Fullsize vs. Subcompact vs. Compact

[HamsterStyle]

I have gotten to the point that I am very fond of the glock. I have only shot a G17.

Those of you that have shot all three versions of a certain caliber (ie. 17, 19, 26) did you notice a huge difference in how each one shoots and did accuracy suffer greatly the smaller the gun?

Thanks in advance

Tommy

 

[Cam]

I have a 22, 23, and 27. I don't find an accuracy advantage to the larger frames myself. In fact, I'm probably better with my 27 than anything.

 

[lovemachine]

I carry the 19, and have shot the 17 several times.
They both have a good feel. But I've found the 19 is much easier to carry and conceal.
For me, the 26 is too small.

For accuracy between the 17 and 19, i haven't found a difference.I like both a lot, just the 19 fits my needs
Better.

 

[esrice]

Accuracy is about the same. "Shootability" can be affected, however, due to the smaller grip and pinky dangle with the subcompact.

I find the compact to be the best compromise of size, capacity, and shootability. But I like 'em all.

 

[Hoosier45]

I prefer the 19 to the 17. I generally prefer compact to fullsize. Although I do like the M&P compacts, which I guess are comparable to subcompact Glocks and XDs.

 

[HICKMAN]

Decide for yourself:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdqIhmu9Fuk]YouTube - Glock 27[/ame]


[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPvMJcmpVsQ[/ame]

 

[WestSider]

Out of the three I like the 19 the best. However, after I got my M&P 9c all the Glocks went bye bye.

 

[Lobo]

I just recently decided to go to all Glocks for my semiauto pistol needs, including every day carry, SHTF and home defense. Currently, I have a G26 and G19 in 9mm, G35 in .40 and G21 in .45. For home defense, I like a full size pistol with a bright light and night sights, which makes my easy choice the G35. 40 caliber is powerful, capacity is great, and the 5.3" barrel really lets those 180 grain HST's get their maximum potential for velocity and energy. My G21 is in the den, as a backup/rear home defense pistol.

For carry, I like lighter weight and something more compact, but still very effective. As a belt carry gun, I prefer the G19 to the G26, as with my body type (a few extra Big Macs), the 4" barrel actually rocks the gun in tighter to my body with most holsters than the shorter barrel G26, making the G19 easier to conceal than the G26 under my typical cool weather sweatshirt or jacket. The G19 gives a full grip, and is an excellent blend of light weight, compact size, full-size capacity, effective caliber and real "combat pistol" handling characteristics.

The G26 is mostly pocket carried in cargo shorts, which is entirely comfortable once you get used to the weight. It handles well and is very effective for its size, but not quite as easy handling as the excellent G19. If I had to choose between the G26 and the G19, the G26 would have to go, and I'd just buy bigger shirts for summertime belt carry of my G19.

Having shot the G17, and owning both G19 and G26, I'd say that accuracy is not much different in any of them, as any of them will likely be more inherently accurate than any shooter. Shootability would go to the G17 and G19 about equally, with the G26 just a little bit harder to shoot well for me, but still very combat effective. Pick the one you like, and you can't go wrong!

 

[glock2010]

I like the compact glocks and out of the ones you listed i would go with the 19 but that my personal preference.

 

[selinoid44]

I have the Glock 27 subcompact. I've had it for 10 years without any failures to fire. I do not use the mag extentions and I have big hands also. The things that I don't like are p.o.a. aquistion from holster to target. I don't like that the mag hits the palm of my hand when I release it.
I shoot this gun a lot. The aquistion of p.o.a. gets easier as you become more familiar with the gun, however other guns are easier to get from holster to target quicker. I still like my Glock and won't get rid of it, because it is a great carry gun. For shooting steel against my buddies, I'm leaning towards the XDM or M&P in 9 mm.

 

[Vince49]

Better with sub compact.

I have a G22 and a G27. I have shot a couple of thousand rounds through each of them. The G27 seems more comfortable to me and I seem to be a bit more accurate with it. Don't know why.

