View Full Version : G26 Reliability With Larger Magazines?
Mark D
03-29-2021, 03:45 PM
I've seen a few comments elsewhere that suggest using a G19 or G17 mag in a Glock 26 can cause cycling issues, supposedly because of pinky pressure on the bottom of the larger mag.
Has the P-F crew encountered this problem, or is it just unsubstantiated internet lore?
ETA: talking about OEM standard capacity mags.
Gen 3 and Gen 4 x2 G26s. Not a single hick up for years and years.
blues
03-29-2021, 03:49 PM
Gen 3 and Gen 4 x2 G26s. Not a single hick up for years and years.
No issues with my Gen 2.5 (same internals as Gen 3). Not enough experience with Gen 5 to comment.
I've seen a few comments elsewhere that suggest using a G19 or G17 mag in a Glock 26 can cause cycling issues, supposedly because of pinky pressure on the bottom of the larger mag.
Has the P-F crew encountered this problem, or is it just unsubstantiated internet lore?
ETA: talking about OEM standard capacity mags.
No issues with multiple Gen 3 and Gen 4 G26's at work with OEM 17/19 mags, OEM 17/19 with slip over spacers to match the grip, or factory +2 base plates.
flyrodr
03-29-2021, 03:55 PM
I've shot hundreds, probably thousands, of rounds (mostly 115 & 124 gr ball) at the range through my G26.5, using stock G19 mags. Never had an issue that I can recall.
Duelist
03-29-2021, 03:56 PM
Never. Not one magazine related issue with my G26.3, so long as I use factory mags of 19 rounds or less capacity. The 33 round happy stick? Yeah, a couple. But I don’t carry it or use it - I just got it at a cheap price for the ridiculous factor - so I don’t really count that.
The only reloads I carry for my G26 and G19 are G17 mags. Never had an issue. When I was issued a G22 I carried a G27 as backup and utilized the same G22 mags with it also without issue. My newest Glocks are Gen 3 though so no experience with newer generations.
Caballoflaco
03-29-2021, 04:10 PM
My experience with a gen3 glock is the same as everyone else, never had a problem with glock 19 or 17 mags.
If they run for you on the range I’d trust them.
Bigghoss
03-29-2021, 05:25 PM
I've never had a problem with it either. Some other guns that lack overtravel stops I wouldn't do it but I haven't found a reason why it can't or shouldn't be done with Glocks.
Mark D
03-29-2021, 05:26 PM
Good info, folks. Thanks for the responses.
Wise_A
03-29-2021, 07:52 PM
Gen 3.5 (no rail, finger grooves), no issues running either Speer 12gr +P or random-ass handloads with 10-round G17-size OEM magazines.
SW CQB 45
03-29-2021, 08:18 PM
I am the guy who orders for the dept I work at. About 150 glocks 9mm (17/19)
My supervisor wanted something small for duty carry desk driving.
I set him up with a G26 and 15 round mags. I got the mag spacer (cant recall the brand name) and his only complaint is the fit of the G26 in a G19 duty holster.
Safariland dont make a duty holster for a G26 and it did not originally fit in the 7360 duty holster for a G19. The dust cover is beefy on the G26 and I relieved his holster (w/sandpaper) and its much improved.
he quals tomorrow... I will be there and make note when he shoots.
KellyinAvon
03-29-2021, 08:19 PM
G26 Gen 3, no problems with G17 mags.
WobblyPossum
03-29-2021, 09:40 PM
Maybe I’m just unlucky. I’ve had two stoppages in a Gen4 G26 (one using frangible ammo in a G17 mag, another using 124 gr +P GDHP in a G17 mag) and two stoppages in a Gen5 G26 (one with Blazer Brass in a G19 mag, and one with Speer Lawman in a G19 mag). The frangible stuff is always iffy and Blazer isn’t the best ammo around, but Speer Lawman and Gold Dot are solid. The G17 mags in question only have a couple thousand rounds between them so they aren’t worn out. The G19 mags are a bit more worn and are my default practice mags.
