Tell me about the Glock 43

I have a pair of them. As others have said above, I love my 43 but hated the 48 and 43X. I can shoot a fullsize Glock and I can shoot the micro Glocks (42/43) but those middle of the road ones just don't fit my hands. With the Shield Arms Z9 magazines you have 9+1 capacity.
 
All favorable recommendations so far. My nephew has the 43 and I like the grip size, I have small hands. My wife liked it too

I bought one gun this week, I'll have to wait a week or two for another

Oh, and ammo. Is it picky about range ammo?
 
Gardner said:
All favorable recommendations so far. My nephew has the 43 and I like the grip size, I have small hands. My wife liked it too

I bought one gun this week, I'll have to wait a week or two for another

Oh, and ammo. Is it picky about range ammo?
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Mine hasn’t been a picky eater with anything.
 
-Snappy, but pretty darn accurate
-Only 6 round OEM magazines and no compatibility with 43x/48 magazines
-Too big for pocket carry IME
-Great on a belt and great AWIB choice
-Terrible serrated trigger shoe
-Would not recommend +P, magazine extensions, or other doodads on them.
-Glock recently updated the G43 with the Glock Marksman barrel and breechface cut-out as found on the Gen5s & 43x/48
-The "-02" magazines are the most up to date magazine revision

To me, it's the red-headed step-child of the Glock line. If you are going to be holstering up on a belt, the 43x, Shield Plus, P365, and Hellcat seem like better options. In institutional use, they have issues with +P ammo, and do not have the same reliability of legacy Glocks due to the inherent nature of miniaturization. That said, they are dandy carry guns that you can forget that you are even wearing them.

If I was buying a 43 today, I would buy a new one with the GMB/Breechface Cut and "- 02" magazines loaded with standard pressure 9mm. If you buy used, I would proactively replace the recoil spring and send no dash and "- 01" magazines into Glock so they will replace them with "-02" magazines. If you have any reservations about wanting more than 6 rounds, skip extensions and just buy a 43x.

Finally, as with any Glock thread, the Glock-brand Glock magazine is the heart of the Glock system. Avoid aftermarket magazines like the plague in the name of St. Gaston of Glock.
 
Mine has +1 and +2 extensions on the magazines. I carry with Taran +1. Backup magazine is +2 (Vickers?).

I've gone to the Ruger LCP MAX for more capacity and easier carry, but now that jeans are back for winter I'll probably transition back to the 43.
 
I pocket carried a G43 in a Galco Pro for the longest time, till I discovered I couldn’t beat the Wizard Drill drawing from a pocket holster.

I will still occasionally carry that way since I’m sorta large-and-in-charge, and wear loose fitting clothes anyway, but my preferred carry is thus.
Chief Jason pancake and Gunbelt's Fatboy belt.
IMG_2739.jpeg
 
Had one, sold it, was ok when it first came out, little snappy and for the size it is it should definitely hold more than 6rnds. I’d take a p365 over the 43 any day.
 
I got a G43, years ago, when they first came out. I like it, but 6+1 capacity is garbage.

Once I got a Sig p365XL, I never went back to the G43. Even with the Taran Tac extended mags, it does not compare to the p365XL, in my opinion...
 
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This pro tip courtesy @Wahoo95
If you want to compare one gun to another. Take them both to the range and shoot them side by side. On the clock. Timed drill.

It’s how I judge a carry gun. If you can put rounds on target in a hurry, go with it.
 
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I like mine a lot better with an upgraded trigger return spring and connector by Ghost. The specific connector is their Edge model. By FARRRRR shoots so much better than it did before. Extremely long and heavy pull is now much shorter, lighter and resets quicker due to the 25% extra return

I’ve gotten a couple Vickers +1 extensions but they also make a +2 that’s the same size.

I carry it in an OWB kydex holster and in a Tshirt and shorts it’s super light and comfortable
 
43 is s very capable gun, I have a pocket holster that works well. Not going to war with a 6 round mag, but should, carry a spare mag for any semi auto. Lots of folks carry small .38 specials with 5 or 6 round capacity, why not this ?
For a small gun in a normal sized caliber it shoots really well and accurate
 
11B CIB said:
I like mine a lot better with an upgraded trigger return spring and connector by Ghost. The specific connector is their Edge model. By FARRRRR shoots so much better than it did before. Extremely long and heavy pull is now much shorter, lighter and resets quicker due to the 25% extra return

I’ve gotten a couple Vickers +1 extensions but they also make a +2 that’s the same size.

I carry it in an OWB kydex holster and in a Tshirt and shorts it’s super light and comfortable
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Those Vickers +2 mag extensions work great, and they practically give them away, even before the recent unpleasantness. I do run a better trigger as well.
 
I like the 43 and shoot it well. I have two of them now and if definitely has a place in my carry rotation.

I pocket carry it a lot because of the convenience and concealability.
 
I carry a G43 most of the time. I have a couple of them and also have a G43X. I much prefer the G43. It is great in a pocket or on the belt, it's very easy to conceal. If 6 + 1 bothers you, Shield makes 9 round magazines for the G43.
 
I’m a Glock fan, but the 43 never clicked with me. The slide is light, cycles very fast and is on the edge of reliability. Any mods to increase mag capacity can compromise mag spring tension and thus reliability. To me the Glock 48 overshadows both the 43 and 43x. The increased slide weight, barrel length and site radius puts the 48 ahead, and extra 0.75” of slide length just doesn’t really factor into concealibility since the 48 still has the slim frame.

with regards to the 43, I once ran some drills comparing it to the XDS, which holds an extra round. The XDS is heavier, but shot so much faster and smoother it was no comparison. Again, this is coming from a Glock fan that carries a G17 or HK P30 so Glock has my $$ on just about everything.
 
