Your thoughts: XD-9 subcompact vs. Glock 26

Status
Not open for further replies.
D

DHart

Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2004
Messages
1,743
Location
Sonoran Desert, Arizona
Curious to hear your views on these two pistols compared. Weight is very close. Size is very close, though the XD-9 suffers a little from a 1/2" shorter barrel (3" on the XD vs. 3.46" on the 26) while the slide length is comparable between the two pistols. Both are 10+1 capacity.

I'm confident that either one would be a good choice, but I'm wondering if there are other factors you might have determined to sway the choice one way or the other. I have a Glock 29 which I love. Have never had an XD. Thanks for your thoughts.
 
I use to own an XD 9. Purchased one because it felt great in my hand at the store and I liked all the extras that came with it, however I couldn't shoot well with it. Ended up trying my friends G26 and shot much better with it.

At the end of the day I ended up selling my XD and buying a G19.

While the XD has some nice features on it, it tends to have significantly more muzzle flig than either Glock. I also felt that the Glocks pointed more naturally for me, making them a bit more accurate.

I definitely recommend renting one at a range if possible, before spending your money on buying one.
 
The Glock 26 is smaller than the XD sub. Mags are a little cheaper for the Glock and accessories are easier to find. The XD can be had for less $$. Both shot well for me and were 100% reliable.
You should pick the one you like best. They're both good guns.
 
I had the service model with the 4" barrel and it was a great gun. The only complaint I had with it is the finish. After less than two years, it had more finish wear than my 11 year old G23. I prefer Glock, but I will probably buy a 5" tactical XD9 one day.
 
I have the XD9SC. It's a niche gun for occassions where I'm wearing comfortable, casual clothing and absolutely have to pocket carry, or when I have to Smartcarry.

Side by side, the Glock 26 definitely feels like it's smaller. Part of the problem with the XD SC models is that they don't really do anything besides cut down the slide length and the grip length. 90% of the time you just might as well be carrying the service model.

Then again I feel that way about the G26 and G19 too.

But I do find uses for it, especially because my primary carry is the XD45ACP, I find the SC offers me more flexibility with less need for cross training. I think if I could find the right holster, some sort of tuckable IWB deal maybe, the XD9SC would be the bee's knees.

If they come up with a .45 ACP XD SC, I'll be replacing it however.
 
On the one hand, I'm not a XD fan. On the other hand, I really like 9mm GLocks...SO, that said, go w/ the 26! :D
 
I was recently faced with a similar decision. I was looking for a subcompact 9x19 auto for concealed carry. After considering probably 6-8 pistols, the XD, G26, and P99c were at the top of my list.

I finally chose the Glock 26. I believe any of them would serve well in the reliability department, but the Glock seems to me to be easier to work on (i.e., easier to replace parts yourself if they break), and parts, holsters, and mags are more readily and cheaply available. These were some of the factors that went into my decision.

Also, the Glock trigger reset is very nice for fast follow-up shots. Not sure about the Walther (assuming the QA or DAO trigger for purposes of comparison), but my understanding is that the reset on the XD is rather long.
 
"easily the g26 is the better subcompact"

That statement makes no sense. Both are great guns, its just a matter pf preferance.
 
It's an opinion. When you consider the size, it's easier to conceal. I don't think the XD has been around long enough to consider it a "great gun", but that's your opinion.
 
I had a chance to compare the two in a gunshop today and while I prefer the XD's trigger, I prefer the G26's lower bore axis and longer barrel length. The slide on the XD feels very tall/high above the hand, but the XD's grip & trigger felt great. So I'm leaning toward the G26 at this point, but the XD is certainly an attractive gun...

Alternatively, the XD sub compact in 40 is appealing... exact same size as the XD-9 SC.
 
Alternatively, the XD sub compact in 40 is appealing... exact same size as the XD-9 SC.
Click to expand...
There is also the Glock 27 if you want a .40 but I've heard .40s in those subcompacts are quite unpleasent to shoot.
I have both the XD9SC and G26 and find the glock conceals a little easier. The finish on the XD is looking terrible, it has light surface rust and holster wear from the CTAC. I'll be sending the slide to springfield to get recoated soon. I would say go with whatever grip angle you feel more comfortable with. Both are great reliable guns.
 
