The Rundown
The MR920 is basically a souped-up Glock 19 clone, but that characterization doesn’t do the gun justice. Shadow Systems started as a Glock customization company, then debuted its own version in 2018. Shadow Systems used the Glock Gen3 and Gen4 as a base but redesigned many of the parts and features to align with the best customizations the company was being asked to do.
On Shadow’s current line, almost everything – including the frame, barrel and nearly all the internal parts – is produced in-house in Texas to tolerances tighter than you’ll found on Glock parts.
MR920 vs. Glock Gen6
The upgrades copied by Glock that were already on the MR920 are:
- Upgraded grip texture that comes up high on the grip to lock in your support hand
- Trigger guard undercut to reduce “Glock finger”
- Extended beavertail to help with recoil control and slide bite
- Molded-in thumb shelf/gas pedal
- Improved optics mounting system
- More aggressive slide serrations
- Fenced slide lock lever to reduce accidental engagement
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Flat-faced trigger
Features on the MR920 that are not on the new Glock are:
- Aluminum trigger
- Optional magazine well
- Steel recoil guide rod
- Ameriglo iron sights
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Fluted, match-grade barrel
With all these great features, the MR920 is like a Glock on steroids. I have had a lot of time behind my personal MR920 and have never had a malfunction. It’s dead reliable. I’ve fed it with both Glock and Magpul magazines, which come with it, and have had no issues. For my testing, I also tried a pair of KCI +2 base plates. I put them on 17-round Glock mags, which gave me a total of 19 rounds, and they ran perfectly.
Optics System
Shadow Systems’ reliability extends to the optics mounting system. While Glock upgraded its MOS plate system on the Gen6 models, users have reported a lot of issues with Glock’s system in the past.
The Shadow Systems red dot interface, on the other hand, is outstanding. Instead of using plates, it has multiple screw holes so that many different footprints can mount directly to the slide. To lock the optic into the cutout, wedges are included. This is a rock-solid system that is also flexible, and Shadow Systems includes all the wedges and screws you will need to mount any popular dot.
This Certified Used gun came with a Holosun 509T enclosed emitter dot. As with all the Holosun optics I’ve experienced, it worked well. It seems the previous owner did some custom work and cut out camo tape for the optic, which is a great idea and looks fantastic.
Grip Mechanics
It’s clear the Shadow System engineers are shooters. The adjustable backstraps can provide multiple grip angles to suit your preferences, and the combination of the trigger guard undercut, beavertail, and magazine well locks the hands into place to help control recoil.
It feels like it shoots flatter than a stock Glock 19, because you can grip and control the gun more efficiently. The thumb shelf helps even more, if you use it correctly. Despite being a small, carry-sized gun, you can push the MR920 fast since it has such well-integrated control surfaces.
Trigger
Accuracy was excellent. The match barrel shoots much better than a stock Glock barrel, and groups at 15 yards were great.
While the trigger is flat-faced and better than a stock Glock trigger, and in 2018 it was a great striker-fired trigger, there are better triggers available today. Other than that, I don’t think there is anything else negative I can say about the MR920. It is really the one place Shadow Systems has not kept up with the industry. I will say my personal gun, which has many thousands of rounds through it, has worn in nicely and is a bit better of a trigger than this test sample.
Conclusion
