I couldn't do it folks. I held it but it didn't speak to me.

[Tallbald]

After reading volumes of reviews and digesting countless sung praises for the Glock 26, I had to hold one myself to see if I was missing something. Off I went with my adult son to the LGS where there were glass cases filled with Glocks of all calibers and configurations. In the adjacent case were scads of Glock wannabes from Smith, Beretta, Taurus and yes Ruger. As I stood there holding the 26 I thought to myself "what am I doing even contemplating going down this road?". I suppose that to some, plastic..excuse me.....polymer frame handguns sing of modernism and functionality. But if so, their song falls on deaf ears no matter how I hold and examine one. And to make my views dimmer yet, the clerk proudly showed me a used Glock with custom work done by a rather skilled hand. He went on to explain that the extensive stippling added to the formerly smooth areas of the grip was done with a heated metal pointed thing of some sort. Creative, but certainly no chased metal checkering that always drew my eye on custom metal handguns.
I handed the modern whiz bang 9mm wondergun back to the clerk with a thanks and a handshake. I reached across the counter and picked up my trusty, heavy, old school SP101 .357 in its leather pocket holster made with enthusiasm and care by me many years ago. I slipped my steel revolver in my front right pocket. It sang to me as I slid it into place. Don

 

[pawncop]

If it does not call my name then it sits. FWIW, I carry the Glock 32 (357 Sig) compact as my primary off duty sidearm. It serves me well, stout caliber, sufficient number of rounds, I am dead on with it and it is very concealable.

But it is a tool and does not have a soul.

 

[farley]

Tallbald, you sound just like me. I'm an old guy who likes the old school guns. Plastic has no character.

 

[Selena]

If it does not call my name then it sits. FWIW, I carry the Glock 32 (357 Sig) compact as my primary off duty sidearm. It serves me well, stout caliber, sufficient number of rounds, I am dead on with it and it is very concealable.

But it is a tool and does not have a soul.

It is a tool and does not have a soul. While tools themselves have no soul they are part of the soul of the tool user. This has been identified throughout history, Thor and his hammer, King Arthur and Excalibur, Paul Bunyan and his axe... I've witnessed firsthand the one sided bond between man and machine with my Dad and the ancient John Deere tractor he practically grew up on. I've seen that machine do things that quite frankly some would tell you are impossible and only Dad with his relationship with the machine could pull off.

Until there is a bond, no matter how one sided, between man and machine there is not the comfort and confidence needed for that machine to perform to excellence. While the machine may be equal to the task and perhaps even better suited without that bond by it's user it's performance will always be second best. TallBald couldn't get the weapon to "speak" to him. All that tells me is there is something inside him that prevents him from bonding with the weapon. That alone makes it a wise choice to leave it behind. This is not to say the Glock 26 isn't a good weapon, just not a good tool for him.

 

[stevemb]

You held it, you didn't shoot it. I've seen lots of them come to CCW courses, some still NIB, unfired. By the end of the weekend you'd have to fight the owners for it. Of the Glocks, the G-26,19 and 21's seem to garner the most affection, and oddly, are accurate for combat pistols. I have 6-7 Rugers here and only one Glock but it fills that particular niche well enough that there are no understudies. I'll gladly agree, at first glance, and more, yeah, tough to love. This is a pretty is as pretty does kinda thing. steve

 

[Uncleman]

Regarding the look and feel of the "Polymer" - I agree completely but I was at the range the other day with a friend who has one of these and he was firing 45 reloads (reloads bought commercially). He got a "Hot" round that blew the guns side out. He was hurt - both hands - but will be fine. The gun was destroyed. Glock said that if it were not for the Polymer construction (that absorbed much of the explosion) he could have been hurt a lot worse.

I'll never own one of these things (just Smith, Ruger and Colt revolvers) but I thought I pass this info on FWIW.

 

[500jrh]

You held it, you didn't shoot it.