Then again, I’ve never seen the kind of amazing functional reliability in my Glocks that I have heard some others claim to have experienced. I’ve owned a Gen3 G19, 2 Gen4 G19s, 2 Gen5 G19s, a Gen4 G26, and a Gen5 G26. The only one I can for sure say has not malfunctioned yet is the newer Gen4 G19 which currently has approximately 2k rounds through it. I believe the Gen3 G19 didn’t malfunction in the 6k or so rounds I put through it while I owned it, but I wasn’t keeping track back then like I do now so I can’t say for sure.
DocGKR
03-29-2021, 09:45 PM
No problems with the gen3 G26's using G17 mags--saw dozens of pistols fire thousands of rounds without issues.
Crow Hunter
03-29-2021, 09:57 PM
Never. Not one magazine related issue with my G26.3, so long as I use factory mags of 19 rounds or less capacity. The 33 round happy stick? Yeah, a couple. But I don’t carry it or use it - I just got it at a cheap price for the ridiculous factor - so I don’t really count that.
Exact same experience with my Gen 3. Never any issue with 10 rd G26, 12 rd G26, or G19 mags. Every time I tried to use my 33 rd stick mags I would have failures to feed if I put my pinky on the mag and pulled tight. If I "tea cupped" my pinky, no issues.
For reference this was a 1999ish G26 and the stick mags I bought the day after the ban expired in 2004. :)
Never seen it cause a problem.
Jason M
03-30-2021, 09:07 AM
G26 2.5, 3 = no issues ever with G19/17 mags of varying generations. G26.5 = GTG with Gen5 G19/17 mags. Have not run other generations yet. It DOES NOT in any way, shape, or form, like the same Magpul 12 round mags that my 2.5 and 3 guns love.
blues
03-30-2021, 09:15 AM
G26 2.5, 3 = no issues ever with G19/17 mags of varying generations. G26.5 = GTG with Gen5 G19/17 mags. Have not run other generations yet. It DOES NOT in any way, shape, or form, like the same Magpul 12 round mags that my 2.5 and 3 guns love.
I don't even dare put any of my Magpul 12's in my Gen5...not even to test. Strictly OEM mags in the Gen5.
(The Magpuls were flawless in my Gen 2.5)
Gun Mutt
03-30-2021, 12:14 PM
I've owned a G27 and 3 G26.3's and the only malf I ever had was with a happy stick. They were all icky, so they're long gone, though I did have to go to the trough repeatedly before I was fully convinced that even a Glock fan-boi didn't have to like every model.
My 26.5, though, is one of my favorite carry pistols I've ever owned and it's been my edc since I bought it. I've trained myself to kung-fu grip it Jeff Gonzalez style (meaning a tightly curled pinky like I'm making a fist) and was half expecting to experience some malfs with full size mags...nada in my hands. My numero uno training/shooting buddy managed to get some failures to feed in my 26.5 using some older G17 mags, but even running one of his half full mags I picked up off the range gravel, I couldn't produce the same issues.
My spare mag is either a G19 or a G17 w/Arredondo +5 on it.
Alan0354
03-30-2021, 01:12 PM
I don't understand why there should be a problem using higher capacity mag. G26 specified the option of using higher capacity mag. I can't say anything about aftermarket mags, just use Glock mags.
Maybe I’m just unlucky. I’ve had two stoppages in a Gen4 G26 (one using frangible ammo in a G17 mag, another using 124 gr +P GDHP in a G17 mag) and two stoppages in a Gen5 G26 (one with Blazer Brass in a G19 mag, and one with Speer Lawman in a G19 mag). The frangible stuff is always iffy and Blazer isn’t the best ammo around, but Speer Lawman and Gold Dot are solid. The G17 mags in question only have a couple thousand rounds between them so they aren’t worn out. The G19 mags are a bit more worn and are my default practice mags.
Then again, I’ve never seen the kind of amazing functional reliability in my Glocks that I have heard some others claim to have experienced. I’ve owned a Gen3 G19, 2 Gen4 G19s, 2 Gen5 G19s, a Gen4 G26, and a Gen5 G26. The only one I can for sure say has not malfunctioned yet is the newer Gen4 G19 which currently has approximately 2k rounds through it. I believe the Gen3 G19 didn’t malfunction in the 6k or so rounds I put through it while I owned it, but I wasn’t keeping track back then like I do now so I can’t say for sure.
