Tempted by .45 Glock

[TheProf]

My daily carry is the G26 (9mm). Sometimes G27. Just went to Walmart...and had an "aha" momment!

.45 caliber is just barely the cost of .40 (Federal brand). I had no problem cost-wise firing away the .40. Hmmm.....maybe I should take the .45 plunge.

So...

1. What major changes/ differences will I experience if I buy the subcompact Glock .45? (say...vs. G26/G27)

2. Would some of you disagree? Or agree with my thoughts of trying this out? Why or why not?

 

[Fuzzy7]

glock 30, the subcompact .45 is a little bigger than the 26/27. I enjoy shooting .45 much more than .40. I find .45 more accurate and more pleasant to shoot.

 

[Micro]

I've owned five Glocks, and have to say none of my .45 ACP Glocks were entirely satisfactory.

My Glock 21SF had the trigger bar rub. The pistol functioned well, but there must have been something wrong for that to have occurred.

My Glock 36 had significant failure to feed and eject issues.

My Glock 30SF was the most problematic. At about 200 rounds, it started to develope the dreaded failure to return to battery issue. This problem got worse over time. The trigger bar had the rub, and even after replacing the trigger bar the gun was still problematic.

My 9mm Glocks performed flawlessly.

 

[Dogguy]

The G30 is actually just a hair smaller than a G19. Quite a bit bigger than the G26. It's also thick. Considerably thicker than a G26. It would be more difficult to conceal but not impossible. Some people have difficulty with the thick grip. The "SF" frames seem to help with that but I honestly couldn't tell much difference.

I really like the G30. Mine has been totally reliable and fits my hand fine (after a Dremel job on the finger grooves--I hate those things). But a G26 holds the same number of rounds and is much easier to carry and conceal and the power and performance between the 9mm and the .45 is not as wide as many think. As for the .40, I've never owned one or had any real burning desire to own one or even learn much about it--so I can't give you any comparison there.

 

[Coltdriver]

The 36 and the 27 are nearly identical in weight when loaded.

They are both very shootable compared to steel versions of the the same calibers. A very small steel 45 like a kimber ultra is, in mnsho, unbearable. So is a very small steel 40 like a kahr mk40. I have owned both.

The 27 is easily the best shooting .40 I ever tried. For such a small pistol they are excellent.

The 36 definitely has more recoil but I found it easily controllable and manageable. Full power 230 grain loads do make the web of my hand sore after 50 rounds but its not for target practice with those rounds. Lower power rounds are very easy on the hand.

The .40 and the .45 are excellent for self defense.

The 36 will fit the same holsters, generally, as the 27.

So whats to lose?

 

[BlackSky]

.45 is the way to go, for me. I use this Glock 36 and wouldn't trade it for the world. I can't recommend the caliber and the gun higher. It fits my hand like a glove with the thin, single stack, dimensions. Recoil is pleasant, seriously, you can shoot it all day at the range and it's nothing like an Airweight revolver with .38 +P's or .357's. I've had a grand total of 1 malfunction. It stovepiped on me once, that was about 2 weeks after I got it. Not a single hiccup since. I shoot Federal American Eagle 230gr FMJ and Fiocchi 230g FMJ for paper poking fun. For defense (practice and carry) I use Federal Hydra-Shok 230g hollow points. They are ridiculously accurate and they feed like a champ.

I've heard of others having some issues with the G36 but can't speak to them. I made some changes like adding an extended slide stop lever, slant pro straight eight night sites, +0 magazine extention, Crimson Trace laser and the butt plug. Seriously though, before this glock I had a handfull of guns I'd carry. Since the G36, I have one. It really has hit the mark for me.

 

[HD Fboy]

My Glock 21C is the most accurate gun I own. Every time I pick it up it just instills confidence. Many don't like the compensation as it fires upward and disturbs your sight line. This has never bothered me.

 

[Ledgehammer]

@blacksky - that is a sweet G36! I pick mine up from layaway probably Friday. I like the plus zero you have on there. Did you shoot it with out the plus zero? Was there much difference?

 

[BlackSky]

Was there much difference?

Yeah, big time. Shooting it with the stock magazine base pads was doable but annoying. I just couldn't get that perfect grasp with them. The +0 base pads add so little but make such a large difference. They turn it into a down right pleasant gun to shoot. The +1 base pads are great too but they are large so you're kind of negatting the point of a sub-compact at that point. I use the +0's for carry and a different set of magazines with +1's at the range.

 

[BADSBSNF81]

I've got a Model 21 from the tail end of 91. It's nickname is "The Lazer". With 230 FMJ it is extremely accurate.

 

[CDR_Glock]

I shoot and carry the 23 and 27.

I bought a 21 but it was too bulky. Traded even for a 30. It's the size of a 23. Extremely accurate. Reliable. Soft shooting.

Ammo availability where I live is that the 40 is way more easier to acquire. If cost is no issue, more of my friends favor the recoil of the 30, so in turn, you will also.

I am not sensitive to recoil.

 

[W.E.G.]

Get one and give it a whirl.

If you don't like it, there are 100 guys pressing the "refresh" button on Gunbroker right now who will take it off your hands for good money.

 

[chicharrones]

... Did you shoot it with out the plus zero? Was there much difference?

For some shooters, the stock Glock 36 magazine extension will make your pinky wedge in between it and the grip frame. When that happens, you get a nice little blood blister on your pinky from firing.

It doesn't happen to me all the time, just enough to be annoying.

 

[STL73]

Glock 30, can't get enough of it.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

I just bought this G36 last Saturday...I went through 150 rounds trying to get it to choke (limp wrist, mixed ammo in the mags, +P, plinker loads, everything I could think of)...It never missed a beat...accurate little booger too!

It is now my CCW pistol...I'm looking to add night sights, +0 mag extensions, and the plug for the bottom of the grip...but so far this one hasn't pinched me.

 

[gym]

I have my 30 from when they first came out, and I still love it. I keep a night site on the front and a ghost ring on the rear. It is as smooth as silk. I did go to a 26 and a lcp, "2 gun carry", only because of the weight. The package is very managable, but my back feels the difference "multiple surgical problems", after an hour or two. But up until 62, that was my main carry. I always chose a 45, weather it was a S&W chief 45, a 1911para, an amt backup 16 years ago, or the Glock, 45's are the bomb.