Many years ago there was an ultra-liberal, self-serving, anti-gun president in office. I know, I know, kinda hard to believe, except ... well, okay it's not at all hard to believe in our current predicament, but at that time we had just enjoyed 12 years of Conservative presidency. Admittedly, President Bush the senior was not Ronald Reagan, but he wasn't half bad, all things considered. Then came President Bill Clinton, the gun-grabber from Arkansas. From those scary 8 years came the now infamous Assault Weapons Ban that blissfully reached it's sunset point just a very few years ago.
If anything good can be said to have come out of that nefarious time of 10-round magazine limits, it's that manufacturers who had until then seemingly been competing to see who could build the largest, most cumbersome pistol, started seeing just how small of a pistol they could wrap around a 10 round mag. I mean, more people than ever were getting CCW permits and those full-sized military-minded pistols get a might hard to carry discreetly in summertime. Also, why even carry a full-sized pistol when that size was designed as a means to carry a high-cap mag and you are limited to only a 10 rounder? Well, in amongst the new breed of ultra-compacts came the entry by GLOCK. They took their big-honking duty pistols (the 17 round Model 17 and the 15 round Model 19) and cut 'em down around a 10 round mag. That little engineering feat gave us the Model 26. They did the same thing for their .40 pistols (the M22 and M23), producing the Model 27 and it's 9-round magazine.
Those were simply TINY pistols in those days. A pistol about the same length and height as a Walther PPK/s (very popular with CCW and LEO then), and though a bit chunky, the piece was still thinner than the diameter of the cylinder of a j-frame .38 (the main go-to BUG/ODC piece for cops and smart civvies then). Every cop I knew wanted one. A couple got them. Then one day I got one. Actually, I got the Glock 26 and then rather prohibitively expensive Emerson CQC7 folding fighter. I hesitate to mention this, but in the interest of full disclose and for the sake of the really weird humor involved, I gotta tell you, gentle reader, they were divorce presents. As in, "Here, I got you the pistol and knife you've been wanting." Aw! Gee, thanks! "Yeah. Have fun. Now, then, since I gave you a present, I want one in return: a divorce."
I didn't realize at the time, but I came out far ahead. I went through a few different duty pistols thereafter, but I always stayed qualified with the "Baby Glock" on our duty course and saw it more as a BackUp, Off Duty Carry, Alternate Duty Weapon. When I got promoted and moved to CID, I still carried that G26, usually in a Renegade Ankle Rig. Sometimes I would carry it as my duty piece if I was spending the day crawling under cars, in attics, sitting in court, etc. Almost immediately after getting it, I swapped one flat-based mag for one with a Pierce pinky extension. I used the flat mag for ankle and pocket carry (yes, pocket carry, and yes it's a wee bit thick for that, but I somehow made it work ... somehow). The finger extension was for belt carry, shoulder carry, or pretty much any other time. A co-worker, owing me for a holster (that he later retired still owing me for) gave me a 17 round Glock mag as a down payment. There were times when that became the carry-in-the-pistol mag as even back then I felt that the most important round count was what was immediately available in your hand rather than what was in a pocket, or mag pouch.
I used to be assigned to "low profile" work during various festivals, block parties, and other events wherein it was believe that nefarious activity might be afoot. "Low-Profile" is what a lot of folks call "under cover" but in real UC work, you have a cover ID, some background, and hopefully, if they love you, some backup. I did a little UC work and enjoyed it, but Low-Profile was what I did most: blending in with the crowd, seeming to just be one of the good ol' boys, until something happened. Of course that meant I had usually NO cover, NO back-up, and in those days, very questionable communication abilities. I describe those assignments as, "Gee, how can we get the red-haired, left-handed, pain in the patookus killed this weekend?" It was not unheard of for me to carry the Glock sans holster. Yep, just stuck in the belt, usually appendix carry (or more like descending colon carry I guess, given my South-paw perspective [not to mention, I haven't had an appendix since I was 10]). Yeah, I know, unsafe, dangerous, reckless, and other bad things as well. Save it. I TRIED to trip the trigger on an unloaded Glock carried thusly several times and never managed to find a way to manage it. It worked well for me, stayed put, and was FAST to draw. It was also different times and a lot of us didn't use holsters for low-profile and off-duty carry. That said, yes you should use one or at least one of those little clips-over-the-trigger-and-pops-off-via-lanyard-on-your-belt jobbies. There, liability avoided (insert notice that I am in no way responsible for what you choose to do).
