Glock 36 - buy or pass

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Charlie_K

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Jul 16, 2012
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Like others, I was bit hard by the Glock bug when I first bought it, and since then I've acquired several, mostly in 9mm and .45 ACP. Each one has been upgraded and worked over with smooth triggers, extended controls, grip plugs and the like, all very simple things that improve the ergonomics significantly.

Then there's the Glock 36 and its status. It's not ideally suited for anything outside of defensive purposes, and there's next to nothing in the way of upgrade parts for optimizing control ergonomics. It's workable as is, but it's pretty much the same size as the Glock 19 and that makes it too big for concealed carry for the setup I have.

Is the 36 something worth having outside of New York? Or is it simply an oddity to be passed on in favor of a different model that has greater aftermarket support?
 
I think the Glock 30 and 30S outsell the 36 by a wide margin, and from what I understand they are not strong sellers these days.

Do you want .45 for carry? I’m a proponent of .45 over 9mm generally speaking, and keep a .45 for home. But for carry 9mm is so much lighter and compact, and with the benefits in bullet tech the ballistics are not as widely different as they once were.

All said, I started out on Glock and have moved on to H&K. I see their VP9SK as my perfect carry piece (10rd limit in my state) and I have a USP Expert in 45 as well. Neither of these needed any trigger work, control swaps, etc. but they beat the glocks I had handily. Even beat the glocks with zev and apex triggers that I have tested. YMMV.
 
What little I have handled a 36 I like it If it was available in a Gen 4 I would probably have one. Gen4 glocks I switch the mag release to the right side and I want anything I carry to have the same controls. I would be all over a glock that size in 10mm
 
I debated a 36 at one point. But for a single-stack, compact, polymer .45, I think the XDs is a bit slimmer and more concealable. Ultimately though, I ended up with an FNS .40 compact for other reasons.

Is the 36 worth having? If you're a hardcore Glock fan, I'd say sure - especially if you're the type that has to have one of each flavor. If not, there are others I would personally chose over it. YMMV.
 
jaseman said:
I debated a 36 at one point. But for a single-stack, compact, polymer .45, I think the XDs is a bit slimmer and more concealable. Ultimately though, I ended up with an FNS .40 compact for other reasons.

Is the 36 worth having? If you're a hardcore Glock fan, I'd say sure - especially if you're the type that has to have one of each flavor. If not, there are others I would personally chose over it. YMMV.
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I've never really looked at the XDs line of pistols, primarily because magazine capacity is important to me. Although recently I've begun to consider caliber over capacity. The height, length, and width are all quite close to the Glock 26 I'm currently carrying, even when factoring in the extended 6 round magazine, so it might be a viable option for an alternative.
 
Charlie back when the G36 came out ('98?) I owned an indoor range and I decided it was everything I wanted in an edc. I regularly carried a full size 1911, CZ75 and SigP220.
I bought a brand new one and licensed it. I took it onto the range with 185grain Cor-Bon, my 45acp carry round of choice.
I fired 2 full mags from the gun, cleaned and put it up for sale. It did nothing well. It was reasonably accurate but only reasonably. It had a nasty little flip with a shocking rotation moment which meant double taps were very difficult. It had huge muzzle flash and It only carried limited ammo. It was also only marginally smaller than a G19 with a flat plate mag.
Honestly mate it's absolutely a poorer choice than your G26. Personally I am a G19 fan. It's boring I know but as a true SD gun, it does everything well.
Good luck with your choice.......let us know how you go.:)
 
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Pass.

It doesn't hold enough rounds and is a bit large.

There are a lot of better choices out there now.
 
Charlie_K said:
I've never really looked at the XDs line of pistols, primarily because magazine capacity is important to me. Although recently I've begun to consider caliber over capacity. The height, length, and width are all quite close to the Glock 26 I'm currently carrying, even when factoring in the extended 6 round magazine, so it might be a viable option for an alternative.
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I don’t own one, but having shot both the 9mm and the .45 quite a bit, I really like the XDs and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone.

Over the 36...
- Stock sights are better
- Trigger is better
- Though the sizes are close, the small differences all add up to make it smaller to conceal
- Shoots better, at least in my hands
- Doesn’t look like a Glock... lol

I’ll be the first to admit, I’m NOT a Glock fan. I’ll also admit, they make a really good firearm in general, and that I secretly lust for a 42 or 43 after shooting booth. But for a large bore, single-stack, compact/duty pistol, I’d pick the XDs over a 36 if it was my money. But we all have different tastes.
 
Although very unpopular, my choice was the Kahr CW45. I like the trigger, but most striker-fire fans don't. I find that it is like a light version of my 66-8 trigger (also in rotation). Additionally, the chamber is tight and therefore doesn't like some rounds, e.g. Corbons.
 
We have more modern ballistics nowadays, but what we have available as the FBI Standard, points towards the placement of the round being way more important than hole.
Many factors affect the person's response to being shot but a disruption that the nervous impulse acts immediate. The more rounds you carry, the more chances you have. The lower the caliber, usually the faster cadence due to lower recoil.
For pistol 9mm rules for a compact size gun IMO
 
I LOVE my G36. I bought it after trying many many other small 45s at 2 ranges. I have maybe 1500-2000 rounds through it and I am always happy with its performance. To help ergos I glued the butt-plug sticking out a bit. But YMMV (for instance I totally dislike the 26)

If you can live with 9mm the 43x is a great choice. But people often forget that SD ammo is much different than range ammo, especially in 9mm. Short-barrel Gold Dots in my G36 aren't as big of a change in feel from range ammo as SD rounds are in my G19
 
fishface5 said:
If you can live with 9mm the 43x is a great choice. But people often forget that SD ammo is much different than range ammo, especially in 9mm. Short-barrel Gold Dots in my G36 aren't as big of a change in feel from range ammo as SD rounds are in my G19
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This can't be overstated enough! Especially in compact and sub-compact firearms. My 1911 soaks up even the hottest loads fairly well, but the two little 380's in the house are totally different animals when running SD vs. range ammo.
 
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