MAC Defense Industries Custom Frame Work

The Twins

I’ve never been much of an artist.  I can Photoshop a meme or two, but I’ve never been able to create anything outside of the digital realm.  My handwriting is atrocious, and anything I draw looks like something you would stick on the fridge to appease a 4-year old.  So when I decided I wanted more grip than a factory Gen4 Glock 19 could offer, I was conservative in my approach.  After some planning, I picked up a 25-watt woodburner and a 20lpi waffle tip from OTDefense.  The result was functional, and while I wasn’t overly concerned with aesthetics, I didn’t want it to look like a hack job.  My second attempt on my Gen4 Glock 26 was a bit more audacious.  I used a vertical mill to cut Agency Arms style thumb ledges, removed the finger grooves, and undercut the trigger guard.  I opted for a more time consuming but EDC friendly micro-dot pattern. 

DIY 20 LPI

DIY Micro-Dot

From a functional standpoint, micro-dot is great for EDC, and provided excellent grip during a rainy vehicle defense class.  However, the pores quickly filled with red Georgia clay, which was a chore to clean out.  As the round count increased over several months, I also found myself touching up a few areas that had worn down from use.  I also wanted to try my hand at cutting borders to give my amateur work the look of a professional job.  After ordering a few high speed cutting bits for my Dremel, I attempted to practice cutting borders on a scrap frame.  It went poorly. 

Last Spring, I ran into Will McElise of MAC Defense Ind. at a Sage Dynamics Defensive Handgun class.  I brought my G26, as well as two nearly identical G19s, aside from a few slide machining variations and frame color.  Both had RTF2 frames, which I consider the best factory texture on any handgun thus far.  I also prefer the extra circumference of the grip tang over the gen 4/5, as it gives me better trigger finger placement.  After listening to my wishlist, he pulled out a few of his frames to examine.  I was immediately impressed with his work.  After a few more questions, I stripped my G19s, handed him my frames, and headed home with just my G26 for company.  While some RTF2 fans might consider this sacrilege, the RTF2 texture does not extend to all the areas where my hand contacts the frame, and there are smooth gaps between the sides and front/backstraps.

RTF2

One thing that always prevented me from sending my frames to a professional were the hassle of shipping firearms and the wait time.  Some of the outfits known for good work can have lead times ranging from six to an eye watering 12 weeks, and I’m not the most patient man.  Fortunately, Will had my frames back to me in just under three weeks.  It would have been worth the wait at triple that.

Aesthetically, the MD2 Hybrid package looks beautiful.  The smooth rear tang allows the web of my hand to slide deep into the beavertail, allowing a high grip as I index the frame.  The “accelerator” cuts are textured on the inset portion above the ledge.  Some places texture the bottom portion, leaving the cut section smooth.  Will prefers to stipple on the upper portion since that’s where your thumb actually rests, and I’m inclined to agree with his logic.  However, I don’t really put that much downward pressure on the ledge and use the cut as more of an index point.  I also like how the lines blend with the angles of the rest of the pattern.  

Sprinkles

BrainMatter

Will also reduced the “hump” on the backstrap.  Unlike other Glocks, the texture nubs on RTF2 frames stick out above the surface, instead of being molded into it.  Will removed some of the material at the hump, to match the profile of a Gen3/4 frame after removing the texture blocks.  Combined with the double undercut, the gun points a bit lower, but more naturally than before.  Removing the finger grooves is an industry staple.  I actually don’t mind them, but removing them does let my hand get farther up on the front strap, nestling nicely in the smoothly undercut trigger guard.  Will thoughtfully uses a milder texture on the trigger guard to spare your support hand knuckle.

Trigger Guards

For Gen3s, MAC offers a frame scallop around the mag release.  I tried my hand at this before, and even with the help of a vertical mill, it came out looking uneven.  The MAC scallop is clean and smooth, allowing me to easily press the factory mag release without shifting my grip.  I still use an extended Agency mag release, but if I didn’t already have it, I’d be happy with just the OEM length part.

