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Looking for opinions on the Glock sub-compacts, mainly the Glock 27. I have Glock 21 and carry it in the winter but am looking for something more compact to replace my PT140, which just is'nt 100% reliable, and has a worse trigger than my Glock. Opininions?

I mainly carry a Glock 27 (usually switch between this and OM 1911) and have had no problems at all. I use a Bianchi 100 IWB and find it very comfortable to carry. I like the overall size and weight especially compared to the caliber and the capacity.

The only issue I can see some people having is the size of the grip. I have a smaller build, so the grip fits perfectly in my hand, but some people have not been able to get their pinky wrapped around the grip, so that could be uncomfortable.

Good luck!

I had a 27 and it was fine, but I have large hands. I like my Kahr MK40 a whole lot better.

My 27 has been my only carry for about 7 years now. I carried my 22 for a bit until I got the 27. I'd say my hand size is about average. It is a double stack, so from what I hear it runs a little bit thicker than many others that are single stack. I'm comfortable with it and doubt I'll spend the $$$ for anything else for quite a while. One other plus is that you can carry the larger capacity mags as spares. All of the non-Glock guys can verify whether or not other brands can do this.

ronbo83 wrote:...but some people have not been able to get their pinky wrapped around the grip...

Is it even possible to get your pinky finger on the grip of a 27?

My daily carry is a 23 (compact .40), and my pinky hangs halfway off the butt of the grip (with standard mag). But, I've installed a Pearce mag extension that allows my pinky to fit just right. I DO have large hands, BTW.
Although the 27 will probably leave your pinky finger hangin', with proper grip technique, control shouldn't be an issue. And the sub-compacts certainly make for easy concealment.

Although I'm a Glock fan, and the 23 is my daily carry, I have considered renting a Springfield XD-40 sub-compact next time I'm at the range. It includes a standard mag, and a +1 (or 2?) mag/grip extension that fits nicely in my hand. Extending the mag or grip to be longer kind of defeats the purpose of a sub-compact, but it's nice to have that option.

I carry my G27 everyday and love it to death. Like everyone has said , I also have large hands , so I added the plus two extension and problem solved.
Then again I also did the 3.5lb Ghost trigger and the laser maxx laser and Tru Glo night sights and a rubber grip sleeve.
I also have a G22, G17 , I love my Glocks....

Weg wrote:I have Glock 21 and carry it in the winter

G30 or G30SF? It'll take the 12rd mags of the 21 or 21SF if need be, and the grip will be more familiar. I have the G30SF and I bought some 9rd mags for it. They eliminate the pinky rest on the 10rd mags but they have an effect of shrinking the butt of the weapon and making it easier to conceal.

Another good one to look at is the G36, but its a single stack .45 so your mags wont fit. I will say my 30SF is larger than the 27, but I like it better and shoot it better. Lots of my partners have G27s and I think they are great guns just not my first choice.

Good luck.

My 27 is my daily carry.
For me it is the right combination of weight and capacity.
I have never had a jam or mis-fire and I do trust my life to it.
Yes, my pinky hangs off the bottom,
But I am used to it and it does not affect accuracy at all.

I just recently picked up a slightly used G27 and it has become my daily carry (at least until S&W sends me a new striker guide part for my Walther PPS - then the real battle for starting position begins).

I carried a G23 for years. The G27, while it doesn't look significantly smaller in photos or measurement data, is smaller where it counts. The 1/2 inch you save on barrel length really makes it ride better IWB than G23 for me, and for OWB carry it gives you an extra half inch of slack for your cover garment to ride up without revealing your piece while stretching for something on the top shelf at Wal Mart.

With the Pearce +0 pinky extension for the mags, I can get all three fingers solidly holding the gun under the trigger guard. I keep one mag with pinky extension and one without to use if I ever need to pocket carry the little brick. I just carry a spare G23 13-round mag as my spare for the G27, and leave the unused 9-round mag at home.

And the G27 actually has a slightly more pronounced curve at base of the backstrap of the grip which makes it fit my hand even a bit better than my G23. This is really hard to notice unless you look at the guns side by side (I might try to post a photo of this some time soon). So since Glocks (at least up until the brand-new Gen 4 models) don't offer adjustable backstraps like XDs and M&Ps, if you feel you need a slightly beefier backstrap area, try a baby Glock.

My one and only range session so far with my G27 (150+ rounds), I actually shot equal to or better with the G27 than my G23 out to 15 yards (as far as I shot). It is a good little shooter. Won't make you replace your G21 for target shooting, but it will definitely hold its own.

