Does a concealed carry Glock 26 for an armed citizen need anything "done" to it aftermarket?

[American123]

My G26 Gen 3 was my first Glock. I have won more guns and money with it than any other pistol I own. All I have done to it is night sights and pierce pinky extension base plates. I did not want the +2 plates, I wanted the mag spring configured as factory.

Don't expect Glock reliability if you start changing parts. Changing the trigger just masks poor trigger pulling. Use the money for practice ammo.

What competitions are you participating in where you win guns or money?

 

[nammac]

What competitions are you participating in where you win guns or money?

GSSF perhaps?

 

[American123]

GSSF perhaps?

Oohh fun!

 

[TTSX]

Only thing any of my Glocks wear is a smooth trigger shoe, just like @Medic! . I will admit to having put a "blue" striker spring in my g19 from years ago because I bought a lot of ammo with stupid hard primers and I was getting more light strikes than I cared for. Never changed it back.

 

[TTSX]

i love Glocks, and I think they make a good product, but it isn't "perfection" for me until i replace some parts:

1) extended slide release - stock one sucks, I don't want to have to work to drop the slide when I am reloading, and that method is 'way' faster than the slingshot.
2) 3.5 connector, it will never be a single action trigger, but it feels better to me with it.
3) preferred night sights. I prefer the Ameriglo I dot with a front orange outline and two glow in the dark dots that go on top of eachother.
4) if you have a subcompact - the pinky extensions are a must.

Come now, I'm a lefty and I don't think the slide release is that bad. But I've always had to adapt to my world because I'm just part of 10% of the population.

Aren't pinky extensions kinda against the point of a sub compact? I mean, you want a small gun, why add parts that make it bigger...? My G33 shoots just fine without

 

[American123]

Come now, I'm a lefty and I don't think the slide release is that bad. But I've always had to adapt to my world because I'm just part of 10% of the population.

Aren't pinky extensions kinda against the point of a sub compact? I mean, you want a small gun, why add parts that make it bigger...? My G33 shoots just fine without

Haha, nah, think about it, the stock slide release SUCKS, it shouldn't be work to make it work, if it delays my dropping of the slide 1/10 of a second, that's too much. A $15 extended one is worth it's weight in gold if you are trying to reload fast, and if I am in any situation where I want to reload my gun and I am not practicing, I want my gun to be loaded and ready to go again as fast as possible.

If you are a lefty, get the Gen 5 model with the ambi controls, get an extended one and you'll love it.

In terms of the pinky extension - it adds about 1/2 an inch to the overall height, but it adds a high percentage to the controllability of the gun, totally worth it to not have to leave the pinky hanging off the gun when shooting.

 

[CountryGent]

Need? No. It is a Glock. It just works.

Did when I carried a baby Glock? Yes, larger magazine than the babies came with; the ones for the standard and compact models. For two reason:

1. I have big hands.
2. More "pew pellets" to send down range.

As with every other Glock I owned, I eventually dumped it. But, before that particular one hit the dusty trail, I had a moment of extra wackiness play out for your viewing enjoyment/horror:



And I just lost my train of thought again.

 

[TTSX]

Haha, nah, think about it, the stock slide release SUCKS, it shouldn't be work to make it work, if it delays my dropping of the slide 1/10 of a second, that's too much. A $15 extended one is worth it's weight in gold if you are trying to reload fast, and if I am in any situation where I want to reload my gun and I am not practicing, I want my gun to be loaded and ready to go again as fast as possible.

If you are a lefty, get the Gen 5 model with the ambi controls, get an extended one and you'll love it.

In terms of the pinky extension - it adds about 1/2 an inch to the overall height, but it adds a high percentage to the controllability of the gun, totally worth it to not have to leave the pinky hanging off the gun when shooting.

I guess it just doesn't bother me my G45 is my only "gen 5" model and I still use the slide release meant for righties. Just doesn't compute to me. What I'd REALLY like is an ambi mag release, even paddle style. A perfect gun to me would be a Glock with USP controls. Vp9 came close. Oh well, maybe gen 6.

And I'll have you know I LIKE my pinky hanging off the bottom, sir

 

[American123]

I guess it just doesn't bother me my G45 is my only "gen 5" model and I still use the slide release meant for righties. Just doesn't compute to me. What I'd REALLY like is an ambi mag release, even paddle style. A perfect gun to me would be a Glock with USP controls. Vp9 came close. Oh well, maybe gen 6.

And I'll have you know I LIKE my pinky hanging off the bottom, sir

Weird, so you actuate the slide release with your index finger? Seems like a gen 5 you could get both slide release and mag release to the 'lefty side'

 

[Pepe-lepew]

What competitions are you participating in where you win guns or money?

GSSF and Glock USPSA style matches.

 

[waglockfan]

I forgot to mention I added a factory "-" connector.

Lone Wolf and Brownells make them as well and they work fine.

Another connector I like is made by ZEV. Polished up very nicely from the package and smoother than snot on glass.

