Custom Glock Stippling Service ~ Article Review & Video

John Crump reviews a Custom Glock stippling service with great custom gun results.

Custom Glock Stippling
Custom Glock Stippling Starburst Pattern

John Crump

U.S.A. –(Ammoland.com)- I was looking over my gun collection and noticed how boring my generation 3 Glock 17 looked.

Other than Ameriglo night sights it was bone stock.

I decided that it would be my next custom firearm project. I am very hesitant about carrying a modified firearm, but since this will be a show pistol I decided “why not”.

Normally I go with a big company like Agency Arms. But this time I wanted to look for smaller companies that are run by people chasing their American Dream.

To start this custom Glock build I decided to get the frame customized.

I knew this meant getting the Custom Glock Stippling done.

I usually hate handgun stippling. This is mostly because most stipple jobs are done by someone with a soldering iron, like the Weller Wlc100 40-Watt Soldering Iron, after watching a couple of DIY Youtube videos. While there are some great Stippling Kits available, I just knew I didn’t want to handle this myself because my artistic abilities are lacking, so I set out to find a professional who could make my Glock really stand out.

After days of searching for the right company and looking through 100s of Glock handgun stippling pictures, of different people’s stipple jobs, I found one that just stood out. I just kept coming back to it over and over again. The stippling looked clean and professional. It didn’t look like a hack job that a lot of stippling companies do. I looked up who did the stippling to find out the company that did it.

That company was Damato Custom Stippling out of Sierra Vista, AZ. I filled out the contact form on their website to see if they would be willing to customize my fame. In less than 24 hours I was contacted back and told that they were taking on customization orders and sent me a form to fill out.

Damato Custom Stippling is run by Chris Damato. From talking to Chris I learned that he is an active duty soldier in the US Army. He is an aviator flying both helicopters and airplanes for the Army. He has been doing stippling work since 2008 starting primarily on M&P backstraps and then he started doing other firearms models. Chris does everything by hand.

Chris and I emailed back and forth for a bit about his work. It was around then I decided to write a series of articles about this build. Because I was going to use this for a review I put everything in Chris’s hands. I told him to do his best work and use his imagination. I was going to give as little input as possible.

I know this really wasn’t fair to Chris, but in order to do a complete review of Damato Custom Stippling I needed to see Chris’s creativity. If I gave my input onto the project I wouldn’t be able to give a full review of his skill and creativity. What I was looking for was uniqueness and attention to detail, and that is what I got.

I sent my Glock 17 frame to Chris. Damato Custom Stippling also happens to be a full-service FFL so there was no need to send it to a local FFL and the firearm frame was able to be mailed directly back to me. This helps a lot since I didn’t have to pay for transfers fees going in and going out.

When I got the frame back I was worried I wouldn’t like it which means I just destroyed my stock Glock 17. I nervously opened the box and pulled out the frame. When I saw it I was absolutely blown away. I usually wait until the end of my articles to say if I would recommend the service or not but Chris’s work is just too good to wait. The work far exceeded my expectations.

Glock 17 with Damato Custom Stippling's Starburst Pattern
Glock 17 with Damato Custom Stippling’s Starburst Pattern

The grip is done in what Chris calls a starburst pattern. Chris came up with the starburst pattern because there was nothing like it out on the market when he first designed it. The pattern starts from a single point on the back strap of the gun and radiates out like an explosion. The lines are clean and uniform. The love the starburst pattern and is what originally drew me to Chris’s work. I can’t imagine how long it would take to make that pattern on my own. Chris really impressed me with the pattern.

Chris Damato also removed the finger groves. I was hesitant about this because I am so used to the finger grooves. To my surprise this made the Glock frame more comfortable in my hand. Also the stippling offered a superior grip over the stock texture of the grip that Glock has on on their Glock 17s. I didn’t think it would make a big difference, but it does help out a lot.

Chris made the magazine release recessed. This makes it easier to press the magazine release button. I prefer this to an extended magazine release buttons due to my fear of accidentally releasing the magazine out of my firearm. I have not done this myself, but do have friends that have done this exact thing with an extended magazine release button on their Glocks.

Glock 17 handgun with Custom Magazine Release Recess : Glock Handgun Stippling
Glock 17 handgun with Custom Magazine Release Recess

The magazine release button was also stippled which made it match the frame. It was these little things that I really liked about the job Chris did. This shows an attention to detail that I was looking for. Not only was it stippled, but the Glock handgun stippling matched up perfectly with the rest of the frame.

The stippling extends to the trigger guard. The front and part of the bottom of the trigger guard were also stippled. This give the trigger guard an aggressive look. The Glock handgun stippling also goes with the rest of the frame and really completes the look.

Glock 17 Trigger Guard Stippling
Glock 17 Trigger Guard Stippling
Glock 17 Trigger Guard with Custom Stippling
Glock 17 Trigger Guard with Custom Stippling

The trigger guard also had a double undercut. These undercuts were very smooth and clean. These undercuts give the firearm a unique look. This modification is not only for looks. It also allows you to grip the Glock a little higher which gives you more control over the firearm. Also by holding the gun higher up on the grip it is more comfortable than with the standard Glock grip from the factory. I have been screaming for years that Glock should do this modification from the factory.

Over all I could not be more happy with the job Chris did. Damato Custom Stippling crushed it in every way. Chris did give me a small discount on this order, but I would have gladly paid the full price because of his workmanship. I will probably be doing more work with Chris in the future, and I would send anyone who is looking to get a gun modified to Damato Custom Stippling.

Damato Custom Glock handgun stippling can be found on the web at www.damatocustomstippling.com

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About John Crump

John is a NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. He is the former CEO of Veritas Firearms, LLC and is the co-host of The Patriot News Podcast which can be found at www.blogtalkradio.com/patriotnews. John has written extensively on the patriot movement including 3%’ers, Oath Keepers, and Militias. In addition to the Patriot movement, John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and is currently working on a book on the history of the patriot movement and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss or at www.crumpy.com.

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gcm

I like my Glocks, I have several in assorted calibers and for the smallest, I use the wrap for the grip and works great for me, and my 43 I left alone, it has an extended mag to go from six to eight rounds with plenty to hold on to. The only complaint would be from the factory make the stock grips deeper and a little rougher, and the slide rack cuts need to be narrower and deeper and sharper like on the makorov. On mine it racks perfect, even with the heavy spring, but for the Glock here pictured,… Read more »

Pat

Ugly as sin!

Mike0369

Soldering iron, with different tips, cut at different angles/shapes, and a bit of emery cloth. Plan the pattern, and just do it. The most difficult frame is the FIRST one. It’s really no big deal.

John Crump

Obviously you overestimate my artist abilities. 100% chance if I did it the frame would end up in the garbage. :-). I am an engineer not an artist.