Spring forward a few years. I stopped the nekkid-gun carry and stuck with holsters of various makes. They all added too much bulk for IWB carry (and I was starting to grow those dreaded early middle age love handles by then but shhhh! I'm hoping no one will notice). I had many other options and finally retired my old companion. Recently, however, after some training, research and deep thought (especially after some ALERT training, sorta hard-core and in depth training wherein one learns how to take on active shooters either alone or with pretty much anyone who you can get to go with you), I came to see the benefit of having a lot of rounds on hand. Now, I still carry my Kahr PM40, especially when it's boiling hot outside. I carry a S&W 30-1 sometimes or even my .32 PPK (the latter two especially if some old hand/ wrist injuries, or these days my old friend arthritis flair up). But that Baby Glock is finding its way into or onto my waistband more and more frequently. I usually carry that 17 rounder as the main backup mag. Yes, I've heard that if you grip it wrong and put too much pressure on that over-sized mag body hanging out of the piece you can jam the gun. I don't usually have any pressure on the body of the mag, and have shot it a LOT without a problem, so I feel comfortable doing this. Plus I practice failure drills like crazy so ... yeah ... I think I'm good.
Okay, we've covered some history (maybe a wee bit too much of mine, but I tend to blab). What about the piece, you ask? It's had thousands of rounds through it. I lost count long ago, but I'm sure I'm well into the plural thousands. The trigger on mine is phenomenal for the type. I knew a gunsmith who worked on his own G26 until he thought it was perfect. He tried my out-of-the-box-but-well-used trigger and cursed ... and cursed some more. Then one evening he dropped by my house (the sort of bloke who'll sit in his car on the road in front of your house for half an hour talking because he doesn't have time to come in). He had worked on another cop's G26 and smugly told me he finally surpassed even the trigger on my G26. I tried the trigger (dry fire, of course). I agreed it was indeed the best smithed trigger I'd ever felt on a Glock of any model. While he was glowing in that review, I unloaded mine and handed it over. He dry fired mine exactly once before handing it back to me rather rudely, calling both my birth and familial relationships into question, and driving off in something I like to describe as a snit. Heh-heh-heh.
With that trigger it shoots very well indeed. In truth, however, I've never shot a Glock 26 (or it's .40 caliber fraternal twin the 27) that wasn't very accurate. The factory sights are combat sights and most decidedly NOT target sights. In fact, at the 25 yard line, the blocky front post takes up most of the chest of a combat target. Still, it takes little time to figure that you just put that big-o'front sight right under the spot where you want to hit, like the bullet is sitting atop the sight post, drop it down inside the rear sight with equal height and equal light and you will hit where you are aiming. I recently did some prone 50 yard silhouette shooting and was impressed with that that short, chunky piece would do with it's just a hair under 3.5" barrel and some standard 115 gr FMJ ammo. Mine is currently stoked for carry with Federal's excellent 124gr +P+ HST load. The Net Nannies and Armchair Commandos (and a few real experts) either like it or hate it. It's 100% reliable in my pistol, accurate, does well against auto glass and auto bodies (I sometimes get to have fun with a donated vehicle), so I like it. I used to carry Federal 9BPLE (115 gr +P+ JHP). On a borrowed chronograph I got an honest 1275 fps from that short bbl. I haven't had a chrono handy since switching loads, but how much difference can 9 grains of bullet weight make, methinks? Anyway that's up there near short barreled .357 magnum velocity with a similar bullet so I see very little to complain about. (Edited 02/10/2014: I sometimes still carry the 9BPLE as since retiring I have far more of these on hand than the HST loads).
