Safety features on a Glock 26

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If you're not smart enough to safely holster a gun without a safety, what are you doing carrying a gun?

I've known several LEOs who suffered NDs while holstering 1911s and 92fs Berettas. I also know of incidents where trained and experienced LEOs failed to fire when they intended because, under stress, they either failed to disengage the safety or dropped a full mag. Others have had issues realizing they had shot the mag empty.

I carried 1911s for three decades, and yet have not had any difficulties transitioning to Glocks. My carry rotation includes a G30, a G26, and a G36. I practice with them, often. All are stock internally.

The M&Ps, XDs, XDMs, and Sigs are all available with manual safeties. I own some of them. It just happens that the Glocks work better for me. I completely understand the reluctance of others to carry a gun without a manual safety, and readily admit that it took me a fair amount of range time and practice before I was comfortable carrying a Glock.

It helps, no doubt, that I was raised around cops and handguns. I was taught long ago never to trust safeties, bumper jacks, and auto finance managers (among others). To me, a gun is only safe when I have personally verified it's condition and secured it safely. That can be anywhere from locked open and empty to ready to fire in my hand.

Safeties don't make a gun safe. If they did, Glock would be the only gun having ADs, and police departments would quickly abandon them. Such is not the case.

I understand WinThePennant's post completely, because that's how my mind works, too. You'll never hear me blame an AD on my safety, even when I'm using a gun with a manual safety - but I've heard such from both people at the range and LEOs in the field. If the OP cannot get his mind around using a gun without a manual safety, then he shouldn't use one. I know people who won't even carry with the chamber loaded, for that matter.

You have to be comfortable with your carry gun - no matter what that takes. If you mind is always thinking about the accidents you might have - you WILL have one. Whatever you carry, shoot it enough in as many conditions as you can until it becomes natural. Shoot it until you don't have to think about it --- then think about it anyway!
Because you know of ADs with guns with safeties doesn't mean safeties don't make an AD less likely. People die in car crashes who wear seatbelts, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't wear them. That is a comparable analogy to what the Glock crowd are saying about guns, if everyone would drive like they should there would be no accidents. But there are, especially under stress.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/729088/posts
 
What other safety do you need? If you don't pull the trigger, it won't go off. What's the problem?

Also, can someone explain the alleged issue with carrying Glocks IWB w/o a "kydex box" holster? Two people in here mentioned that, but neither explained it, and this is the first (and second time) I've ever heard that stated.

Also...

Well if that was the opinion of a well-known and respected human being, it must be inerrantly true.
Even Jeff Cooper once had an ND, but for some here, that could never happen to them. :scrutiny:
 
I carry a Glock 26 every day.

If I wanted something with a manual safety, the M&P9c would be my first choice.

R
 
The best safety on any gun is the one between your ears!

It sounds like it boils down to personal comfort. Carry it without a round in the chamber for a little bit and build your confidence. Don't try and compensate for a fear with extra features. Build your confidence slowly and build your understanding. Learn about the safeties and what they do and how they work.

If you have any questions about how Glock's in particular work let me know.
 
Because you know of ADs with guns with safeties doesn't mean safeties don't make an AD less likely. People die in car crashes who wear seatbelts, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't wear them. That is a comparable analogy to what the Glock crowd are saying about guns, if everyone would drive like they should there would be no accidents. But there are, especially under stress.
There was a poll on the forum aways back, asking what kind of ND's people had experienced. It had on the order of a hundred responses. The results of that poll showed a manual safety would have prevented something like 4 percent of those ND's. (And of the detailed reponses, over 95% of the guns involved had a manual safety, which still wouldn't have made a difference, cuz the user intentionally had it off). Well, sure, I could be making that up. Maybe you can dig it up and see for yourself.
 
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There was a poll on the forum aways back, asking what kind of ND's people had experienced. It had on the order of a hundred responses. The results of that poll showed a manual safety would have prevented something like 4 percent of those ND's. (And of the detailed reponses, over 95% of the guns involved had a manual safety, which still wouldn't have made a difference, cuz the user intentionally had it off). Well, sure, I could be making that up. Maybe you can dig it up and see for yourself.

Be curious to know how many NDs involved DAO guns. My guess would be zero.
 
Plenty of ND's are of the "But it wasn't loaded," or "I forgot to clear it first" variety. My guess is that you would be incorrect.

