BORELLI CONSULTING: Tactical Equipment Reviews

Glock 26 Compact 9mm Pistol
17 October 2005

Alright; everyone who's been reading my reviews for more than a couple months knows that I'm a Glock fan. I (personally) like to carry defensive weapons in 9mm or .45ACP caliber, but feel comfortable with anything in the 9mm, .357Sig, .40S&W, 10mm, .45ACP, .45GAP variety. As a police officer I feel duty-bound - and privileged in some states - to be armed anytime I leave my house. In the summer, that isn't always easy.

With the Glock 26 - a combat 9mm pistol that holds ten rounds in the magazine and still fits in the palm of my hand - it's a little easier. I recently turned down two offers from brother police officers who were wanting to purchase my G26. Why? Well... it's just the most convenient gun that I own; it's a "working" caliber; it's accurate (especially in light of its diminutive size); and it's easy to maintain. How easy to maintain? If I don't abuse it, I can keep it clean with dishsoap and hot water. Yeah, you read that right...

I know you won't hear it any more, but there was a time when, if you attended the Glock Armorer's course, you could ask the instructor and he'd answer honestly: yes, you can clean the gun with hot water and dish soap. However, NONE of the springs should be cleaned in such a fashion. The addition to that statement is that you have to thoroughly dry all parts and insure proper metal care, such as wiping with a film of oil, or - better yet - treating with Militec.

Before I get into why this is my favorite summer carry pistol, let's take a look at the bare facts of the weapon. The slide length is published as 6.29" overall. I measure mine at almost exactly 6.25", and "almost exactly" makes it close enough for me. The height is published as 4.17", but mine measures 4.88" from the top of the sights to the bottom of the magazine base plate. The difference is due to the fact that I have a Pearce Grip extension on my magazine. I needed that to allow my pinky finger a comfortable place to rest. The Glock website says that the pistol is 1.18" wide, but I sure can't find that spot. The thickest place I can find on mine measures 1.0" even. Barrel length is just under 3.5", but you need to remember that is measured from the BACK of the chamber. That means you actually have about 2.75" of rifled barrel. Empty, including an empty magazine, the weapon weighs about 21.75 ounces; not quite 1.5 pounds. With a full magazine, depending on your ammo of choice, it weighs about 25.5 ounces - or just over 1.5 pounds. I own knives that weigh more than that. My pistol has the factory standard white box rear, white dot front sights, and came with the (also standard) 5.5 pound trigger assembly.

Now that we've got that out of the way, let's take a look at what has endeared me to this compact pistol...

First, it's a 9mm. I'm not going to drop into the VERY old 9mm vs. .45 debate, but I will say this: I have a warm place in my heart for calibers and cartridges that have proven themselves over the course of time. The 9mm and the .45ACP are both well over 100 years old. They are still around. They still function. I'd say we have them pretty well figured out. I consider all of the calibers that I listed in my opening paragraph to be acceptable handgun defense cartridges (and yes, Chuck, I know that the .25ACP in your pocket is better than the .45 in your glove compartment). One of the reasons I like this G26 compact pistol so much is that it's a 9mm and I don't feel underarmed carrying it.

Second, the word "compact" is important in all of the above statements. While that .25ACP in your pocket may be better than the .45 in your glove compartment, I like to believe that my 9mm in my pocket is better than any .25ACP anywhere. My G26 allows me to pack eleven rounds of 9mm - and I often do carry it dropped in my pocket - and that's not bad on a summer day in shorts.

Third, I've never seen a Glock malfunction without some seriously, ah, ill-considered efforts on the part of the shooter. I had ONE Glock 17 that wouldn't fire. Investigation showed that the owner had sprayed break cleaner into the firing pin hole, and then had squirted graphite lube in after that. The resultant mix was a jelly that was so thick the firing pin couldn't move freely. In fact, I had to pull the firing pin assembly out with a pair of pliers. Aside from such idiocy, I've yet to see a Glock fail. Mine gets cleaned at least once each month and the little bit of lint that I pull out of it doesn't make me wonder about whether or not it will function. When I take it to the range, I fire it without cleaning it and it's never failed.

Fourth: for a weapon with 2.75" of rifled barrel, this thing is pretty accurate. I have to qualify with it on our standard police courses of fire, and it's pretty easy to keep everything inside the eight ring on a standard B27 target. If I really slow down, I can keep everything inside (or breaking) the nine ring. As a side note on the accuracy, it's not just me. I've let other officers borrow this gun to shoot and have put them through the same qualification courses. The large majority of them have commented on how surprised they were with the accuracy achieved out of such a small weapon. It's certainly converted more than one from the snubby .38s.

Fifth, I can reload it with magazines from the Glock 19 or the Glock 17. Thanks to the design of Glock weapons and the continuity of magazine catch / release, all 9mm Glock magazines will function in the G26. As a habit, I carry the G26 with a ten-round magazine loaded and a seventeen-round magazine for reload. That gives me 28 rounds of 9mm ammo off-duty and comfortable. I remember (back in the day) when I carried a Chief's Special (five rounds of .38 Special) with one five-round speedloader for reload. To me, this G26 is just as easy - if not easier - to carry and 28 rounds of 9mm stomps 10 rounds of .38 every day of the week.

Finally, it serves me well as a back up gun. Since I carry my Glock 19 most often if I have to wear a uniform, the G26 is easily carried in a pocket, in a vest-strap holster, or in a left-handed draw holster. If something happens to my primary handgun, the G26 is ready - and capable - of serving. Since it accepts the G19 magazines, I have two reloads for it on my gunbelt.

All in all, a handy little gun. It's doesn't QUITE fit in the palm of my hand, but it's small enough to be convenient. The only change I'm looking forward to making is the addition of XS Sights 24/7 Standard Dot Sights. For more information about the weapon you can visit Glock online or talk to your local gun dealer.

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Also, don't forget to read the new Recreational Equipment Evaluations:

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Check out this week's Highlighted Training Article about the potential realities of law enforcement officers using a knife for self defense.

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