 

[loony1]

i prefer the g19 due to size, not too big, not too small.

 

[JohnP82]

Accuracy is about the same. "Shootability" can be affected, however, due to the smaller grip and pinky dangle with the subcompact.

I find the compact to be the best compromise of size, capacity, and shootability. But I like 'em all.

Very well said. I too like them all. I currently have a G23 and a G27 and am looking to add the G22 to the collection soon too. I think the compact size is my favorite of them all.

 

[HICKMAN]

The 23 is my fav, since you can add a barrel and mags and have a 19 as well.

 

[David Rose]

For carry I like the 26. You can make a 26 bigger if you want. You can’t make a 19/17 smaller. I’ve shot all of the models listed, but if you are only going to have one for carry I find the 26 to be the most flexible.

 

[wtfd661]

For carry I like the 26. You can make a 26 bigger if you want. You can’t make a 19/17 smaller. I’ve shot all of the models listed, but if you are only going to have one for carry I find the 26 to be the most flexible.

^^^this. Glock 26 is a great gun and after my Kimber is my second most carried gun.

 

[flyboy727]

I owned a glock 30 compact 45 acp with the double stack mag and added the pinky grip extension to the mags.

I really enjoyed shooting the gun, although it was kinda bulky for IWB carry and harder to control compared to shooting the full size glock 21 . The 21 was much easier to handle , felt more balanced and much easier to rapid fire. The 21 is a very large and bulky gun.

I sold my Glock 30 and I have recentley shot as rental Glock 26 9mm at the range, which had the pinky extension. I am waiting on a 26 to become available and will be my next purchase.

 

[wwdkd]

I have a Glock 17L, 19, and 26. Out of those the 17L is my favorite but it is very hard to carry. So, in all practically, the Glock 26 is my favorite. It is not any less accurate than the larger Glocks and I think it actually has less felt recoil than the larger models due to the dual recoil springs, and it is much easier to conceal than the other model. So, if I were to choose the best model for multiple applications it would be the Glock 26.

 

[WebSnyper]

I've got a 21, 30 and now a 27 (fairly recent acquisition and only shot it a couple of times)... so not exactly what you were asking, but generally I like to shoot my 30 about the best, but for carry the 27 is the best,

 

[barrelmaker_2002]

I have opined on this subject several times.

"Buy the gun that has the longest grip and longest sight radius that you can still conceal under the sorts of clothes you normally wear."
(https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/handguns/81762-need_a_carry_gun-2.html#post925736)

"I used to carry a G26, but it was too big for a pocket and too small otherwise, so I got a G19."
(https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/handguns/101690-which_gun-2.html#post1189799)

"The primary determinants of how easy a gun is to conceal (assuming strong side carry in an IWB holster) is thickness and grip length. A secondary concern is barrel length - a gun with a shorter barrel will intrude less on your pockets, but since there is less gun and holster to provide friction, the gun may tend to move around a bit more.

So my answer is neither. Why? Because if you buy a sub-compact pistol and then add an extended mag and sleeve to it, you have a gun that is no easier to conceal than the next size up and might move around a bit more on your belt.

Keep in mind that the baby Glocks were introduced back when post ban mags could hold ten rounds and not one round more. Gun makers (well Glock at least to start) responded by producing the smallest gun they could with a 10 round mag. Needless to say, they sold like crazy.

However, a baby Glock was always a bit of a compromise as they were harder to shoot well and once you added a pre-ban extended mag, no less concealable than a Glock 19."
(https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...ni_glock_or_xd_sub_compact-3.html#post1283503)

"There are some people who say buy buy a subcompact. I reject that advice. A carry gun can be too small. Larger guns are easier to shoot accurately than smaller guns. I used to carry a sub-compact and now I have the mid-size. If I were a bit bigger, I would probably go up another size."
(https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...oking_for_first_cc_handgun-3.html#post1307424)

To summarize, I carry a G19 because my G26 was too big for a pocket and too small for just about everything else and I am not big enough to conceal a G17. Good luck!