Diving deep into Glock connectors *not finished*

Here you will find a brief description of various Glock connectors, both factory and aftermarket. The information provided will be updated as time and new connectors come about.

The data for break weight was taken with a digital Wheeler gauge and the test gun was a Glock 26 frame with a Glock 19 slide. The slide has a factory striker spring and a reduced weight plunger spring. Each connector had a different wall location or creep before breaking and I did what I could to express that.

I measured the approximate angle of each connector to help understand why some broke they way that they did and so it could be seen how the ledge affects the characteristics of the trigger break. The angles measured are approximate and as close as I was able to get them. The ledge angle is just one aspect, but it is perhaps the most important one, as the broader the angle, the softer the trigger will normally break. However with this more open angle, you also get a longer trigger pull because a sharper angle means the trigger bar will travel a shorter distance reward while the sear/cruciform drops quicker. The wider the angle, the longer it takes the sear/cruciform to drop. This is why you get the rolling break or additional creep/sponge in some connectors.

The Ghost Edge and Evo, however, are a special case, as though they have the most open angle, their reaction is amongst the most crisp. This little trick has to do with their innovate design, bringing the connector ledge farther forward, interacting with the trigger bar in a more positive way.

Videos and pictures will begin to populate this post as it all comes together. See something wrong or want to comment, feel free to send me an email. 

Glock Plus–

This is the grumpy old man of the bunch. Created in an effort to relive times gone past, when police carried revolvers and cars were cranked over by hand. This connector will give you an 8lb trigger pull, just as its street name says. It has the flattest ledge of the bunch. It has no benefits in any metric except to build up your finger strength. Reset is the same as the Glock unmarked or Dot, however it is an angry reset that makes you realize that he is disappointed in your life choices up to this point. Rank: They don’t make them like they used.

Glock Unmarked-

If you have a gen 3 Glock, this is what you were issued from the factory. It is a well-rounded, well designed connector that works. It goes to work at 7am in the morning, it pays it’s taxes, and goes to its son’s baseball games. Reliable to a fault and remarkable in being unremarkable in this line up. There are no surprises here, it breaks at 5.5-6lbs in most guns and resets in normal Glock fashion. With pretravel limiting, this could be the very best option for a duty gun, and is one of the reasons that it is normal issue in Glock pistols. Rank: Vanilla Ice cream, it complements other modifications, but on it’s own there is not much to be said.

Glock Dot-

The gen 4 Glock came out and quickly made a bad name for itself, almost making all the good of previous generations forgotten. One of those places that suffered was the trigger break, hitting almost 7lbs because of revised geometry and a tumor on the trigger bar. To help alleviate this, Gaston’s engineers came out with the Dot connector. Straddling the fence between the fabled minus, and the plain clothes unmarked connectors, it maintained a good crisp break with a reduced weight that is perfect for a defense pistol. For many, this is the porridge that is just right and you can dig in without worry, especially paired with a gen 3 trigger bar. 4.5-5lbs and same reset as the other Glock OEM’s. Rank: The Larry, overlooked when compared to the other Stooges, but extremely capable and could hold the show down if given the chance.

Glock Minus-

This is the Austrian Olympic rated athlete, issued to the factory race gun, the Glock 34. Said to be an update on the original (Lonewolf 721 is claimed to be the original pattern) the design does speak of some advancements compared to all but the more racy of connectors. The trigger break is clean and true, very little in the way of creep before the break, which comes in the range of 3lbs 10oz to 4lbs. This bad boy shows that Glock knows their own design very well, and without going too far out of the box, created a connector that easily stands with the aftermarket names, while maintaining a reliability factor and compatibility ranking with their out of the box connectors. While the one fly in the punchbowl is a .020″ slower reset, it is a small price to pay for a connector that retains Glock reliability with race gun trigger feel. Rank: Vanilla Ice, if your trigger has a problem, it will solve it.

Ghost 3.5-

Sporting an iPhone from three years ago and telling you about his Angry Birds score, this connector is living in a heyday that has passed. He tells you how awesome he is, but the results are lackluster at best, and more than a few people will tell you of his failings. Still considered the go to for a herd of Glock owners, the cheap buy in and experience level of most buyers of this connector keep it afloat. With a reset that is longer than factory by .040-.060” the broad angle of the ledge give this a 4.5lb break in most frames with more sponge than a Saturday morning cartoon. This is one connector to pass on. Rank: Cougar….flying in the danger zone, this one will fold under the pressure. Best to go somewhere else for your Top Gun.

