I have to be honest, when I first heard that Recover Tactical had created a system that enclosed a Glock pistol in another chassis (which they call a “platform”), I was a bit skeptical. I’ve tried similar systems in the past, and the results were not encouraging. This sort of system has a pistol mounted inside the chassis which holds whatever sights or optic you wish to use, rather than on the pistol itself. This means that any flexing or movement of the pistol inside of the chassis would alter the relationship of where your barrel is pointing and where your sights are aimed, throwing your shots off-target. This is—sub-optimal, so I’ve avoided these systems altogether and stuck with either red-dot sights on my carry pistol, or a purpose-built, pistol-caliber, large-format pistol.
However, Recover Tactical has taken a slightly different approach to their P-IX platform. Rather than connect the chassis to the frame of the pistol, leaving the grip exposed for use, the Recover Tactical P-IX encloses the entire pistol in the chassis. This results in a system that is somewhat similar to an AR-15 in operation and provides more points of contact between the pistol and the chassis, creating a more secure bond between optic and gun.
Using the P-IX starts with a larger-sized Glock pistol. There is a list of compatible guns on Recover Tactical’s website, but practically any pistol that Glock makes that is G19-sized or larger will work with this system. However, if there is a red dot mounted on top of your slide, that will have to come off before mounting in the chassis. There is an adaptor that fits on the back of your slide that allows the use of an external charging handle, and that’s about all the assembly required. The pistol then goes into the shell and is securely closed at three different locations.
Recover Tactical advertises the P-IX as turning your Glock into an AR, and it does, sorta. The grip on the shell attaches like an AR-15 grip and feels the same in your hand. The magazines slide into the magwell just forward of the trigger guard, just like an AR-15. There is a safety selector on the right side, just above the grip, just like an AR-15. The charging handle is right where you’d expect it to be on a side-charging AR.
Setting Up The P-IX
However, there are a few noticeable differences. There is no slide stop button, for instance, and the magazine release is on the opposite side from where you’d expect it to be in an AR-15. The trigger isn’t anything to write home about. Because it needs a long connecting rod to activate the trigger on the pistol inside the chassis, the P-IX has a long pull, longer than a standard Glock pistol and it requires much more effort as well, 10 pounds on the model I tested. One thing of note is that there are two “gas pedals” on either side of the shell where you can rest your thumbs while shooting (more on those in a little bit).
I inserted a stock Glock G19 Gen 4 into the gun and closed everything up. There was one more step before I went to the range, however, and that was to mount a Leupold Deltapoint Pro optic on the P-IX using a Fix-It Sticks torque wrench and then get a rough zero at 10 yards using a laser sighting system. At the range, after confirming the zero on the gun, I shot two drills with it using Winchester 147-grain FMJ ammunition. Based on my experiences with other systems, I wasn’t expecting good results, but I thought, hey, let’s go through the motions anyway and get this over with.
Range Testing
The first drill was five shots, slow fire at a target 25 yards away with the P-IX to test its accuracy. I shot the same test with another dead-stock Glock G19, this one with a Swampfox Liberty red dot on top of it. The G19 pistol and dot combination turned in a 3.02-inch group, while the P-IX turned in a 1.3-inch group.
Hmmn, there might be something to this thing after all, I thought.
I then did a speed test with the P-IX compared to the Glock G19 and dot, shooting five rounds from low ready at a 7x12-inch steel plate 25 yards away. I managed to get five hits in 7.0 seconds with the Glock G19, and got five hits in 5.49 seconds with the P-IX.
OK, I was wrong, The P-IX actually works like it’s supposed to work. I was both faster and more accurate at longer ranges with the P-IX than with the G19 by itself. Technique had a lot to do with this. I initially started out using the P-IX with a single-point sling attached to the back, pressing it out to the target in a manner made famous by the British SAS in the Prince’s Gate assault. However, when I ditched the sling and went to a “push/pull” grip similar to what I use with a tactical shotgun, my groups tightened up and I was able to recover the sights on-target faster than other methods. The “gas pedal” protrusions on the outside of the shell really helped with this and show that a lot of thought went into the design of this system. Best of all, the Deltapoint optic on top kept its zero throughout the entire range session, producing hit after accurate hit during the 200 rounds I put through this gun.
The Recover Tactical P-IX system turns your stock Glock pistol into a viable alternative to a dedicated pistol-caliber carbine, producing quick, accurate hits out to 25 yards and beyond. The addition of a stock (after the appropriate paperwork has been approved by the federal government) would only increase its capability to make hits on demand. MSRP for the base P-IX platform is $199.95, and more information on this product and other gear from Recover Tactical is available at recovertactical.com.
