Glock 43 or 43X?? Or....???

43 or 43X

  • Total voters
    40
johnnyb said:
I have relatively large hands and have no issue with the grip on the 43, where as my fingers don’t line up to the finger grooves on my wife’s gen 4 G19
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I'm glad I'm not the only one.

Gen 4 9mm frames don't feel right. That's why I went all Gen 5 in 9mm.

Gen 4 10mm frames fit just fine though.
 
RR said:
I'm glad I'm not the only one.

Gen 4 9mm frames don't feel right. That's why I went all Gen 5 in 9mm.

Gen 4 10mm frames fit just fine though.
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Only have a gen 2 in 10mm, that’s one of my favorite winter Carry’s tho! Figure if 16 rounds of Buffalo Bore 10mm won’t stop them, hopefully it will slow them down enough for me to get away or to a rifle!
 
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RR said:
I'm glad I'm not the only one.

Gen 4 9mm frames don't feel right. That's why I went all Gen 5 in 9mm.

Gen 4 10mm frames fit just fine though.
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The ambi slide lock on the 19.5 drove me bonkers. It felt so weird on my trigger finger when I was out of the trigger guard at rest. I ended up trading mine out before I even shot it.

It’s a shame because I really liked some of the other features.
 
johnnyb said:
Only have a gen 2 in 10mm, that’s one of my favorite winter Carry’s tho! Figure if 16 rounds of Buffalo Bore 10mm won’t stop them, hopefully it will slow them down enough for me to get away or to a rifle!
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I carry some combination of 20/29/40 when in the woods.
 
I suggest getting the 43x, and then getting the P80 43 lower. Then you can have both. The p80 43 lower is better than the Glock 43 lower in atheistics...it just feels better.
 
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Starkherz199 said:
I suggest getting the 43x, and then getting the P80 43 lower. Then you can have both. The p80 43 lower is better than the Glock 43 lower in atheistics...it just feels better.
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Didn’t even know p80 made a 43 frame.
 
43 is a pocket gun. I just got one for that purpose. Still a little toy like. I prefer the G19G5 but I wanted to see if I could pocket carry a 9mm. My wish list for Glock would be a 45acp in a 43 size package like the Shield 45.
 
I voted for the 43.

I jumped on the 43X/Shield mag bandwagon when the mags became available, and have carried it OWB at 4:00 quite a bit. It doesn't shoot any better than the 43 for me, it just holds a lot more; but I can't pocket carry it.

Last year I acquired a G26 in a package deal, after avoiding them for years because they "feel terrible in my hand". It turns out that I shoot the the G26 better than any other Glock, including the full-sized ones (maybe better than any other pistol, period, except for slow-fire, bullseye type stuff), and it carries OWB at least as well as the 43X, actually concealing better with the flush-fit mag. It shoots the same for me with or without a pinky rest/extended mag. Suddenly, it feels really good in my hand.

So, the 43X occupies an odd slot in between the 43 and the 26. Instead of being a Goldilocks, it's like a dual-sport bike: doesn't really suck at anything, but isn't great at anything, either. The only real advantage is the increased grip length makes for easier mag changes. I imagine it would carry IWB better than the 26 because it's thinner, but my craft beer issues make that uncomfortable.

If I had to choose only one carry gun, it would be the standard 43. It shoots well, disappears OWB, and I can pocket carry it.
 
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fieldgrade said:
Aside from low capacity, what is this *flaw* you speak of? I have carried mine exclusively for around five years and run it in many BUG matches. It fumbled and misfed once a couple of months ago. I put in some new mag springs which I do for any gun after that long. Problem did not repeat.

ETA: I have large hands and the slim frame Glocks just work better for me than some of the recent, small grip/large mag capacity subcompacts.
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I think he is talking about how horrendously stiff the -02 mags are, which I agree with. It is hard to charge the 1st round, which make a quick reload with slide closed not quick at all. It’s pretty common to see people snip a loop off the spring to make it easier.
 