So, it shoots, keeps shooting so long as it's fed, hits hard (for a pistol), but how does it carry? It has precious few sharp corners. Almost every surface is rounded and comfortable against skin. Almost. When I press the trigger with my left trigger finger, the magazine release gouges me. Simple fix, really, I just filed the offending corner off the button with an emery board. Now it's not a problem. That little arch on the rear of the grip is supposed to make it fit the contour of the palm, I guess. I think it adds too much bulk and leaves a nice place for lint and dust to gather in the mainspring. I've seen Glocks with that arch cut off and the grips sanded and refinished ... but I just can't bring myself to do that with my pistol ... yet. It is in truth just a wee bit long front-to-back to properly fit my hand, but for all that it still points well, shoots softly, hits where aimed, and all that, so, well, so what if it doesn't feel like it fits just right?
For those wanting a .40 (and willing to forget that the case-head of the cartridge is not, in the opinion of many, property supported in the .40 caliber Glocks ... look up "kaboom"), the G27 is a great option. Essentially the same piece only giving up one round to house the fatter .40s, it is the softest shooting mini-.40 I've ever fired, and I have fired several. Just the other day I qualified an old friend on the range. His g/f gave him a G27 for Christmas and he wanted to tote it off-duty. His qualification (rapid present and fire to very rapid present and fire stages from 15, 7, and 3 yards) was excellent and was the first time he'd shot the brand new pistol. We then spent a while breaking it in and once more, I was impressed with the design. Yes, yes, we shot it along side my Kahr PM40. My PM40 is much smaller and a bit lighter, but that means it pushes a bit more. Honestly they make great mild-weather/hot weather companion guns. The PM40 when you'd otherwise go unarmed or with a mousegun (no offense, I like mouseguns), and the Glock 26 or 27 when you can tote something just a wee bit bigger overall.
Recently I started making some Kydex holsters, finding few out there that I liked or that I was willing to part with my hard earned cash for just to most likely see them in the Box of Holsters That Didn't Quite Work For Me. That box, excuse me, those boxes, are way too full now. Kydex is so thin I can make a good IWB holster that adds very little bulk to the chunky Glock so it can ride tucked in my waistband nearly as comfortably as it did when riding "nekkid," but is in truth firmly clipped to my belt. Also, a paddle design I've been playing with keeps it tight into the body so a light over-shirt (or X-L Aloha shirt) and it hides quite well. There's something about knowing you have 28 rounds at hand in two magazines (10 round mag, 17 round mag, and one round chambered) that's mighty satisfying when you find yourself somewhere with a suspicious character or two loitering about.
So to sum up, I've rediscovered my old friend, the Glock 26. I think our time apart did us some good. Oh, and it's fun to shoot, too.
If anything good can be said to have come out of that nefarious time of 10-round magazine limits, it's that manufacturers who had until then seemingly been competing to see who could build the largest, most cumbersome pistol, started seeing just how small of a pistol they could wrap around a 10 round mag. I mean, more people than ever were getting CCW permits and those full-sized military-minded pistols get a might hard to carry discreetly in summertime. Also, why even carry a full-sized pistol when that size was designed as a means to carry a high-cap mag and you are limited to only a 10 rounder? Well, in amongst the new breed of ultra-compacts came the entry by GLOCK. They took their big-honking duty pistols (the 17 round Model 17 and the 15 round Model 19) and cut 'em down around a 10 round mag. That little engineering feat gave us the Model 26. They did the same thing for their .40 pistols (the M22 and M23), producing the Model 27 and it's 9-round magazine.
Those were simply TINY pistols in those days. A pistol about the same length and height as a Walther PPK/s (very popular with CCW and LEO then), and though a bit chunky, the piece was still thinner than the diameter of the cylinder of a j-frame .38 (the main go-to BUG/ODC piece for cops and smart civvies then). Every cop I knew wanted one. A couple got them. Then one day I got one. Actually, I got the Glock 26 and then rather prohibitively expensive Emerson CQC7 folding fighter. I hesitate to mention this, but in the interest of full disclose and for the sake of the really weird humor involved, I gotta tell you, gentle reader, they were divorce presents. As in, "Here, I got you the pistol and knife you've been wanting." Aw! Gee, thanks! "Yeah. Have fun. Now, then, since I gave you a present, I want one in return: a divorce."
