Detailed photo comparison of Glock 26 Gen 4 and M&P 9c

[italianbreadman]

Detailed photo comparison of Glock 26 Gen 4 and M&P 9c (high bandwidth warning)

So I've been coming to the forums literally for years whenever I had a question about anything gun-related that needed answering. A quick Google search almost always led me here for at least a part of my research. I found many answers here, but I never joined and never contributed.

Hopefully this will be a good start at actually providing something of use to the gun community.

I know the Glock 26 and M&P 9c are frequently compared and debated over, with YouTube videos comparing their looks, size, feel, etc. I went through the arduous process myself... before getting BOTH guns.

The one thing I've never seen, though, is a detailed photo comparison of the internals on these guns, for those who really want to get an idea of the differences in their construction and mechanics. So I decided to take some pictures and share them.

EDIT: Here's the first set. More to follow. The Glock 26 is always first, followed by the M&P 9c.

Let me know what you think.


Shallow, vertical serrations. They work just fine. Short extractor.

More aggressive (and attractive, to me) slide serrations on the M&P. Long extractor.

Obnoxious S&W branding.

Glock front sight is not adjustable.

M&P front sight: drift adjustable.

Polymer "U-dot" sights on Glock.

Steel 3-dot sights on M&P go all the way to the back of the slide, maximizing sight radius. More durable than polymer.

Sight picture is a matter of preference, but the U seems somewhat distracting and detracts from the hard lines of the sight edges.

Less obbjective is the depth of the rear notch. M&P lets you get more of that front sight in the notch for faster, easier acquisition.

Two simple slides. The extractors being external, unlike XD pistols, makes cleaning a breeze.

 

[Soldiernurse]

Needs more side-by-side pic comparisons.

 

[9mmepiphany]

The pictures were pretty good and showed a lot of detail not usually seen

It does get confusing as there are 5 pictures per row and you end up comparing pictures at opposite ends of different rolls. I recognized what I was looking at, but it would be more clear is you labeled what each picture (or pair) was showing.

It would be ideal, if you organized it into two columns with comparison pictures lined up across from each other

 

[italianbreadman]

Next set of shots (THR limits the number of photos per post, I've realized):

Glock first, M&P second.

Notice the slight flare in the M&P barrel. Maybe that aids in tight lock-up?

Glock chamber cut flush to slide.

M&P jewel-cut chamber with integrated peephole.

Glock's broad, shallow feed ramp may aids in reliable feeding. Supported chamber.

Narrower M&P feed ramp. Supported chamber.

Glock polygonal rifling. Adds in velocity. Don't shoot lead out of it, though.

Traditional rifling in the M&P barrel.

Glock dual captive recoil spring and polymer guide rod.

Heavy M&P recoil spring and steel guide rod.

 

[italianbreadman]

Next set. Glock first, M&P second.

Simple Glock design. Spring tension on the sear when cocked, released by the trigger. Very few moving parts.

Pulling the M&P trigger applies tension to a trigger spring, which transfers to another spring to lower the sear. Trigger always springs forward.

Glock take-down mechanism on the left is spring-loaded, but very simple.

M&P field stripping involves rotating the semicircular takedown bar via an external lever. Also simple, but more hang-up potential than Glock.

Note how the steel for the Glock rails to ride on extends below the protruding tabs.

M&P: Steel on top of polymer.

Glock: steel again. Plus a shot of that takedown mechanism.

All steel up front for the M&P rails.

No picatinny on Glock.

Get out your lights and lasers for M&P.

Controls are roughly equivalent. Different takedown mechanism and different triggers. Glock trigger seems more sturdy.

Glick safe action trigger. Heavy build quality. Straighter design. More solid.

M&P trigger with hinge safety. Smooth and rounded ergonomics. Seems less robust.

 

[italianbreadman]

Last set. GLock first, M&P second.

Finger grooves. Good grip, but not as adaptable for different hands.

No finger grooves on M&P. Less aggressive texturing. Less friction for a less secure grip.

Glock magazine catch. One of the best there is. Polymer block snaps into a notch on the polymer mags.

Metal magazine catch on M&P. Metal catch on metal mags.

And that's all folks. I hope that helps someone!

 

[wheelyfun66]

Why can I NOT see the pics?

 

[mdThanatos]

I am thinking the same thing, no pics and not seeing a link either.

 

[italianbreadman]

Well that's odd. They showed up earlier when I posted them.

I had a link to a gallery here first, but spent the extra time and effort to embed every one. :-/

 

[Alexey931]

Generally no pics too, though a small percentage is present. The first one, for instance.

 

[ku4hx]

Love post #1 pic's details, but a comparison is hard to do considering the scale and all the paging, pic swapping and horizontal sliding that has to be done.

No pics in posts # 4, 5 or 6.

Is the link somewhere way off to the right? I stopped scrolling horizontally after a few pics.

 

[italianbreadman]

I am totally working on fixing this. I just have a short shooting session to do and then I'm going to make sure everything is properly working and sized right. I would have originally, but I think because the pics are hosted on my Dropbox I could see them even though they were not "public." Fixing that and resizing.

 

[ku4hx]

I am totally working on fixing this. I just have a short shooting session to do and then I'm going to make sure everything is properly working and sized right. I would have originally, but I think because the pics are hosted on my Dropbox I could see them even though they were not "public." Fixing that and resizing.

True side by side pictures and other "two-at-a-time" photos would make it a great deal easier to compare and contrast the two guns.

 

[italianbreadman]

OK. I postponed going to shoot so I could make sure this was fixed. Everything is resized and should be visible from any computer/phone now.

 

[9mmepiphany]

The new presentation and labeling looks great and should be very illuminating to shooters who aren't familiar with the differences...very well done.

Just a couple of observations:
1. While the visible extractor of the M&P is much longer (due to the rear having to act as a lever over the spring), the Glock extractor mechanisms includes an internal spring which extends to the real of the slide. The Glock extractor is much easier to replace without tools.

2. The Glock front sight wasn't designed to be adjustable for windage (that is accommodated by the rear sight) and is in reality easier to replace (it is retained by a nut)than that of the M&P (which I've found to be very tightly fitted to the dovetail)

 

[Paul24]

Great pictures. Thank You. How many rounds fired in the Glock before the under side of the slide picture.

 

[italianbreadman]

Great pictures. Thank You. How many rounds fired in the Glock before the under side of the slide picture.

Thanks!

Maybe around 100. Probably fewer.

 

[ritepath]

Great pics, makes me miss my 9c.

 

[cowtownup]

Thanks for the review....