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Old November 9, 2012, 03:31 PM   #1
2weelz4me
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G 26 vs. P380

I have a few semiautos, and have been carrying a p380 in the summer, and my G 26 is new and I carry it in the winter. I had not shot the G 26 until today, even though I've had it for 2 weeks. (unable to get to the range, or upstate to shoot it.) I put about 200 rounds through the G 26 and had no malfunctions at all. And used 3 different types of ammo. This is the first Semiauto I have owned, that has had no malfunctions from the start. I know it's only 200 rounds, but I am starting to see the beauty of Glock. When I carry the P380 I def. don't feel as secure, because it seems to malfunction quite often, probably every 30 to 40 rounds or so. It has about 550 rounds through it, so it's supposedly " broken in", but I may have to start carrying the Glock all year round!
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Old November 9, 2012, 03:38 PM   #2
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Ive never owned a .380 so I cannot comment on that part....but I think your last sentence pretty much sums it up. I absolutely LOVE my G26 and chose it as my dedicated carry gun almost all of the time. Glocks rock period!

This may sound outlandish and INSANE to those few who are not converted Glock fans yet....but Ive had my G26 for almost 3 years now and put roughly 3k rounds of mixed FMJ/JHP ammo through it. Now, I did buy it slightly used and never had a break in period but guess how many malfunctions Ive had since Ive owned the gun?

Ready?


ZERO. Hand to god.
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Old November 9, 2012, 03:40 PM   #3
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My EDC is a G26. Its round count has been in four figures for some time, and the only failure it has had was due to limp wristing by my daughter. (She is an engineer, was a student at the time, so when I explained the need for a firm support for proper function of a pistol, she easily understood and hasn't had a problem since, with the Glock or any other of several pistols she has shot.)

I can understand you being a bit squeamish about carrying the P380. I would not carry a defensive pistol with a 2% to 3% failure rate, myself. Murphy's Law and all that.

ETA: I own other pistols that are prettier and may be somewhat more accurate, but none exceed the little Glock for reliability.
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Old November 9, 2012, 03:51 PM   #4
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which reminds me,

it was very accurate also. I was thrilled! BTW, I also use the Glock holster (OTW), and it is also very nice so far.
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Old November 9, 2012, 03:52 PM   #5
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Congrats, you are in the club

you'll never wanna leave....EVER!
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Old November 9, 2012, 04:27 PM   #6
2damnold4this
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I have two carry guns depending on the way I dress. One is a G26 and the other is a S&W 642. It's a lot easier to carry the 642 but it's a lot easier to accurately shoot the G26.

edit to add: Both have been 100% reliable.
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Old November 9, 2012, 06:26 PM   #7
carguychris
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Quote:
When I carry the P380 I def. don't feel as secure, because it seems to malfunction quite often, probably every 30 to 40 rounds or so. It has about 550 rounds through it, so it's supposedly " broken in"...
This is certainly NOT normal. I suggest calling Kahr. They should be willing to fix it for free, including shipping.
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Old November 9, 2012, 09:32 PM   #8
2weelz4me
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I will put another 200 rounds through it and see how it does

I wonder if I should be using hotter loads, like a +p? every semiauto I own malfunctions between 2 and 4% I'm very concious of limp wristing it, so I don't think that's the problem. But, this Glock felt very sure of itself. I feel it's just a real well made gun. build quality, packaging, and manual were all the best I've seen, not to mention 3 mags.
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Old November 9, 2012, 09:44 PM   #9
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And if you cannot get that P380 to work to your satisfaction, I'll trade you an LCP that has run perfectly for almost four years and about 600 rounds... that includes factory FMJ and JHP, plus my lead reloads, and my FMJ reloads.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to get rid of my LCP...but if I were to let it go, it would be for a P380.

I have owned a Kahr PM9 for about five years, and a P45 for almost four. I have every confidence that Kahr can make it work right, and it would be the best .380 available.

Feel free to pm me.
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Old November 9, 2012, 10:56 PM   #10
JC57
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I've never owned a Kahr but the CM9 is on my list of wants.

I have two Glocks Gen 4s (22 and 26)and have never had any problems with either of them at all. I had a Glock 17 Gen 1 back in the 80s that would stovepipe every once in a while, but no problems with the Gen 4s so far.

If I had a gun that was as unreliable as you say your Kahr is, I would look at getting it repaired under warranty or pay to have a gunsmith fix it.
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Old November 10, 2012, 12:30 AM   #11
carguychris
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Quote:
I wonder if I should be using hotter loads, like a +p?
I wouldn't use this in the P380. No industry standard exists for .380ACP+P. A load advertised as such is either a phony marketing gimmick, or is loaded beyond the design pressure of the cartridge.

I would be hesitant to fire such a cartridge because the gun (and shooter!) may be catastrophically damaged and the manufacturer may be unwilling to fix it under warranty.

The gun should work using virtually any recently-manufactured factory load from a reputable company.
Quote:
every semiauto I own malfunctions between 2 and 4% I'm very concious of limp wristing it, so I don't think that's the problem.
2% to 4% is a LOT. This is well beyond the failure rate I've seen with virtually any modern pistol.

