I wouldn’t trust the plastic slide/dovetail to securely hold anything more than the plastic sight it ships with.

Take a look at the Carver mount.

 

I run a Fastfire III using a skeletonized dovetail mount.

All good so far.

Runs great on mini mag 40’s.
250 rounds so far - 50 of them suppressed.

Mount, screws and dot weigh
39 grams or 1.38 ounces.
Stock sight weighs 1 gram.


I’ll let you know if it breaks.

 

I run a Fastfire III using a skeletonized dovetail mount.

All good so far.

Runs great on mini mag 40’s.
250 rounds so far - 50 of them suppressed.

Mount, screws and dot weigh
39 grams or 1.38 ounces.
Stock sight weighs 1 gram.


I’ll let you know if it breaks.

I’m new to pistols being in NY.
What plate did you use to replace the rear sight? I would like to add a red dot to my 44.
b

 

 

I run a Fastfire III using a skeletonized dovetail mount.

Sweet! Now, if someone can successfully cut the G44 slide to directly accept an RMR, I'm in!!!

(Note: I don't care if my ammo choices are severely restricted as with other .22 LR conversions)

I'm only interested in the G44 as a G19 trainer (which is clearly its intended purpose), however, if I can't cut the slide to accept an RMR (rear iron sight forward), it's a non-starter. I can't justify training with a G44 that doesn't match my G19 setup.

I suspect Glock will regret spending three years developing a hybrid plastic / steel slide. From everything I've read and seen, the G44 isn't appreciably more reliable than an Advantage Arms .22 LR conversion with its aluminum slide. I've never heard of an AA slide cracking and the AA slide can be milled to accept an RMR.

 

Sweet!I can't justify training with a G44 that doesn't match my G19 setup.

I actually think you’d get more payback just using 9mm ammo. It’s not that much more expensive these days. Shoot what you can afford and make up the rest with dry practice. I get almost nothing shooting a .22 Glock that can’t be got through dry fire.

I have an AA kit that hasn’t been used in years.

 

The whole reason Glock used the plastic slide was because they felt 22 ammo was not powerful enough to reliably cycle a heavier metal slide. Wouldn't the extra weight of a red dot defeat the purpose of the lightweight plastic slide?

 

The whole reason Glock used the plastic slide was because they felt 22 ammo was not powerful enough to reliably cycle a heavier metal slide.

Yet the Advantage Arms .22 LR conversion metal (aluminum) slide seems to cycle as reliably as the G44 plastic slide.

Wouldn't the extra weight of a red dot defeat the purpose of the lightweight plastic slide?

A 1.2 oz Trijicon RMR shouldn't defeat the purpose of a plastic slide. On the contrary, the plastic slide should make the G44 "legendary" ... an order of magnitude more reliable than the decade-old AA .22 LR aluminum slide. The G44 plastic slide should certainly yield a "margin of error" (above and beyond the AA .22 LR conversion) capable of handling an RMR.

 

The little .22 GLOCK is quite a marvel. Very effective the way it comes out of the box. May also be a good candidate for suppressors, optics and other add-ons.
I'm open to anything.

 

The little .22 GLOCK is quite a marvel.

Help me to understand what makes the G44 a "marvel" as compared to other .22 LR conversions such as the Advantage Arms .22 LR conversion that's been around for a decade (?).

May also be a good candidate for suppressors, optics and other add-ons.
I'm open to anything.

Hey, if someone can demonstrate the G44 is as reliable with an RMR cut as an AA .22 LR conversion with an RMR cut, I'm all in!

 

Just got my slide back from Mark at L&M today. Beautiful work as always!!

 

I'm interested in a range report to see how the slide cycles with the added weight. If you needed to upgrade your RSA and any other issues you feel warrant our attention. It looks good and I happen to have an extra 507T. Thanks

 

Dude! Un-be-liev-able! I logged into GlockTalk today for the first time in months hoping to find good news in terms of using the G44 as a G19 trainer. And you delivered!

I've been waiting for JagerWerks and Battle Werx to proclaim victory. Nada. Most recently, I've been banking on Nelson Precision's .22 Super X aluminum G44 aftermarket slide. However, I need the slide cut rear iron sight forward. I'm going to reach out to Mark at L&M and see if that's an option.

Please let us know how it cycles. CCI MiniMags seem to be the benchmark. It doesn't look like you're running suppressor height sights, however, that shouldn't make a significant difference.

Thank you for taking the leap!

 

Please let us know how it cycles. CCI MiniMags seem to be the benchmark.

Just got my slide back from Mark at L&M today. Beautiful work as always!!

Any update in terms of performance?

 

Bummer! Looks like I'm back to Nelson Precision's .22 Super X aluminum G44 aftermarket slide.