As for the G30, I've never shot one but do want to point out that the "subcompact" G30 is VERY CLOSE in size to the "mid-size" or "compact" G23 and thus larger than the "subcompact" G27. And the G27 is much closer to size of the Taurus PT140 that OP is trying to replace. Comparison data (in inches):

G30: 6.77 L / 4.76 H / 1.27 W / 26.28 oz U; 38.28 oz L
G23: 6.85 L / 5.00 H / 1.26 W / 21.16 U; 31.03 L
G27: 6.29 L / 4.17 H / 1.26 W / 19.75 U; 26.98 L
PT140: 6.125L /5.125H / 1.25 W / 18.7 U ?? L

That half-inch difference in length and height plus the 4oz difference in fully-loaded weight really make the G27 more comfortable to carry for me than my G23. Not that either is "difficult", but I just feel I have a bit more range of movement with G27 and it "bites" me a bit less when I bend certain ways and sags my gun belts a bit less (use same Crossbreed IWB for both, and a Bianchi OWB holster). And 9+1 in the gun plus a 13-round backup is plenty enough ammo for me. If OP buys a G27 I'd recommend picking up a couple of 13-round G23 mags or 15-round G22 mags to use as spare mags for carry. And you don't need one of those goofy little "extenders" that slides over the G23/G22 mag to give a "grip" when used in a G27. I can shoot just fine gripping the extra length of the mag itself with my pinky.

G27 seems a perfect "upgrade" from a PT140 to me. But if OP wants to even more significantly cut in size/weight from his G21, I'd also take a serious look at the Walther PPS 9mm. I'd avoid the 40-cal PPS because I've heard of more problems with PPS in that caliber. But I've been very happy with my PPS. Even this broken polymer striker guide part isn't really that troubling because the gun was still firing WITH the broken part, far as I can tell. And still dry fires and operates properly with the broken part installed (though I have stopped carrying it or firing it as a precaution until S&W sends me the replacement part).

The PPS is very "Glock-like" in it's construction. The slide and striker assembly is almost identical - just thinner. The set up of the fire-control system in the frame is identical, but the frame itself uses a metal "skeleton" inserted inside the outer polymer frame. I've taken apart the slide components (works just like a Glock), which is how I discovered the broken striker guide. But the lower frame I haven't devloped the courage to take apart (it's definitely an extra step or two more complicated than disassembling a Glock frame).

I'm not a Glock fanatic, but the absolute truth is that they're solid, dependable, and reliable.

My typical carries are a 1911 or an XD(m)...however in a lockbox in my car is always a G27.

The G27 isn't a pleasant pistol to shoot. For those who are recoil-averse, it might be a handful even with a magazine extension.

IMHO, though, magazine extensions defeat the purpose of the pistol's size, so why bother?

If you're gonna put a magazine extension on a G27, then just buy a G23. Thickness, then height from sights-to-magazine, are the most important considerations in concealment. Length of the barrel comes in third-place for most people.

The G27 weighs a whispery 1.44 ounces less than the G23. Without magazine extensions, the G27 is only 0.86-inches taller that the G23. The G23 is 0.56-inches longer than the G27...but that tiny amount equates to an additional 0.35-inch sight radius. The G23 standard mag is 13 rounds; the G27 standard mag is 9 rounds. The width of the two pistols is identical.

I'm happy with my G27 for its purpose but, personally, were I looking to chose a daily carry, I'd look to the G23 over the G27.

No offense, skippr, but I couldn't disagree more with your assessment. See my previous post for why (I own both G27 & G23).

As for recoil, which I didn't address in my previous post, I do not find it unpleasant at all (with or without extensions) and about no par with G23 (maybe a bit snappier). But certainly not even close the the recoil of an airweight J-frame .38

Respectfully, of course.

austinrealtor wrote: As for the G30, I've never shot one but do want to point out that the "subcompact" G30 is VERY CLOSE in size to the "mid-size" or "compact" G23 and thus larger than the "subcompact" G27. And the G27 is much closer to size of the Taurus PT140 that OP is trying to replace. Comparison data (in inches):

G30: 6.77 L / 4.76 H / 1.27 W / 26.28 oz U; 38.28 oz L
G23: 6.85 L / 5.00 H / 1.26 W / 21.16 U; 31.03 L
G27: 6.29 L / 4.17 H / 1.26 W / 19.75 U; 26.98 L
PT140: 6.125L /5.125H / 1.25 W / 18.7 U ?? L

You are correct for sure. I've done side by sides with my 30SF, a 27, and a 23, and the 30SF is a fatty.

