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Thanks for the advice, guys. Here are my responses;

1. limp wrist: I don't think I limp wristed it. To make sure it is not my shooting technique, I went shooting with another member of the forum and he watched me shoot it the 2nd time when it worked fine with a lubed feed ramp and he commented that I did not limp wrist it. I shouldn't have limp wristed it. I shot my Glock 19 numerous times and even qualified for the CHL with it after forgetting to oil it and it worked fine. The Glock 19 worked 100% reliable at my CHL test even though the instructor said that it probably won't work since it was totally dry (oops!). However, this was the first time I've ever shot a subcompact Glock before. Or maybe I limp wristed it the first time, but did not limp wrist it the 2nd time when I was observed since the other forum member shot it with 10 rounds and had no problems, but this was after the feed ramp was lubed.

2. ammo: it jammed with Wolf el cheapo ammo the first time. The 2nd attempt worked fine with both 20 rounds of Wolf ammo and 20 rounds of Winchester white box and an oiled feed ramp.

3. mag: All tests were done with the same mag. Oops, forgot to test the other mag....

4. new or used: gun was brand new. I wanted to find a used gun less than $350 or a new one less than $450. The lowest offer I got PM'ed me was one for $425 for a used one. I ended up buying new because I figure that the warranty on a new gun is probably worth more than $20 (the price difference between available new and used guns).

5. clean or dirty: The gun was brand new and appeared to have Glock factory oil on it so the first test firing was just load and go, fresh from the factory. I did not clean it nor oil it. When it worked fine the 2nd time, I oiled the barrel and feed ramp with Remington gun oil.

6. break-in: No, I never break my guns in with more than 20 rounds of ammo before carrying them. Are you kidding? At the prices and availability of ammo these days? A statistician told me that if you test fire 5 rounds, you are 68 percent sure that the gun will work. If you test fire 20 rounds, you are 95 percent sure. The reason why the NRA recommends 200 rounds, is because you'd probably have a better chance of winning a scratch off lottery ticket than having a malfunction after 200 flawless rounds test fired from a gun. However, due to the crazy prices and availability of ammo these days, I only test fire with 5 rounds of premium ammo and 15 rounds of el cheapo before carrying any gun. I am still waiting for my Midway/Cabela's premium ammo back order to arrive so that I can test it with premium ammo. American Rifleman Feb 2010, "... run at least 200 rounds through the pistol before pressing it into service."

7. is it broken: I field stripped and and examined it, but neither I nor the other forum member could find anything wrong with it. The recoil spring looks different from my Glock 19, though. The 19 has just one spring around the guide rod. The 26 has a funny 2 stage guide rod with 2 different sized springs at each stage. The 26 perhaps has different reliability because it is a different design. It is not really a mini 19 nor 17.

I really don't see anything wrong with the gun, but I will report back after my premium ammo arrives. I will shoot it with speer gold dots and let you know how it goes. I don't think I got a lemon. After all, it worked fine through 20 rounds after I oiled the barrel and feed ramp. The NRA recommends that you oil your guns before shooting them anyways. You really shouldn't test fire a gun fresh from the factory without cleaning and oiling anyways. Any armorer will tell you that. What I did was kinda foolish (oops!). The NRA recommendations are from the Feb 2010 issue of the American Rifleman in the compact 380 article. It says, "... make sure the gun is well-lubricated, perhaps over-lubricated." All auto pistols may jam occasionally. That's why you carry a BUG and/or practice stovepipe clearing drills. As a matter of fact, the same issue of American Rifleman tested all compact 380 auto pistols on the market except for the Diamondback DB380 and they ALL jammed, except for the Rohrbautgh R380. However, I'm not going to spend over $1,000.00 on a Rorhbaugh carry gun that is hard to find (I have never seen one at a gun show nor store). This is because if you are involved in a self-defense shooting, the police will confiscate your gun as "evidence". It will take a couple of months to get your gun back (at least). If they "lose" it, you may never get it back. Meanwhile, friends of the deceased/injured BG may come after you for revenge. You will need to buy an identical gun FAST to replace your confiscated one. Why an identical one? So that you will be familiar with it and know how to use it the minute you purchase it. It is easy for me to cough up less than $500 for a gun that is easy to find, but spending $1000 on something at a moment's notice may be difficult for some working folks. Therefore, a good carry gun should always be easy to find and cheap to buy. I have never had a malfunction from any gun as long as I do the following steps;

