We’ve all heard of the Good Idea Fairy–that mystical demon disguised as an angel that grabs roots in one’s mind, passing all sorts of nonsense off as brilliance.

But I have something worse. I have a Bad Idea Enabler.

And his name is Jack.

—

My favorite pistol to shoot is a Han Solo Blaster. That is, a Glock 17 all rigged up with an ALG 6 Second Mount (see my review from last year on the RECOIL Magazine webpage). The non-reciprocating Aimpoint allows for faster followup shots. The slightly forward balance, especially with a WML mounted, makes for an exceptionally flat muzzle under recoil. And of course you get all of the advantages of any red dotted pistol. But as you can tell, it also has a fairly large footprint. Though there are holsters available, none of them are what I’d call comfortable inside my pants.

This isn’t a huge deal. After all, most of my firearms aren’t CCW weapons anyway, and there are still some practical roles for my Blaster. It’s great for a hotel nightstand, for example. I have also been known to roll with it mounted inside an automobile. While I would like to have a trunk gun riding shotgun on the passenger side 24/7, it’s unfortunately illegal in my state. Some of my peers skirt these silly restrictions with rifle caliber “pistols”, and some others have opted for pistol caliber carbines that share magazines with their CCWs. Both options allow for increased accuracy and longer engagement distances than your average pocket gun. They are also harder to conceal and properly secure than a Han Solo Blaster.

Since it’s not quite a PDW but still much more than a simple pistol, I was thinking about a way to add more stability and perhaps increase the [already longer] range of a 6 Seconded Pistol. Toward the end of the summer of 2015, Steve Fisher and I had a conversation about attaching a sling to it. Herein lay the conundrum.

80s Awesome

Using a sling to increase stability and compensate for recoil on a stock-less gun isn’t a new idea. Instead of physically pulling the stock back into your shoulder, you instead push forward on the weapon to increase sling tension. This was popularized by the SAS, particularly using MP5/MP5k’s without a stock or with the stock folded or collapsed.

Many still use this technique with AR and AK pistols, though it doesn’t work quite as well as with the diminutive MP5k due to increased weight and recoil. But with lighter weight and lower recoiling weapons, such as the CZ Scorpion EVO 3 S1 Mike Pannone is rocking below, it works fairly well.

No, it’s not as good as a traditional buttstock. With the smaller size comes compromise (that’s what she said?).

You’ve Got Options…

Back to that conversation with the Yeti: options discussed included using the original lanyard hole, which is suboptimal because as you extend it forces the nose of the pistol down, and the light rail itself. The issue with the light rail is that:

-You can no longer utilize a WML

-You have to take care that the sling isn’t biased toward one side or hindering your controls

The best place to attach a sling balance- and stability-wise would probably be right on the back of the slide. But that won’t work for obvious reasons. I was contemplating this during a conversation with the aforementioned Bad Idea Enabler. One thought was to buy one of those cheap Israeli stocks, chop it down, and attach a sling to what would formerly be a cheekpiece. Another was to modify a Grip Force Adapter to accept a QD stud beyond the beavertail. Then I remembered the TSA-G ENDO Stock adapter, and how it accepts regular AR stocks.

It went something like this:

“That’s retarded. …but…”

“Mall ninja as fuck. …but…”

Though when it was released the ENDO Glock stock adapter was upwards of $155, it currently sells for a small fraction of that at just $35. The adapter itself fits into the rear of the frame and is secured with a ball lock pin. More importantly, the top of the adapter is contoured to fit a Glock factory frame, which in theory should add to how secure it fits. With the encouragement of the Bad Idea Enabler, the purchase was made. I’d figure the rest out.

Setting it Up

The adapter fit my Glock 17 well with only minimal futzing. The ball lock pin came equipped with a cheezy ball chain, which was immediately broken off, thrown out, and replaced with gutted 550 cord. But how to attach the sling? One could absolutely just loop it through the adapter itself. However, I wanted QD capability and that came in the form of a $20 receiver plug from Spikes Tactical. Originally made for .22lr AR pistols, it seemed like a perfect fit for this project.

For the sling itself I went with Armageddon Gear. It’s a quick adjust, has a FASTEX clip to get out of it quickly, and also has a bungee so I can keep tension during extension. I can’t think of a better option here. The particular model I had originally came with an Hk hook, which I replaced with a standard strap. Both ends of the strap were fed through a standard QD loop and secured.

Assembled:

In Use

There are three main ways to sling this one up: simply around the neck, or with either arm looped through. If you run it like a “normal” rifle sling (head and non-dominant arm through the sling), you can even get a cheap copy of a cheekweld. Almost. My suggestion would be to try all three ways and see what gives you the most stabilization.

For what it’s worth, I like it like a “normal” sling.

With the right sling, you can hide this one under a coat. Because the Han Solo Blaster is so lightweight relative to firearms traditionally used with this method, it makes for a very stable platform.

Downsides

The adapter does get in your way a bit. Those with large hands may not be super comfortable. The TSA-G flexes into your forearm as you hold it. Furthermore, I found the top of the adapter to rub on my thumb joint. I get this with all Glocks and developed a callus long ago, but the adapter exacerbates the rubbing.

Controls are also slightly harder to get to. Even with an extended magazine release, you may find it easier to use your non-dominant hand to drop the magazine if you don’t do that already.

You use more muscles when you’re pushing against a sling; it’s almost like a resistance band. As such, you may find yourself worn out faster during a long training session.

Due to the way the TSA-G attaches, magwells are out. Additionally, it won’t work with all magazines extensions. Cheapass Pearce extensions are fine, but the excellent Taran Tactical and Henning Group base pads are out due to their securing mechanisms. Just something to keep in mind.

Since there isn’t a castle nut to stake in place with the sling adapter like a normal AR receiver extension, there’s a possibility of it working loose. The stock adapter is plastic, so most thread lockers can’t be used either. Some plumbers tape will work as a preventative measure, but it could be better. Of course, witness mark it.

When installed, the overall length of the pistol unquestionably is increased. However, given that it can be attached and detached quickly this isn’t too much of an issue. And then of course, compare the size of a slung up Glock to a standard rifle or PDW.

Conclusions and Loose Rounds

This is not a perfect solution by any means. There’s a lot of compromise here, but something I initially scoffed at does at least have some merit. Since the Han Solo Blaster is already a hotel and automotive companion, this only increases the effectiveness, provided you can get over the warts. Like large women and mopeds, a slung up Glock is a lot of fun–until your friends see you doing it. But this is a lot easier to hide than either of those.