Glock 26 Review, Great CCW, with Caveats....

[drjoker]

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....

[goinincircles]

I'd take it to a glock armorer. It pains me to think that glock could make a "lemon" but it sounds like you might have gotten one(or at least one that needs a ramp polished). The reason I say this...I have a 26 and a 27 and have shot several thousand rounds through each without a single failure(same thing with my 22,23,36). Yours sounds even less reliable than my Sig Mosquito and that's frightening. Have you added a plus 1 to the mag? Makes a world of difference in the feel of the gun.


edited to add...I read that you oiled it and it worked fine. When it comes to my glocks, they get the least amount of love (maintenence)from me of any of my guns. I may take them out shooting for a couple of hundred rounds,throw them in the safe, repeat this cycle several times over several months, and then finally clean and oil them. Having said that, I'm even more inclined to believe something is slightly amiss with your glock. My Sigs get all the love every time I shoot and sometimes when I'm just bored even if I haven't shot them.

[mrvmax]

I have never had a failure from any Glock I have owned (17,27,30).

[jmra]

I have owned my 27 for over 12 yrs - it doesn't care what you do to it, it goes bang every time you pull the trigger. The only time I have ever heard of anyone having the problems you are describing was people with extremely limp wrists. Just saying.

[carlson1]

There are several things that can cause the failures. Of course it could be a lemon, but most likely the shooters error. I notice a lot of folks tend to "limp wrist" the smaller pistols. I am not an armor, but I sure would finds one as already suggested.

I sold a Glock 36 Mepro night sights a few weeks back. The buyer contacted me after his first trip to the range and told me he was having feeding problems. I told him I had none, but I would buy it back. I am not about to sale a "lemon" on purpose. He was very gracious and took the 36 to an armorer. Come to find out when the night sights were installed (not by me) it caused the barrel to catch on inside of the slide. He removed the night sights and the buyer has had no more problems.

You can read where I had a problem with a magazine, but once again it was the with the owner.
http://www.texaschlforum.com/viewtopic. ... 29&start=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I have had some lemons though and they have all been taken care of by the manufacturer and most of the time with much satisfaction on my end.

There is a lot of people who even think that a revolver will go bang every time and that is just not so. Many years ago I had a Smith and Wesson brand new in the box that jammed up on the first round. I had to carry it back with live rounds in the cylinder because there was no way I could get it cleared. After three weeks or so and a trip back to the factory it was returned and performed flawless.

Let us know!

[RECIT]

All my Glocks go bang. I would strip it, clean it, oil it, and shoot it. Try this a time or two and THEN if you are still having trouble contact an armorer. I have had a few failures on my G19 but it is very old, used and abused and I would never carry it for CC. It was a gift from my fiance's father. We keep it b/c we don't ever want him to ask about that Glock he gave us down the road. I also have a G17 and G17C that are flawless.

[A-R]

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. ... 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.

Is this is a NIB Glock or a used Glock? I know you were looking for a bargain-basement priced Glock http://www.texaschlforum.com/viewtopic. ... 1&start=30" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; which is why I ask.

If it's NIB, it may need a bit of break in. Glocks should fire perfectly out of the box with no breakin, but occasionally you can get one with springs or something else slightly off. If it keeps happening, take it to a certified Glock armorer. You should NOT have to oil the feed ramps in a Glock. In fact, a Glock is properly lubricated with just 5 drops of CLP oil.

The absolute easiest way to cause your Glock pistol to fail is to over lubricate it." Source: http://www.f-r-i.com/glock/FAQ/FAQ-clea ... ubricating" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Maybe the ramps just need a quick polishing/burnishing/cleaning? If this gun is/was NIB, did you clean it first or just start shooting? Any gun should be thoroughly cleaned and inspected before firing it the first time - even a Glock. If I was diagnosing a fail to feed in a Glock, the first place I would look is the mag springs and follower. Have you tried multiple different mags? Glock mags are universal, so you can even put a G17 or G19 mag in your G26. Try that out and see if it solves your problem. If so, you'll know you just need new/different mags or at least mag spring and follower.

If you bought this for the mid $300 discount price you were seeking, then - not to be rude or petty, but - caveat emptor. There likely is a reason someone is willing to part with a Glock for a low price.

That said, there is alsmost nothing that can go wrong with a Glock that can't be fixed by replacing the right modular part (save of course catastrophic failures of the slide, frame, or barrel).

[Plato]

I recently bought a Glock 26 and test fired it....

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.

...then carry the Glock 26, but be sure to oil the feed ramp well before carrying the gun...

We need more info on this, like what ammo? Is it a new gun still in breakin (yes even Glocks like a couple hundred rounds of breakin) ? Did it happen with multiple mags or just one ? Are you kinda new to shooting Glocks -you say you've shot G17/19 but how much, and have you ever had limp wristing issues which can become more pronounce when shooting a subcompact ?

I've shot/owned multiple Glocks of all sizes and it's a crazy reliable design. No way should it need oil on the feed ramp to function -if it does something is wrong. I'd first check the shooter, then the ammo, then the mags, then the gun. But no, no, no way do I just oil the feed ramp and start carrying this pistol to bet my life on

[drjoker]

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.

[jbirds1210]

Get rid of the Wolf and your problems will likely go away.

The orange/gold stuff in your gun from the factory is not really lube, it is more of an anti-seize compound.......your weapon needs proper lubrication.