This makes a difference. I looked down on "Tactical Tupperware" as well, until my friends brother brought a well worn G22 police buy back to camp one winter. I have personally seen a Taurus polymer framed 45ACP literally crumble as it was shot in -12 temps. This was I believe the 2nd magazine through the gun. This gun, bought brand new days before from Gander Mountain was returned as a slide, magazine, various internal parts and chunks of plastic grip frame. The employee's response: Did you shoot it in that cold snap this weekend? My friend: Yes.
Employee: I'll start the paperwork.
Obviously not an isolated incident. This turned me off of polymer for a good while until the G22 showed up at camp. It was February, temps ranged from 8 above to -15 that weekend. The owner claimed his "new" gun was indestructible. He sounded like a Glock salesman. He brought 200rds and we shot mags as fast as we could at -15 with no issues whatsoever. I did notice that the gun was accurate, well-balanced and pointed very naturally, but the grip was slightly small for my hand.
Upon returning home I started a little research. I already knew how popular Glocks were with LE etc. Then I discovered the Fairbanks PD issued 21s to their department.
Pretty much says it all for cold weather reliability.
I settled on the slightly larger frame G20 10mm and ordered it with factory night sights. I ordered a 6.61" threaded barrel from Lone Wolf as well as a 40 S&W 6" Conversion barrel. Now I can shoot cheaper 40s if I need or want. This gun is hard to beat in terms of power, range, and capacity. 15 rds at your fingertips, beats out the 357 Mag and nips at the heels of the 41 Mag with handloads.
Bottom line, I never considered a Glock for myself until I shot one. Now you couldn't pry that worn G20 from my grasp as long as I'm taking in air. I carry that pistol more than anything else I own. Factory barrel for social carry, extended barrel for woods carry usually not concealed. I've had it for 9 years, shot about 3000 rds, mostly handloads, and it has never jammed, mis-fired, short-stroked, or otherwise misbehaved in any way. If the weather is foul that gun comes along. After all I never said It was beautiful!
It remains my only Glock, I did however purchase a Kel-Tec P11 9mm and a Ruger LCP after my good experiences with the polymer framed Glock. I've had no problems with them either, but they don't see near the action.

You held it but it didn't speak to you. Next time load her up and let let her sing!!!

 

[DonD]

You held it, you didn't shoot it.

15 rds at your fingertips, beats out the 357 Mag and nips at the heels of the 41 Mag with handloads.

Can't argue with the mag capacity but would on power. My GP100 runs 1592fps/890 ft lbs with Buffalo Bore 158 gr JHPs. Have never seen a load that hot for the 10mm from a reputable source and the GP with handle pressure that will take a G20 apart.

I had a G20, very reliable with Blazer ammo, wouldn't shoot Double Tap. Shooting the 10mm with watered down ammo was not my style. Sent it back to Glock, they test fired it with Blazer, said it was OK, still jammed with DT ammo, sold it. Don

 

[Chuck 100 yd]

Tallbald , well said friend. The same reason I traded my Ruger SR9 in for a .357/9mm BH convertible. It don`t just speak to me, it SINGS!!

 

[Ale-8(1)]

I am a Ruger guy and believe revolvers are the answer to most problems. That said . . .

The 26 was introduced around the time years ago when the ten-round mag limit was the rule du jour. Up until that point I had seen absolutely no real need in my accumulation for anything in 9mm. I had a "real" 1911 that completely satisfied my "need" for a semi-auto pistol. The introduction of the 26 made me consider the practicality of ten-plus-one of hi-perf 9mm in a package essentially the same size as a five-or-six-shot revolver. Seemed like a good idea to me, so I asked Santa to bring me one and she did.

It is a wonderful tool. It has NEVER failed to function with any ammo I have fed it. In spite of its somewhat blocky configuration it's pretty easily carried concealed, and it is absolutely way more accurate than I can appreciate at any distance where its deployment is justified.

There may be similar guns new to the field that can equal the 26's performance, but not enough to make me consider a trade. It doen't actually "speak to me" but I cannot complain about it for any real reason. It's a tool that works just fine, thanks.

JMHO

 

[500jrh]

You held it, you didn't shoot it.

