Glock Sizes and Downloading Mags

[seabiscuit]

(((NOTE FROM TODDG: I split the first thirteen posts in this thread off from the "cleaning" thread)))



Instead, I just keep my gun topped off. If there's a round in my chamber, a full mag in my gun, and a full mag on my belt either I didn't fire or I just miraculously happened to be carrying exactly the right number of loose rounds to refill my mags. How many weeks of detective school do you think it would take to figure that out?

I've found it more difficult to fully seat a full mag on a full chamber in my 26, so I carry one less round in my spare. Is that not a problem with 17 mags?

[Ray Keith]

The full mag requires a little extra push in my 17's. Nothing outrageous but more than if it is downloaded one.

[JonInWA]

I always download all of my Glock magazines by at least one round, simply to make tactical reloads (i.e., reloads when the slide is in battery and a cartridge chambered) easier, giving the top cartridge in the magazine more room to bounce/flex off the slide stripper rail, significantly easing the seating of the magazine-this could be important in a weakened/wounded reload situation.

Best, Jon

[ToddG]

I've found it more difficult to fully seat a full mag on a full chamber in my 26, so I carry one less round in my spare. Is that not a problem with 17 mags?

At least with the newer mags I have not seen this problem even when using the extra coil (.40 cal) mag springs. My new G26 should be in my hands shortly after the first of the year and I'll check it then.


Todd, even if you carried some extra loose rounds they would know it was you when they checked the bad guy at the morgue and found that someone had shot a FAST drill on his ass.

Q: "Mr. Green, I understand the shot to the face, but can you explain the second round that creased the top of the scalp and then the four bullets your fired into his torso after his lifeless body was twitching on the ground?"

A: "Please, officer. I'm an experienced gunfighter now. Question not my wisdom."

[seabiscuit]

My new G26 should be in my hands shortly after the first of the year and I'll check it then.

Just out of curiosity, why are you getting a 26?

[ToddG]

Just out of curiosity, why are you getting a 26?

If I had a 19, I probably wouldn't get a 17 or 26. But because I've already got a pair of 17s one of which is my daily CCW, getting something smaller for the rare occasion when I need to tuck in a shirt or otherwise "dress up" seemed like a good idea. And I figured as long as I was going for small, I'd go as small as I could. A G26 in a SmartCarry is pretty close to invisible.

[JonInWA]

If I had a 19, I probably wouldn't get a 17 or 26. But because I've already got a pair of 17s one of which is my daily CCW, getting something smaller for the rare occasion when I need to tuck in a shirt or otherwise "dress up" seemed like a good idea. And I figured as long as I was going for small, I'd go as small as I could. A G26 in a SmartCarry is pretty close to invisible.

Makes sense, Todd, unless/until you decide to improve the grip by adding a Pierce Grip magazine extension-which then for all practical purposes gives it the profile of a G19, which in my opinion is a better all-around Glock, and for most practical purposes in my experiences just as concealable as a G26. It's not like I feel that there's an intrinsic fault with the G26, it's just that I don't really see what it does better than a G19-which pretty much performs without the compromises inherent to the G26. Hey, but maybe that's just me..

Best, Jon

[Tamara]

unless/until you decide to improve the grip by adding a Pierce Grip magazine extension

The sight of a 26 toted IWB with one of those "pinkie extenders" bugs me way more than it should. :o

[JodyH]

I actually prefer carrying and shooting a G26 with a +2 to a G19.
The entire package just works better for me.
I prefer the P2000Sk to both of them though.

[ToddG]

The whole point is that -- for someone who already CCWs a G17 -- the G26 allows me to carry in less permissive environments. The G19 is a half measure and I'm hard pressed to think of many circumstances where I could manage the G19 easily but not the G17. And as you pointed out, I can always make the G26 have a G19-sized grip if I want to; I cannot make a G19 have a G26 sized grip on a whim.

[LittleLebowski]

Gen 4 26, Todd?

[ToddG]

Gen 4 26, Todd?

Yes.

