G26 9mm or G30SF .45

[MSP "Sarge"]

Thought about the 26 but I wanted a bigger round. I have a 21sf now but would like something a little smaller in size. Easier to conceal.

MP I wouldn't say it's a tiny gun. Holds 10 rounds. I have a Walther TPH .22 now thats small.

[JohnN]

Had a Glock 30 for a while and always loved the way it shot but not so much for concealment. Kinda a felt like a brick in the FBI cant position and appendix would be a non starter for me at least. If you have your heart set on a .45 I would urge you to check out an M&P45 compact. Glock 19 size, which most guys seem to think optimal size wise for concealment, in your preferred caliber.

[Terry]

Having owned all 3, IMO, the 26 without question.

[skyugo]

the 26 is a much better size for easy concealment, also, being the light recoiling 9mm round, it's a very smooth shooting accurate gun.
the big platform (45/10mm) glocks are pretty darn fat.

[MSP "Sarge"]

I tell ya why I shy away from the 9mm. I was involved in a shooting some years ago and was off duty carrying a S&W 639 9mm. It was loaded with Winchester Silver Tips. We each fired seven rounds at each other. His missed all seven times. Hit all around my cruiser. I struck the assailant 3 times out of seven while moving and gunning. We were shooting at each other while moving from one side of my cruiser to the other. I made good hits at that. Thought to myself I know I hit him why wasn't he stopping. Abdomen, right chest and right elbow. Still jumped up from the ground and sprinted 20 yards. Climbed a six foot fence and feel to the other side. He ended up crawling about 20 years and then asking for help.

I know anything can happen. Expect the unexpected. And I am sure that other members , LEO's and military folks on here can tell us about some weird outings. That's why I was asking for opinions. Always wondered if I had used a larger round like a .45 ACP, if I would have stopped him sooner. Like within a step or two. Not giving him the chance to dance around the cruiser with me.

[Business_Casual]

Ah, you are emotionally invested in the 45 ACP and are seeking validation from strangers on the Internet.

OK, buy the 30SF, dude.

M_P

[ToddG]

Sarge -- I'd respectfully suggest you reconsider your one incident as demonstration against current modern 9mm hollowpoint technology.

First, pistol shots to the abdomen and elbow are not going to cause physiological incapacitation regardless of caliber. Without knowing exactly how/where your right chest shot hit him, it's impossible to determine if the bullet performed admirably or not.

Second, the 9mm Silvertip is not at all respected in terms of stopping power. Even Winchester has stopped actively promoting it for LE use. You're talking about a bullet that is decades and generations of technology out of date.

It's perfectly reasonable to look at your real-world experience in a traumatic stressful situation and try to learn things from it. But if that is the reason you're shying away from a 9mm, my advice is to examine broader evidence ... in particular, DocGKR's writings here at M4C.

But in the end, if you know in your heart that you're only going to be confident with a .45, then by all means carry a .45! It's certainly not bad or a mistake to have a .45, and when push comes to shoot, you've got more important things to think about than whether you trust the bb's in your gun.

[tpd223]

I was once on scene at a raid where the bad guy was shot through the chest front to back, hit was just to the side of the sternum and left a 5/8" entrance wound, cut the aorta on the way through and left an exit 7/8" across.

Bad guy with shotgun chased the narc who shot him down the hall, down the stairs to the first landing, realized the place was full of cops, ran back up the stairs and barricaded himself in the bedroom at the end of the hall, then realized he was shot and called 911 demanding an ambulance. He refused verbal commands to come out, but dropped over dead in the next few minutes.

Our good guy was using a S&W 645 launching Winchester 230gr ball.

Back in the day we had lots of "fails to stop" events where large number of rounds were fired from 9mms, thus the 9mm got a bad rap for poor stopping power.

My strong feeling is that back then the only pistols available that would allow for a large number of hits were 9mms, thus allowing these events to occur.

Now-a-days we have high cap .40s and .45s, and we are now seeing high rounds count events involving those rounds.

I know of a recent case in NOLA where the bad guy took 9 torso hits with 230gr Ranger-T launched from a Glock 21.

Sarge,
If deer can take hits through the boiler room with rounds such as the 30-06 and still run a 1/4 of a mile or so before they pile up, why should we expect people to fall quickly to hits from rounds that are puny in comparison?


Anyway, the question was G26 or G30SF,,,,, my answer is that the G26 is "enough gun" and far easier to conceal.

[MSP "Sarge"]

Guys thanks for the input. Can't say I have changed my mind one way or the other but you guys have sure made some great points. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise.

Gary

[USBP379]

Hey Buddy,

I've owned both, and honestly, because of the girth of the 26, I could not do anything with the 26 that I could not do with the 19. So, I sold the 26 and bought a Khar PM 9 which was a truly concealable 9mm.

I think the 19 is a perfect sized gun and the 30 seems to me to be about the same length and height, but a little fatter. In a Comp-Tac IWB holster, it is plenty concealable. It is also extremely accurate and a joy to shoot. It shoots better, to me, than the 21 SF that I own as well.

I own the M&P 45 C, as well, but I don't have enough rounds down range with it to trust it yet. It only gets 8 rounds of 45, as opposed to ten on the Glock, but the grip is super comfy and the gun is much more akin to the size and weight of the G19. I am intrigued by it and will continue to see how it does on the range.

As far as 9 vs. 45, that's a futile cock measuring exercise. Just pick one and shoot it til you can hit with it.

If your department gives you ammo at no charge, then I'd go with the caliber they pay for.

Cheers.