I recently built a Glock Gen 5 Roland special for home defense as well as a full size carry. I have been carrying my “Mini Roland” which is built off a Glock 43x Mos platform for almost 1 1/2 years now. I have shot thousands of rds on the Mini and have come to greatly appreciate the micro style comp on it to help with recoil reduction.
I know there are many here who will poo poo the idea of having a comped handgun and say " what are you a wussy? Its just a 9mm." Well i have acquired a few injuries and arthritis over my life and at times even the 9mm can be painful to shoot, especially on a sub compact or micro compact.
I have had the Roland build in mind for many years and was recently able to go through and complete the build. I will say it does add some length and weight to the overall package but oh my goodness is it a pleasure to shoot. I took my wife and daughter out to give it ago and we ran right around 300rds in a couple hours and i experienced no pain or soreness from it. I immediately told my wife this is the way forward for me and she agreed to let me build number 2 Roland if it can eat 300-400 rds more of assorted cheap range ammo without fail.
Tomorrow we go out with federal 115 and 124gr, cci blazer brass 115 and 124gr, and Remington umc 115gr which i have always felt was somewhat underpowered.
I am eager to hear everyones thoughts and use of Comps on edc or home defense pistols, and if this turns out like the red dots on pistols debate from one of the other topics this should get interesting.
Will be adding updates about the Roland outing tomorrow evening hopefully.
Well listen, if competition shooters love to use them in competition why would you not want to have one. It can improve your speed and accuracy when shooting rapidly. On top of that, anything that can improve your accuracy and speed, why not?
Well i did shoot competition for many years and hold a Grandmaster ranking in production division. I have played with them many times but never got real serious about carrying with them till a couple years ago. I have tried several different comps over the years and even carried a C model Glock for awhile.
I will add that you touched on alot of the high points. They do allow much much faster follow up shots and can allow for better accuracy as it is easier to stay on target.
The biggest negative I’ve heard at least on the Roland build is running target ammo. The comp can bleed enough gas that you can run into reliability issues. Now most of this comes from some unverified sources but i love doing my own testing. So far 250rds of S&B 115fmj and 50rds of 115fmj fiocchi with zero issues and no cleaning.
Tomorrow we go out to test the other ammo listed above and will be using my Gen5 Glock 34 as a control on recoil and accuracy as it is closer to that overall length and weight now. My wife is actually very excited to go give this thing a solid range trip of her own and will be running it pretty hard aswell.
I carry a Kimber ultra-carry II and I would like to get a compensator on it. I have not looked into what is available for it but now I think I will do some research myself. Let me know how things go tomorrow!
Yes Sir , will do. Should have some pics up tomorrow evening. I was going to do some tests and check split times etc but my timer broke. Let me know what you find for your Kimber, that sounds pretty interesting
I look at a compensator the same I look at Big Dot sights, and drop in triggers. If it helps with accuracy, and faster follow up shots on target, then it’s a good thing.
I’m my humble opinion if it helps you put effective hits on target then bruh! Who cares you get every advantage you if the deck is going to be stacked let it be in your favor
You take every advantage you get! Firearms tech has come a long way. A badass comped 45 was the rage in the 80’s the gun you have is small enough to to not have holster clearing issues.
I don’t know any thing about comps but I do know this, it’s nobodies business what I want to carry, how I carry it and what I bolt on to it. If I’ve learned anything in my 60+ years it’s that what’s right for me is right for me, it may not be right for them but that still doesn’t change the fact that it’s right for me. Or in other words, What THEY think about my gun is none of my business.
I have a reservation against comps (or ported barrels) on a carry pistol. What happens if it gets up close and personal, and you fire close to your face? It is not just gas, but metal and burning powder particles, too.
A shooting incident I recently read discussed the “tattoo” received from the handgun’s proximity to the victim. The doctor stated that sometimes that never goes away. So, yes, comped barrels could be a potential issue for the shooter, too, in a self-defense situation.
It’s a 9mm with the force of a 357 magnum so ported it is just practice as much as you can getting that muzzle clear of things that don’t react well with it and I might be picking your brain on some things when I make mine
There are some misconceptions on the use of the comp for extreme close quarters shooting as well as low light and complete darkness that I’d like to delve into at a latter time, right now heading out with around 6 different loads for sure and stopping off at the lgs to see what they have.
Are hybrid ports or magna-porting as effective as a compensator? Sounds like a better option that will not add length to a concealed pistol. I have heard that hybrid ports do make the rapport louder though.
I have tried magna porting years ago and yes it would absolutely be well suited for not needing new holsters. On my C model Glocks the problem i ran into was it seemed to shave jacket material and powder more back at the shooter.
Do i think magna porting is as effective as a good comp, NO, but it will still be effective at reducing recoil which is a good thing.