You sure it's not the ammo you use? Do you have any problem using the original 10 rounds mag that came with the gun? If you have the same problem with the original 10 rounds mag, then it's not the G17 mag that's the problem. Either you are very unlucky to have multiple Glocks that fail or more likely it's the ammo. I never manage to make my Colt Gold Cup totally reliable with Blazer JHP because the profile is like an ashtray!!!
Some times, strange things do happen. I have Colt Gold Cup 45ACP, Walther PPK and S&W 659 9mm. EVERY SINGLE ONE failed. I had to do a lot of work myself to make them reliable. The Gold Cup still is not completely reliable with the Brazer JHP because of the extreme profile. I had to polish the chambers, feedramp. Had to work on the angle of the extractor and also polish the ejector port to fix all of them.
WobblyPossum
03-30-2021, 04:08 PM
You sure it's not the ammo you use? Do you have any problem using the original 10 rounds mag that came with the gun? If you have the same problem with the original 10 rounds mag, then it's not the G17 mag that's the problem. Either you are very unlucky to have multiple Glocks that fail or more likely it's the ammo. I never manage to make my Colt Gold Cup totally reliable with Blazer JHP because the profile is like an ashtray!!!
The majority of the ball ammo I’ve shot within the past decade or so has been S&B or Blazer (mostly brass with some aluminum) with smaller amounts of Speer Lawman and Federal American Eagle. I wouldn’t say any of those are terrible except maybe Blazer Aluminum which was involved in the only malfunctions I’ve had on the Gen5 G19s. I have not had any malfunctions using the original 10 round mags in the G26s but not a ton of my shooting with G26s is done with flat baseplate 10 round mags. It’s mostly with either 10 round mags using either Pearce +0 pinky extensions or OEM Glock +2 extensions, or with G19 or G17 mags. The only time I carry a G26 with a flat baseplate 10 round mag is either in my pocket at home or on my ankle at work.
Alan0354
03-30-2021, 04:35 PM
The majority of the ball ammo I’ve shot within the past decade or so has been S&B or Blazer (mostly brass with some aluminum) with smaller amounts of Speer Lawman and Federal American Eagle. I wouldn’t say any of those are terrible except maybe Blazer Aluminum which was involved in the only malfunctions I’ve had on the Gen5 G19s. I have not had any malfunctions using the original 10 round mags in the G26s but not a ton of my shooting with G26s is done with flat baseplate 10 round mags. It’s mostly with either 10 round mags using either Pearce +0 pinky extensions or OEM Glock +2 extensions, or with G19 or G17 mags. The only time I carry a G26 with a flat baseplate 10 round mag is either in my pocket at home or on my ankle at work.
The Blazer with aluminum casing is really bad. I even had shell not ejecting in the Beretta 950BS until I polished the chamber. They were cheap though.
Well maybe you are unlucky as I was back in the days. Like I said, I had problem with 3 of my semis and had to do a lot of work to make them reliable. I just bought a G26 gen3, haven't shoot it yet as ammo is hard to get and expensive. I don't have to worry about longer mags as it's not legal in Kalif anyway. It's good to hear here that a lot of people have gen3 G26 and work very reliable.
HeavyDuty
03-30-2021, 07:55 PM
I don't even dare put any of my Magpul 12's in my Gen5...not even to test. Strictly OEM mags in the Gen5.
(The Magpuls were flawless in my Gen 2.5)
I only use my Magpul 12s as range mags, but they’ve been fine in my 26.5. The round count isn’t very high, though.
SW CQB 45
03-30-2021, 09:13 PM
Qual day... my supervisor ran his G26 with G19 mags.... all was good.
that is not a G26 in my hands.
https://i.imgur.com/Njd2mnyh.jpg
Mark D
03-31-2021, 12:23 AM
Qual day... my supervisor ran his G26 with G19 mags.... all was good.
that is not a G26 in my hands.
https://i.imgur.com/Njd2mnyh.jpg
Thanks for the update on the G26. Nice shooting too!
