I am about to sell my CCW G36 and buy a CCW in a Glock 9MM platform. I can only handle the weapons and have no place to go rent them to shoot them first. I liked the 36 and shot it well and had problems with it but .45 just got expensive to feed. I know the 19 and 26 are both favorites of a lot people and I have read the year with the 26 but htey have the new Gen 4 19 out and I have already got a Gen 4 17. With a Raven Phantom I had no problem concealing the 36 but it did seem to be a little on the heavy side. I am not trying to start a model war but I cannot make up my mind wich one to get. I think I prefer the 19 especially since it comes in the Gen4 version but I am not sure how well I can conceal it. Thanks for your help.
I have a 19 and a 17. 17 is SHTF, zombies, etc. The 19 I bought first, intending to use it for that and CCW. However, since I got my 17, the 19 is superfluous. I’m intending on selling it to finance a 26 for CCW and just stick to the 17 for all other tasks. Trying to conceal the 19 is about the same as the 17, so why should I have 2 big(ger) pistols?
BTW, I also, had a 21 that I sold for the same reason as you: too expensive to shoot. That was the best shooting .45 I ever had, including a Para-Ord, HK USP-C, 1911 and a SIG for a little while. G21 was the most comfortable, softest shooting and most accurate. More accurate than my G19, evem.
Hands down- GLOCK 19 over the 26. IMHO, the 26 doesn’t do anything the 19 already does. If you carry the 26 with a pinky extension or higher cap magazine (as most do), concealment is the same as a 19 with less rounds except a few ounces lighter… And this is coming from someone who has been carrying a GLOCK every working day since the early 90s. I am issued both a 26 and a 19 by my agency and hardly ever carry the 26 over the 19.
Just my .02 cents
My $.02
Have a G26OD for EDC and a Gen 4 17 for raising hell at the range. Have put a few thousand rounds through a rental G19 at various training programs, but for carry my monies is on the G26.
I don’t have any problem with the “pinky” finger when using the G26. Use an IWB holster from Talon, great leather holster, less than $60.
G19 is a great all-around gun; good for carry, home defense, or the range. If need something a little smaller, then get the 26.
if you already have a 17 then it makes more sense to get a 26. a greater difference in size between the two leads to more carry options.
I own and carry both regularly.
I carried a G19 for years and while I was happy with it, carrying it in the summer could be challenging when I mostly wear shorts and t-shirts. It’s hard to adjust your wardrobe when its 98 degrees with a 105+ heat index. So I set out looking for a sub-compact to carry during the summer months and since I was already invested in the Glock 9mm platform I bought a G26.
Carrying it made life easier. It carried and concealed better when the temperatures rose. I could, without making any adjustments in how I dress, carry it in most situations, wearing typical summer attire. After spending some time shooting it I found I actually shot it better than my G19 (and G17) and that it was just as manageable even without any pinky extensions.
In fact I was so impressed I continued to carry it well into the fall and over that first winter. I would switch back and carry my G19 as well, depending on the situation, but I never felt outgunned when carrying the G26. I think I might have felt more confident too because it was easier and more comfortable to carry given my size.
I still carry it a lot these days, rotating between it and the G19. Carrying the G26 in a CCC Looper almost makes you forget you’re carrying. My favorite ammo, Win Ranger 127gr +P+, works great in the little Glock too. In fact the G26 is my only Glock that has yet to record a stoppage of any type (but it doesn’t have as many rounds through it as my G19 or my G17).
My advice to you is to buy a G26 for CCW since you already have a G17. If didn’t have a G17 and wanted one gun to do it all then I would recommend the G19 but in your case I say go with the 26. However, I’m going to warn you now: you will end up buying a G19 eventually. You’re only going to prolong the inevitable. 
If you were only going to have one Glock, I’d recommend the 19. But since you already have a G17, I think the G26 makes more sense. I have a 26 and 19. I carry the G26 almost exclusively (it’s on my hip right now), and use the 19 as my house gun.