15 rds at your fingertips, beats out the 357 Mag and nips at the heels of the 41 Mag with handloads.

Can't argue with the mag capacity but would on power. My GP100 runs 1592fps/890 ft lbs with Buffalo Bore 158 gr JHPs. Have never seen a load that hot for the 10mm from a reputable source and the GP with handle pressure that will take a G20 apart.

I had a G20, very reliable with Blazer ammo, wouldn't shoot Double Tap. Shooting the 10mm with watered down ammo was not my style. Sent it back to Glock, they test fired it with Blazer, said it was OK, still jammed with DT ammo, sold it. Don

Let me start by saying I'm a Ruger guy as well, have many of them in hand and long guns. I own exactly 1 Glock and probably always will.
While I'm not going to "argue" about anything here, I'll throw some facts out there.
From BB website 158JHP 1475fps 763ME. I assume your GP100 is a 6" as is mine. They don't list the velocity from that but do from the 5" S&W 27@ 1457fps. I've seen plenty of velocity anomalies in reloading, but your stated velocity if consistent is exceptional.
You are correct the 357 Heavy loads from BB will outperform, in energy terms at least, 10mm loadings. You're also correct that you won't see a load that hot in 10mm. I guess I was referring to standard loads and standard reloads, where my G20 beats my GP100 with bullets from 155-200grs. I have no interest in "taking my G20 apart" with overpressure loads. It's quite obvious an all steel Ruger revolver would be inherently stronger, and I suppose I could push the envelope and turn the tables, but if I need more out of a revolver I'll grab a bigger revolver!
Also as stated on BB's website all you had to do to make your Glock work with the heavier loads was change the spring. Mine works just fine factory. I like mine, you didn't like yours. Easy enough.
Apologies to the OP for sort of straying off topic.....

 

[BradB]

I only own one whiz bang 9mm wondergun and its called a G34 gen 4 "GLOCK". It was bought for target shooting and perhaps someday to use for USPSA.

I've never been a fan of glock guns or the black plastic era but I can assure anyone with a trip to the range that these guns work for their certain intended purposes. They aren't personal at all. People can doll them up with end cap insignia, different colors and such but I still think they are quite the non-personal. However, they digest most ammo effortlessly and most people like the simplicity of glocks and the ease of use especially in hitting the target. Wouldn't consider them for hunting but some could be used if that's all one had.

I do agree with the OP in a certain sense because my new 4" GP 100 has a feel to it unequaled by any polymer firearm. Does just as well at the range also. Different gun with a few other purposes.

 

[DonD]

15 rds at your fingertips, beats out the 357 Mag and nips at the heels of the 41 Mag with handloads.

Can't argue with the mag capacity but would on power. My GP100 runs 1592fps/890 ft lbs with Buffalo Bore 158 gr JHPs. Have never seen a load that hot for the 10mm from a reputable source and the GP with handle pressure that will take a G20 apart.

I had a G20, very reliable with Blazer ammo, wouldn't shoot Double Tap. Shooting the 10mm with watered down ammo was not my style. Sent it back to Glock, they test fired it with Blazer, said it was OK, still jammed with DT ammo, sold it. Don

Let me start by saying I'm a Ruger guy as well, have many of them in hand and long guns. I own exactly 1 Glock and probably always will.
While I'm not going to "argue" about anything here, I'll throw some facts out there.
From BB website 158JHP 1475fps 763ME. I assume your GP100 is a 6" as is mine. They don't list the velocity from that but do from the 5" S&W 27@ 1457fps. I've seen plenty of velocity anomalies in reloading, but your stated velocity if consistent is exceptional.
You are correct the 357 Heavy loads from BB will outperform, in energy terms at least, 10mm loadings. You're also correct that you won't see a load that hot in 10mm. I guess I was referring to standard loads and standard reloads, where my G20 beats my GP100 with bullets from 155-200grs. I have no interest in "taking my G20 apart" with overpressure loads. It's quite obvious an all steel Ruger revolver would be inherently stronger, and I suppose I could push the envelope and turn the tables, but if I need more out of a revolver I'll grab a bigger revolver!
Also as stated on BB's website all you had to do to make your Glock work with the heavier loads was change the spring. Mine works just fine factory. I like mine, you didn't like yours. Easy enough.
Apologies to the OP for sort of straying off topic.....[/quote]

Think your response was very good. Never my intent to start a flame war. Enjoy both your G20 and Ruger revolvers! Don

 

[Snake45]

I've never been able to work up ANY affection at all for any of the Glock lead-dispensing appliances.

