Swapping slides on Glocks, legal?

[bbratley1911]

I own a Glock 19 gen 3 without night sights. A Glock 19 gen 4 with nights became available for me to purchase, wholesale.

I want to keep my gen 3 because I've heard gen 4's have some minor issues and I've lightly stippled my gen 3. So, what I want to do is purchase the gen 4, take the slide with night sights and swap the slide with my gen 3 and sell the gen 4 with my gen 3 slide (Confusing, I know). Is this legal since there are serial numbers on the frame, barrel AND slide?

I know some of you might say to just swap the night sights, but I have the new finish that glock has started putting on the glocks on my gen 3 so I want to swap the slides if the gen 4 has the old, standard finish.

[JAD]

If you're in America, the frame is the only part of your gun that's a gun.

[BigT]

Gen4 slide would likely need a Gen3 adapter to get the recoil spring to work.

Don't know if the Gen3 slide will work on a Gen4 frame as the frame cut outs for the RSA's are different as I understand it

[JSGlock34]

As JAD states, if you're in the USA I can't think of any legal impediments to what you propose*. You can buy Glock slides, barrels and complete uppers through the mail as they are parts - the frame is the 'firearm'.

That said, I can think of several practical reasons not to recommend what you are proposing. The GEN3 and GEN4 slides have similar profiles but are different parts, as the GEN4 slide is machined to accept the GEN4 Recoil Spring Assembly (RSA). The GEN4 RSA is much bigger than the GEN3 counterpart; I don't think you can fit the GEN4 RSA in a GEN3 frame.

Even if you could, the resulting firearm(s) would be neither GEN3 nor GEN4. I wouldn't purchase such a firearm, and I'm not sure how Glock customer service would respond if I sought to have one serviced. I'd also have no expectation that either firearm would be reliable.

To use a medical analogy, this is serious reconstructive surgery for what should be a minor outpatient procedure. Glock OEM night sights are fairly cheap and Glock will even install them for you if you send them the slide (it cost me $57 the last time I did it). However, most local shops have someone who can install Glock sights because this is a fairly common request.

Though I have a Glock in the safe with the OEM night sights, I wouldn't go through this much trouble for them when options from Trijicon and Ameriglo are out there.

ETA: BigT beat me to it - the RSA isn't compatible. Good luck!

*Not a lawyer.

[JBP55]

You can put a Gen 3 slide on a Gen 4 receiver and shoot it. The Gen 4 slide will not work on a Gen 3 receiver.

[ToddG]

You can put a Gen 3 slide on a Gen 4 receiver and shoot it.

A friend at Glock saw this thread and sent me a text message as follows: Can run a 3 slide on a 4 frame, but definitely not recommended as frame damage will eventually result...

[DocGKR]

Glocks are cheap--consider just buying another.

[SecondsCount]

Glocks are cheap--consider just buying another.

Spoken like a former custom 1911 owner. :cool:

[JBP55]

A friend at Glock saw this thread and sent me a text message as follows: Can run a 3 slide on a 4 frame, but definitely not recommended as frame damage will eventually result...


I agree, I would never leave a Gen 3 slide on a Gen 4 receiver. Should have included not recommended.

[Nephrology]

I own a Glock 19 gen 3 without night sights. A Glock 19 gen 4 with nights became available for me to purchase, wholesale.

I want to keep my gen 3 because I've heard gen 4's have some minor issues and I've lightly stippled my gen 3. So, what I want to do is purchase the gen 4, take the slide with night sights and swap the slide with my gen 3 and sell the gen 4 with my gen 3 slide (Confusing, I know). Is this legal since there are serial numbers on the frame, barrel AND slide?

I know some of you might say to just swap the night sights, but I have the new finish that glock has started putting on the glocks on my gen 3 so I want to swap the slides if the gen 4 has the old, standard finish.

Buy the gen 4, keep both. Now you have a backup and no worries about functionality. You would only net ~250 bucks probably from selling the associated slide + parts.