Practical (and Cool) Pistol Accessories: Some Top Picks

Modular platforms like modern sporting rifles are, far and away, much more linked to accessorization and expansion than most pistol platforms. Many handguns don’t even have rail sections or mounts that can be used to expand with pistol accessories anyway.

Worry not, though. Firearms and accessories manufacturers have gotten over this hurdle. Here are some of the top pistol accessories you can use to improve your confidence, handling, and accuracy, all while personalizing your gun.

1. Mag pouches

Back in the day, before there were tactical mag carriers for modern sporting rifles and tactical vests, there were mag pouches. Soldiers carried them, officials carried them, and probably, some civilians did, too.

You can still buy mag pouches here on our website, but they have a much more “historic” look to them than a tactical one. They’re not designed for MOLLE systems and they lack tactical clips, but they’re still practical, if you ask us.

2. Drum mags

Yes, there actually are drum mags for pistols, and yes, we do sell them. Are they really useful? That’s up for debate, but they are functional, and they can dramatically expand the capacity of your pistol platform.

Consider this drum mag for 1911 pistols. If you’ve always dreamt of jumping from 8 rounds to 28 rounds, this is for you.

3. Trigger-guard mounted lasers

Many popular handguns don’t have rail mounts - like most classic 1911 pistols and 1911-style pistols. Some do, and others don’t.

That doesn’t mean you can’t mount a laser sight to the gun, somehow. Manufacturers have gotten around this roadblock by designing trigger-guard-mounted laser sights that can be used to augment and improve your reflexive shooting, especially at close ranges and in the dark.

4. WMLs

There is a saying, “What you can’t see can kill you,” and unfortunately, it has some merit. Therefore, one of the most useful pistol accessories you can use to expand your platform is a WML, or weapon-mounted light.

There are a ton of reputable WML manufacturers, such as Olight, many of which produce gun lights that are designed to be mounted to trigger guards, thus circumventing the (lack of) rail issue.

5.Mini red dot sights

If iron sights like night sights or fiber optic sights just don’t cut it for you, remember, you can mount optics to your pistol.

What’s interesting here is that many mini red dot sights don’t necessarily even require a rail. Some are designed to be mounted by removing the rear iron sight and using the slot milled into the slide for that purpose.

So, once again, no rail is no problem.

6. Snap caps

Snap caps rank really low on the “cool” scoring for the purposes of this list of pistol accessories, but they are about as useful as useful comes.

Snap caps are great for dry fire training, as they can help prevent firing pin damage associated with dropping the hammer on an empty chamber. Just remember, always treat your pistol as though it were loaded, even when dry fire training.

Other people like to use snap caps to store their pistols with the springs decompressed, for long-term storage.

Snap caps can also be used to practice loading and handling, too.

7.Mag loaders

Mag loaders are some of the coolest and most practical pistol accessories we sell. They’re great for lots of reasons.

One is they save your thumbs and protect your magazine’s feed lips or feed ramps. The ramps or lips of your magazine are a relatively sensitive area that can be easily damaged, and, if so, will hamper cycling.

Mag loaders are also great for those who shoot at ranges that charge by the hour. Bringing a mag loader to the range means you can spend more time shooting and less time loading.

8. Cleaning kits

You can buy a cleaning rod, jags, patches, solvent, and gun oil, or you can save a few bucks by buying a bundle like a Hoppe’s cleaning kit.

They also don’t score too well in terms of cool-factor, but in terms of utility, they are shockingly useful pistol accessories. Every gun needs to be cleaned now and then.

9.Overmolded Grips

Grip ergonomics have much more of an impact on how well you handle muzzle jump and recoil fatigue. Aside from how you grip the pistol, the gun’s dimensions play a very large part in control and handling.

There are some companies that make overmolded grips that alter the size and contours of a gun’s grips. If your pistol currently doesn’t provide good ergs or you feel an alteration to the grip is in order, consider changing them. For most guns, it’s not a particularly involved project.

Shop SARCO, Inc., for These and Other Pistol Accessories and Parts

Looking for some other odd pistol part or accessory that you don’t see here? Get in touch with us at 610-250-3960 or come visit us in Easton, Pennsylvania and we’ll connect you with what you need.