Your Privacy Choices
This week I was hanging out in Detroit which I try not to do very often, but when I’m there I always go into local gun shops. On his particular day, it was a rundown shop that would probably look more at home in a third world country than an inner-city area. The attendants buzzed me in which is always a great sign, Once I was buzzed in, I began my search for the perfect used gun.
The Glorious Find
They had a number of choices from old revolvers to a couple of 5906 Smiths for sale. The deal that caught my eye the most was a beat-up Glock 22 with old skateboard tape. When picking it up I noticed it was a Gen 3 Glock 22 with a 9mm conversion barrel replacing the .40 S&W barrel. The Storm Lake replacement barrel looked hardly fired and most of the internals looked to be like new and hardly used.
I started talking to the guy behind the counter about where this Glock 22 came from. Apparently, it was from a department in Metro Detroit that bought new barrels for their older Glock 22s. This was an effort to save money on guns in their budget. I was rather surprised by this, but thinking more about the financial status of Detroit, it made sense after talking about it with the store attendants.
Buying and Shooting The Glock 22…..Sort Of
The Glock came with tritium night sights and that’s basically it. There was no box, no magazine or any type of manual with the gun. I basically picked up an empty Glock 22 and trigger lock for $145. At that price, it’s still a steal despite not coming with anything else. After waiting for the gunshop to get all their paperwork in order, I ended up purchasing the handgun. I couldn’t wait to head home and check the gun out more. I decided to take apart the Glock 22 on my bench to see what the internals were like. For the most part, the slide and frame looked like it shot maybe 500 rounds through it.
The 9mm barrel looked basically brand new compared to the other components. The slide had a tiny bit of wear on the top of the hood where the lockup occurred. The grip on the frame looks like it has been dragged five or six city blocks. There’s a fairly heavy amount of holster wear but nothing major. I grabbed a few magazines and decided to see how this $145 Glock actually shot.
I was pleasantly surprised that it functioned great and I had zero malfunctions with the conversion barrel. By the end of the day, I put 250 rounds through it as a function test. The only thing really not working on the pistol was the tritium night sights. After checking them out in a blacked out room, the tritium has worn out and I should probably change out the sights for fresh tritium sights. This isn’t a huge deal at all but it was something worth mentioning.
Overall Impressions
In the grand scheme of things, I am extremely happy with my Glock 22 with the 9mm conversion barrel. The gun is just like any other Glock I’ve ever shot but a fraction of the price. I don’t plan on changing anything on it right now and just want to keep it stock. I think the story of the gun with the conversion barrel is too cool to mess with and change when I have other Glocks I can customize. For the price, I can’t even buy the Storm Lake barrel that it came with.
I think I found another example of a great firearm for people who have a strict budget. There are a ton of deals out there if you spend the time looking for them. Let me know what you guys have found in your local shops in the comments below. If you have any questions about the Glock or gun questions in general feel free to message me on Instagram @fridgeoperator. Stay safe out there.
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