Oplastic: Robar's Xtreme metal frame Glock

Guns Magazine, July, 2008 by Dave Anderson

The Glock first appeared not much more than 20 years ago and in an astonishingly short time reached near-iconic status. It dominates the US police duty market, is used by military organizations all over the world, and is wildly popular with private citizens, both for personal defense and competition.

The array of aftermarket parts for Glocks never ceases to amaze me. I own half a dozen Glocks and like them (my personal favorite is the Model 19). My pistols are stock, other than replacing the adjustable sights on one pistol with Heinie fixed sights.

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If there was one thing I could change about my Glocks it is the grip angle. The pistol I've shot more than all others combined is the 1911. How many rounds I've fired through various 1911s I cannot say but it is certainly some hundreds of thousands. Plus I probably dry fired it 10X for every live round.

You'll sometimes read one pistol or another is a "natural" pointer. Actually, over a fairly broad range, I don't think grip angle matters much. The human wrist is a remarkably adaptable structure. The neural paths can be trained by repetition to hold the pistol at a certain angle which then feels natural.

I can pick up a 1911 with my eyes closed, raise it to shooting position, open my eyes and the sights will be fairly well aligned, close enough the sight picture needs only minor cleaning up. Many other autopistols--Beretta, CZ, HK, Sig, Springfield XD to name a few--are close enough in grip angle differences are minor.

Pistols with more raked grip angles like the Glock, Colt Woodsman, Luger, Ruger .22 autopistols all point high for me. I have to consciously alter the wrist angle to drop the front sight into the rear sight notch. Doesn't matter when plinking or shooting prairie dogs with a Ruger .22, but in practical shooting competition, for me, it costs a fraction of a second. Over a match, fractions add up to seconds and matches are won or lost by seconds.

Glock shooters, and there are lots of them, argue the Glock points correctly and the 1911 points low. Superstar competitor Dave Sevigny shoots Glocks exclusively and time and again has won against top shooters using 1911 and other makes. There are plenty of Glock shooters at major events and, of course, they are right--for them. Remember that adaptable wrist joint. The neural paths are just as happy to be trained to hold the wrist at a Glock angle as at a 1911 angle. Certainly a person could shoot Glock centerfires and Ruger .22 autopistols exclusively and live a happy and fulfilled life.

The toughness and durability of Glock synthetic frames has been well proven. Nonetheless, there are plenty of shooters who prefer frames made of metal, feeling it is more rigid and ultimately more durable. Some like a bit more weight for recoil control. Others just think guns should be made of metal. When enough people want something it's the nature of the market to fill the void.

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A company called CCF Raceframes has been producing frames since 2003. They can be used to replace the frames on popular Glock models including full-size models in 9mm, .40 S&W and .357 Sig. Since legally the frame is the firearm, they are individually serial numbered and the same rules for transferring any handgun apply.

CCF frames have a grip angle similar to that of the 1911. The backstrap is an interchangeable insert. With a flat insert in place the grip frame is somewhat slimmer than a Glock's, while an arched insert can be fitted for those with larger hands. These are an excellent option if you already have a Glock pistol and can use the Glock internal components.

Robar

Robbie Barrkman is the founder and owner of Robar, Inc. The company is perhaps best known for its very tough, corrosion-resistant firearm finishes such as NP3 and Roguard. The Robar custom shop also turns out excellent custom 1911s, tactical and hunting rifles, and .50 BMG rifles. Robar workmanship and standards are second to none.

Robbie Barrkman is an interesting guy. Born and raised in South Africa, he emigrated to the US long ago. An experienced competitive handgunner, he knows the 1911 very well. He also thinks very highly of the Glock design. The Robar custom shop does a thriving business in slimming Glock grip frames and altering them to a more 1911 grip angle. Barrkman is a talented photographer and sometimes does our photography, as he did for this story.

Robar offers the "Revive" program to provide current Glock owners a CCF frame with all internal components installed. Various custom options such as different finishes, detail work, trigger jobs and tuning are available.

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Robar is now producing a complete pistol based on the CCF Raceframe, either aluminum alloy or stainless steel. The Robar Alloy Xtreme pistol is currently available in 9mm, .357 Sig or .40 S&W. Different sight options can be specified and the metal can be left in its natural state or finished with one or more of Robar's advanced finishes. These are custom-quality pistols with considerable skilled hand fitting.