I love the teflon finish. Wipes clean. I wish it was still the norm.

Except when grabbing the slide with a sweaty hand, to clear a malfunction.

I’ll keep my obsolete G26. I’ll even take one for the team if anyone wants to sell their arcane firearm.

^^^ Same

While I could shoot them accurately, Gen3 26s and 27s just felt WAY wrong in my hand - whereas a Gen3 19 felt natural. Main reason why I never bought one.

When the Gen4s came - the slight difference in the backstrap cutout made all the difference in the world for me. It felt 10X better in the hand than a Gen3.

My G26 G4 doesn't get carried as much nowadays - mainly it's my quick clip on pistol when running to get take-out or whatnot - for when I don't feeling like fully "gunning" up.
But I'll grab the Baby Glock 9 out 10 times over my Shield.

I like to watch how things evolve over time. I don't think a consumer product is fully developed until it's been on the market for at least five years, preferably ten. It takes time to work the bugs out of,.... well,... just about anything.

For me, I think it's a good time to buy a 26. It's been around long enough.

I'll bet that we'll see more problems with the 43X and the P365. They're just too new.

V.

I went all in on the P365, after the rollout problems subsided. Lots of $$$ on holsters, installed a manual safety and other related stuff.
Problem: I cant shoot it well. It is just too small for me. After about 500 rounds of poor performance, I embraced the obsolescence and traded it for a Glock 26 - Gen 4, used but unfired.
The 26 fits my hands better and uses the same mags as my G19. Seems like a good swap!

Funny this thread popped up. I recently reacquired my Glock26 Gen3 that I sold to a friend many years ago! I have a Glock 43X which has been great, but the 26 is like a favorite pair of broken in jeans!

I’m a bit late to this party, but I’ve owned multiple G26’s since they originally came out. Since 2012, a Gen 4 Glock 26 has been my EDC.

The OP asked about Gen 3 vs Gen 5: IMHO, Gen 4 has been the best one for me. I’ve owned a 2.5, 3, multiple 4’s and a 5. I actually prefer the finger grooves on the 26 and also the stippling and reduced trigger length. To me, the 2.5 and 3 were a bit too slippery in my hand and the 4 nails it. The 5 is fine, but I have no need for the ambi slide release (even though I’m a lefty). The Gen 4 has everything I want in a G26.

That all said, the G26 shoots like a laser for me. I’m more accurate with it than my 19’s or 17. It’s literally point and shoot. They are also as reliable as you can get. The 2 P365’s that I owned were first generation disasters in that regard.

Absolutely not obsolete in my book. IMHO, the G26 still defines the subcompact pistol class.

quote:

Originally posted by SgtGold:
Put a looser gun in a ransom rest and you'll get a bigger group. It's just that simple. It's an issue of tolerance stacking, nothing more.

Well sorta... But not for the reason you think.

If you have a pistol with a sloppy slide to frame fit in a Ransom rest, naturally it will seem less accurate than a pistol with a tight slide to frame fit.

However, if both pistols have the same lockup between the slide to barrel, they will shoot equally when shot by hand. The reason being, is that the human shooter will align the sights to the target regardless of how sloppy the slide to frame fit is. Slide to frame fit has far less to do with mechanical accuracy than most people think.

What is important is the lockup between the slide and barrel. What I've noticed personally is that pistols where the barrel is a snug fit to the slide usually tend to be more accurate than those with a looser fit. Case in point, most of my SIGs lockup to the slide are so tight that they will remain in place without the recoil spring installed. The locking block relationship to the barrel lugs is also a factor, but generally not the slide to frame fit between the rails.

I like well fitted slide to frame pistols. However, there's more to mechanical accuracy than slide to frame fit.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: parabellum,

If you think the 26 is obsolete try to purchase one anywhere either online or in person. The select few you can find online are crazy expensive.

Love my G26. While at home, I wear shorts from that gold-standard of men’s high-fashion...Sam’s Club! Savane-brand cargo shorts. The normal front pockets (not the cargo pockets) have a slash opening and are set deep, deep enough to wonderfully carry a G26 in a pocket holster (I have two, a synthetic DeSantis Nemesis and a rough-out leather one from Mitch Rosen’s Express Line). I wear a spare magazine (usually another 10-rounder but sometimes a G19 mag) in a horizontal mag carrier from Magholder, LLC on the off-side. It all works and works well!

That can be said about pretty much any gun nowadays.

quote:

Originally posted by 94hokie:
If you think the 26 is obsolete try to purchase one anywhere either online or in person. The select few you can find online are crazy expensive.

