I’ve been shooting G in 9mm for years. I just picked up a 26 and that little bugger smokes my others. Do I limp wrist without realizing? Is it something to do with the shorter frame? But at 15 yards this is now P4P my favorite handgun of all times.
I don’t know either but I’m pretty damn accurate (it’s a sliding scale…) with my G26 too. That little bugger is a fantastic shooter.
It’s going to be my EDC and I’m thinking G19 mags with the sleeves for back up.
I’d like to know if anyone has one with the Big Dot XS sights and if they work well together.
This is not unheard of. I have no empirical evidence to support this theory, but I think it has to do with the short grip and barrel.
You have less grip surface area to exert pressure on, so the shot isn’t pulled as far off target with a bad grip.
Also, when you flinch, no matter how slight, the barrel will move as the shot breaks. The longer the barrel, the more magnified this effect is at the muzzle.
I have noticed this also… my groups are much tighter with my 27 than with my 22 and 23. I can’t explain it either.
This is such a widely reported phenom it’s driving me nuts. I used to figure it was just the lockup with the recoil spring but someone on the big G26 speculated the short grip wedged into your palm prevented “heeling” it. Made me wonder if there isn’t some leverage dynamic we haven’t pinned down yet. It’s been so widely reported among experienced shooters since the baby glocks came onto the scene, it’s got to have a reason.
my 19 shoots way better groups than my 27. my slow fire groups are near touching with the 19 at 15 yards.
while everyone touts the longer sight radius as an advantage for some folks they can actually focus better on a short sight plain.
As we get older most of us will shoot better with shorter sight radius. I studied with Col Cooper for many years, in pictures of him, you will notice over the years even though he maintains his weaver stance, the pistol got closer to his face in his later years.
This may be part of the reason some shoot better with a g26/27 over a 22/17.
I had a Glock 26 years ago that shot like a death ray. It was stolen about 8 years ago and I never replaced it. I need to do that…
We were just talking about this in another thread. I too was amazed at how well my G27 shot compared to my G22. At least as accurate, if not better!
My G26 is an accurate little bastard. While I don’t shoot it better than my G17 or G19 it is by far the most accurate subcompact handgun I’ve shot to date. When off-duty it’s definitely an EDC.
I consistantly shoot my G27 better than my 22 and 23 too. I don’t have a G26…yet.
I’ve noticed this with my G22 and G27
Here’s a possibility:
“This is because the barrels and slides are proportionally thicker and more rigid on these short guns, and also because the double captive recoil spring that softens kick so effectively also guaranteed that the bullet is out of the barrel before the mechanism begins to unlock.” -Massad Ayoob, The Gun Digest Book of Combat Handgunnery, 5th edition
The grip sleeves aren’t needed for the reloads, only for the one in the gun if you need/want a G19 sized grip.
I have XS 25/7 Big Dots on most of my Glocks, including my G26s, they work just fine together.
I too have noted the difference in accuracy, it is common for our folks to outshoot their own duty gun score on the quals when using their G26.
happens to me too sometimes… 
it’s quite an impressive little pistol.
hmmmm . . . good stuff. Wonder if that could also explain why a good number of M&P Pro 9 shooters, myself included do not see very impressive groups when shooting for such and standard length M&Ps seem to print the flashy groups (Todd Green’s on his website the most flashy).
i think the 26 does force you into a more perfect grip. slow fire i can frequently out shoot my g19. the 19 is faster, from the holster, on target, and followup shots, just due to the extra grip.
Has anyone observed this phenomenon with the full size M&P versus the compact Smith?
Personal observation is that for me, any speed with the big dots are more than offset by loss of precision at distance
Better performance from the subcompacts is not as much of mechanical origin as it is shooter origin. The shorter grip provides less surface for shooters to exert force upon. The force that is exerted tends to be more uniform, consistent, and of the proper type.
So reliable is the phenomenon that many instructors use the subcompacts when remediating struggling shooters.
Folks tend to overestimate the value of sight radius. Good, consistent employment of fundamentals of marksmanship is far more important. Sight radius, while not without value, is a crutch for many. (This, also applicable to the AR-types.)