R

Well, unfortunately we all get careless and mechanical safeties can't fix stupid.


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...mechanical safeties can't fix stupid.


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Exactly correct, and neither can DAO actions or any other mechanical feature. The "safety" of any firearm is ultimately determined by the user.

R
 
Some folks have an irrational fear of guns with no manual thumb safety.

If you want the G26, get the G26 and don't worry about the safety.
 
The holster issue I'm referring to is one incident in particular where a man used a leather iwb holster. The leather was a bit too warn and , during re holster, snagged the trigger resulting in a discharge.

If this happened, I have never seen anything like it and it's the failure of the holster and the man carrying it, certainly not the gun.
I carry my 26 daily in a Don Hume IWB holster with a G17 mag, never an issue.
 
First, who said anything about a failure of the gun? Nearly all ad/nd can be prevented by heightened vigilance. My point is that manual safeties can help for some of those moments when we go stupid. It happens to all of us. But most of us get lucky and the gun doesn't go off. But we all slack in our handling from time to time. The truth is, some nd's, like this holster scenario, are the perfect storm of bad luck. 1,000 people could have the same holster and gun with out a problem. But, one guy did. It happens. And it can happen to any of us.

Second, neither you, nor I, nor anyone else are the ultimate source of information. Just because you haven't heard of it doesn't mean it didn't or can't happen.




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First, who said anything about a failure of the gun? Nearly all ad/nd can be prevented by heightened vigilance. My point is that manual safeties can help for some of those moments when we go stupid.
I'm just going to submit to you that I have seen many degligent discharges and in my experiance no amount of safeties i.e. the over safetied 1911A1 ever stopped someone from a negligent discharge. In the overwhelming majority of the cases I have seen it have comes down to the operator not the machine failing. Any number of excuses might be used and I have heard them all, but its the headspace between the ears that kills people.

It happens to all of us. But most of us get lucky and the gun doesn't go off. But we all slack in our handling from time to time. The truth is, some nd's, like this holster scenario, are the perfect storm of bad luck. 1,000 people could have the same holster and gun with out a problem. But, one guy did. It happens. And it can happen to any of us.
I've never had a negligent discharge, it isn't about luck and we don't all slack off in our safety when carrying occasionally, nor is their a perfect storm to blame.
It comes down to personal responcability. People don't like to hear that, but it is the honest truth.
Glocks are very safe handguns in the hands of a responcable user. The G26 is reliable and handy, and in my opinion a great C.C. pistol


Second, neither you, nor I, nor anyone else are the ultimate source of information. Just because you haven't heard of it doesn't mean it didn't or can't happen.
I can only give you a perspective from my experiance, that is true, but I do have a bit of experiance. I can assure you that, I have never seen a negligent discharge that wasn't directly caused by someones negligence and never a weapon failure that could not be directly traced to the Operator in either operating or maintenance procedures.
In nearly every case I have seen the person causing the negligent discharge immeadiatly blames the weapon or equipment, in this case a holster. In the attatched photos you'll see the entrance and the exit of a .50 caliber AP that traveled about a foot over my head. The immeadiate responce was, "It just went off." The hard truth was it was loaded on the FOB against regulation and the Crewman was poorly trained and negligent.
If I might seem a bit opinionated about this it comes from seeing these things personally time and time again, seeing people shot because of negligence and nearly being shot on more than one occasion myself and in all cases by operator negligence.

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The G26 is a great pistol, be responcable with it and it will serve you well.
 
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What you fail to understand is that human fallability cannot be overcome by vigilance, diligance, discipline, training, or education. Just the idea that ADs occur in LEO and military are proof of that. Yes, it can be reduced, but not eliminated. To claim that all you need to do is be careful and you will be 100% safe is irresponsible.

Here is an excerpt from the CZ catalog:

The vast majority of us don’t have the experience of shooting the tens of thousands of rounds necessary to train ourselves to subconsciously flip down the safety lever before taking the first shot, nor do we all have the opportunity to fit the weekly range sessions required to keep current with skills we have developed in the past into our schedules today. For plinking or casual target shooting this isn’t a big deal, but when under the stress of a defensive situation, remembering to take the safety off is critical. The models equipped with a decocking lever are, in most cases, the best choice for most shooters wanting a handgun for defensive purposes. With the decocker models, you must remember to decock the hammer after chambering a round and before holstering, but when placed in a defensive situation, there is no safety lever that you have to remember to disengage; the primary safety element of the decocked handgun is the longer, heavier pull of the double action trigger.

