The long awaited, Contestant # 3 for our Glock 43x Ported Slide Comparison is finally here and I can’t begin to describe how excited I am for this.
I spent countless hours looking at every possible option to come up with something unique to wrap up this test and I think we have it here.. So let me explain exactly what it is…
(Or skip to the bottom for the full build list)
The Build
I started out by first contacting Norsso’s customer service. I always like to test out how responsive a company is if I’ve never done business with them, and I had no issues or delays. Norsso picked up the phone and answered my questions about products and lead-time.
I moved forward by custom ordering the “Gripper” 43x slide from Norsso. The only reason for the custom order was because I wanted this slide to be cut for an RMRcc. I already had a Holosun EPS Carry on the ARC Division slide and I’m a bit of a Trijicon fanboy so it made me feel warm and fuzzy to be using the RMR.
I chose Faxon Firearms for the donor barrel because their barrels are made in the USA, machined in-house from stress-relieved 416-R stainless steel. My past experience with Faxon barrels has always been good and I knew that it wouldn’t be the source of accuracy or reliability issues. To top it off, I think it has attractive machining.
I used OEM slide internals from Glock Store which I’ve come to learn is one of the few places where you can reliably get real OEM glock parts kits. What I mean by that is, there’s been times where I’ve ordered parts kits from Brownells, Midway, or OpticsPlanet and I’ve received some cheap aftermarket parts that were labeled (and priced) as OEM. Nothing against those suppliers, they’re great for certain things but for OEM Glock parts kits, I choose Glock Store.
Finishing it off, the customizations were done by Monsoon Tactical who completed their Lucky 7’s port, slide cut, and an amazingly well done black tiger stripe cerekote.
Ordering with Monsoon Tactical
As usual, I test customer service before placing any order. I emailed Zach and we went back and forth quite a bit with questions and casual BS. Zach is super responsive, even responding to emails after hours at times.
Once I was ready, I placed my order with Monsoon Tactical on May 30th. Now, I know they have lead times listed on every single product but that was one of the hardest pills to swallow for me. I’m like a kid waiting for Santa Clause and being told that Christmas Eve will last for 3 months!
At least they have a queue system which works very well and is designed to minimize the amount of time that you’re separated from your parts. How it works is that you keep everything in hand until 2 weeks before they’re ready to begin the customizations. Then you’ll receive an email to let you know that they’re ready for you to ship your parts. I received my email on July 26th and I quickly ran down to ship that same day.
From the day that I shipped on July 26th, it was just over 4 weeks before I had the slide back in my possession on August 30th.
Timeline Recap:
- May 30th Order Placed
- July 26th Notification to ship parts
- August 30th Order Received
Start to finish was exactly 3 months.
Assembly
Nothing stood out during assembly except that the barrel and slide fit together a little “sticky” after cerekote. I was worried that this might mean break-in was going to be painful. Otherwise, everything fit together perfectly and the Trijicon RMRcc mounted onto the Norsso slide without any difficulty.
Lubed up with Slip2000 EWL30 because it has a little thicker consistency than some of the other lubricants which I hoped would ease the break-in process.
Testing
To my pleasant surprise, the “sticky” barrel and slide was never an issue. I expected the worst and ended up having the best experience possible from a brand new build.
I shot 350 rounds over the course of about an hour, using PSA’s 15 round magazines to feed a lot of heat into the build and didn’t have a single failure.
Conclusion
As painful as the wait was for a consumer happy man-child like me, I would do it again.. In fact, stick around because I might be doing it again.. *hint hint*.
Monsoon Tactical has absolutely no shortage of talent on their team from customer service to machining to cerekote. Each person on their team fulfills their role at the highest level of professionalism.
Everything about the slide is beautiful and the accuracy and precision of the cerekote pattern is hands down the cleanest work I’ve seen in person.
I have to give credit to Norsso and Faxon also. Without their precise machining and premium materials, this couldn’t have come together so perfectly.
I’ll speak more to the recoil and comparison in our conclusion article for our 43x build series. Coming soon!
Build List
Slide:
- Norsso N43 Gripper Slide cut for RMRcc
- Faxon Firearms Match Series Straight Fluted Barrel
- Trijicon RMRcc 3.25
- Trijicon “Bright & Tough” Night Sights
- Lucky 7’s barrel port by Monsoon Tactical
- Slide cut and black tiger stripe cerekote by Monsoon Tactical
- F/M (Finance & Maneuver) backplate
- Glock OEM Slide Parts Kit
Frame/Other:
- Overwatch Precision trigger & connector
- Shield Arms 43x Magwell with matching cerekote by Monsoon Tactical
- PSA 15 round mags