 

[TTSX]

Weird, so you actuate the slide release with your index finger? Seems like a gen 5 you could get both slide release and mag release to the 'lefty side'

Sure do. It's just always been "normal" to me. Same with mag releases. Sometimes I switch them, sometimes I don't. Never really think about it

 

[mkwerx]

Sprinkle some miracle grow on it, so it grows into a Glock 19 and it'll be perfect for carry

 

[No_Regerts]

Only thing I do to them is put on decent sights and add holster wear.

 

[washagonian]

Looks like you're new to the forum. Welcome. Lots of great people here with lots of great feedback, ideas and opinions.

As far as OPINIONS goes, here is mine regarding some of your questions. I'm making an assumption from your post and from you being new to the site that you are fairly new to handguns, so that's how I'm approaching your questions. If you are knowledgable, then accept my apologies for that incorrect assumption.

And, as always, "take what you like and leave the rest", because "your mileage may vary."

I conceal carried a G26.3 and then a G26.4 for seventeen years. (I sometimes still carry the G26.4, but not as often.) My EDC has been something different for the past 4 years.

If carried concealed as a defensive weapon, I am of the "school of thought" that suggests that we make as few modifications as possible. I'd suggest trying out the following simple, inexpensive, DIY mods to see if they work for you. If not, go back to stock parts.

• Regarding trigger pull weight, my thoughts are similar to yours. You can easily increase the trigger pull from 5.5 pounds to 8 pounds by adding a Glock OEM "+" trigger connector. This is closer to a revolver trigger pull weight (of course the feel is completely different.) I prefer a heavier pull in my EDC in order to avoid an unintended discharge when my adrenaline is surging and my fine motor skills go out the window in a life and death situation. My training experience over the years has convinced me that no matter how well I train, if I am not at the level of elite LEO or military, I'm kidding myself to think that a trigger pull less than the factory 5.5 lb trigger on a defensive carry gun is a good idea - FOR ME. And - FOR ME - I want the pull to be heavier than 5.5 lb. After a fair amount of dry-fire practice, I'm just as proficient with the 8 lb trigger in my G26 as I am with my 4.5 lb trigger (Ghost connector) in my G19, which I do NOT carry. YMMV.
• As others have suggested, add a pinky extension to your magazine. Let me add that I'm surprised that many people do not know that Glock makes a plus 2 OEM mag extension for their double stack 9/40 mags, that only costs about $8 to $10, depending on where you buy it. I have a boat-load of these on G26, G27, G19 & G17 mags and have never had a problem. They're just as good and reliable as the $40 aluminum +2 extensions out there - just not as fancy looking.
• Extended slide stop is worth a try. I tried it and it does NOT work for me. I struggle to keep my right thumb from riding the slide release on a Glock, and with the extended slide release I'd keep the slide from locking open when the mag was empty. A lot of people have this experience. It's worth trying out. If it doesn't work, go back to stock. Some people (like Larry Vickers) say use the slide stop as a slide release. Others are of the school that you sling-shot the slide to chamber a round on a mag change. I can do both, but I've defaulted to - and train with - the sling-shot method. Again, YMMV.
• As many people have suggested, go for improved sights. If you decide on night sights, research the web about installing ONLY a front night sight, versus BOTH front and rear night sights. There is a very credible argument about installing ONLY a front night sight. Try out front only. Then install the rear sight and try it with both. Then decide which works best for you. For me, front night sight only works best in the dark. But again, YMMV.
• Finally, the holster is a critical component of a concealed carry rig. And carry method, holster style, material, cant, etc., is different for everyone. It's worth trying different holsters and carry methods. When you find the one that works, you can sell the holsters you don't want on this site. I'm a believer in buying top quality holsters for concealed carry - don't skimp on that. And, if you buy top quality holsters, the ones you decide not to use are pretty easy to sell here.

Good luck and have fun working through a lot of the suggestions members have posted.

 

[BrandonQuixote]

Trade it for a 19 for a half decent grip and a rail for a light

 

[SHOOTZMEDLER]

my EDC is a gen 5 G26 and its mostly stock. I have day-night sights on it and the pinky extension to help my big hands feel more comfortable as well as a talon rubberized grip thing on it and a light along with a nice holster its good to go for me. Posted pic to show talon grip. I prefer to EDC this over my G19 as its easier to conceal.

As for my old EDC I had a stock glock 19 and only mod I did while it was my EDC was the day-night sights but thats now my battle rattle side arm and is all sorts of modified.

 

[KEMOSABEJR1]

With bigger hands (medium sized for me), I found that with the gen 4 and 5, I was hitting the mag release button when the firearm jumped from the small recoil. I carry a G43, with medium hands and have an extreamly high grip. I had to file down the lower portion of the mag release to keep this from happening. I had this happen a couple of times with my 26 also. Night sights, filed down mag release and pinky extension and lots of food for it and your good to go!

 

[MannyGlocks]

I don't use the mag release.

I slingshot it.

 

[KEMOSABEJR1]

No, what I was trying to say was that when the gun fired, the mag release would get bumped by my high hold and drop it out before the next round would chamber. Just some thing I have to work on. Think I solved it with filing down the bottom portion of the mag release.....