Not only is the G26 not obsolete, its latest iteration, the gen5, is closer to Glock's much mocked marketing slogan about perfection.

While the G26 gen2.5/3/4 are very fine pistols, the gen5 addresses the one weakness of the pistol- its springs. The gen5 pistols adopted the spring configuration of the slimline pistols, replacing the tiny leaf spring for the barrel latch with a coil spring. Do you know what happens if that tiny leaf spring fails? Forget about your Glock not working. It's worse than that; the slide assembly won't even stay on the frame! If ever you've seen slow-motion video of the Glock firing, you know that this teeny little spring gets compressed fully during the firing cycle- not once, but twice. The slide lock no longer uses the straight wire spring, also replaced by a more durable coil spring. Also replaced is a part known for breakage in Glocks, (although at impressively high round counts), the trigger spring. Chris Bartocci of Small Arms Solutions said he had to replace a gen3 G17 trigger spring at 38,000 rounds (!). The gen1 through gen4 trigger spring is a coil spring, but it gets stretched, not compressed, and this stretching is the source of its weakness (if that term is even appropriate for a part with such a long life) and this has been rectified in the gen5.

It could be argued that the gen5 pistols are near-perfect end-of-the-world pistols, with the G26 being perhaps the best of the lot. Why? Well, aside from the oft-mentioned practical accuracy of the G26, it's the smallest of the gen5 guns, yet still accepts all magazines of the G17/18/19. The G26 can fit into places the larger Glocks cannot, can accept grip extenders to give it a full size grip and depending upon your physical build and the type of clothing you wear, can actually be used in an ankle holster. As a matter of fact, I know there are quite a few police agencies throughout the US which authorize the G26/27/33 as an ankle gun to backup their full size service Glock.

Obsolete? Good God, no. I'll go so far as to say that if forced to choose one handgun for the rest of my life, the gen5 G26 would be my pick.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Obsolete?

Umm, no.

Ultra-reliable and very shootable, with 9 gazillion parts and accessories available, and capable of holding a 33 round factory magazine. If the G26 is obsolete, all pistols should be obsolete.

As a matter of fact, if I were forced to choose one pistol only to do everything for personal defense, I'd probably choose the G26. In its size class, no self-loading pistol is more reliable and that includes the P365.

Well stated, and if you carry a larger glock it just makes sense due to mag interchangeably. Plus I found the G26 to be very accurate.

The G26 has a great ease of shooting to size ratio thats always impressed me. I've carried one for a long time. As was previously mentioned the Gen5 updates are serious improvements to an already robust system.

add the fact that they take the most common of glock mags, in any size makes it all the more versatile....

Just picked up my gen4 today, can’t wait to get to the range and proof it out for EDC.

The way the question, if a Glock G26 was obsolete, is vaporware. Obsolete in what way!

SD shooting techniques have not changed in a way that would make the desing obsolete.

For the last 30years, handgun designs have not changed so dramatically that obsolete a Glock.

Shootabitit is a personal issue. Reliability mostly relates to the professionalism of the owner his ability to choose suitable ammo for his pistol and how mch he understands gun technology. Or in other words. If one has problems with a Glock, there will be problems with a SIGSauer or else. This issue whatsoever does not relate to the status of a gun concept but the capabilies of its owner.

The P365 beats Glocks hands down... We have retired our Glocks in favor of P365... here's why...

1. Glocks are bigger by a good bit than the SIG or in the case of the G43 have a lot lower capacity (6rds v. 15 10rds, 12rds for 15rds in the SIG 365.)

2. The SIGs have better sights.

3. The ergonomics on the P365 is a LOT better than any glock.

4. Our P365s have thumb safeties (however, if you just don't want a thumb safety SIG offers them without the thumb safety.)

5. The P365 has a much better trigger than Glocks.

6. Our (we have four of them) P365s are ultra reliable... I don't recall ever having a stoppage with a single one of them... so reliable they are boring...

So that is why we changed... FWIW

I would not say the Glock 26 is obsolete... for that matter I would not say any of the Glocks are obsolete... but I would say they are no longer the sole innovator in the self defense pistol category... SIG is a big factor in the market now as is Smith & Wesson... FN is making some excellent products now, their 509 and other pistols are fine products... CZ has a growing market share as well. And there are others who are trying to take a major market share... Sadly, Colt's is still not a competitor...


Chuck

quote:

Originally posted by bcjwriter:
So I have been contemplating another CCW Pistol. I have been looking at the Sig P365 so I can have a second one, another Glock 43, or a Glock 43X. Then someone suggested I look at the Glock 26. With the current state of CCW and the new guns that are out, who out there has any experience with these and are they obsolete or is this still a viable / good CCW choice? In CA I can still get one (Gen 3) without having to get an LE Only purchase - but Am willing to do the LE buy if the Gen 5 is worth it.

