So far we have added a KKM Barrel and a Raven Concealment Freya mag well to our Roland Special build, now comes the slide milling. The ONLY correct choice for a Roland Special is to send your stock slide off for some ATEi Glock slide milling. Doug has a way with these slides and has been widely accepted as one of the best, if not the best man to put a cutter on a slide.

So what do you need in order to complete the slide? A set of AmeriGlo GL429 NON-TRITIUM suppressor height sights, a Trijicon RMR RM06 adjustable LED red dot, and a Trijicon RM63 RMR sealing plate. Once you have all that gathered up, drop your stripped slide, RMR, sights and sealing plate into a box to ATEi with a work order form for the below list along with a check. The total cost of the milling was $440 on my slide, options will change the price.

• RMR Pro Cut (They need the actual RMR that is going to be mounted for this.)
• Half top serrations
• Enhanced front serrations
• Enhanced rear serrations
• Slide refinished in Black Nitride

Sadly I don’t have any pictured of the slide in the milling process, so we will have to take a look at the finished product. I don’t know what Doug did to the slide, but it is smoother than ever before, and sort of glides on the frame rails like you would expect a $2500 1911 to feel. It is nothing short of mind blowing.

The RMR fitment is unsurprisingly impressive given all of the good I have heard about Dougified slides. The Pro RMR cut means that Doug measures the RMR that you sent in with the slide and alters the mill’s program for your RMR’s dimensions. Each one is slightly different than others, and the tight fit will help the RMR retain zero no matter how rough you are with the pistol.

While the RMR cut is the largest benefit to the slide milling, I find that I appreciate the ultra aggressive top serrations just as much as the artful RMR milling. With the new top serrations clearing malfunctions and chambering a round without putting dirty fingers on the RMR is much easier than before. You can even cycle the slide on a forearm or other object because of how aggressive the serrations are without being overly aggressive.

Just like the rest of the slide, the top serrations are beautifully machined and finished perfectly. If you had never seen a Glock before, I think that it would be easy to assume they came from the factory thanks to how well they are done.

As soon as your eye makes it past the top serrations, you come across the enhanced front serrations that Doug cuts into the perfect position. They aren’t too close to the muzzle like some forward serrations and are sharp and grippy without being too aggressive.

The correct option if you are cloning a Roland is to have Doug gut the enhanced serrations through the roll marks. The Roland Special is all business after all.

Doug also widens the rear serrations to match the front should you prefer to use those. Frankly, I feel like on a pistol without a red dot, they would be beneficial. On an RMRed gun though they are little more than well-machined decoration.

While I was out at the range, I decided to test out the top serrations to see if they were as grippy as everyone has said they are and wasn’t disappointed. Just putting some pressure on the top of the slide and moving my hand back I was able to cycle the slide without much issue.

How about shooting with the RMR equipped on my Glock? It is an outstanding experience that I think everyone should try a couple of times. Not only is it faster to transition between targets but shooting a red dot accurately at longer ranges is a snap.

So far the Roland Special is starting to come together. As you can see from the above photo, I have completed it but still intend to continue with the series.

Doug’s machine work over at ATEi is nothing short of masterful artwork. Sure, it is a bit more expensive than some of the other shops out there but do they have the track record that ATEi has? That answer you were looking for is no.

As stated previously, the retail price for the machine work and refinishing done to my slide is $440. ATEi also has a Roland Special package that allows you to send in a completely stock gen 3 or gen 4 Glock 17 or 19 in along with a $2300 check and receive a finished Roland Special back when it is done.

You can visit ATEi on their website HERE or take a look at their Roland Special package HERE.