Glock 26 Light Use

[tower59]

Hey gang- what's the preferred light for carry with the Glock 26? Specifically, what do you guys think about the Streamlight TLR-6? Does it stay put? What holsters will work with this? Looking at trying the Alien Gear 3.0. Thanks for any suggestions!

[Aragorn77]

Glock 26/27 do not have a rail, so the light is a no go. You need at least a Glock 19 or Glock 30 sized gun to get the rail. My current EDC is a Glock 30s/Surefire XC-1/Bravo Concealment holster. I have a TLR1-HL. It's a nice light, but the compact size of the XC-1 makes it much easier to use in a CCW setting.

[ggammell]

Glock 26/27 do not have a rail, so the light is a no go. You need at least a Glock 19 or Glock 30 sized gun to get the rail. My current EDC is a Glock 30s/Surefire XC-1/Bravo Concealment holster. I have a TLR1-HL. It's a nice light, but the compact size of the XC-1 makes it much easier to use in a CCW setting.

TLR-6 is not a rail mounted light. So in fact it is a "go" on the G26.

[Aragorn77]

TLR-6 is not a rail mounted light. So in fact it is a "go" on the G26.

Geez, just when I think I know the answer. Guess I should have paid better attention in class The TLR-6 looks like a great alternative to the rail mounted XC-1 and it's much more price friendly. Hopefully someone can give some actual feed back and I'll learn something else.

[tower59]

Yeah, it's a no rail Glock. I knew that when I bought it and just had to accept the fact that as a "baby Glock" I had to forgo a light. But now, with the new release of the TLR6, a light may be a viable option. Interested to hear reports from actual users on the G26. Is it tough enough? Does it stay put? Reliable? Does it impact one's ability to carry in any way? Holster options? Thanks!

[Uprange41]

I tried the TLR-6 and decided that a handheld was just better for my needs.

I'm sure it's not a bad thing to have a TLR-6 on the gun, but I didn't find a ton of value in it. Dim, awkward switching, didn't add weight to help keep the muzzle flatter the way an X300 does. I ended up ditching it.

[El Cid]

I have a TLR-6 on my G43 and am very happy with it. Sure it's not X300 level bright, but a 43 (or 26) is a defensive weapon. If I'm hunting armed thugs I use a proper size weapon. My G26 is a BUG and if my agency permitted I'd put a TLR-6 on it.

[HardToHandle]

I tried the TLR-6 and decided that a handheld was just better for my needs.

I'm sure it's not a bad thing to have a TLR-6 on the gun, but I didn't find a ton of value in it. Dim, awkward switching, didn't add weight to help keep the muzzle flatter the way an X300 does. I ended up ditching it.

Accurate assessment, but I kept the TLR 6 on my G26. Very lightweight, as noted, and the 100-ish lumens does not compare with recent tac lights, but I remember when a mini-maglight was considered high speed. I still carry a backup tactical light with my spare mag, so I am now in 1+1 zone. That results in a significant set of new options for me, which is good for a defensive gun.

I wish it had a grip type switch option. The long reach, constant on activation is suboptimal. The laser does nothing for me but waste batteries.

My assessment is the TLR 6 is harbinger of the future, when a WML is pretty much standard, even on concealed pistols. We have seen that move on duty weapons, which is generally positive. Streamlight deserves some applause on really prototyping the concept in the mass market - $100/100 lumens. Lots of room to improve over time, but innovation is incremental.

[Treehopr]

The TLR6 does what it's supposed to do which is provide a low profile weapon mounted light on compact guns. My first Surefire was an incandescent G2 with 65 lumens so the 100 lumens may not be a lot but it's better than what I EDC'd a few years ago.

If you really want an X300U or TLR-1 light, get a Glock 19 and have the grip chopped to a G26 length.

[Uprange41]

Accurate assessment, but I kept the TLR 6 on my G26. Very lightweight, as noted, and the 100-ish lumens does not compare with recent tac lights, but I remember when a mini-maglight was considered high speed. I still carry a backup tactical light with my spare mag, so I am now in 1+1 zone. That results in a significant set of new options for me, which is good for a defensive gun.

I wish it had a grip type switch option. The long reach, constant on activation is suboptimal. The laser does nothing for me but waste batteries.

My assessment is the TLR 6 is harbinger of the future, when a WML is pretty much standard, even on concealed pistols. We have seen that move on duty weapons, which is generally positive. Streamlight deserves some applause on really prototyping the concept in the mass market - $100/100 lumens. Lots of room to improve over time, but innovation is incremental.

I agree on much of this. WML's being standard, I'm onboard. Ditching the laser is also something I wanted. Maybe it'd afford stellar battery life, or perhaps more light for the same battery life, or even clear enough space in the body for a deeper/longer reflector. No idea if that's how it'd work out, but I felt like the laser was wasted space. And the switching left something to be desired on my end as well. I completely understand the design goals and limitations, having nice big X300 switches on the side of the gun kills the whole concept of not changing the footprint, but still, I just didn't like the switch. I'm sure there's a more effective way to employ a TLR-6 than just carrying over the same methods I use with X300's, though.

I only had one for a week, and I shot ~100 rounds each night while I had it, just trying to get a feel for it and comparing my performance with it vs. my performance with an EB1. Overall, I thought it seemed like a good idea from a one-is-none standpoint, considering the shear lack of weight and bulk added, and I would want it for sure if my G26 was also used for home defense. That said, it just didn't feel like a compelling enough piece of gear for me to want to hang onto it. Though to be honest, I was partly holding out for the possibility of a light-only version, partly just lazy about buying new holsters to facilitate something that didn't really make much difference in my ability to shoot at night.