Funny how they understand that a long, heavier trigger pull is more appropriate for a defense gun and that in times of stress all bets are off. Maybe all you Glock owners should contact them and tell them they don't know what the hell they're talking about.
 
I agree with you totally. I really do. Personal responsibility is THE issue. I guess I'm just not as willing to trust myself or anyone else. I'm not perfect in this or any other regard. I guess that's all.


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Some folks have an irrational fear of guns with no manual thumb safety.

If you want the G26, get the G26 and don't worry about the safety.
This ^^^
Ive carried a glock 17 every day for years. Im actually carrying one right now. Ive carried in every type of rig possible. 90% of the time I carry IWB in one of my hybrid holsters. If you have been properly trained and follow the safety/gun handling rules, you will never have a problem. Honestly Ive never understood the need for an external safety. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot. Its really simple. If you are not confident that you can carry a gun without accidentally pulling the trigger, do us all a favor and dont carry one.
 
Funny how they understand that a long, heavier trigger pull is more appropriate for a defense gun and that in times of stress all bets are off. Maybe all you Glock owners should contact them and tell them they don't know what the hell they're talking about.
But a Glock has a long and heavy trigger pull. Glocks are only 25% cocked, so they're pretty darn close to DAO.

I have done the following experiment: Safety checked my G19 about 20 times. Securely taped the slide shut, so it couldn't accidentally "ninja-cycle." (Not that I can even do that, but safety, first; I'm about to break every gun safety rule, and I don't recommend anyone try this at home). Inserted a loaded magazine for weight. Now, without actually gripping the gun, I tried to pull the trigger.

With only my trigger finger through the guard, I jerked the gun up/down by the trigger as hard as I could. I spun it, twirled it, and just went crazy on it. I could not break the trigger. This meets my definition of a long and heavy trigger pull.
 
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Tatikal ,I have been carrying a Colt Detective Special 38 for a while [IWB] its like the Kodak Camera its a true Point and Shoot ,I like that in a C&C I do not need a bunch of procedures and swithces and tabs to push and pull when My behinds at risk in the mix,I wanna come out with the Stopper now! Thats the purpose of C&C when things get threatning ,The intial post was my concern, being it close quarters shoulder to shoulder with strangers, thats my concern for wanting to have a thumb safety...
 
But a Glock has a long and heavy trigger pull. Glocks are only 25% cocked, so they're pretty darn close to DAO.

I have done the following experiment: Safety checked my G19 about 20 times. Securely taped the slide shut, so it couldn't accidentally "ninja-cycle." (Not that I can even do that, but safety, first; I'm about to break every gun safety rule, and I don't recommend anyone try this at home). Inserted a loaded magazine for weight. Now, without actually gripping the gun, I tried to pull the trigger.

With only my trigger finger through the guard, I jerked the gun up/down by the trigger as hard as I could. I spun it, twirled it, and just went crazy on it. I could not break the trigger. This meets my definition of a long and heavy trigger pull.
No. It's more like 85% cocked, and while the trigger force is moderate, the pull is short, and that's the key. That's why people like it so much. If it even approached anything close to DAO it wouldn't be popular. Go try a Sig P250 and you'll see what DAO is. It's the smoothest 6lb trigger and yet most Glock owners won't touch it. That says it all.
 
Go try a Sig P250 and you'll see what DAO is. It's the smoothest 6lb trigger and yet most Glock owners won't touch it. That says it all.

They won't touch it because its not a Glock :D
 
I have been following this thread, since my EDC is a G26.
For me, I have zero problems with the Glock system. Since I use the same G26 for my HD pistol, it is always loaded...and treated that way. When it is in my hand, my finger is out of the trigger guard, laying along the frame, unless I am actually shooting.
I use a kydex clip on IWB holster that is light and thin, and protects the trigger. I use caution when holstering.
My G26 goes bang when I pull the trigger, and shoots like a full size pistol. It is, without a doubt, one of the best Glocks, and one of the best CCW pistols ever...for me.
 
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