I didn't realize at the time, but I came out far ahead. I went through a few different duty pistols thereafter, but I always stayed qualified with the "Baby Glock" on our duty course and saw it more as a BackUp, Off Duty Carry, Alternate Duty Weapon. When I got promoted and moved to CID, I still carried that G26, usually in a Renegade Ankle Rig. Sometimes I would carry it as my duty piece if I was spending the day crawling under cars, in attics, sitting in court, etc. Almost immediately after getting it, I swapped one flat-based mag for one with a Pierce pinky extension. I used the flat mag for ankle and pocket carry (yes, pocket carry, and yes it's a wee bit thick for that, but I somehow made it work ... somehow). The finger extension was for belt carry, shoulder carry, or pretty much any other time. A co-worker, owing me for a holster (that he later retired still owing me for) gave me a 17 round Glock mag as a down payment. There were times when that became the carry-in-the-pistol mag as even back then I felt that the most important round count was what was immediately available in your hand rather than what was in a pocket, or mag pouch.
I used to be assigned to "low profile" work during various festivals, block parties, and other events wherein it was believe that nefarious activity might be afoot. "Low-Profile" is what a lot of folks call "under cover" but in real UC work, you have a cover ID, some background, and hopefully, if they love you, some backup. I did a little UC work and enjoyed it, but Low-Profile was what I did most: blending in with the crowd, seeming to just be one of the good ol' boys, until something happened. Of course that meant I had usually NO cover, NO back-up, and in those days, very questionable communication abilities. I describe those assignments as, "Gee, how can we get the red-haired, left-handed, pain in the patookus killed this weekend?" It was not unheard of for me to carry the Glock sans holster. Yep, just stuck in the belt, usually appendix carry (or more like descending colon carry I guess, given my South-paw perspective [not to mention, I haven't had an appendix since I was 10]). Yeah, I know, unsafe, dangerous, reckless, and other bad things as well. Save it. I TRIED to trip the trigger on an unloaded Glock carried thusly several times and never managed to find a way to manage it. It worked well for me, stayed put, and was FAST to draw. It was also different times and a lot of us didn't use holsters for low-profile and off-duty carry. That said, yes you should use one or at least one of those little clips-over-the-trigger-and-pops-off-via-lanyard-on-your-belt jobbies. There, liability avoided (insert notice that I am in no way responsible for what you choose to do).
Spring forward a few years. I stopped the nekkid-gun carry and stuck with holsters of various makes. They all added too much bulk for IWB carry (and I was starting to grow those dreaded early middle age love handles by then but shhhh! I'm hoping no one will notice). I had many other options and finally retired my old companion. Recently, however, after some training, research and deep thought (especially after some ALERT training, sorta hard-core and in depth training wherein one learns how to take on active shooters either alone or with pretty much anyone who you can get to go with you), I came to see the benefit of having a lot of rounds on hand. Now, I still carry my Kahr PM40, especially when it's boiling hot outside. I carry a S&W 30-1 sometimes or even my .32 PPK (the latter two especially if some old hand/ wrist injuries, or these days my old friend arthritis flair up). But that Baby Glock is finding its way into or onto my waistband more and more frequently. I usually carry that 17 rounder as the main backup mag. Yes, I've heard that if you grip it wrong and put too much pressure on that over-sized mag body hanging out of the piece you can jam the gun. I don't usually have any pressure on the body of the mag, and have shot it a LOT without a problem, so I feel comfortable doing this. Plus I practice failure drills like crazy so ... yeah ... I think I'm good.
Okay, we've covered some history (maybe a wee bit too much of mine, but I tend to blab). What about the piece, you ask? It's had thousands of rounds through it. I lost count long ago, but I'm sure I'm well into the plural thousands. The trigger on mine is phenomenal for the type. I knew a gunsmith who worked on his own G26 until he thought it was perfect. He tried my out-of-the-box-but-well-used trigger and cursed ... and cursed some more. Then one evening he dropped by my house (the sort of bloke who'll sit in his car on the road in front of your house for half an hour talking because he doesn't have time to come in). He had worked on another cop's G26 and smugly told me he finally surpassed even the trigger on my G26. I tried the trigger (dry fire, of course). I agreed it was indeed the best smithed trigger I'd ever felt on a Glock of any model. While he was glowing in that review, I unloaded mine and handed it over. He dry fired mine exactly once before handing it back to me rather rudely, calling both my birth and familial relationships into question, and driving off in something I like to describe as a snit. Heh-heh-heh.
