SPR.

I’m looking for opinions from people who’ve spent time behind both guns.

Let’s set the SIG controversy aside for a minute and assume both guns are reliable.

I’ve handled and shot the P211-GTO and came away very impressed. It points naturally, shoots incredibly flat, and just felt “right.” I’ve also spent some time with a Staccato P, but I’ve never shot an XC, so I don’t really have a baseline for how much better (if at all) it is.

My intended use isn’t USPSA Open. It’ll primarily be:

- IDPA Carry Optics
- PCSL
- Two-gun/DMR matches
- General range training

For those of you who have experience with both:

Is there a tangible performance, reliability, durability, or refinement advantage that justifies spending $1,500+ more on the XC, or has the P211-GTO closed the gap enough that the extra money is hard to justify?

Slide was milled for RMR optic by Wager Works and they also took care of the nitride finish. Really happy with how it came out.

Anyone else running a SCT-17 frame? Looking for a level 2 retention holster that will work with this set up. Unfortunately my Safariland Glock 17 holster doesn’t work.

I’ve worked on 1911s before, but it’s been years since I switched over to striker-fired pistols for a while and only recently purchased a 2011.

After running my Apollo 11 in a match last weekend (and somehow managing to take 1st on two stages), I decided it was finally time to strip it down for a proper cleaning instead of just field stripping it.

I skipped the YouTube tutorials and figured I’d see if I could work it out myself. To my surprise, the whole process (disassembly, cleaning, lubrication, and reassembly) took about 15 minutes.

The only thing I didn’t tear into was the mainspring housing. I couldn’t find my 1911 bench block, and I wasn’t interested in launching the mainspring cap across the room.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by how straightforward the platform is. Definitely less intimidating than I’d built it up to be.

Took my Apollo 11 to the range again for an additional 500 rounds between several different stages. Mostly steel between 7 and 25 yards, a few IDPA cardboard targets set up on some stages. I mostly practiced transitions between targets.

Oiled the slide track before the range and didn’t have a single pistol malfunction. My prodigy mags failed to lock back a few times, however. My Staccato and Mec-Gar mags were flawless.

My wife bought me a Namoki watchmaking kit for my birthday. This is my first time ever assembling a watch, and I underestimated just how difficult installing the hands would be. Unfortunately, the toolkit also didn’t include every tool that would have made the job easier.

At this point, I’ve bent the second hand beyond repair, and the GMT hand is bent just enough that it catches the minute hand. The dial, movement, and everything else are in good shape—I just got hung up on the hands.

I really love the design and want to finish the watch, but between work, kids’ schedules, and working on my doctorate, I don’t think I’m going to have the time (or patience) to buy more tools and keep practicing right now.

Would anyone here be willing to install the hands on the movement for me if I covered shipping both ways and your time? I’ll obviously need a new second hand, and probably a replacement GMT hand as well.

If anyone has done this kind of rescue before or can recommend someone reputable in the U.S., I’d really appreciate it. Thanks!

Put another 300 rounds through the Apollo 11 V2 at the range today and sighted in the 507K.

I really didn’t want the Holosun, not gonna lie. But because the slide has the RMSc/K footprint, options are a little limited and other people seem to like this optic. Well, I guess I’m sold now. The window is great for an optic its size and I didn’t lose my irons at all.

The prodigy mags continue to work flawlessly and the Apollo 11 also continues to impress me, with just two drops of oil on the slide since buying it, it has run flawlessly for over 500 rounds now. This weekend will see another 500 rounds as I’m preparing for a match and plan to try to run this pistol as hard as I can.

I’m not saying this is as good as an XC or Atlas but for the price, I don’t have any gripes. Trigger is settling in but will probably end up replacing it if it doesn’t break in around 2-2.5 lbs. It’s currently around 3.5-4 lbs.

Had to remove my Sig optic and waiting for a Holosun to come in. I’ve got 250 rounds of various types of ammo through it so far, and not a single hiccup. Prodigy mags work flawlessly. A bit tight when loaded full on a closed slide, but a little slap seats them nicely. LRHO every time.

Thought about doing a Prodigy grip module but I’d have to do the grip safety and mainspring housing too and I’m honestly digging the aluminum grip for now. For the price, I’m pretty happy with this pistol. Going run it in a few matches before deciding what to change on it.

I was looking through my parts bin for another project and was thinking these could maybe come together as a Block II. Anyone have any reference photos of Cardinal Forge C marked uppers being used for Block IIs?

I’ve also got this CompM2 I’d be looking at throwing on it.

Any other suggestions or directions to go in?

All surplus parts are from Benning and the lower is an 80% I did a few years back.

I’ve got some pretty Gucci builds these days, but it all started with Aero Precision for me. My very first AR was an Aero builder kit that I bought when I got out of basic training. Toward the end, their QC seemed to go downhill, but for most of the company’s history, I think Aero offered solid quality and a lot of value for the money.

Anyway, let’s see your favorite Aero build. This one is my 10” .300 BLK.

I love seeing M81 with Multicam and Flecktarn.

8th Regiment of the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces

Lower:

- LMT Defender 2000
- LMT Ambi Safety
- Milspec LPK
- Geissele SSA-E Trigger
- Geissele Maritime Bolt Catch
- FCD Winter Trigger Guard
- BCM MK2 Recoil Mitigation System, T1
- Magpul CTR Stock
- B5 Grip
- Lancer 20 round 300 BLK Magazjne

Upper:

- Aero Enhanced Upper
- Aero Enhanced 12.7 Mlok Handguard, FDE
- BCM Vertical Grip, FDE
- DD Grip-N-Rip Charging Handle
- Colt BCG
- Aero 10” 300 Blk Barrel
- Bowers Group Vers 375, Direct Threaded
- Edgar Sherman Design Sling

Optics Systems:

- PA PLxC 1-8x24SFP ACSS Nova
- Reptilia AUS Mount, 30mm, 1.70”
- Sig Sauer Romeo5 on Reptilia 12 O’clock Mount
- Liemke Luchs-1 with ADM QD Mount
- LaserSpeed FL-5

I have this photo saved in an album but don’t remember the context of this photo at all. It looks like an M16 lower with a BCM upper, BCM BCG, LaRue 12” quad, and an 18” barrel. Not sure on the scope or rings. Definitely someone’s personal upper on a government lower.

In the wild, the SPR survives on a steady diet of 77gr OTM and bad financial decisions.

And so is Aero.