On Sunday, June 21, 2020, 05:00:47 AM MDT, Mark Housel <snip> wrote:

Joseph,

While I suspect it can be done I didn't investigate the general case for optic installations on that slide. I just slowly whittled away plastic to see if cutting a regular RMR pocket would be possible.
Since there is o way to disassemble the slide if there is something weird under the factory dovetail then I can't say for certain.
Also, I don't know if I can get an RMR far enough back to have a new dovetail clear the firing pin block. I'm not sure a shallow dovetail above that pocket would work like it does in a steel slide.
Thank you,
Mark
<snip> CELL

USPS Shipping/Mailing Address (NO Firearms):
Mark Housel
L&M Precision Gunworks
PO BOX 36
Lakeview, NC 28350

 

It’ll scare you to price RMRs and sights right now. I need an RMR06 and it looks like I’ll have to buy from an unknown site to get one under $480. Trijicon sights seem to have increased to stupid levels also. I’m seeing RMRs priced for more than you can get SRO’s for on some sites.

I've paid $442.50 (June 2018), $447.99 (September 2018) and $419.99 (September 2019) ... sometimes with added tax and / or shipping. You can currently find one on gun.deals for under $450. I've bought one from GrabAGun.com. No issues that I can remember.

You’ll enjoy the 44 if you get one.

I'm sure I will. I just need the rear iron sight forward to justify it.

You will have to be careful with the kits and adding slide weight. My AA kit is flawless with Golden Bullets but won’t feed 1 mag with some others.

Understood! The Nelson Precision .22 Super X aluminum slide is actually being sold with an RMR cut, so I hope they'll adequately test it and accurately / honestly report the results. As I mentioned previously, I don't have a problem if I'm limited to a narrow choice of ammo.

I've seen an Advantage Arms .22 LR conversion kit with an RMR cut. I've seen a G44 with an RMR mount in the rear iron sight dovetail. As I recall, they both yielded reasonable success with the right ammo.

 

Cost is definitely a deciding factor for a dedicated rimfire trainer. I’ve had advantage arms uppers before and never used them because they required simple disassembly to put into use. I have a cz455 precision trainer and this Glock 44 trainer because I can safely shoot 22lr at my house everyday of the year. For 9mm and up I have to travel and that seems to happen less and less. So for me it was totally worth it and I’m shooting a lot of $.05 22lr that makes it 4:1 for 22 vs 9mm.

I chose not to buy suppressor height sights yet because I feel they are currently my crutch for finding the dot upon presentation. After a couple of months I will likely add them but they will be cheapies, not tritium.

 

I chose not to buy suppressor height sights yet because I feel they are currently my crutch for finding the dot upon presentation.

Hence my motivation for the rear iron sight forward. I opted for black front and rear (tritium) iron sights for the same reason. Iron sights serve no purpose with a MRDS except in the highly unlikely event your $450 RMR fails. You want to minimize the likelihood of your eyes being drawn to the iron sights. The sight radius is shorter with the rear iron sight forward, however, you'll find you're still proficient with the iron sights at a self-defense distance.

 

Something I ran into with the Advantage Arms kit when I got one for my 17/22 frame, was since the slide is all aluminum with no steel breech insert at the firing pin hole area, was the soft aluminum degenerated and pitted really bad in that area. Looked shiny flat new like an all steel one, but looked terrible, rough & pitted only after a few hundred rounds.
Sold that one off soon after.

 

I asked John Jager at JagerWerks whether he's RMR-cut a Glock 44 slide. John said,

We have, and it seemed to hold on really well, the issue was the recoil spring needed to be upgraded for reliable cycling.​

I then asked John whether the G44 RMR cut was rear iron sight forward. John said,

It was not.. One of the biggest issues with the 44 is the plastic rear sight dovetail, if you install a steel sight it basically broaches a new dovetail. I don't think that problem will change if you mill a new sight in front of the optic cut.. You would essentially have to mill off the whole top rear portion of the slide and glue/screw a new steel part onto it. Not impossible, but I didn't think anyone would want to pay as much for the steel insert as they did the whole gun.​

I'm throwing in the towel in terms of getting an OEM G44 slide RMR-cut rear iron sight forward.

Keepin' my fingers crossed for Nelson Precision's .22 Super X aluminum G44 aftermarket slide.

 

I have a stock G44 that I have had about a week and have put more than 1000 rds. of all the types of ammo I have on hand . No problems at all as long as you check the first rd. out of the mag to be sure it is pointing up .
I can only wish the AA kits I have (5) were as reliable as the G44 has been so far .

 

I have a stock G44 that I have had about a week and have put more than 1000 rds. of all the types of ammo I have on hand . No problems at all as long as you check the first rd. out of the mag to be sure it is pointing up .
I can only wish the AA kits I have (5) were as reliable as the G44 has been so far .