1. Field strip the gun and examine for defects.
2. Examine ammo for defects.
3. Clean gun.
4. Put Tetra gun grease on slide rail. A small amount with a toothpick.
5. Put Mobil 1 synthetic motorcycle oil on the barrel and all parts that touch the barrel.
6. Put Breakfree CLP on all metal surfaces.
7. Fire 20 rounds then repeat. (I have never heard of a self-defense situation that required more than 20 rounds)

Note: For guns that are more prone to jamming, I'll even put Breakfree CLP on a patch and then lightly rub the tip of the bullet with the patch to help that bullet glide reliably onto the feed ramp. I oil the feed ramp, but be careful to soak up excess oil off the edge of the feed ramp. Be careful to not contaminate the inside of the cartridge with oil because it will cause a misfire or worse, a hang fire. Also, Mobil 1 synthetic tends to slide off over time. So, I re-clean and re-apply oil once every month for all carry guns. If this is too much of a hassle, then just use Breakfree CLP instead. CLP stays on.

Anyways, I'll test it with premium ammo and report back....

P.S. I invite you guys to review your guns, too. It really helps purchase decisions. These reviews can be found later with the search feature. Helping each other is what this website is all about.

P.P.S. I like the Glock 19 better than the Glock 26. They are both fine guns, but the Glock 19 is less finicky about lubrication (at least for me) and the Glock 19 is as easily concealed as the 26 because they are similar in weight and same in width. However, you get 50% more firepower with the Glock 19, a longer sight radius, and perhaps more reliability, all for the same price.

P.P.P.S. As per the Compact 380 article in American Rifleman Feb 2010, I've test fired the Kel-Tec P3AT here on this forum, but I cannot test fire the Ruger LCP, because I cannot find any 380 ammo that is reasonably priced to test fire it with. The American Rifleman article in a nutshell says that out of all compact 380's, the Ruger LCP and Kel-Tec P3AT are the smallest, lightest compact 380's for under $600. They cited them for reliability issues, but I've found the Kel-Tec to be fine if properly lubed. I will test the Ruger LCP and review it here on the forum as soon as someone will take pity on me and sell me some 380 ammo for a reasonable price. Thanks.

I recently bought a Glock 26 and test fired it.

Size/Weight: A tad lighter than Glock 19 but MUCH heavier than a Kel-Tec P3AT. Roughly 50% thicker than a Kel-Tec P3AT and an inch longer. Smaller than a Glock 19 but not easily pocketable like a Kel-Tec P3AT. Will only fit in cargo pants pockets or winter coats with extremely big pockets.
Type: Sub-Compact
Weight: 19.75 oz (560g)
Length: 6.29" (160 mm)
Width: 1.18" (30 mm)
Barrel: 3.46" (88 mm)
Weight without mag & ammo: 19.75 oz.

Ergonomics: 5.5 lb trigger pull. The trigger pull is relatively light and has a short reset. It is a joy to shoot. Single action triggers are crisper than a double action Glock. Trigger pull has MUCH LESS trigger travel than a revolver's double action. Trigger weight is much less than a Kel-Tec P3AT. Recoil is very slight and it has nice sights. It is just as easy to shoot as the Glock 19.


Accuracy: It is very accurate. It is just as accurate as a Glock 19.


Reliability: Here's the surprise. The gun had a failure to feed on EVERY OTHER ROUND in a mag of 10 bullets. This gun is not as reliable as a Glock 17 or 19. When they made the Glock 19, they designed it to have the exact same slide mass as the Glock 17 so as to preserve the reliable function of the Glock 17. However, they were not able to keep the exact same reliability of the Glock 19 and 17 for the 26. To fix the reliability issue, I used the same trick on this as I used on my Kel-Tec P3AT. I oiled the feed ramp. It worked flawlessly trough 20 rounds of ammo after this.


Price: $445 new at DFW gun shows.

Conclusion: This is too small a gun to feel comfortable in the hand like the Glock 19. However, it is not small enough to be a pocket gun because it is too big to fit in most pockets. However, if you have a purse or cargo pants with big pockets, then this is your perfect CCW. If you want a 100% reliable gun under any circumstances, then you want to buy a full size service wepon like a Glock 19 or 17. If you want something more compact, then carry the Glock 26, but be sure to oil the feed ramp well before carrying the gun.

P.S. I know that the "safe-action" Glock is not really a double-action pistol, but whatever....