Yes, it is too short for a glute or thigh. Routinely the use of a 1" is acceptable for thighs provided one is not terribly overweight and 1.5" for glutes. I use 1.5" X 23G for both.
i would only use the 1/2 on triceps/delts/biceps, but oly if you're real lean and only shoot 1/2 a cc @ a time! and dont freak out if it gets red and iretated cuz that happens when you dont go deep enouhg!
I'm running two ml EOD of prop with 1/2" pins and it is working fine. i have very little fat on my thighs/glutes/quads so I spike into muscle very quickly upon piercing the skin. I'm not sure if its the best practice, I have got a couple painful lumps (I assume I didn't go deep enough those times and shot the stuff subq). Subq works fine still, the release profile is a little slower and shouldn't be used at the end of the cycle, but its fine if you mess up a couple of shots and hit some subq in the beginning.
depending on ur bf levels. i know people who have very little fat in their legs and glutes that could get away with 1/2" for most we have to use 1" or more.