[seabiscuit]

I tries mag extensions on mine; they printed more and didn't seem to add a whole lot of capability. Of course, that was when I was starting out and still wore a lot of tight shirts.

Most days, I find myself wishing I had a 19. Easier to grip, longer sight radius, easier to shoot. It wouldn't be as easy to conceal, but I could work with that.

[ToddG]

Most days, I find myself wishing I had a 19. Easier to grip, longer sight radius, easier to shoot. It wouldn't be as easy to conceal, but I could work with that.

If I was starting from scratch, I would probably just get a pair of 19s instead of a pair of 17s and a 26. But when I tried that, the G19 didn't work worth a damn and I struggled with pinching my hand in reloads. So I replace the deadlined G19 with a G17 and of course got a backup of the same model.

[DocGKR]

The 26 is too small for me, plus it does not carry a light; I'd rather use a G19 cut down to take G26 mags.

The G19 does offer some advantages in "concealability" related to grip length printing on the G17. Of course, a nice compromise is to emulate Nyeti and cut down the G17 grip to G19 length...

[seabiscuit]

Is it possible to carry a G19 with light IWB? AIWB?

[DocGKR]

Sure, I do it everyday...

[seabiscuit]

That's what I'm thinking about doing. Are you carrying appendix or behind the hip, Doc?

[DocGKR]

Whether AIWB, IWB, OWB, duty, tactical--I always carry between 1-3 o'clock.

[seabiscuit]

Thanks. Hopefully I'll get a G19 sooner than later.

[Tamara]

a G19 cut down to take G26 mags.

The very thought of that makes me feel all tingly in my naughty places. :o

I wish that more gun companies outside of a couple of 1911 manufacturers and Springfield with their *hawwk!spitt!* XD would get clued in on the CCO concept.

[JAD]

I wish that more gun companies outside of a couple of 1911 manufacturers would get clued in on the CCO concept.

I got mine. Admittedly, it's just a 1911 (a DW), but it seems like it'll do for summer carry.

[Joe Chen]

I cannot make a G19 have a G26 sized grip on a whim.I can. ;)

http://gallery.me.com/chenhaus/100029/IMG_1018/web.jpg?ver=13135560730001
http://gallery.me.com/chenhaus/100029/IMG_1019/web.jpg?ver=13135560890001

[LOKNLOD]

I can. ;)


I'll take one, and its 17/19 bigger bro as well.

[JHC]

The whole point is that -- for someone who already CCWs a G17 -- the G26 allows me to carry in less permissive environments. The G19 is a half measure and I'm hard pressed to think of many circumstances where I could manage the G19 easily but not the G17. And as you pointed out, I can always make the G26 have a G19-sized grip if I want to; I cannot make a G19 have a G26 sized grip on a whim.

I have a 26, several 19s and two 17s and I carry a 19 mostly. But I do find plenty of times when the 26 is all I can conceal and I think the idea that a 17 for primary and 26 for those deeper concealment times makes a lot of sense; just skipping the intermediate.

Todd, you mentioned the Smart Carry; I ordered one for a G19 but I cannot manage the 19 in it without looking like "Smiling Bob" from the Extenz commercial. In fact I did a double take on an elevator ride after this other rider got off on his floor wondering why the odd expression on his face then looked down at my Dockers and said YIKES!!! (it had shifted some in walking) Since then if I have to use the Smart Carry, it's only the 26.

But I've only carried condition 3 with it - hence it's a last resort. Do you use Smart Carry with condition 1? I know I've tried and tried to activate the trigger through it and have never got close. Do you augment the trigger with one of those mini kydex things? I'm considering one.

[ToddG]

I've never worried about having an additional cover on the trigger guard in my SmartCarry.

[seabiscuit]

In a gun shop today, handling a Gen4 G19. To the clerk: "I like the texture and the mag release, but I'm not sure about the extractor and recoil spring. I've heard of a lot of reliability issues with those."

Clerk: "I've heard it's shooter error. Limpwristing. Did you hear that on the Internet?"

Me: "Yeah, from a guy who put 50,000 rounds through his Glock."

No more comments after that.