Upgrading your Glock Back Plate is an easy way to transform the look and feel of your pistol, and add a personal touch to your firearm without breaking the bank. The Glock slide cover plate can be easily removed and replaced within minutes. My Southern Tactical has large selection of full color designs and even the option to Design Your Own with custom image upload. Made from high quality 6061 aluminum and durable UV printing these are built to last.
Are you a Glock owner interested in customizing your pistol for a unique look, easier identification, or a touch of personal flair? This comprehensive guide is designed specifically for Glock enthusiasts who want to upgrade their firearm with a custom Glock slide back plate. Here, you'll find everything you need to know about custom Glock slide back plates—including material choices, design options, installation instructions, and how to order the perfect back plate for your needs. Custom back plates matter because they allow for personalization, make it easier to identify your firearm at the range or in your collection, and enhance the overall aesthetics of your Glock. Whether you're new to customization or looking to take your pistol to the next level, this guide will walk you through every step.
Other Reputable Manufacturers for Custom Glock Slide Back Plates
While My Southern Tactical offers a wide range of custom options, there are several other reputable manufacturers to consider when shopping for a custom Glock slide back plate:
Bastion Gear: Known for a wide variety of engraved and metallic options, Bastion Gear provides both standard and custom designs.
NDZ Performance: Offers a large selection of engraved aluminum and brass rear slide cover plates, including options tailored for specific Glock generations.
MILSPIN: Specializes in 3D engraved plates made from aircraft-grade aluminum or brass, with a focus on veteran-made products.
Tyrant CNC: Provides precision-machined back plates with unique finishes and patterns.
Wing Tactical: Features a curated selection of high-quality custom Glock slide back plates from various manufacturers.
Exploring these brands can help you find the perfect combination of style, material, and craftsmanship for your Glock.
Overview of Glock Back Plate and Custom Back Plate Options
A Glock back plate, also known as a slide cover plate, is a small but essential component located at the rear of your Glock slide. The Glock back plate secures the firing pin assembly within the slide of the firearm and is a critical retention component that plays a role in the firearm's functionality. Without the back plate, the internal slide components—including the striker (firing pin assembly)—would be exposed and could be ejected due to the spring pressure inside the slide.
Many shooters choose to upgrade their factory back plate to enhance the look and feel of their Glock pistol. OEM back plates are typically made from plastic (polymer), so switching to a full metal back plate instantly provides a premium look and feel. Customization is key—slide covers are an easy way to make your pistol stand out from a sea of standard black pistols.
It's important to note that while Glock back plates are necessary for the firearm's operation, upgrading to a custom back plate is a cosmetic enhancement and does not improve shooting performance. That improvement comes only with practice.
Next, let’s look at the reasons why choosing a custom Glock back plate is a popular upgrade among Glock owners.
Reasons To Choose a Custom Glock Back Plate
As mentioned earlier, a custom back plate is an easy way to add your own personality to your pistol. This supports our motto here at My Southern Tactical, "Your Gun, Your Way."
Not only do custom slide plate covers add a personalization piece to your pistol, they also can help with identification at the range or within your own personal collection. Backplates are an easy way to mark the caliber of your pistol such as 9mm or 45acp, our Whatabullet 9 Glock Backplate is a great use case.
Looking to fully upgrade and customize your Glock pistol? A custom back plate should be your first stop on that list as an easy way to dip your toes in the Glock customization world, and boy is it a big world! Upgrading your backplate is a simple upgrade that only takes about 5 minutes, and can later be placed in a full custom slide, such as one from Jagerwerks.
Now that you know why a custom back plate is a great choice, let’s explore the unique printing and design options available.
UV Printed Laser Etched Glock Back Plates
Here at My Southern Tactical, we use a proven UV printing process to produce one-of-a-kind custom backplates with high quality graphics in vivid colors. Our ability to offer a full range of color on your backplates is what separates us from our competition. Speaking of our competition, check out the comparison chart below before making your choice.
Cost
Colors
Graphics
Design Your Own
MST
$26
Unlimited
Unlimited
Yep!
Milspin
$45
Max 3
Limited
Kinda ($75 FEE)
NDZ
$26
Max 3
Limited
No
Both Milspin and NDZ Performance, produce high quality premium back plates; however, they lack the full color and customization options available from MST.
Next, let’s break down the materials and finishes you can choose for your custom Glock back plate.
Materials and Finishes For Custom Glock Back Plates
Material Options
We use high quality 6061 aluminum for our Glock slide cover plates, which adds additional strength over the factory polymer backplate without adding extra weight to the rear of your pistol. Our Glock backplates are machined right here in the USA through our CNC partner located in Tampa, FL. Although other back plate materials exist, we find 6061 aluminum to be the sweet spot for backplates based on weight, strength, and cost. Titanium and stainless steel backplates add extra strength (although not needed) but come at a much higher cost and add significant weight to the rear of your pistol.
Finish Options
There are 2 different finish options available for MST custom back plates:
Regular - Accurate color match to design or photo (bottom)
Metallic - Changes colors to a metallic finish (top)
Now that you know the material and finish options, let's explore the different ways you can personalize your Glock back plate.
Custom Glock Back Plate Design Options
Upload Your Own Design
The options are endless—no, really, they are! Using our Design Your Own Backplate listing, users can upload any image or logo they like to have it professionally printed onto their backplate. Our UV process allows us to use a full range of color, so no detail will be lost from your photo to printing on your custom Glock back plate.
