Glock 19 or 26

[middy]

Gotta agree with Kramer. It sounds counter-intuitive, but the G26 is for me, and for most people I've talked to that have both, a more accurate pistol. Don't know why. Could be the geometry of the grip and the position of the hump. My pinky hanging off doesn't bother me, after all most of the gripping pressure some from your left hand, right?

I find the 26 easier to conceal.

Also, some G19s have problems feeding hollow points, I think it was the E and F series with the redesigned feed ramp. Mine worked fine when shooting it, but would jam hollow points against the base of the feed ramp when hand-cycling, so I never really trusted it. I tried all the different followers in my mags and it only got worse. Perhaps that's no longer an issue with standard capacity mags, I traded my 19 before the AWB expired.

 

[Darth Ruger]

The G26 is smaller, lighter, and easier to conceal, but, for some strange reason, I can outshoot the G19, every time, with the G26.

Ditto. That's why I decided on a 26 over a 19 for my primary carry gun. For some reason, I'm more accurate with it than the 19. That's why you need to test fire the guns you're considering before you make a decision. You might be surprised.

 

[Farnham]

I got the G26 since I've had a G17C for years, and couldn't see buying only one size down for a CCW piece. Figured it was a cute little (albeit blocky) thing, but no way could it keep up with the ported barrel, longer slide, bigger grip of the 17...WRONG. Little thing shoots just as well as the 17, and that's pretty damn good (or maybe I just don't shoot up to the potential of the 17? ). It also conceals under a T-shirt, which was really the whole point.

I still might pick up a 19 someday, just because I like its big and little brothers so well. Can't go wrong with a Glock, 1 million rappers can't be wrong!

S/F

Farnham

 

[sgtb]

I own both and love both. The 26 is a little easier to conceal with normal magazine. I carry an extra mag. with +2 base. The grip of a handgun is usually what gives you a fit trying to conceal. The 26 is very manageable to shoot even with only a couple fingers wrapped around the grip. You just have to experiment with them and then there is the holster problem. I have spent alot of money playing with different holsters.

 

[dairycreek]

Has anyone found the 19 to be a burden for CCW and wished they had a 26?

Have 'em both and IMHO the differences between them as far as concealed carry is concerned - is negligible. Despite the 19's ability to carry a lot more ammo it is still a comparatively small pistol and conceals quite well. Between the 26 and the 19? G19 hands down.

 

[Kramer Krazy]

I rented a G26 over a year ago and was absolutely amazed how well the thing shot. I had my G19 with me, and it just couldn't perform as well as the G26. A year later, I finally decided to try to talk the range out of that rental gun, as I was afraid that a new one wouldn't shoot as well and I'd end up not liking the one I bought. Well, they cut me such a great deal on a new, range program G26 that I just had to buy the new one. Fortunately for me, it shoots as well as their rental gun. Side-by-side comparisons of my G19 with two different G26s showed me that the G26 is a better gun in my hands......or maybe my G19 isn't all that "great', even though I can outshoot several of my other guns with it. Until I got my G26, I'd have recommended the G19, but owning both guns at the same time, I'll stick to a resouding "G26" for my vote. If the size difference is considered "negligible" for concealment, I'll stick with the G26. I figure I'll probably waste the extra rounds with the G19 because it isn't as accurate of a gun for me.

Edit: Ok...I was kidding about wasting the shots.

 

[SpookyPistolero]

I carried (still do sometimes) a Glock 33 for a long time and really liked it. I also used it to shoot IDPA with and kept up just fine. It really was fun, as Pax has said, to really beat people using custom 1911's, especially at the longer-range targets. Talk about satisfying. Anyway, the difficulty of reloading while having to keep that pinky out of the way ticked me off. I used the mag extensions because not having a full grip irritated, but that obviously doesn't help in reloading much. Ended up getting a 1911 that I've always wanted and am enjoying carrying it very much.

My only other basis for comparison in carry ease was with my Glock 17. Overall I'd say it's worth it to get the 19, since you get that very pleasant full grip and it's not much larger than the 26. Having the extra rounds doesn't hurt much either.

 

[denfoote]

I had a G19. I wanted another one. I ended up with a G23. Oh well!!

 

[middy]

An aside for all the people talking about the "extra rounds" with a G19... you are aware that a G26 will accept the mag from a 19, 17, or even the 30 round G18 mag, right? You can get spacers to fill in the gap, too.

So, you have the option of a 2-finger, extra-concealable grip, or a G19-like grip. Either way, I've found it to be a more accurate pistol.

 

[PaladinX13]

An aside for all the people talking about the "extra rounds" with a G19... you are aware that a G26 will accept the mag from a 19, 17, or even the 30 round G18 mag, right? You can get spacers to fill in the gap, too.

So, you have the option of a 2-finger, extra-concealable grip, or a G19-like grip. Either way, I've found it to be a more accurate pistol.

That's a little like saying you can send your G19 in to get the grip chopped down to have all the advantages of the G26 (which, you can certainly do) plus a G19 accessory rail. I'm sure the capacity comments relate largely to "most things equal" cases, rather than a bare bones G19 vs $$$ in G26 accessories.

Accuracy-wise, there's no mechanical advantage either way that I know of, so that's purely personal or a production issue between individual pistols.