U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- Tyrant Designs may be best known as the inventor of the skeletonized AR-15 grip, but they’re far from limited to grips, or even AR’s for that matter. Tyrant Designs is also pumping out upgrades and accessories for Glock, Sig Sauer and Smiths & Wesson handguns. I got the chance to check out 4 of Tyrant’s parts, the extended magazine release, the +5 magazine extension, the T-Comp and the slide cover plate. All were installed on my Gen III Glock 19 (and temporarily, a Glock 17 as well).
Before we cover installing these, I want to talk about the condition they arrived in. The machining on all of these items is flawless. It’s very impressive to see fine details cut and polished as well as these are. All the edges are smoothed out, with nary a sharp corner or hangup to be found. A good start to a day at the bench!
Installation:
Installing these 4 products to bump up my Glock 19 (G19) was a quick affair, taking less than a half-hour (with a couple of union coffee breaks).
GLOCK 19 & 23 MAGAZINE EXTENSION
The magazine floorplate was a cinch, with the exeption of getting the old floorplate off. Once you depress the button inside the OEM floorplate and slide it off, simply remove the spring. Take this opportunity to clean the inside of the mag if it needs it. Take the follower off and put it on Tyrant’s extended Power Spring. Stuff the spring and follower back into the mag and slide the floorplate on. You may notice the new floorplate is held on by an externally-available plunger. This means next time you want to pop the mag apart, it’s far easier.
GEN3 GLOCK EXTENDED MAGAZINE RELEASE
The extended magazine release is tricky to replace if you’ve never done it before. Tyrant Designs has a helpful video up on their site from Musty Yeti that explains the process exceedingly well.
GLOCK GEN 1-5 SLIDE COVER PLATE
Regarding the slide cover plate, start by removing your slide from the frame. Take a punch pin or flathead screwdriver and depress the spring cup (shown below), then you can slide the old cover plate off and slide the new one on.
GLOCK T-COMP
Now for the T-Comp. I needed to get a threaded barrel for my G19 to accommodate this compensator. Faxon to the rescue with one of their sweet TiN, Nitride, 416R, flame-fluted, golden wonders. To start the install, slide one of the (included ) O-rings onto the barrel and roll it back to the shoulder. Now align the comp body with the slide and insert the comp stem (also O-ringed) through the comp body and screw it onto the barrel. Once it gets snug, use the included wrench to tighten it down a bit, though not excessively. You ought to align one of the compensator’s ports to be centered on the vertical hole in the comp body, which isn’t hard to do.
That’s it! Four products wrenched on in short order. But how do they work? I hit the range with cameras, steel targets and a blob of gelatin. Check out the T-Comp’s recoil impulse compared to the naked barrel and a suppressor in the quick vid below.
Yeah, the T-Comp made a big improvement with regards to the muzzle rise. This allowed me to speed up my double taps a good bit, which will improve even more as I get used to it. While the T-Comp won’t live on my 19 (current carry gun), it only takes a minute to swap out the barrel and screw the comp on, giving me a boost in competitions and range fun. This can easily turn a G17 or G34 into a competition nightmare!
The +5 magazine extension was flawless. I ran through nearly 300 rounds in my first range session with it, not a single hangup. A smart choice for your carry gun’s backup mag, or for elongating your range fun.
The extended magazine release not only sticks out incrementally further than the OEM release, it also sports an aggressive texture. I have wide, though shorthands, so the stock release is just out of reach from my shooting position. I can either adjust my strong hand to hit the release or use my support hand. The Tyrant Designs extended mag release makes it much easier to drop mags with my support hand. Only a narrower grip profile would help with the former method.
While the slide cover plate isn’t a performance-enhancing option, it does have value besides the aesthetic. If you have an extensive collection or belong to an organization with multiples of the same gun, the fact that these slide cover plates come in numerous colors can be an easy way to tell at a moment’s glance which specific gun you’re grabbing.
Tyrant Designs not only nailed the production and performance on these four items, but they’ve also got a whole lot more available on their site. Regarding the products reviewed here, The T-Comp runs $89.95, the extended mag release $27.95, slide cover plate $19.95, and the +5 mag extension $39.95. All come in multiple color options as well. Tyrant Designs is machining some sharp products for your handguns and AR’s. Check them out at www.Tyrantcnc.com!
About Rex Nanorum
Rex Nanorum is an Alaskan Expatriate living in Oregon with his wife and kids. Growing up on commercial fishing vessels, he found his next adventure with the 2nd Bn, 75th Ranger Regt. After 5 tours to Afghanistan and Iraq, he adventured about the west coast becoming a commercial fisheries and salvage SCUBA diver, rated helicopter pilot instructor (CFII) and personal trainer, before becoming a gear reviewer and writer.”