This G19 is noticeably lighter than the factory version, even with the optic, barrel, and sights.
Sometimes the benefit of an aftermarket firearm part or accessory isn’t immediately obvious. You aren’t alone if you’ve ever wondered whether a trigger is really more “crisp” or a scope’s glass more “clear.”
The titanium Glock slides from Krytos Industries aren’t that kind of product. Their aftermarket G17 and G19 slides make an immediate, noticeable difference, and that 45 percent weight reduction is especially useful for anyone looking to carry a red dot or a weapon light on their handgun.
As we learned at this year’s NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits, Krytos’ products allow shooters to either carry a noticeably lighter handgun or add accessories while maintaining a similar weight. A G17 with a red dot, threaded barrel, and titanium slide, for example, weighs about 2 ounces less than a factory G19.
The Krytos slide (right) is machined from solid billets of 6AL4V, aerospace-grade titanium and finished with Krytos’ patented ArmorTi process.
At this point, you probably have questions. We wondered whether the lighter slide makes the gun uncomfortable to shoot – some might say more “punchy.” The Krytos reps assured us that the titanium slides do not affect shooter comfort, though that’s a claim we can only confirm with a full review.
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Titanium is much lighter than steel.
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But also stronger and more corrosion resistant.
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You also might be wondering, if titanium slides are so great, why haven’t the big-name companies been making them? According to Krytos, no one has been able to figure out how to finish titanium in a way that doesn’t gall when used in sliding or wear-related applications. The company’s founder worked with researchers at the University of Akron to develop a patented process called ArmorTi that eliminates the galling issue while maintaining the strength and lightness of the metal.
SEE ALSO: New Trijicon Green Dot MRO Goes Where Red Dots Can’t
Because titanium is also corrosion resistant, Krytos founders believe these and similar products will be especially useful to military and law enforcement agencies that work in and around water, such as the Navy or the Coast Guard.
You can read more on the Krytos website, but the slides do appear to be extremely well-made.
Both the G19 and the G17 slides (which Krytos calls T19 and T17) fit first, second, and third generation Glocks and run between $550 and $600. Click here to buy one today.
Really??? Is the American diet so void of nutrients that wimps have to resort to a featherweight option? Remember, weight adds to stability and control. I don’t want bragging rights about how light my firearm is while trading accuracy for weight. I have a Glock 34 and for a reason, because its heavy and competition Clock shooters prefer it that way. THE WEIGHT MAKES IT STABLE! Done
So, after all the threaded and red dot add ons, really , what does a g19 steel vs this titanium weight? Seemed to skip those details.
I’m surprised that it wouldn’t REQUIRE new recoil springs ! With light loads and the right spring, I bet you can make a real sweet shooter! I heard that Glocks don’t like to run with buffers in them. Something about not having enough room for the. Also, the alternative to taking weight off a Glock is to have material cut off the slide by a gunsmith or just buy one custom cut from Wolf Idustries. Does anyone know how light you can make a slide just by cutting off material?
Save 5 oz. for $550 = $110 per ounce? Or buy a complete new Glock for the price of the Ti slide? Thanks, but I’ll pass. These would be cool at half the price but I think they got carried away with Aerospace pricing….
Going from a heavier slide to a lighter slide is easy to deal with by swapping out springs. The problem is going from lighter to heavier, you might not be able to compensate for the differential with springs – sometimes, but not always.
Personally, since I don’t need a lighter slide, I’ll put the money into ammo and training.
These do look nice though.
Glock… are you taking notes?
pistols are designed to function with certain mass in the slide, i hope the guys that did this in titanium thought about that. don’t know if it’s enough of a problem to even make a difference, but damn, it is something they should think about.
Yea, as originally designed, that’s mostly true.
But to say that any gun can’t be re-engineered for less mass and compensated in other ways such as recoil springs or buffering systems is wrong.
And many guns are engineered with costs in mind, and less engineering and more mass is a cheap way to do that.