I carry AIWB so I like the idea of the shorter grip, but I’m worried about it being so chunky. Does anyone still choose the G26 over the slimmer models?

Thanks all for your input.

The P365 trigger is different than a Glock trigger; this does not make it superior. I like my P365 and I carry it a lot, when I make it home, but the notion that one pistol trumps another is very subjective.

So far as sights; both the Glock and the Sig have whatever sights you choose to put on them. My Sigs and my Glocks wear the same sights. Kind of irrelevant.

I don't want a thumb safety. My P365's don't have them. My P320's don't have them. My Glocks don't have them.

Ergonomics are subjective. The P365 is a compromise in every way, to favor smallness. If I know I'm going to a fight, I'll take a full grip every time, rather than a pocket pistol. I carry a pocket pistol (P365) frequently because it's convenient and concealable.

Cool design, the P365, and I like it. It's certainly no more reliable than my Glocks.

Not a huge difference in size between the G26 and the P365. The P365 is a bit more trim, but lacks a hand filling grip, and the G26 will take magazines of 15, 17, and 24 rounds or more. Both fit in a DeSanis holster in my pocket. The P365 is a bit more concealable, but I"m quite happy to shoot or carry a G26 all day long. The topic is the G26, but if other Glocks are included, there are additional options for the same size, more or less; my 43X carries 10 or 15 rounds and also slips easily into my pocket.

The P365 is a great innovation and has a lot going for it. To say it's superior needs to be qualified with an "I think it's..." or "In my opinion, it is..." because I think you may find that there are a lot of us that own both, and are quite happy either way. Superiority is largely a matter of preference, and proficiency.

I don't see a lot of P365's as a top choice in shooting matches. Or duty pistols. It has it's role, but so does the G26; both small, concealable pistols, but as a matter of perspective, each of the arguments that make the P365 "superior," could also be made in favor of the G26.

quote:

Originally posted by cxm:
The P365 beats Glocks hands down... We have retired our Glocks in favor of P365... here's why...

Obviously, this is a very subjective issue. I still have a P365, and I do like it, but I still like the G26 a lot better. I've had three P365s (sold two), and despite my best efforts, I can't shoot it as well as a G26. It's that simple for me. This makes the G26 better for me than the P365, at least for right now.

quote:

1. Glocks are bigger by a good bit than the SIG or in the case of the G43 have a lot lower capacity (6rds v. 15 10rds, 12rds for 15rds in the SIG 365.)

This would only matter to me if I pocket carried the P365. I don't. On a belt, either IWB or OWB, I don't notice much difference in the size. It's a non-issue. The G26 is also small.

quote:

2. The SIGs have better sights.

This is true, but every Glock I own have had the sights changed out within a week of buying them. While the P365 has better sights than Glock factory sights, I still don't care for the Sig X-Ray sights that come on the P365. I much prefer sights like Trijicon HDs or similar Ameriglo offerings. Slightly better sights out of the box doesn't make me choose the P365 over the Glock. If I ever decided to carry it regularly, I'd probably change out the sights on the P365 too.

quote:

3. The ergonomics on the P365 is a LOT better than any glock.

This is also likely true (for many people), but, again, it doesn't make me shoot it better than a G26. I felt the same way about my HK USP 9 and USP 45 vs the P30 and HK45. I shoot the old USP line better despite the updated ergonomics on the newer models. Ergonomics doesn't mean the same thing for everyone. The P365 grip is very small. I don't find that ergonomic for me by definition. It doesn't improve comfort or efficiency for me.

quote:

4. Our P365s have thumb safeties (however, if you just don't want a thumb safety SIG offers them without the thumb safety.)

This is a nice option for those who prefer thumb safeties and means nothing for those who don't.

quote:

5. The P365 has a much better trigger than Glocks.

This is another subjective issue, in my opinion. I personally prefer the Glock trigger, probably because I'm more used to them. The P365 trigger is just fine though.

quote:

6. Our (we have four of them) P365s are ultra reliable... I don't recall ever having a stoppage with a single one of them... so reliable they are boring...

I don't recall ever having a stoppage with any of my Glock 26s, but I'm sure it can happen. I've had good luck with the P365s I've owned too, but have shot them much less than the Glocks. I would certainly consider my G26s "ultra reliable" too. The P365 is not likely better in this aspect. It would be lucky to be equal.