What other autoloaders do you own? Do you clean them regularly and lubricate them as specified in the owner's manuals?

What type of failures to you typically experience? Jams, FTEs, stovepipes, or...? Factory ammo or handloads?
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Old November 10, 2012, 01:06 AM   #12
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Well, the G26 is a nice, dependable pistol..............what was the question?
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Old November 10, 2012, 01:28 AM   #13
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Your experience mirrors mine....my Glock 26 was essentially perfect for hundreds of rounds...I think there was one limp-wrist, my fault....I gave up on my P380 after I had 20 malfs or so AFTER it came back from Kahr.....
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Old November 10, 2012, 11:35 AM   #14
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every semiauto I own malfunctions between 2 and 4%
I don't recall every hearing anyone say that. I have never had a semi that malfunctioned (a) with normal ammo, (b) when it was clean (I have a .22 whose extractor claw fouls), and (c) the shooter does his/her part (see previous post).

That is not to say that mechanical problems don't exist in semis, but your statement causes me to wonder what semis you have owned, what kind of ammo you use, and most importantly whether you may have something wrong with your technique that would benefit from a little bit of coaching. I offer this out of concern rather than being snarky: If you are getting 2% to 4% failures in a variety of semis, of reasonable quality, with commercially made ammo from a major manufacturer, it may be time to start wondering if the common factor is the operator.
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Old November 10, 2012, 02:24 PM   #15
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I can see a "break in" period to smooth a gun out but
if you need to shoot a couple hundred rds to get rid
of failures to operate.Get rid of the gun.
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Old November 10, 2012, 02:54 PM   #16
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I've never experienced a semi-auto malfunction with factory ammo over the several thousand rounds I've fired. There are lots and lots of guns that are reliable, it is not limited to Glock. Half the guns out there are functionally the same as Glock anyway.
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Old November 10, 2012, 05:29 PM   #17
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My NIB Kahr CW45 is the only gun I've ever had malfunction on me, aside from a CHEAPO magazine that caused problems for my 1911. In less than a week I had a replacement spring sent to me, and it has fired every time since. I certainly don't expect to buy a new firearm and have problems on day one, but to their credit it was fixed quickly with no questions asked. I would send Kahr's CS an e-mail for the P380, as I received a response the same (or very next) day.
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Old November 10, 2012, 06:55 PM   #18
2weelz4me
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My semiautos include...

Para ordnance p14-45
walther tph
ruger mark II bull barrel ( the most reliable )
Kahr p380 (probably the worst, mostly FTF going back to factory soon!!)
Glock G26 (another 80 rounds of flawless accuracy again today. Love it!)


Just published a video on utube. will put in link when able. maybe I am doing something wrong. of course gun did not malfunction when i filmed!
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Old November 10, 2012, 08:58 PM   #19
2weelz4me
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here's me shooting.

am i doing anything wrong?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l87PCVY7ToY&feature=plcp
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Old November 11, 2012, 09:52 PM   #20
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Glock 26 in a heartbeat loaded with Speer 124gr +p gold dots.
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Old November 11, 2012, 10:58 PM   #21
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I really love my p380 but no doubt your g26 is your better defense weapon. In my experience with glocks they just don't fail. My M&P9C is great also, eats everything I send through it including my reloads and I like the feel of it a little better than the glocks. The P380 is a great piece when you need a tiny firearm and by no means is it not deadly but 9mm is superior to the 380. Enjoy your firearms, they are nice pieces.
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Old November 12, 2012, 12:31 AM   #22
orionengnr
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Quote:
every semiauto I own malfunctions between 2 and 4%
Wow...if that had been my experience, I would own only revolvers.

Fortunately, that is absolutely nothing like my experience. Which isn't to say I have not experienced some problems with some semi-autos over the last 30 years...

But those problem children were sold with full disclosure, and usually at a significant loss.
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Old November 12, 2012, 09:21 PM   #23
Shifty007
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My G26 is a Gen 2.5 and has at least 20,000 rounds through it. I have changed the springs, trigger connector, and the recoil spring assembly only. And guess what...zero malfunctions. I love all of my firearms, but the Glock is the go to gun if I had one choice.
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Old November 13, 2012, 09:39 PM   #24
2weelz4me
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I Freakin love my Glock.

ordered the supertuck for it. def harder to carry then a little p380, but I'm hoping the supertuck will solve some of the carry issues I have. I use the glock holster so far, and it's great, but I just need a bit more concealability.
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Old November 14, 2012, 09:58 AM   #25
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The reliability of Glock pistols is probably the reason most people who try them seem to become fanatical supporters of the gun. Most people will agree that reliability should be the #1 prerequisite for a defense gun. I had one gun that functioned similar to your .380 and I got rid of it, if you can't depend on it it's useless as far as I'm concerned. (It was a .32 Beretta Tomcat)

For carrying my G-26 a high ride 3 slot pancake holster is very comfortable and pretty easy to conceal.
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