Pre-Made Designs
Don't have an exact image or photo you would like to use? Check out our collection of pre-made designs available, including patriotic, funny, and meme backplate designs. These are an affordable way to spice up the look of your Glock without going down the fully custom rabbit hole.
With your design options in mind, let’s make sure your custom back plate will fit your specific Glock model.
Glock Models Compatibility and Fitment With Glock Pistols
We currently have backplates that are compatible with most Gen 1-5 Glock pistols, and are actively working on producing ones to fit Glock's latest Glock V and Gen 6 pistol variants. Glock recently had to change the back plate design after several lawsuits on the ease of placing full-auto switches in previous generation pistols. Our two main Glock back plate sizes are Full-size and Slim.
FITMENT GUIDE: FULL SIZE - Fits ALL Full Frame Glock Gen 1-5 Models including (17, 17L, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 30sf, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 44, 45, 47) DOES NOT fit Glock 42 or Glock 43.
SLIMLINE - Fits Single Stack 9mm Slim-Frame Glock Models including 43/43X and 48.
If installing within an aftermarket Glock slide, we recommend checking with the slide manufacturers to ensure proper fitment of back plate.
Once you’ve confirmed compatibility, you’re ready to order your custom Glock back plate.
How To Order a Custom Glock Back Plate From My Southern Tactical
If purchasing one of our pre-made designs, it is as easy as selecting the size needed, adding to your cart, and checking out. We will produce your backplate within 1-3 business days and ship directly to you via USPS.
Our Design Your Own process has a couple more steps, including upload of your unique photo or logo design. Click choose file on the DYO backplate page to upload your image and see a live custom mockup of your finished Glock backplate. Here you can move and scale your image to your liking on the slide cover plate. No worries if you can't get it just perfect—we can make additional adjustments during our mockup approval and revision process.
After placing your Design Your Own order, we will send you a high quality mockup of your custom Glock backplate in the finish and size you request within 1-3 business days. Here we can make additional changes to your design to ensure everything is approved by you prior to fulfillment and shipping.
Need additional help with picking the right size or custom designs? We are here for you! Use our Contact page or call us directly at 407) 494-4067 during business hours.
Once your order is placed, you’ll want to know what to expect in terms of pricing, turnaround, and returns.
Pricing, Turnaround, and Return Policies For Glock Back Plates
Pricing:
$26 for pre-made options
$42 for our Design Your Own option.
The extra cost of the Design Your Own covers the extra time for file creation and errors in the fully custom production, as we sometimes have to print the item several times to get it dialed in just right.
Production Time:
1-3 Business Days - Pre-made Designs
3-5 Business Days - Design Your Own
Full Turnaround Time or Delivery Window will depend on the production time of the back plates as well as the shipping speed selected at checkout.
Now, let’s walk through the installation process for your new custom Glock slide back plate.
Work over a clean table (small parts can pop out). Consider eye protection.
Remove the Slide
Field strip: point in a safe direction, dry fire (per Glock field strip procedure), pull slide slightly back, pull down takedown tabs, remove slide from frame.
Remove the Factory Backplate
Hold the slide muzzle-down (helps control parts).
Use a small flat screwdriver/punch/armorer tool to depress the spacer sleeve at the rear of the slide (this is the part most guides highlight).
While it’s depressed, use your thumb to slide the backplate downward slightly.
Keep your thumb covering the back as you continue sliding the plate off—there’s spring tension and parts can jump.
Once the plate clears, slowly release pressure and remove the backplate.
Install the New Backplate
Start the new backplate into the rear slide rails from the bottom, sliding it upward.
You’ll typically need to depress the spacer sleeve (and sometimes the extractor depressor plunger area) so the plate can pass and seat.
Slide until it fully seats/locks flush—no gaps.
Quick Function Checks
Reinstall barrel + recoil spring, put slide back on frame.
Rack slide and do a basic trigger reset check (unloaded), and ensure nothing binds.
With your new back plate installed, let’s address some frequently asked questions.
Frequently Asked Questions About Glock Back Plates
How do I know what backplate to get?
FULL = Gen 1-5 Full Size Glock
SLIM = Gen 1-5 43/43x and 48
Coming Soon = GEN V and Gen 6 Glock
Are MST aftermarket Glock back plates durable?
MST custom UV printed are extremely durable against scratches, drops, and chemicals. We have used the same proven process on Glock back plates for over 4 years now. Our choice of Aluminum 6061 material is also widely used in the firearm industry and shows proven durability and strength.
Do back plates affect functionality?
No. Original functionality is preserved, backplates are purely an aesthetic upgrade to your pistol.
Now that your questions are answered, here’s why you should choose My Southern Tactical for your next custom Glock back plate.
Why Choose My Southern Tactical For Custom Glock Back Plates
My Southern Tactical is a small owner-operated shop located in Orlando, FL where all Glock backplates are produced in house using materials sourced directly in the USA. No matter what design you have in mind, we can make it come to life using our full color capabilities and our fully custom Design Your Own listing option.
Have an issue with one of our products? Reach out to us directly via email or phone for a full replacement or refund.
DISCLAIMER: “GLOCK” is a federally registered trademark of GLOCK, Inc. and is one of many trademarks registered by GLOCK, Inc. and GLOCK Ges.m.b.H. Neither My Southern Tactical nor this site are affiliated in any manner with, or otherwise endorsed by, GLOCK, Inc. or GLOCK Ges.m.b.H. The use of “GLOCK” on this page is merely to advertise the sale of GLOCK pistols, parts, or components. For additional genuine GLOCK, Inc. and GLOCK Ges.m.b.H products and parts visit www.glock.com.
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