The G36 is Glock's interesting experiment in making a smaller .45 ACP pistol. It's probably generated more owner/user accolades & complaints than any other Glock.
If you browse among the GlockTalk forum, and especially if you do a Search on the G36, you'll sometimes wonder if everyone is talking about the same pistol ...
I asked a Glock rep last year how the G36 was doing, and he said that after they finally appeared to resolve the magazine issues that the pistol model seemed to be doing fine. I didn't ask for details.
I agree with some of the sentiments expressed that the G36 may be more susceptible to shooter-induced issues, ala grip stability problems, and perhaps some ammunition-related issues ... reduced size platforms, slide travel and reduced slide mass has been linked to functioning issues, and "ammunition tolerance" issues in other diminutive .45 ACP pistols.
I think
denfoote made an astute observation with his comment
"Third, the G36 is not as forgiving about limp wristing as it's brothers"
"Stopping Power"? This term is probably more relevant when it comes to discussing the stopping power of disc brakes in motor vehicles ...
These are just handguns folks ...
I haven't handled and fired a G36 for a couple of years. First, I have no personal interest in owning one. I have a CS45, 4513TSW & Colt Officers ACP which fill my needs for reduced platform .45 ACP pistols at present. Second, I can only remember one person in our agency who bought a G36 in recent years. Her later traded it off for a different off-duty weapon because of dissatisfaction with functional reliability. I personally don't know if it was more shooter-related (grip and/or maintenance), ammunition-related, or just the pistol ... since he took it to another agency's Glock armorer (who the owner said diagnosed the problem as being that he was trying to shoot his G36 with insufficient lubrication).
I've certainly seen what seems to be an increasing number of smaller off-duty pistols in the hands of our folks, such as G26's & G27's, CS9's & CS45's, as well as various Kahrs and various brands of diminutive 1911-type pistols. The Glock and S&W pistols seem to uniformly give their owners satisfactory performance - aside from some shooter skill-related issues sometimes involved in learning to controllably & accurately shoot smaller framed pistols
- but the smaller 1911-type pistols & some of the Kahrs seem to provide their owners with some "variable satisfaction".
The .45GAP may be an interesting option in the .45 subcompact range, though ... especially since the frame is the same as the 26/27/33, but with a heavier .45 slide than that offered on the 36.
I'll reserve personal judgment & and recommendation, however, until the G39 model has been in the hands of regular shooters/users for the next several months ... and until I've had an opportunity to reasonably 'wring one out', sometime in the future.
The owner reports of the reliability and ammunition/shooter "tolerance" of the G36 are such that while I'd always recommend someone try to test-fire an example of a pistol they're considering buying, I'd also caution that the performance of the pistol you buy may not necessarily be similar to that which you test-fired ... which is true to some extent with any pistol, though.
I'm not sure that I'd consider the G36 to be Glock's best effort, or best example of their product line.
Lots of opinions in this regard.