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Bullfrog212 said:
I think he is talking about how horrendously stiff the -02 mags are, which I agree with. It is hard to charge the 1st round, which make a quick reload with slide closed not quick at all.
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The Hyve +2’s are terrible like that. The $12 Vicker’s +2’s work great.
 
fieldgrade said:
The Hyve +2’s are terrible like that. The $12 Vicker’s +2’s work great.
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I will give them a shot thanks! I use the Magguts +1 which solve the issue and has been 100% reliable, but they are pricey. If the g43 wasn’t such a magical shooter - much better than g43x - I’d sell it off. I actually shoot my g43X the worst out of all my Glocks and it’s one of the only ones I’ve been happy to part with.
 
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Bullfrog212 said:
I will give them a shot thanks! I use the Magguts +1 which solve the issue and has been 100% reliable, but they are pricey. If the g43 wasn’t such a magical shooter - much better than g43x - I’d sell it off. I actually shoot my g43X the worst out of all my Glocks and it’s one of the only ones I’ve been happy to part with.
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I agree The 43X was the only Glock I have ever been happy to part ways with. I traded it for another 43. Wife says she wanted one so we got one. Now if she totes it or not is another story.
 
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I have small-ish sized hands. The 43/43x/48 feel amazing when i hold them. They are thin enough to carry comfortably however, i cannot shoot them nearly as well as my 19.
I've found that what i lose in comfort, i gain in accuracy.
 
So. For me it definitely used to be hands down the 43x. The size of the grip was perfect but for a single stack that could carry 15 rds flush with a shield arms mag it was amazing. G43 was great but capacity was a big issue. Now, shield arms is making mags for the 43 that are the same size as the G43 oem mags with the pinky extension except they hold 3 more than oem making it 9 rounds. This should be acceptable and in the conversation for its size now but if capacity is concerning for you, you should definitely go with the 43x. Or just buy a sig p365 because they are probably the best for the size and feel in the single stack category for iwb. Just an opinion but definitely no hate on either of these glocks with a few mods.
 
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Presman30 said:
Now, shield arms is making mags for the 43 that are the same size as the G43 oem mags with the pinky extension except they hold 3 more than oem making it 9 rounds. This should be acceptable and in the conversation for its size now but if capacity is concerning for you, you should definitely go with the 43x.
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AustrianTruth.jpg
 
43 sold after grabbing a 43x.

Grip feels naturally comfortable.

Tried a few other compacts since pitching the 43x. I think after all the trial and error with CCW, this choice is s solid win in my book.

48 would be perfect for you since those mitts are YUGE.
 
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Glock 43 vs 43X

Finding a clear answer for Glock 43 vs 43X is all about your mission. The size affects more than just concealment it also affects shooting.
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I have a 26, 19, and 43. In a BuG match I can shoot the 26 way more accurately than the 43, even with pierce extensions on the 43 mags. Is it worth looking at the 43x and changing from the 43 to the 43x, or just skip the 43 family altogether?
 
cbognc said:
I have a 26, 19, and 43. In a BuG match I can shoot the 26 way more accurately than the 43, even with pierce extensions on the 43 mags. Is it worth looking at the 43x and changing from the 43 to the 43x, or just skip the 43 family altogether?
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If you really don’t like the 43 with extension I would skip the slimline. The 43x feels very similar and has an identical trigger which is significantly stiffer IMO than the double stack triggers. Slimline also has sharper recoil impulse in the hand due to the shape of the narrower grip whether you’re shooting 43, 43x, or 48. They are all very similar to the 43 (which I personally love). Hope that helps.
 
Have the 43…love it. Pocket carry it everywhere I go in a Desantis Superfly holster. Pierce extensions on the magazines. I’m in the “like the finger grooves” camp, so I have a ghetto grip on mine.
 
surgicaltool said:
If you really don’t like the 43 with extension I would skip the slimline. The 43x feels very similar and has an identical trigger which is significantly stiffer IMO than the double stack triggers. Slimline also has sharper recoil impulse in the hand due to the shape of the narrower grip whether you’re shooting 43, 43x, or 48. They are all very similar to the 43 (which I personally love). Hope that helps.
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Thanks. I don't really mind the recoil on the 43 and it is a nice small size, so I was hoping the the 43X might be better.... Maybe I have to take the 26 and the 43 back to the range side by side again.
 
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