DTD....yeah, I'm undecided on 40. I shoot Browning Hi-Powers in 40 which I love. And I do shoot a Glock 29 (10mm) with warm loads which I'm comfortable with, though after three or four mag fulls, my hand is feeling the stress, so I don't shoot it for extended sessions, just several mag fulls at a time, which is plenty to maintain familiarity. So for me, 40 will feel milder than the 10mm that I'm used to. If I got the Glock 27, I'd be replacing the barrel with an aftermarket barrel for better case head support, something I thing the stock XD-40 barrel already has. The potency of 40 is nice to have, but I think the ease of handling 9mm (quick handling, less recoil, quicker folow up shots, etc.) is a significant benefit as well - and with top quality ammo, I think 9mm is a capable caliber (for a handgun). So I'll probably wind up with the Glock 26.
 
Well I'd say go with whichever feels better. If you have a range nearby that rents both I'd try em both out and see which one feels more comfortable and which one you shoot better with. What part of the Pacific NW are you in? If you are nearby you could probably try mine if you bought the ammo.
I haven't shot the G27 or the XD40SC but my G23 feels plenty snappy as do the subcompacts so I don't think I'd want to up the caliber and get slower follow up shots. Although I have to admit if SA made a XD45SC I'd just have to get one :D
 
Drew... I liked the feel of the XD grip a lot and the trigger felt better too. But since I have the Glock 29, I like the lower profile and lower bore axis of the Glock (and the extra 1/2 of barrel length & slightly smaller size)... so for me it's a really tough decision. I understand that the finish on the Glock is much better as well. The gun would be strictly for concealed carry, so the somewhat smaller G26 gets the nod in that aspect as well. So hmmmmm. I live just across the Columbia River from Portland, so I could drop in to The Place to Shoot in Jantzen Beach and probably rent both of them there...

In 9mm I already have a Kahr PM-9 (which runs flawlessly), an FN HiPower, and a Beretta PX9 & CX9 (carbine) all of these guns are drop dead reliable, so I'm plenty well into the caliber at this point. (True of a lot of calibers for me, unfortunately!) I guess since I'm so split between the two guns I really should rent them both and see! That's probably the only way I'm going to be able to make a definitive decision since I like them both.
 
One problem with both guns is they're too big to really be considered mouseguns, yet they're significantly smaller than their service sized brethren. I know not everybody's the same and some people like smaller guns and smaller pocketknives, but unless you are using a nontraditional carry method, I don't see the point of either of them. The XD SC takes up almost as much space as my XD Service, and I know which one I'd rather have.

Still it sounds like you have a full sized 9mm pistol covered already, so I can appreciate wanting a niche gun like this. As I alluded to earlier, I do find uses for it but it's not as handy as it first seems. I tried IWB carry for a while and soon asked myself, why am I not carrying my full sized pistol which I can shoot better, etc.?
 
Euclidean.... you hit the nail on the head... I prefer nontraditional methods of carry!

Here's how I usually carry.... tucked inside waistband at 5 o'clock position (small of back) without holster. I do wear a heavy gunbelt, but don't like -and don't use- holsters. I can tuck a gun back there and it stays put very well without the extra girth/bulk/weight of a holster. So something with a fairly short slide and an abbreviated butt, and which still has a moderately substantial body size is carried very well that way.

A much smaller gun (my PM-9) is less secure in that style of carry and a bigger gun (my Glock 29 or 1911 Commander) gun is a bit too big - and a bit too heavy. I think the Glock 26/XD9-sc would carry very nicely this way.

The other way I carry a lot (when riding a motorcycle - often) is I drop a gun into the large pocket of my motorcycle jacket - a heavy leather riding jacket. I carry my Glock 29 that way on occasion and it works fine - hardly notice the weight given the bulk and weight of the heavy leather jacket when I'm riding, but a smaller Glock 26 or XD-9 SC would drop in there even easier and weigh a bit less. So really, I'm looking for a gun to fill the gap between my PM-9 and my Glock 29, so the Glock 26 / XD-9 SC seem right there iin that sweet spot.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

L
  • Locked
Thinkin about trading my G19 for a xd subcompact
2
Replies
42
Views
1K
ForumSurfer
F
H
  • Locked
Glock 26 vs. Springfield XD subcompact 9mm vs. Steyr S9
2
Replies
34
Views
13K
mgregg85
M
R
  • Locked
Subcompacts Glock or SA XD?
Replies
16
Views
666
RTFM
R
StrikeFire83
  • Locked
Pocket Carrying a Glock 26 or Springfield XD-Subcompact???
Replies
22
Views
3K
jad0110
J
L
  • Locked
Taurus PT111 vs Springfield XD subcompact
Replies
4
Views
2K
MrTuffPaws
M
Back
Top