I have never had to fix something like that. But I have done a stripping job on polymer frames.
I bet if you can find access to a heating gun or some-form of heating element. I have a paint stripper gun for example. I would try to reform as best I could the displaced plastic [working extremely slowly and tacking your time this is key]. This will not fix it all it is to just merely get the biggest parts of the deformation some what straight and into the correct position. After that I would use a small file set. Sear’s sell these and clean it up the rest the best that I could from there.
The dustcover is hardly a critical part of the firearm but the LAST thing you want to do is apply heat with the intention of deforming the material in an area that could come in contact with the recoil spring assembly.
To the OP.
Simply knock off the sharp edges with sandpaper and find a light that will lock into the remainder of your guns rail slot. Call it a day.
I think this is over thinking it! Wouldn’t it be easier to call Glock up on Monday and see if they can do something to make it how it’s supposed to be, instead of doing a hack job on it? Not knocking you at all, I just don’t want the OP to sand it down and then call Glock in a month when nothing will attach, and have Glock say “well you sanded your rail down, what were you expecting…”.
I think Glock is already going to say " what were you thinking?"
Do not apply heat to a plastic gun to mold small areas! What do you think is going to happen to the frame!? Bending/twisting out of alignment is what. Call Glock. Listen to them laugh and turn y ou down, THEN use the file/sanding sparingly. As mentioned above, you still have a great pistol! Use a handheld flashlight technique and call it a night!
Yep. And getting an entirely new frame will have the associated paperwork of buying a new gun. The serial number plate is permanently affixed to the frame.
Maybe I worded it wrong? I would not heat the entire rail/dust cover to that point. Just the displaced plastic and only just to get what I could to lay down. A plain cigarette lighter would probably work if you were real careful and didn’t hold it to the flame. And the you would still have to sand or file it down. My whole point is if you can push some of the material down then that is less that you have to take off with sandpaper.
Your way should work also ,it is just my mentality I always want to remove as little material as possible. They do use a propane torch briskly waving it over the plastic frame to reduplicate the factory textured surface:eek: Witch is way out of my comfort zone of doing, But I am just stating what some gunsmiths do to plastic frames. Ultimately its up to the OP to decide what he is comfortable with.
To the OP if you have ever wanted to get a grip reduction and or stripling now may be the best time. Send the pics of your rail to the gunsmith and see if they can do some thing for the rail. It probably is not the first time it has been done.