I don't think the recoil spring design is going to be the cause of your problems. The new 4th gen Glocks actually use that design in the full size gun. I have heard that it reduces recoil, but can honestly say that 9mm recoil is not much of a problem for most people.

Again, give the Wolf to someone you don't like

Jason

[A-R]

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

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.

Plato above is correct, after ruling out limp wrist ammo could be culprit. My Glock 23 has NEVER liked Blazer aluminum case ammo. So I don't use it anymore. Any other ammo I've ever put in it works perfectly. Never a single FTF, FTE or any other problem with any brass-cased ammo EVER. Only other problem I've ever had with it is when I changed my grip and inadvertently started hitting the slide stop lever, thus holding the slide back before the mag was empty.

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.

I'd recommend you avoid RemOil. Can't find the sources to quote this, but I've heard/read a lot of bad mojo related to this oil. Glock specifically recommends CLP, so that's why I use.

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."

What's more important? Cost of ammo or your life? 20 rounds is not enough for me to be confident in any firearm. 20 rounds isn't even a good day of "practice" with any firearm. I'm not even confident in my own ability to accurately shoot the gun and operate it's controls in live fire conditions with only 20 rounds.

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.

All baby Glocks have this two-spring guide rod design, and the new Gen 4 larger Glocks have it too

.. make sure the gun is well-lubricated, perhaps over-lubricated."

As I mentioned previously, you can cause malfunctions in a Glock (and many other handguns) by over-lubricating them. Glock specifically addresses this. Overlubrication will harm the motion of your firing pin and could jam some of your safety mehcanisms when the excess oil creates a sticky crud inside the internal mechanims. Ruger addresses this in many of their gun manuals (LCP specifically comes to mind). My Walther PPS manual addresses this. DON'T OVER-LUBRICATE a modern firearm. Sure, some guns run better when "wet" ... many AR type guns are like this. I soak up the inner workings of my pump shotguns. But if manufacturers tells you not to, then don't By lubricating the feed ramp of your Glock you're close to having excess oil spray back into the slide's mechanics (firing pin and safet channels) upon multiple recoils.

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.

I've done so on the only new gun I've picked up since becoming a member here. http://www.texaschlforum.com/viewtopic. ... rt#p315856" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Skydivesnake]

Quit oiling the feed ramp and the front of bullets, buy several boxes of range ammo and start banging it through.

Get some cheap JHP (WWB ?) that you can afford to buy and shoot, rather than uber-tacticool stuff that you cannot afford to shoot more than 5 rounds of, and put a few boxes of that through too.

Sounds like your gun needs some excercise, and your keyboard might appreciate the break.

[Plato]

Take out your manual and clean and oil just like it says. Lose the Wolf ammo -at least for testing or evaluating your guns, I use WWB for this. Start saving the brass and consider reloading if you are struggling to afford shooting, because your 20 round test to carry process is not so good

Clean the feed ramp but don't oil it and certainly not the bullets. If you have to do that to get it to work it ain't the gun to carry, period.

At the end of the day if you just can't trust that G26, then offer it for sale an one of us will get you out of it

And one other suggestion, visit a local IDPA club on their match day -consider giving it a try. There are few better ways to test your gun and your ability to shoot it than one of the action pistol sports. I've got a G26 that shot 10+ matches over the summer without a cleaning and at lest 1000 rounds fired without a jam of any kind. The design is rock solid.

Finally, I'm not trying to rip on ya here. You offered an honest review that I believe you want to be helpful to others -I think most of us who responded are trying to do the same. And much of what I've said should apply to all handguns purchased for personal protection. They are tools not jewelry and as such they need to be tested and some skill needs to be acquired to operate them in the gravest extreme.

[A-R]

Take out your manual and clean and oil just like it says. Lose the Wolf ammo -at least for testing or evaluating your guns, I use WWB for this. Start saving the brass and consider reloading if you are struggling to afford shooting, because your 20 round test to carry process is not so good

Clean the feed ramp but don't oil it and certainly not the bullets. If you have to do that to get it to work it ain't the gun to carry, period.

At the end of the day if you just can't trust that G26, then offer it for sale an one of us will get you out of it

And one other suggestion, visit a local IDPA club on their match day -consider giving it a try. There are few better ways to test your gun and your ability to shoot it than one of the action pistol sports. I've got a G26 that shot 10+ matches over the summer without a cleaning and at lest 1000 rounds fired without a jam of any kind. The design is rock solid.

Finally, I'm not trying to rip on ya here. You offered an honest review that I believe you want to be helpful to others -I think most of us who responded are trying to do the same. And much of what I've said should apply to all handguns purchased for personal protection. They are tools not jewelry and as such they need to be tested and some skill needs to be acquired to operate them in the gravest extreme.

well said Plato

[HankB]

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.

My Gen 1 Glock 17 is sensitive to "limp wristing" . . . I found this out when I let my mother shoot it.

My Gen 3 G26 is very insensitive to limp-wristing. Even when I shoot it with a deliberately unlocked wrist using only a thumb-and-forefinger grip, it doesn't jam . . . right side up, held sideways, even upside down. No problem.

My Gen 3.5 G19 appears to be equally reliable, but it doesn't have the same round count yet.

I normally use handloads or WWB ammo, and carry the pistol with name brand +P+ ammo. I have NOT tried Wolf.

If your pistol jams with good ammo, contact Glock with all the particulars - I've heard they'll make it right.