Glock Training: XS Marketing Team Takes on Glock Armorers Course

Who doesn’t love a road trip? Especially if you get to work on guns. A few weeks back, team XS’ marketing and engineering team hit the road and traveled down to San Antonio to take the Glock Armorers professional training course at Nardis Gun Club. Nardis has an absolutely beautiful facility; if you live near the San Antonio area or are passing through, be sure to check them out. Our firearms instructor for the course was Ralph Blue. Ralph, a former Green Beret, said that after years of service and training with a capital T, he retired to teach and train with a lowercase t. The Glock armorer's course is designed to give you the tools to maintain your Glock handgun, identify potential issues, and remedy them. We’ll go into detail about the course objectives, tests, and outcomes below.

The Glock Armorers Course: An Overview

This course is a comprehensive immersion into Glock firearms, designed to equip law enforcement, civilians, gunsmiths, and enthusiasts with thorough knowledge of Glock pistol mechanics, functionality, and maintenance. Our class was made up of around 25% LE, 25% industry, and 50% enthusiasts.

Purpose and Goals

The advanced course focuses on a detailed understanding of Glock handguns, aiming to develop an expertise that goes beyond basic gun handling and field stripping. We reviewed Gen 5 Glock pistols in-depth (and when we say that, we mean things I didn’t even know existed. Like caliber codes on firing pins, different spring cups, and more) and got a look into the mechanics and differences between Gen 5, Gen 3, and Gen 4 models. From someone who has handled firearms, but didn’t understand the in-depth processes that go on behind these tools, it was an eye-opening experience, to say the least.

Becoming a Certified Glock Armorer

The certification signifies a deep understanding of the functioning of Glock pistols. For us at XS, Glock sights are our top-selling item. Glock is prolific in the firearms community and their handguns are widespread. With the volume of Glock owners, we needed more of our team to become certified Glock armorers to have an in-depth understanding of this popular handgun.

Course Curriculum: Delving into Glock Mechanics

Glock Disassembly

The course begins with a detailed breakdown of Glock models, emphasizing the understanding of each component. When going through the class, Ralph would start by talking us through the process. He showed us how to complete the step then he would have us complete it ourselves on a practice gun set up at each person's station.

Understanding the Mechanics

This section focused on the purpose and function of each part, fostering appreciation for Glock's design simplicity and reliability. For me, repetition in training is everything. The ability to see multiple times and then repeat the action really made learning the steps simple.

Hands-On Repairs and Maintenance

Participants gain practical experience in maintaining and repairing Glock pistols. Learning how to remove all parts and what to replace given a malfunction gives invaluable insight to an agency armorer or gunsmith. Ralph did a great job always communicating where most people have issues with their handguns and how we as armorers could mitigate those issues.

Sight Installation Tools

Skills in installing and adjusting sights for accuracy. Glock offers a sight pusher tool for their rear sight and a hex head front sight tool for installing and installing sights. Being a sight manufacturer, we at XS know that one of the most frequently changed items on a Glock pistol is removing the plastic factory sights to upgrade to aftermarket. Last year we launched the tools to make that change as easy as possible for folks at home. We offer 3 versions of Glock sight pusher tools to match your budget and experience. Shop XS sight pusher tools to compare with which is best for you. If you don’t want to buy a tool for a one-time job, no sweat. Send your slide to one of our team XS certified Glock armorers for installation. We can typically turn around your install in one business day.

Testing and Evaluation

The course culminates in a comprehensive test, ensuring practical proficiency in the skills acquired. For the Glock Armorer course test, we started with our practical exam. You must completely disassemble the pistol and reassemble the pistol within 10 minutes to pass this portion. It is a pass/fail test. Next, to complete certification you have to pass a multiple-choice exam. Miss 5 answers or more and you will have to retake the test. Ours was a visual test, questions were shown on the monitor at the front of the room, and you had to follow along and circle the answer you thought was correct. Not as easy as it sounds, but if you pay attention and immerse yourself into the class you’ll do great!

A Journey of Professional and Personal Growth

The Glock Armorers Course was a beneficial learning experience, providing deep insights into Glock craftsmanship. Our team walked away with a new appreciation for the simplicity and durability that Glock firearms offer consumers. The five-hour drive was a great team bonding experience too. Nothing like a car karaoke session to keep everyone wide awake on a late-night drive home. Thank you to our instructor Ralph Blue for hosting an insightful course. Live in the DFW area? There are now several Certified Glock Armorers near you!

DISCLAIMER: “GLOCK” is a registered trademark of GLOCK, Inc. and is one of many trademarks owned by GLOCK, Inc. XSSIGHTS nor this site are affiliated in any manner with, or otherwise endorsed by, GLOCK, Inc. The use of “GLOCK” on this page is merely to advertise the sale of aftermarket pistol parts, or components. For genuine GLOCK, Inc. products and parts visit www.glock.com.