Caballoflaco
03-31-2021, 07:42 AM
Qual day... my supervisor ran his G26 with G19 mags.... all was good.
that is not a G26 in my hands.
https://i.imgur.com/Njd2mnyh.jpg
Do you carry that for fighting giant moths while you’re casually strolling through Japanese cities :) .
Le Français
03-31-2021, 09:16 AM
Qual day... my supervisor ran his G26 with G19 mags.... all was good.
that is not a G26 in my hands.
https://i.imgur.com/Njd2mnyh.jpg
Signature checks out...
Jason M
03-31-2021, 01:39 PM
Yep. The 5.0 seems a little more particular about its mags. I don't recall who it was, upon what they based their opinion, or even their background, but their rule was "one size up". 26 gets a 19. 19 gets a 17. 17 gets a 33. Something about leverage of the longer mag. I dunno. When I carried a 19 at work, I had 17 mags stashed in places of convenience. They fed the G26 2.5 and 3 just fine. Now that I have a 45 at work, I have Gen 5 17/45 mags stashed in places of convenience. My unholy affection for the 26 is, in part, fueled by the scalability factor. The 17 mags seem to work well in the G26 and refutes the one size up rule as others have seen in high volume use. It also means I can standardize my stashed mags to all 17s to scale "up" if needed. Except for travels to NJ, NY, CT etc... There, the flat 10 OEMs carry the day. Ok.. I'm rambling.
Guerrero
03-31-2021, 02:01 PM
Similar thing:
https://youtu.be/DXohG9HfR1M
Similar thing:
https://youtu.be/DXohG9HfR1M
I miss Paul Gomez.
Duelist
03-31-2021, 02:34 PM
The majority of the ball ammo I’ve shot within the past decade or so has been S&B or Blazer (mostly brass with some aluminum) with smaller amounts of Speer Lawman and Federal American Eagle. I wouldn’t say any of those are terrible except maybe Blazer Aluminum which was involved in the only malfunctions I’ve had on the Gen5 G19s. I have not had any malfunctions using the original 10 round mags in the G26s but not a ton of my shooting with G26s is done with flat baseplate 10 round mags. It’s mostly with either 10 round mags using either Pearce +0 pinky extensions or OEM Glock +2 extensions, or with G19 or G17 mags. The only time I carry a G26 with a flat baseplate 10 round mag is either in my pocket at home or on my ankle at work.
My carry mag in my 26.3 is almost always a flat base 10rd. Once in a while, such as when driving long distance, it may be found with a 12 round factory mag and riding in a Miami classic with two G19 factory mags in the opposite side mag pouch for balance, but usually when I carry that gun, it’s partly because I want the short grip for concealment, so why would I put a longer magazine in it? If I am comfortable with a longer grip for whatever situation I’m carrying it for, I’ll usually carry a bigger gun.
That said, I usually carry the G26.3 and/or a 642. Lifestyle requires discreet carry.
Jason M
03-31-2021, 03:14 PM
Makes good sense. To clarify: In the gun, I run only a flat OEM (or OEM +2 to upscale) in the G25.5. or flat OEM (or Magpul 12 to up scale) in the G26 2.5 or 3. Because concealment. The reloads are Gen specific OEM 17s. (or OEM 19s or 26s based on locale).
blues
03-31-2021, 03:20 PM
My carry mag in my 26.3 is almost always a flat base 10rd. Once in a while, such as when driving long distance, it may be found with a 12 round factory mag and riding in a Miami classic with two G19 factory mags in the opposite side mag pouch for balance, but usually when I carry that gun, it’s partly because I want the short grip for concealment, so why would I put a longer magazine in it? If I am comfortable with a longer grip for whatever situation I’m carrying it for, I’ll usually carry a bigger gun.
That said, I usually carry the G26.3 and/or a 642. Lifestyle requires discreet carry.
Makes good sense. To clarify: In the gun, I run only a flat OEM (or OEM +2 to upscale) in the G25.5. or flat OEM (or Magpul 12 to up scale) in the G26 2.5 or 3. Because concealment. The reloads are Gen specific OEM 17s. (or OEM 19s or 26s based on locale).
I resemble both you guys.
(Though I don't own larger capacity than 12's in Gen 5 magazines...since both my 19 and 17 are earlier gens.)
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