Mag Scallop

 While both guns are similar, I decided one would be setup for carry, and the other for training.  For carry, I decided on the “Brainmatter” texture.  It offered similar grip to microdot, with the added benefit of being less likely to accumulate dirt or dead skin cells over time.  It also doesn’t grab at my cover garments as much.  For my training gun, I opted for the “Sprinkles” texture.  This offered a higher level of grip, although I’ve since run it in classes AIWB without any discomfort.  It does tend to snag on soft fabrics and would poke holes in loose knit fabrics in short order.  One option MAC offers is to provide different levels of texture for each pattern.  He can soften the chosen texture a bit by knocking down the sharp edges with hand sanding for EDC(light) or Duty(medium), and no sanding for Comp(aggressive).  I decided on Duty for both since I knew the texture would naturally wear down with use.  According to Will, the sharper edges of Sprinkles will wear down a bit more than Brainmatter.  After seven months, two classes, and a few thousand rounds of ammo, I’d say that was accurate.  Brainmatter feels pretty much unchanged.  Sprinkles isn’t as rough on my hands, although maybe my hands have toughened up, but both still provide excellent grip in less than ideal conditions.  If I had to choose just one, I’d pick Sprinkles with the EDC or Duty level of texture.  While not as comfy as Brainmatter, it provides more consistent traction.  Both are grippy, and you can still adjust your grip on the fly if you don’t get a perfect one on the draw.

Finally, let’s talk borders.  I’ve seen some amazing border jobs but with that beauty often comes a small sacrifice in function.  Thick, deep, smooth borders look nice, but in my mind, that’s 1/8^” of space that could be textured.  MAC minimally cuts the borders, then adds a single row of microdot stippling up to the edge.  He then fills everything out with the requested texture.  This extra step looks great and maximizes every bit of available grip.  It’s a subtle touch, but I appreciate the extra time spent on such a small thing.  It’s plainly evident that Will has spent a great deal thinking about maximizing performance without giving up anything in the looks department.  He gives the same attention to even small details that might otherwise go unnoticed. 

One thing I didn’t do was Cerakote.  While it can result in some gorgeous frames, changing the color wasn’t a requirement for me, so I skipped it on the order forms.

When I decided to build a Gen3 G34 for USPSA Carry optics, I knew exactly where to send my frame.  I purchased a G17 frame from BigTexOutdoors and had it shipped straight to MAC Defense.  The G34 slide went straight to Jagerwerks.  After a few emails and some feedback from Tyler at Modern Outdoor Adventures, I decided on the same MD2 Hybrid package as before, but with the experimental “Swamp Donkey” texture.  After a few weeks, he shipped it to my FFL so I could take delivery.  I have no idea why it’s called Swamp Donkey, but it’s aggressive as hell and perfect for competition, class, or duty carry.  It’s insanely grippy and positively locks the gun to your hand, even with an intentionally weak grip.  You had better have a proficient draw stroke, because once you clear the holster, whatever grip you get is what you’ll have without peeling your hand off the gun.  Everything else is exactly what I expected from MAC Defense, from the crisp border lines to the frame cuts and stippling consistency.  Even if the stippling wears down to half its original grip level (unlikely without a belt sander) it will still be leagues above most “duty” stipple jobs.  The only grip I’ve felt with more traction is the Armor stipple from Agency Arms, which feels like crushed glass.  It’s actually painful to grip, and I can’t imaging carrying it against bare skin, although I know of some masochists that do.

Swamp Donkey

Sending a gun off to get worked on is not a decision to be taken likely.  A slick Instagram feed is one thing, but it’s another matter to actually put thought into how a product gets used versus how many likes it can get.  Will at MAC Defense takes immense pride in his work.  You can sense it in the way he describes his processes, and how he’ll answer any question you have.  Whether you want to address specific shortcomings of your gun, need a bad stipple job fixed, or just want to “Gucci” up your blaster, you won’t be disappointed with MAC Defense.

Unscientific “Grippy-ness” Index:

OEM Gen3 – 2 (meh)

OEM Gen4 – 3

OEM Gen3 RTF – 4 (nice)

DIY Micro-dot – 5

MAC Brainmatter – 5.5 (great for EDC)

DIY 20LPI Waffle - 6

MAC Sprinkles – 6.5

MAC Swamp Donkey – 8 (as aggressive as can be without causing pain)

Agency Armor – 10 (like crushed glass)

Swamp Donkey sticks like Velcro.