Reliability is crucial, however, as a G19 trainer, if you can’t set up your G44 to match your G19, it’s worthless. Hence this topic.

 

Reliability has been good for me as long as I’m sensible. It will not run standard velocity rounds anymore, it short strokes them all and stove pipes regularly. If I use HV ammo function is as good as I could ask for. When the red dot was first installed the gun was new with zero rounds fired. At that time Armscor junk HV would run about Successfully about 80% of the time. CCI mini mags and Federal RTP hasn’t stumbled once that I can recall. Now that it’s got a little over 1000rds through it Armscor ran without flaw for about 150 rounds on Sunday.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but this is the most fun per dollar that I’ve spent since getting into suppressors.

 

Reliability has been good for me as long as I’m sensible. It will not run standard velocity rounds anymore, it short strokes them all and stove pipes regularly. If I use HV ammo function is as good as I could ask for. When the red dot was first installed the gun was new with zero rounds fired. At that time Armscor junk HV would run about Successfully about 80% of the time. CCI mini mags and Federal RTP hasn’t stumbled once that I can recall. Now that it’s got a little over 1000rds through it Armscor ran without flaw for about 150 rounds on Sunday.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but this is the most fun per dollar that I’ve spent since getting into suppressors.

So no issues with the RMR cut and the integrity of the plastic slide thus far?

 

No real issues. The Glock manual says to never attempt to remove the top cover on the Glock 44 and there are reasons why. The cover does snap into place to hold the multiple pieces of slide together, there’s also a mess of epoxy under there. After milking off the top of the slide there’s an ugly void in the center of the slide that is completely covered by the optic once installed. Without the cover in place the slide pieces can separate after a bunch of shooting and dry firing.

I think I’ve fully resolved the issue by pushing the pieces back together and pinning them with 1/4” long 4-40 set screws.

I will keep you updated as the round count gets higher, I don’t see a reason that anything else should become a problem.

 

Wow! Thanks for sharing.

I'm not sure I understand the distinction between the top of the slide and the "cover".

Is the top of the slide the entire plastic portion?

Is the cover you're referring to depicted here (see attached picture)? Obviously, this portion of the slide (highlighted in the red rectangle) would be completely covered by the MRDS.

If you ever feel the need to disassemble it again, I'd love to see a picture of the internals.

Are the 1/4” 4-40 set screws through plastic into steel?

 

This is getting harder to pass off as a good idea lol. After pinning the side of the slide I ran 40 rounds through the gun and noticed the “gap” increasing ever so slightly. I took everything apart and re-evaluated, decided I ran the set screw in a bit too far and reassembled. Went out and blew off 24 rounds before a “click.” Now I’m thinking the pinning needs to take place on the top of the slide. I’m not against figuring this out until the gun ends up in a dumpster, but I’m doubting that anyone has milled a 44 and shot it much..

 

I’ve been crazy busy with other stuff now but I do have another ~800 rounds through it without further destruction. The flaw was pinning the pieces together at the rear of the slide. I moved the pins to the front and pinched the steel rails to the polymer portion of the slide. Glock relies on the plastic entirely to hold the pressure from the RSA, I think there should have been a stirrup on the metal rail for the spring to seat against. Once you remove that cube from the top of the slide it just rips itself apart. I will take a picture of the new location for the pins but in reality the gun needs a redesign before a bunch of people should start milling them.

 

I’ve been crazy busy with other stuff now but I do have another ~800 rounds through it without further destruction. The flaw was pinning the pieces together at the rear of the slide. I moved the pins to the front and pinched the steel rails to the polymer portion of the slide. Glock relies on the plastic entirely to hold the pressure from the RSA, I think there should have been a stirrup on the metal rail for the spring to seat against. Once you remove that cube from the top of the slide it just rips itself apart. I will take a picture of the new location for the pins

Glad to hear you can still shoot it, myers129. Thanks for sharing your experience!

but in reality the gun needs a redesign before a bunch of people should start milling them.

I can't believe Glock developed a G19 trainer that can't (more reliably) be cut to accept an RMR.

 

So I have a G44 and a Dovetail Aluminum mount with a Vortex Venom so it's pretty small. But using 5 different 22LR round I was unable to get it to function clean all the time.
I used Winchester, Wolf Match Grade, 3 different CCI, CCI Green, CCI Clean Red and CCI VelociRaptor and all had stove pipes and jams. It's very difficult to enjoy a range visit when every few rounds I need to clear and every 50th it jams pretty hard. So I decided it will look much better if I put the OLD Plastic Sights back on it. Oh well it was Wishful thinking...

