I have carried a Glock 17 for several years now as my primary weapon, both inside the waistband and outside the waistband. I’ve always liked the accuracy of the Glock 17 giving me the ability to engage targets out past 25 yards. I’ve not always been one to modify my carry gun much other than the grips and sights (typically everything else stays stock). Custom Glock’s (or any custom gun for that matter) have always been out of my price range. I figured I already have a reliable platform, why do I need another (custom) gun anyway.
Enter Axelson Tactical. I’ve had a good relationship with Axelson Tactical and Jeff Axelson. A few years back I had the privilege of testing and evaluating their AXE Hammer fixed blade knives that benefited the Matthew Axelson Foundation. I don’t usually go for putting money into a product for a company to benefit off of a fallen warrior, but this is different. Matt Axelson who was killed during Operation Red Wings is the brother of Jeff Axelson. Axelson Tactical is their family run business, so when they sell their products if the proceeds don’t go to organizations they support then it goes to the family.
They have recently released a line of Limited Edition custom Glock pistols. The one we are going to take a look at here is the AXE 17. Upon receiving the AXE 17 I immediately noticed the Axelson Tactical branded 50 cal ammo can it comes in. The interior of the can has foam cutouts (similar to a Pelican case) for the Glock and 4 magazines.
The first thing I noticed when I pulled the gun out of the ammo can was the slide. Not only does the gun have aggressive cocking serrations towards the front of the slide, but there are also serrations on the top of the slide towards the rear site. This is to aid in pulling the slide back to field strip the gun (very cool feature).
The slide also has a distressed look to it giving it a battle hardened look. Engraved into the top of the slide is the American Flag along with the Matthew Axelson Foundation logo. Nothing like running a Glock with an American Flag engraved into a battle hardened slide. It just screams American Patriotism!
The front of the slide is beveled to aid in holstering the gun when you don’t have time to look down at your holster when re-holstering the gun. The bevels will guide the gun in if you are off center when re-holstering on the move or in a high stress situation.
The sights on top of the slide are Trijicon HD sights. The rear sights are a green and the front sight is a very bright red (my preference). That front sight is bright, crisp, and easy to pick up for quick target acquisition and engagement. The rear site is also squared off giving you the ability to rack the slide off a belt buckle, belt, or pocket for single hand manipulation.
The next very distinct feature on this gun is the grip texturing. The custom stippling done on this is like nothing I’ve seen before. Not only is the grip fully stippled, but the underside of the trigger guard and just forward of the trigger guard where my support hand thumb rests. Also on the frame they have recessed the rear of the trigger guard to allow a higher grip on the gun and greater control of recoil. With these features of the grip your hands really lock in when holding this gun.
The holster I’m going to be using with this gun is the LAG Tactical Defender. The holster can be setup for either inside the waistband or outside the waistband. I will be using it in the outside the waistband configuration during an upcoming two day pistol course.
After the course I will follow up with how the gun performed and how the holster did as well. Stay tuned…
