By Hillbilly On 08/09/2009  While the G34 feels great right out of the box, a few custom tweaks can really make this rascal come alive and feel even better in the hand. A magwell adds just enough additional support at the base of the grip to really make it feel like a different firearm. Add on an extended tungsten guide rod for a little bit of muzzle weight ]and ISMI springs[, and I came across an upgrade fulcrum trigger kit that made all of the difference in the world in the trigger feel on this model ]even though it comes with a 4.5# connector, the 3.5# connector and fulcrum trigger kit with adjustable pretravel and adjustable overtravel can take away that long trigger pull and add a crispness to the trigger that just needs to be there. And, now there are some new 3.0# connectors hitting the market which will take the fulcrum trigger kit below 2 pounds pull, and that''s the next step I''m going. While the base G34 feels great, some of the above tweaks keep making it get better and better. I was shocked at how a simple plastic magwell made the G34 feel much more stable in the hand ]without adding any grip weight[, and I chose to go the extended tungsten guide rod route instead of opting for porting, and the added muzzle weight really helped balance out things ]without some of the problems that porting can bring along[. Yep, I had intended to do some upgrading from the beginning, and indeed it took a great design and improved on it dramatically. The extra length of the G34 doesn''t present a problem, but finding a closed-muzzle holster for this model ]and the G35 as well[ is very limited at this time. If you want to get serious about a multi-purpose choice ]including some serious target shooting or competition[, you''re looking at a very great contender here. Oh, also, do yourself a favor and install an extended slide lock.....while the extended lock is only 3MM longer total length, it makes a HUGE difference releasing the slide for disassembly ]yet it doesn''t get in the way, as the 3MM extension is still within the sheltered area around the slide lock[. And, if you are interested in adding only a front night sight to the mix, Ameriglo makes a front only tritium sight for this one ]most tritium rear sights are fixed, but the G34 comes with an adjustable rear sight out of the box, and I''ve only found 1 manufacturer which makes an adjustable tritium rear sight thus far[. So, you''ve got a great platform for starters, and you can tweak it up as far as you want to go with it ]and I''d recommend the fulcrum trigger kit....it makes a HUGE difference in the trigger feel and action....that factory 0.5 pretravel quickly dropped below 3/16 max, with virtually zero overtravel[. The ISMI recoil springs allow you to fine tune the recoil spring to your loads ]11, 13, 15, 17, 20, & 22#[, and I can''t wait to get it back from Bar-Sto this week to test out the new barrel added for competition. Maybe I''ll be able to give it 7 or 8 stars when it gets back ]hopefully![. Oh, do yourself a favor and pick up a Butler Creek UpLula magazine loader while you''re at it....after filling up 2 or 3 magazines, you''ll be amazed at how fast it works with a minimal amount of effort ]no more sore fingers from filling up mags[.....you''ll be popping in over a round per second once you get accustomed to the UpLula. Oh, did I mention that you need to check into the G34???
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