Ghost Edge 3.5-

Sadly, when most people see this connector’s price, they default to the above connector because, hey, they are both rated at 3.5lbs yet one is double the price! With some of the most ingenious innovations in the connector world built into it, this piece is a high performance Ferrari in a world of Ford’s. Just look at its sleek lines and exotic design….there is a reason for that. The trigger bar ledge is .075” farther forward, allowing it to engage sooner than the competition. What does that do? A quicker and cleaner trigger pull that also allows the smoother angle drop the sear without all the mush that reduced weight connectors normally give. Breaking at 3.8-4lbs with a .040” quicker reset than factory is nothing to scoff at! *Note, the reset tab sits lower in the frame than a factory connector, which could produce reset issues in some guns* Rank: John Wick after his dog is killed.

Ghost Evo Elite-

Did you get sticker shock with the Edge 3.5? Hold your latte and remember that while an RMR looks cool sitting on your slide, the connector is one way that you can make your trigger truly worthy of mounting an optic of that caliber. Remember all that good stuff wrote about the Edge 3.5? Turn it up to 11 with the Evo Elite, this is a legitimate race car….however, like a race car, it can be a little temperamental and needs tuned to the driver. It features an overtravel tab that will need to be fitted to your particular frame and trigger combination, and once you get it filed down, you will wonder how you ever lived without it. Your trigger will break and hit a solid wall that allows you to immediately start the reset process, allowing for faster follow up shots. The ledge is set forward .125” an aggressive distance that might be too much for some frames, but is almost perfection with others. 3.5-4lb break and a reset that is .040” quicker than Gaston’s connectors will put a big smile on your face. Rank: Supercar, but not for everyone or every frame.    *Ghost will warranty out or trade any connector that you buy for a lifetime, and they have an upgrade program that allows you to pay the difference if you want to step up from the little leagues. Not a bad idea to replace this connector every year via the warranty program*

Ghost Angel 3.0-

Out of nowhere I was touched by an angel, and Arthur Viani says it is the Angel of Death!! I do know that it blew its own trumpet in standard Ghost fashion, claiming to again revolutionize the modern world and bring my Glock out of the stone ages. Taking the Quasimodo lookalike grand prize, this connector gave me some hope when I initially saw it. That hump on its back ( or is it waving hi?) actually looked to solve two possible gripes that I had with the Edge, it got rid of the stress riser of the disconnect tab while also bringing that same tab up to the proper height. That alone made me quite happy and if they had left it at that, while maintaining the same amazing characteristics of the Edge, I would have been a happy trigger dude. What arrived (quickly, I might add, without upgrading the shipping) was yet another foray into pushing the limits that may or may not have paid off. In my test Glock it broke at 3.0-3.5lbs with the same crisp feeling that the other Ghost race connectors champion. Edging out the Edge 3.5 and Evo Elite, but gave me a fit in two different frames when it came to reset. Without a magazine in, the reset was a quick .040″ faster than factory…..but putting the firearm in a ready condition saw the striker release while trying to bring the trigger forward. So….at this time, the Angel fell from Heaven like lightning. Rank: Wings are clipped until I can get another sample to test.

LoneWolf Classic 3.5 (PN#——–)-

This is the cardio loving connector who eats only kale to keep that fine figure. He swears he is not on meth, but with a track record that is a little spotty at times, it makes you wonder. There are stories of great success, and there are stories of him breaking like a twig after heavy use, but what is sure is a reduced trigger pull of 4-4.5lbs with a .040” reduction in reset distance. Travel is similar to the Ghost 3.5, meaning it is remarkable only in a spongy sort of way. Safely mid pack with a price that matches. Recommended over the Ghost 3.5, just barely. Rank: The Val Kilmer Batman of connectors.

Lonewolf 721 Minus-

Touted as a rebirth of a long lost Glock minus connector that is no longer produced, this second coming of an Austrian messiah is as life changing as the year 2012 was to the universe…..as in when installed, nothing happened. The required amount of trigger travel to drop the sear just wasn’t going to happen with the combination in that particular frame. With a magazine in, pushing the slide upwards, I was just barely able to get it to break, which, like your brother in law who always has a friend who has a guy for that yet never shows when you need him, is pretty much worthless. Perhaps, this is why Glock redesigned the 721 into the beast that I talked about above. Either way, this connectors failing probably speaks of a very long trigger pull with an extreme rolling break/mushy feel that for some will be the greatest thing ever, but for myself is too vague. No break weight could be ascertained with this connector and frame combination. Rank: The guy in charge of not letting the Dinosaurs escape in Jurassic Park.

Lonewolf 342-1 Target Connector- This recent release from Lonewolf is a slightly modified version of the Ghost Edge 3.5, sharing almost the exact same ledge angle and adjusted placement as the Ghost. This is not terrible, but as sometimes happens, the copy is not quite what the original set out to accomplish. From a strictly structural standpoint, this is a more stable design without the disconnect tab weak point that is present in the Edge, and a .003″ thicker body. That is all fine and dandy, but how does it act in the gun? The trigger is slightly spongy, breaking at 3.8-4.2lbs comfortably with a reset that matches a factory unmarked connector. While not an extreme performer, it does seem to have some good characteristics at a price point below the Ghost. Rank: The generic cereal that your parents put in your Fruit Loops box that tastes pretty damn good, but the colors are a little off.

