Lasermax guide rod laser sight for gen 4 glock 19 - LaserMax Gen. 4 Guide Rod Red Laser Sight for Glocks

The Lasermax Guide Rod Laser Sight is a simple drop in replacement for the guide rod, slide lock lever, and slide lock lever spring of the gun. If you are able to field strip your Glock, you are also able to install the Lasermax Guide Rod Laser Sight with the instructions provided. The installation is simple and quick. The batteries came preinstalled on mine.

Once installed, the laser is activated by pushing the slide lock lever in to the frame. A click is noticeable. It can be pushed in to the frame from either side. Since the slide lock lever is a single piece. Pushing it in on one side makes it come out a little more on the other. The laser is deactivated by pushing that other side back in to its original position with another noticeable click. The slide lock lever typically can be easily reached with the trigger finger that is already resting on that part of the gun when not shooting. (Keep your trigger finder off the trigger until you shoot.) The slide lock lever typically can be easily reached on the opposite side with the thumb of the support hand that is already resting on that part of the gun. While this is a quite natural way to control the activation/deactivation of the laser. I have noticed that in stress situation, you may accidentally switch the laser on or off if you haven't practiced much with it. The laser is a pulsating dot, which is not only easier to acquire than an steady laser, but also conserves battery power. The laser is off when the slide is out of battery, e.g., when pushed back during recoil or locked open.

The laser itself is in the guide rod, which is aligned parallel to the barrel, and points straight out of the front of the guide rod without any possible/needed adjustments. The laser always points exactly just below where the barrel points, as the guide rod sits just below the barrel. For self-defense distances this means that the laser points close to point of impact (POI), considering bullet trajectory. It also points close to point of aim (POA) when using the gun's sights, considering the sight's alignment to the barrel. On my Glock 19 Gen 4 with Ameriglo night sights, the laser aligns with POA at 15 feet, is below POA at closer distances, and above POA at further distances.

For the Glock 19 Gen 4, this guide rod does NOT have a dual recoil spring. It has a single recoil spring. I do not notice any difference while shooting or otherwise operating the gun.

I put 250 rounds through the gun in the first session on the range with the Lasermax Guide Rod Laser Sight installed. About 100 of those with the laser on. The laser was accurate and easy to acquire.

When I cleaned the gun afterwards, I noticed some wear on the slide lock lever spring. Some copper was visible on the slide lock lever spring, as the guide rod was apparently touching the slide lock lever spring during recoil, pushing it down a little bit, and wearing off its nickel plating. The slide lock lever spring is pretty much a metal strip in an S shape. One end of the S goes into the frame, while the other pushes the slide lock lever up against the frame. I also noticed that the slide lock lever was not much pushed up against the frame when putting the slide out of battery for disassembly. In fact, the slide lock lever almost fell out. I fixed this issue by slightly bending one end of the slide lock lever spring to open up its part of the S shape, while bending the other end that goes into the frame to close up its part of the S shape. Now the guide rod has enough clearance, while the slide lock lever has enough force applied to stay in place. Since this initial modification, I put about another 1000 rounds through the gun. About 250 of those with the laser on.

No further problems.
Pros: Installs easily and works as advertised
Cons: Minor adjustments may be needed after installing

This review was written in the old system and had content requirements that are different than reviews written today.