by Dave B. Cole
I’m a pretty practical guy…at least I try to be. When I spend my hard earned dollars on guns and gear, I usually stick to things I have a practical use for. I want guns I can carry concealed, or hunt with, or compete with. But like most gun enthusiasts, I also have a weakness for some guns just because they’re cool. Not that there’s anything wrong with that…
So when I was asked to review the Guncrafter Industries Glock conversion kit in .50 GI, my first reaction was, “what is it for?” The practical gun guy in me couldn’t figure what niche this gun fit that hadn’t already been filled. I mean, while you certainly could carry a big full size Glock for concealed carry, if you already had a Glock 20 or 21 to convert why would you need a .50 GI? The .50 GI isn’t really going to give you a step up in hunting performance from a 10mm, and although you’d certainly make major power factor with it, I can’t see a competitive use.
But I’m nothing if not open minded, so I took it to the range for a spin. And you know what? I was reminded that shooting is fun, and that shooting a gun just because it’s fun is OK…and big fun is where the big Guncrafter Industries .50 GI shines.
The conversion kit includes the slide, barrel, recoil assembly, and a magazine…and that’s all you need to turn your Glock G20 or G21 into a .50 caliber thumper. Clearly a quality product, the test unit I received from Guncrafter Industries seemed extremely well made; all stainless with clean lines and no machining marks visible. Once mated up to a G21 frame, I was set to go to the range.
Guncrafter provided sample ammunition in their 300 grain jacketed flat point load, rated at 700 feet per second, and a 185 grain all copper hollow point load rated at 1200 feet per second. Though there wasn’t enough ammunition to run an in-depth reliability test, both loads did run without issue. Recoil was somewhat stiff, but totally manageable…think maybe a stout .45 ACP +P.
And you know what else? It was fun. So much fun in fact, that my sister…a relatively new shooter, who had come along to practice with her 9mm M&P Shield…had to try a couple of rounds. She was apprehensive about shooting the big gun at first, but curiosity won out and she finally decided to give it a try. Two rounds of the 300 grain JFP, and…grin. “Can I shoot a couple more?”
So while I won’t sit here and tell you that the Guncrafter Industries .50 GI is your next concealed carry piece, or hunting gun, I will tell you that it is big fun. There is something about shooting a gun with a really big hole in the end to get the smiles going, and the .50 GI certainly delivers that.
Conversion kits are available in stainless and melonite finishes, for Gen 1/2/3 and Gen 4 Glocks. Reloading dies, data and components are also available from Guncrafter Industries at guncrafterindustries.com.
This post first appeared on blackmanwithagun.com
Featured photo courtesy of Police Magazine