If you have large hands it tends to swim a bit under rapid fire. I’ve stippled mine but of some of the original single stacks it was the least controllable on a Bill drill and I have owned several XDS’s, Shields and a PPS M2. I don’t know why Glock has such smooth texture. I want a gun to stick to my hand and especially a lightweight micro compact.
 
I prefer the smoother grip texture of the wee Glock. I wear it under a shirt and the grip is against me, especially riding in a vehicle. I found the grip texture objectionable on an early XDS 45 when shooting, and the M&P Shield 2.0 texture isn’t kind to my love handles, although quite grippy when shooting.

I’ve run the 43 in a bunch of IDPA BUG matches, and also in IDPA regular matches with 8 round mags in CCP before CCP division capacity was increased to 10 rounds, and the little gun just works for me.

Having as many choices as we do is just a wonderful thing.
 
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fieldgrade said:
I prefer the smoother grip texture of the wee Glock. I wear it under a shirt and the grip is against me, especially riding in a vehicle. I found the grip texture objectionable on an early XDS 45 when shooting, and the M&P Shield 2.0 texture isn’t kind to my love handles, although quite grippy when shooting.

I’ve run the 43 in a bunch of IDPA BUG matches, and also in IDPA regular matches with 8 round mags in CCP before CCP division capacity was increased to 10 rounds, and the little gun just works for me.

Having as many choices as we do is just a wonderful thing.
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I agree, the choices are wonderful. I’m the type that likes the Shield 2.0 texture and enjoy it on the .45 I have. I was disappointed when they smoothed it on the Plus models. I’ve about given up on most single stacks or micro double stacks and usually just carry a 26 for the same reason you carry the 43.

To the OP I’ll add that the 43 is not hard to shoot and does shoot like a larger Glock. As others have said it’s much better than the 43x and 48 and inexplicably so.
 
Mack270 said:
I agree, the choices are wonderful. I’m the type that likes the Shield 2.0 texture and enjoy it on the .45 I have. I was disappointed when they smoothed it on the Plus models. I’ve about given up on most single stacks or micro double stacks and usually just carry a 26 for the same reason you carry the 43.

To the OP I’ll add that the 43 is not hard to shoot and does shoot like a larger Glock. As others have said it’s much better than the 43x and 48 and inexplicably so.
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I have a 48 also. It has always been underwhelming to me, and not as comfortable to carry.
 
Like my 43 a lot. Would love to have a 43Xmos. The little glocks shoot like big guns.
There are indeed lots of choices and some are worth looking at as they certainly look better on paper.

If I were to ditch Glocks I'd go with a P365 variant. I wish CZ would make a better attempt at this segment. The P-10M was underwhelming.
 
I alternate between a S&W Bodyguard 380 and the G43 depending on what I am wearing in warm weather. I cool/cold weather with at least a zip up hoodie, I carry a 1911 in a shoulder rig. I just spent a cpl hrs the other week with my 55+ sister, shooting a bunch of my handguns. She thought the BG and G43 were too light and snappy. She settled on a G19. My G43 has been rock solid. I dont know anything about a new and or different breach face or mags.
 
jimmyjames8 said:
I alternate between a S&W Bodyguard 380 and the G43 depending on what I am wearing in warm weather. I cool/cold weather with at least a zip up hoodie, I carry a 1911 in a shoulder rig. I just spent a cpl hrs the other week with my 55+ sister, shooting a bunch of my handguns. She thought the BG and G43 were too light and snappy. She settled on a G19. My G43 has been rock solid. I dont know anything about a new and or different breach face or mags.
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I swear every girl I've taught/shown shooting, they all like Glock 19's. Always surprises me as I usually bring a lot of nice choices.
 
I laugh at how many folks think a 43 is outdated and obsolete, yet they still speak highly of a 5 shot J frame. I have a 43 and I carry it very regularly. I do utilize the Pearce plus one grip to make it a 7+1 configuration. If capacity is a concern or concealment is not a huge concern then I carry my 19X. I shoot both of them really well and I enjoy shooting them. I had a 43X, 48, and P365 all. None of them I enjoyed like I do the 43. The 365 I would likely be willing to give another Chance but mine had some issues, after going back to SIG a couple times they were fixed. I just lost confidence in it at that point. In a head to head shootout I shot the 43 better but I admit the size with the added capacity of the 365 was nice. I did decide I wanted something bigger at times and have several 19’s marked for the kids but wanted something else for me. I talked to @thrillhill sometime back about the 19X. I bought one on his and a few other recommendations and I haven’t looked back. If I need small the 43 if not the 19x.
 
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I’ve had a 43 for years and I still enjoy carrying and shooting it. If you are worried about capacity check out Shield Arms. They make a 9 round magazine that sticks out slightly further than the standard mag. Here is a link….

Shield Arms - Z9 Magazine for the Glock 43

The Shield Arms Z9 is a 9 round magazine for the Glock 43 that is the same size as the OEM 6 round magazine with pinky extension, giving you 50% more rounds with the same great Glock reliability.
shieldarms.com
 
Had a G43 for a couple years until the 43X came out. Sold the 43 and never looked back. Shot great but the 43X feels like it was made just for my hand. Shield Arms 15rd mags (and mag catch) along with Talon Grips (precut skateboard tape) turned it into Glock perfection for me. Wife wanted one just like it and I was happy to oblige.
 
I love mine. I beat the wizard at Battery Oaks with it. It carry it in my front pants pocket.
However, I like the capacity of the 365 better and will end up with a 365. If I can shoot it anywhere near as good as I can the 43, I’ll switch my edc.
 
365 is a very good shooter. The grip was just way too small for my hand.
 
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