Glock pistols can quickly turn into projects once you start attempting to adapt them to fit your personal preferences. I’ve been carrying my Glock 48 for about 2 years now and over many range sessions and rounds downrange, I finally decided that I wanted to change up a few things to turn it into a more versatile pistol. While this may have been a misguided and fruitless attempt to prevent me from buying more guns, I went for it anyway and the guys over at Tyrant Designs sent me over some of their newest aftermarket items for use with the Glock 43, 43X, and 48. Among those Items were the new Tyrant Designs I.T.T.S. (Improved Tyrant Trigger System) Trigger as well as their new Glock Magwell for use with the Glock 43X and 48.

Tyrant Designs @ TFB:

• TFB Review: Tyrant Designs Glock 43X & 48 +4 Magazine Extensions
• Tyrant Designs Unveils 24k Gold Glock 43x/48 Mag Release
• Tyrant Designs Announces New Glock Sights Coming Soon

TFB Review: Tyrant Designs Glock 43x/48 I.T.T.S. Trigger and Magwell

Tyrant Designs Magwell

Both the I.T.T.S. trigger and the magwell were stupid simple to install. I am not a gunsmith nor do I play one on TV but the simplicity of the components, as well as a healthy dose of YouTube research, will turn what should normally be left to a competent armorer into a quick and easy installation that can be done in less than an evening. I started off with the magwell which installs simply by plugging the magazine well into the void in the bottom of the pistols grip and then tightening the supplied Phillips head screw till it is nice and snug.

Now you might be asking “Why?” since the magwell isn’t beveled at all. It doesn’t really aid in funneling a fresh magazine into the gun (but it is compatible with the Shield Arms S15 magazines) but it does something else I didn’t know I wanted out of a magwell before. The magwell gives the bottom portion of my hand a very solid place to rest while still maintaining a high grip. The slight flare that the magwell adds at the bottom of my Glock 48’s grip prevents my hand from slipping down from the beavertail and reduces the number of times I have to readjust my grip during a shot string. This is by far the greatest benefit I see that the Tyrant Designs Magwell has to offer shooters.

If you choose to add one of these magwells to your Glock 43X or 48, I have a single piece of advice. You should really try hard to avoid overtightening the Phillips head screw. The rubber shoe that expands inside of the void in the bottom of the pistol can and will deform the interior of the magazine well if you overtighten it so It’s probably best to apply a bit of light thread locker to the screw if you’re worried about it backing out over time. I haven’t had to tighten the screw since I installed it and it hasn’t wobbled loose yet.

Tyrant Designs I.T.T.S. Trigger

Although a good bit more complex than the installation of the Magwell, the I.T.T.S. trigger was still quite simple in comparison to some of the other minor gun improvements I’ve made over the years to my pistols and rifles. Tyrant Designs has a full explanation on their YouTube channel that shows you exactly how to install the trigger and reassemble the pistol afterward. The installation will require you to nearly fully disassemble your pistol so if you’re uncomfortable with the idea of having small parts go missing it’s best to have a gunsmith do this one.

I tested the pistol’s trigger both before and after the installation of the I.T.T.S. trigger and there was no major difference in trigger pull weight which is to be expected. However, with the nearly flat-faced design, I found the I.T.T.S. trigger to be a bit more predictable and less gritty when compared to a stock Glock trigger. There was also noticeable less side-to-side travel with the I.T.T.S. trigger probably due to the much wider design it has.

You can see some of the wear that is starting to take place on the gold-finished pieces.

The trigger came out looking much better than I thought and with the colors I chose, it was far less flashy than it could have been. The pre-travel is very minimal and the wall is much more apparent probably due to the aluminum construction over the complete polymer design. My only major complaints with the I.T.T.S. trigger were the sharp blade safety on the trigger which began to dig into the pad of my fingertip after a long range session. Secondly, I found that in contrast to Tyrant Design’s normally phenomenal coatings, the gold coating on the blade safety wore away fairly quickly and I was left with raw aluminum.

Final Thoughts

While these aren’t game-changing alterations to the original Glock design, I feel like the addition of the magwell and the improved trigger offer some sensible comfort upgrades if you’re planning on using either your Glock 43X or Glock 48 for more than just carry duty. Hopefully, Tyrant Designs can improve the coatings on the blade safety in the future to prevent premature wear. Overall, these small improvements have been ones I think I’ll stick with and I feel like my Glock 48 is much more capable on the flat range now than before while still maintaining its concealability.