If the OP is interested I'd be up for some meeting and shooting and let the OP compare himself and see what he likes.

austinrealtor wrote:No offense, skippr, but I couldn't disagree more with your assessment. See my previous post for why (I own both G27 & G23).

As for recoil, which I didn't address in my previous post, I do not find it unpleasant at all (with or without extensions) and about no par with G23 (maybe a bit snappier). But certainly not even close the the recoil of an airweight J-frame .38

Respectfully, of course.

Thanks for your quick reply, austinrealtor, but I fail to see why you disagree with me.

You can't dispute the physical dimensions of the two pistols, can you?

Glocks are all inherently reliable, aren't they?

What's the problem?

And, yeah, I own a G22, G23, G27, and G35. I've used that last one in all the John Farnam and Gabe Suarez courses I've taken.

Please tell me why you "couldn't disagree more with [my] assessment."

Skiprr wrote:

austinrealtor wrote:No offense, skippr, but I couldn't disagree more with your assessment. See my previous post for why (I own both G27 & G23).

As for recoil, which I didn't address in my previous post, I do not find it unpleasant at all (with or without extensions) and about no par with G23 (maybe a bit snappier). But certainly not even close the the recoil of an airweight J-frame .38

Respectfully, of course.

Thanks for your quick reply, austinrealtor, but I fail to see why you disagree with me.

You can't dispute the physical dimensions of the two pistols, can you?

Glocks are all inherently reliable, aren't they?

What's the problem?

And, yeah, I own a G22, G23, G27, and G35. I've used that last one in all the John Farnam and Gabe Suarez courses I've taken.

Please tell me why you "couldn't disagree more with [my] assessment."

Skiprr, sorry I wasn't more specific. Again, with all due respect ...

Skiprr wrote:The G27 isn't a pleasant pistol to shoot. For those who are recoil-averse, it might be a handful even with a magazine extension.

Disagree, mine is pleasant enough to shoot. But then again, I only own concealable pistols in defensive calibers - the G23 is my largest handgun and only has a 4-inch barrel and only weighs 20 oz empty. In fact the G27 is my second largest handgun. I don't have any "target" pistols. Not even a decent 5-inch barrel 1911, so my frame of reference is not the broadest. I've shot a few 1911s and they are without a doubt more "pleasant" for me to shoot than any of my pistols. But that doesn't make something smaller necessarily "unpleasant" in my book. Of course, to each his own YMMV etc. (as an aside, I don't own/carry a 1911 because I don't trust myself with the cocked-n-locked and drop the safety before firing battery of arms. I've had two negligent discharges in my life, both completely my fault and not the gun's fault, but both with 1911 style pistols. So I'm just a bit gun shy (pun intended) about carrying a 1911)

Skiprr wrote:IMHO, though, magazine extensions defeat the purpose of the pistol's size, so why bother?If you're gonna put a magazine extension on a G27, then just buy a G23. Thickness, then height from sights-to-magazine, are the most important considerations in concealment. Length of the barrel comes in third-place for most people.

Disagree with all except the thickness part, but since G23 and G27 are equal thickness, that's a moot point. My G27 with mag extension (only a +0 so not much actual length added - just enough to rest my pinky finger) carries more comfortably for me IWB than my G23 (which can dig into my spare tire a bit with the mag floor plate). And length of barrel is an important aspect for me in terms of comfort when CC. The half-inch longer barrel of my G23 digs into my hips a bit and also forces me to move my pocket knife (usually clipped to back right pocket) to a different pocket. With G27 or PPS, this is not a problem.

Skiprr wrote:I'm happy with my G27 for its purpose but, personally, were I looking to chose a daily carry, I'd look to the G23 over the G27.

This is a perfectly valid opinion. But I'll just remind you that OP already has a G21 and is looking to replace a Taurus PT140 with similar size Glock. So - as I pointed out in my earlier post - the G27 is the closest replacement and gives the largest difference in size/weight from his G21. If the OP is OK with the size/weight of a G23, then IMHO he really should be looking at a G30 as another early post recommended, because G30 is roughly same size as G23, but would be able to share mags (and maybe holsters?) with his G21.

My Good Lord.

Someone needs to take a deep breath. And switch to decaf. Seriously.