Life's too short to own/shoot ugly guns. :wink:

 

[FergusonTO35]

I guess if it goes bang, I like it. I enjoy my steel and wood wheelguns and plastic autos, just for different purposes. I've never felt incredibly attracted to Glock due to their consistent refusal to make a thin, single stack 9mm but the new .380 model 42 will probably make it into my collection.

 

[GunnyGene]

Guess I'm the same way, except I do have one gun that has "other than wood" on it. A '89 Mossberg 590 Mariner - The shiny one.

 

[txpitdog]

You held it, you didn't shoot it........Of the Glocks, the G-26,19 and 21's seem to garner the most affection, and oddly, are accurate for combat pistols.

That is 100% correct in my case. I never could convince myself that a Glock fit my hand. I'm also a revolver guy (and used to be a 1911 guy), and that blocky grip just felt ridiculous. I held them over and over at gun shows trying to convince myself I wanted one, but I just couldn't do it.

Then I decided I wanted an XD Tactical 45 one day and decided to rent one and a Glock 21SF to do a side by side comparison as well as to see if I could somehow manage shooting a 20SF 10mm. At the counter the XD felt great in my hand. It just felt like it was made for my hand. The Glock felt like garbage. I went to shoot the XD and there were some things I liked and some things that would take getting used to after shooting a 1911 for so long.

Then almost with a wince I picked up the Glock 21SF to shoot it. I was shocked. Everything that I didn't like about it just sitting there at the gun counter was totally forgotten. The gun is a totally different animal under recoil and I can shoot it every bit as good as a 1911, slow or rapid fire. I think the big heavy slide and low bore axis soak up the recoil, and I actually like the standard sights. Afterwards I scrapped the idea of the XD, sold my 1911, and bought a 21SF.

I love the way 1911's look and their single action triggers, but the Glock for me completely overshadows it. I certainly don't expect to win anyone over but if you give them a try you may be surprised.

 

[Biggfoot44]

I really wanted to like a G27. Tried both Gen3 and Gen4, but no love.

Then my dealer handed me a Gen3 G29sf ! Fit my hand like it was made for me, and all was well in Glockland.

 

[tallpaul]

I spent many years with no love for a glock at all. Like most of you I started with and had lusted after old school smith,ruger n colt pistols of wood and steel with the only polymer I wanted on them was pachmeyers... if that. well after the election of this obamanation I realized I needed another high capacity nine mm to go with my 5906 and registered sten gun... well looking around there are indeed many great choices but I am kinda wierd in that I like a dozen mags or more for a gun... and the Glock had the best mag deals out there so I git a 17 and 2 dozen mags... well it does not have a zen fit nor a soul but it shot every time and shot well... then I found a 19 at a deal... then a 26.... another 17 and a 20 all at great deals I could not pass up.

None of them fit perfect- my big hands do not even line up with the finger grooves but they shoot well and I really don't care if i toss it on the floor of the truck- drop it innthe woods etc... if ever used in a shooting and confiscated for evidence it is easily and cheaply replaced

One thing the original poster and others forget or did not realize is carrying a 26 with the ten rounder makes sense but reloads of the bigger 15-17 and eve 33 round mags is flawless... A few of the 15-17 rounders as spares puts the gun in a whole new level of defense capability

 

[The Blackhawk Kid]

I have a first Gen G17, it has over 200,000 rounds thru it. It has saved my bacon a time or two. It never talked to me but, was there when I needed it. That's what I call reliability. bhk