With that trigger it shoots very well indeed. In truth, however, I've never shot a Glock 26 (or it's .40 caliber fraternal twin the 27) that wasn't very accurate. The factory sights are combat sights and most decidedly NOT target sights. In fact, at the 25 yard line, the blocky front post takes up most of the chest of a combat target. Still, it takes little time to figure that you just put that big-o'front sight right under the spot where you want to hit, like the bullet is sitting atop the sight post, drop it down inside the rear sight with equal height and equal light and you will hit where you are aiming. I recently did some prone 50 yard silhouette shooting and was impressed with that that short, chunky piece would do with it's just a hair under 3.5" barrel and some standard 115 gr FMJ ammo. Mine is currently stoked for carry with Federal's excellent 124gr +P+ HST load. The Net Nannies and Armchair Commandos (and a few real experts) either like it or hate it. It's 100% reliable in my pistol, accurate, does well against auto glass and auto bodies (I sometimes get to have fun with a donated vehicle), so I like it. I used to carry Federal 9BPLE (115 gr +P+ JHP). On a borrowed chronograph I got an honest 1275 fps from that short bbl. I haven't had a chrono handy since switching loads, but how much difference can 9 grains of bullet weight make, methinks? Anyway that's up there near short barreled .357 magnum velocity with a similar bullet so I see very little to complain about. (Edited 02/10/2014: I sometimes still carry the 9BPLE as since retiring I have far more of these on hand than the HST loads).
So, it shoots, keeps shooting so long as it's fed, hits hard (for a pistol), but how does it carry? It has precious few sharp corners. Almost every surface is rounded and comfortable against skin. Almost. When I press the trigger with my left trigger finger, the magazine release gouges me. Simple fix, really, I just filed the offending corner off the button with an emery board. Now it's not a problem. That little arch on the rear of the grip is supposed to make it fit the contour of the palm, I guess. I think it adds too much bulk and leaves a nice place for lint and dust to gather in the mainspring. I've seen Glocks with that arch cut off and the grips sanded and refinished ... but I just can't bring myself to do that with my pistol ... yet. It is in truth just a wee bit long front-to-back to properly fit my hand, but for all that it still points well, shoots softly, hits where aimed, and all that, so, well, so what if it doesn't feel like it fits just right?
For those wanting a .40 (and willing to forget that the case-head of the cartridge is not, in the opinion of many, property supported in the .40 caliber Glocks ... look up "kaboom"), the G27 is a great option. Essentially the same piece only giving up one round to house the fatter .40s, it is the softest shooting mini-.40 I've ever fired, and I have fired several. Just the other day I qualified an old friend on the range. His g/f gave him a G27 for Christmas and he wanted to tote it off-duty. His qualification (rapid present and fire to very rapid present and fire stages from 15, 7, and 3 yards) was excellent and was the first time he'd shot the brand new pistol. We then spent a while breaking it in and once more, I was impressed with the design. Yes, yes, we shot it along side my Kahr PM40. My PM40 is much smaller and a bit lighter, but that means it pushes a bit more. Honestly they make great mild-weather/hot weather companion guns. The PM40 when you'd otherwise go unarmed or with a mousegun (no offense, I like mouseguns), and the Glock 26 or 27 when you can tote something just a wee bit bigger overall.
Recently I started making some Kydex holsters, finding few out there that I liked or that I was willing to part with my hard earned cash for just to most likely see them in the Box of Holsters That Didn't Quite Work For Me. That box, excuse me, those boxes, are way too full now. Kydex is so thin I can make a good IWB holster that adds very little bulk to the chunky Glock so it can ride tucked in my waistband nearly as comfortably as it did when riding "nekkid," but is in truth firmly clipped to my belt. Also, a paddle design I've been playing with keeps it tight into the body so a light over-shirt (or X-L Aloha shirt) and it hides quite well. There's something about knowing you have 28 rounds at hand in two magazines (10 round mag, 17 round mag, and one round chambered) that's mighty satisfying when you find yourself somewhere with a suspicious character or two loitering about.
So to sum up, I've rediscovered my old friend, the Glock 26. I think our time apart did us some good. Oh, and it's fun to shoot, too.