I can and sometimes do CCW with the G19, but personally I find the 26 much easier to conceal and far more comfortable to carry for extended periods of time.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my G19. But if you’re choosing between the two and already have a 17, I don’t really see much that the 19 offers that the 26 doesn’t.
I have a 19 and 26 as well. I picked them up to carry as primary and bug. Like others have said the 26 is very easy to conceal in shorts and a t-shirt. I use the 2 round extensions on the 26 and it provides a very good grip. Not as good as the 19 but its will work in a fight. I feel that the 19 is as large a Glock as I would need to own. With the 19 it stays around my waste, the 26 is very nice in an ankle holster. I also prefer the 26 when wearing suits or tucked in shirts in a tuckable IWB.
Yea I know! The better question might be what should I buy first.
Thanks for thereply guys I think I am leaning towards the 26 at this point. Does anyone know if there are any plans for a Gen4 26 anytime soon?
Here is my take. Had a GLOCK 19 gave it to the wife as her off duty gun regreted it ever sence. Got an m&p40c to fill the gap gun shot very very well. Did not even know I was carrying it most of the time. Did not fit my hand all that well so today took it to the shop and traded it for another GLOCK 19.
Im 6’3" 215 and the GLOCK 26 and M&Pc are just to small for me
The grip on the G26 is way too small for me. I cant get a good enough grip on it, and i would never carry a pistol smaller than a G19. I find the G19 very easy and comfortable to carry. You should rent both and then you will know for sure what works for you.
I have a 4th gen G17, and 4th Gen G19 along with a 3rd gen G26. My G17, and G26 guns are used for GSSF and of course practice only. I use my G19 for off duty carry. The 26 grip is just too short without pinky grips on it. With the extensions what is the point? I would rather have the G19 with a few more rounds in it.
If restricted to magazines carrying 10 rounds or less, go with the G26.
Likewise if J-frames are not authorized as a BUG, the G26 is works in that role.
Otherwise I far prefer G19’s. When carrying in a good IWB holster, most folks I know can conceal a G19 just as well as a G26, with the added advantages of longer sight radius, 4" barrel, and ability to mount a light…
G19. Simply a great all around tool.
I would go for the G26, sure the G19 one of the all time favorites but I find the baby glock substantially easier to conceal and offers more carry options. You’ve already got a great full size gun w/ rail for range and HD applications so I would go for the most versatile CCW gun.
Btw, G17 mags make GREAT G26 ccw reloads
GU
Hiding a full size pistol is a lot easier than most people think.
Even in 95 degree heat with 100 deg + heat index, I wear loose fitting untucked shirts over a t shirt. I fasten all buttons except the collar button and the very lowest one.
I am comfortable dressing that way since a) I grew up in the tropics so heat and humidity were a year round thing and b) I spent too many years wearing .nav uniforms.
I can easily conceal a full size M&P and have no doubt I could do same with a G17. A G19 would be downright easy and leaves me no reason to buy anything smaller.
My M&P9c sits mostly unused.
I tend to EDC my 26 more than my 19… At a whopping 5’7" and 170 lbs, I am a pretty small guy. I can carry my 26 in a Sparks VM2 and it is pretty much invisable. When I do carry the 19 in a VM it is comfy, but any slight bend at the waist and the butt of my 19 strts poking out pretty noticeably. With 2 lil ones, I am often times forced into “low” positions to tie a shoe, pick someone up, ect…
I dont have to worry about it with the 26…
And, I typically shoot my 26 MUCH better than my 19’s…
The 26 is a small bit better to carry. I usually carry the 19 though.
Good news-there’s no “wrong” decision to be made between the two.
I prefer the G19; I’ve had a G27 before, and, as was mentioned by Demkofour early in this thread, to comfortably shoot it I added the Pierce magazine extension-which essentially took it to the same height profile as the G19, and I really didn’t find that the shortened slde of the G27 added that much to concealability-the butt was the key thing, and adding the magazine extension rendered that difference betwen the 2 guns moot.
I find the G19 to be easier to shoot, and more versatile-but that’s me, and what you find may be different.
Best, Jon