Zev Race V4-

His hat is backwards and a set of Beats headphones plug up his earholes, the Race V4 knows he is the shit and proves it by spitting out some freestyle that makes you more than a little impressed. However, this is quickly overshadowed when he drives off in a Toyota Camry. The surprise of this funky looking (and now discontinued) connector is a trigger bar ledge that is slightly moved forward producing an aggressive reset profile that is .080” quicker than factory and the current champ in this line up! The down side, some frames will double fire with this connector and is most likely the reason it finds itself put out to pasture. Before you go out grabbing one up, he drove off in a Camry, and the trigger pull is just as forgettable as that road appliance. Rolling softly to a sear drop at 4-4.5lbs, the Race V4 is found to be lacking unless you are good with a cushy break, but a lightning fast reset. Rank: Reese Bobby, unreliable but with some characteristics that can redeem itself.

Zev Pro-

Hot off the tail of the former Race V4, is the Pro. Just looking at it, you could mistake it for a polished up Glock Minus connector, except for the hash marks on the reset ear. This is the Bruce Banner of the group, at first glance you see another shiny connector, but when you make him angry, and all it takes to upset him is to drop him in your frame, this entry shows a new side that rivals the Ghost Edge 3.5 for trigger feel! Nestled right up against the wall when brought past the initial travel, this connector has minimal creep before a clean break at 4.2-4.8lb pull that resets .040” quicker than factory. For a traditionally designed connector, this one surprised me and is in my recommended list. With a low buy in price, it will not hurt the wallet. It is not the lightest in the group, feeling like the Dot connector, but with less creep and a faster reset, it has a lot going for it. Setting it up for competition is only a striker spring change away. Rank: Ethan Hunt, not as flashy as Bond, but more than willing to go the distance to get the job done.

Lantac 3.5 Super Short Reset-

A relative newcomer to the scene, but with a vary familiar shape and cut that speaks of another manufacturer that might be a relative to Casper the friendly apparition. This connector just kind of did the job, not good and not really bad. It did brag a little loudly, but when you look at the claim it does kind of make sense. It is definitely a super short reset in comparison to a Colt Single Action Army, so yeah….go you guys! But in the world of Glock connectors, it matched a factory unmarked for reset. Breaking at an average of 4lbs, it was a bit spongy, but would make for a decent, if unforgettable, option. No innovation other than a decent polish job  Rank: no need for this to exist.*****Lantac Update from TriggerMan USA  below*****

NDZ 3.5- This was yet another surprise. Expecting this to be another Ghost 3.5 copy without any outstanding features and a boring and mushy break, the NDZ came out mimicking the Glock minus the closest out of the bunch! The reset was the same as the other factory units, which is nothing to be ashamed of. At a price point that is less than half a Glock minus, it is perhaps the hidden bargain of the bunch! The finish is clean and polished. Rank: The Walther of connectors. An excellent design that doesn’t get recognized.

Double Diamond 3.5- Coming in the most garish packaging I have ever seen a connector come in, I wore gloves when I unpackaged it, because I did not want to get the Lenny snake oil over my hands. Looking past the packaging, I found a connector that looked like it was carved by ‘special’ cavemen. This particular connector is coated with nickel teflon, which is a very nice touch when you have edges that give a steak knife a run for it’s money. However, looks aside, this connector gave a consistent 3.5lb trigger pull each and every time out which speaks highly of the nickel teflon coating. The reset was only a little faster than Macgill’s finally bringing the SS80 to the people, being .020″ slower than factory. The trigger feel is good and with a price that just beats out the Ghost Edge, it is an option that warrants looking at, but the fit and finish puts me off. Rank: Solid performer that may or may not give you cancer. 

Apex Tactical Performance Connector- I had been told by several sources, some more reliable than others, that this was a repackaged Glock Minus with their logo etched on. What showed up in my shop was familiar alright, but not what I had heard. Down below the pictures will speak for themselves. The funny thing is….when you look it up online to buy, the picture does not match what I had come through the shop. Take a look at the pictures and then go read the Lonewolf 721 section for my personal experience with this twin.  Now, I do not know if this is a permanent change and they have not had a chance to update their website or if somehow I received a Chinese clone, but I know this connector came from  shop that works closely with Apex, so the authenticity of this connector is kind of hard to question. Rank: The Freaky Friday post drug burnout Lindsay Lohan of connectors.