 

I ran a bunch of the new Eley Action which is a standard velocity round with a 42gr bullet, with no problem at all.

 

Here is where I’m at now. Set screw in the front bearing down on the metal rail to keep it in place. The rail is harder than woodpecker lips so there is no drilling it without a mill and carbide tooling. I was able to dimple the steel with an automatic center punch to give the set screw a spot to nest into. I also added some Gorilla super glue to the inside of the polymer slide at the rails to try to get a little more stick... no not perfect at all.

On the plus side it runs most any HV loads just fine now that it’s used a little bit and loosened up. Eats Armscor with a few stoppages here and there and Federal RTP runs 100%. There is a significant difference in “feel” from stock 44 to one with an optic. Side by side the stock 44 feels like the slide is just flying with spunk and the 44 with an optic has a delayed blowback feel. Doesn’t really make a bit of difference but does give the 44 with optic more of the feel of a 19 during cycling.

 

I'm glad to see some have gotten a RMR to work. I tried with mine (dovetail plate), but could not get it to cycle, even with mini-mags. Oddly, it cycles just fine (without the optic) even with subsonic ammo. I tried a lighter recoil spring, which got it to cycle better, but then I was having light strikes (like 90% of the time) because it was not slamming into battery hard enough. I even tried removing the plate and just using double sided tape to hold the optic (just as an experiment to lighten it up a bit) but it still would not cycle.

BTW, before messing with the OEM recoil spring, be sure to get some spares. Had to order directly from Gock, because nobody has them in stock (at least none that I could find). As another workaround, I used a single spring G19 guide rod and a fitted washer for the G44 slide so that I could try various weight springs, but still could not get it to work.

 

Something to share.

I tried this with an Amazon Dove Tail (G19) and ADE Sight. $80 experiment.

First attempts did not work. Mount screws too tight (10 inch pounds), and they start to pull the dovetail through the polymer slide. Made them a touch looser (4 inch pounds) sight came off at the range. Yep, it did.

BUT....

Last attempt...
Put a piece of automotive trim tape (what holds the logos on cars) under the front of the dovetail mount, then propped up the front half a mm to keep it off the tape, then torqued the dovetail screws to 5 inch pounds (with blue locktite paste), to get alignment, then let the front settle to the tape and applied pressure. The tape is to keep the mount from rocking up, letting the dovetail deal with forward and backward (shear) forces. This is also a bit of a commitment. That tape is a PITA to get off.

The next day, all looked good. Test fired the .22 collection. Found more, went back to the range again today and fired some more.

• No - CCI Standard did not cycle enough to jam
• No - Agulia Super 40 grain, 1130 FPS, 50% failure
• No - Agulia Super Maximum, Hyper WTF, 30 grain, 1700 fps, 60% Fail
• Yes - Herter's Target, 36 grain, 1280 fps, worked great (bass pro special)
• Yes - Armscore, Target, 36 grain, 1260 fps, maybe 5% failure, but I was experimenting with different grips, so could be a limp wrist issue.
• Maybe - CCI 40 grain, 1235 fps. 30% fail, but that was before I cleaned spring (below). Could not retest, ran out.
  

AND
Gun was well oiled.
And, between runs, I looked at the spring, put some cleaner on it, and cycled it, a lot, out side the gun. Got a fair amount of crap out, not sure what it was. It looked like aluminum shards, but they were soft, too shinny to be lead, my thought is a grease or coating that was on the steel. I added a drop of oil to the spring and the slide now moves a lot smoother. The tension is still there, but the sticksion is gone.

This was not intended to be a match grade solution. But the sight holds zero. I still suck, this only my second or third month of pistol ownership. I am also 60 years old, eye issues, cannot see both sights and target with glasses, cannot see either without glasses. Now I can shoot poorly with both eyes open. Need training and range time. Same with the cars.

That is a big win for me. And, $80 is reasonable for a $350 gun.

I am waiting to see what happens with the aluminum slide though.....

 

Last attempt...
Put a piece of automotive trim tape (what holds the logos on cars) under the front of the dovetail mount, then propped up the front half a mm to keep it off the tape, then torqued the dovetail screws to 5 inch pounds (with blue locktite paste), to get alignment, then let the front settle to the tape and applied pressure. The tape is to keep the mount from rocking up, letting the dovetail deal with forward and backward (shear) forces. This is also a bit of a commitment. That tape is a PITA to get off.

I've done something similar with the dovetail mounts. But instead of tape, I have used some 3M adhesive (out of a tube). It holds the plate, but will still peel off (with some effort).

As for your ammo results, thanks for sharing. I have another idea I am working on to try and get it to cycle more reliable, but am waiting on a few parts to see if it works. I'll post that if I get it to work.