Glock 43: Your Thoughts After Owning & Carrying for Awhile ?

[Leroy Suggs]

Yes perceptions differ. To me the P365 was awful. Squirmy, blasty, and hard to shoot well.
I hate it. Magazines were unreliable too.

On the other hand the G43 works well for me. I really like it.

[PTSDog]

I liked the idea of the G43 when it came out. I still like it. It’s a reliable and accurate small handgun. But I find it heavy and has more felt recoil than others in its size category. Although I’m very accurate with it at longer distances, I’m just slower with it than compared to my G26 or even my G27. I will be up front and say the capacity does not bother me. And it carries so well for me AOWB. Just disappears under a t shirt.

I really liked the 365 when it first came out and even after I had issues with mine in 2018/19. I have one in 9mm and one in 380 today from 2023 builds. But I have several user induced malfunctions, slide locking back and magazines dropping, with it and had to convert them both to an “x” to make them shootable for me unfortunately. That takes away pocket carry for them, which is my number one way or concealed carry for me. But I can carry them in my shoulder holsters, so there is that. Cause the 365 is such a great shooter. I hate to be without one. I swear, if someone made a Taurus GX4 grip module for the 365 I would sell everything else and be the biggest 355 fan boy ever! Until then, I will experiment with strips of leather and horse leg wraps.

But for me, I don’t see the G43 being in my rotation anymore. Having nerve and structural damage in my hands, it’s pretty painful to shoot more than 25-30 rounds through it. I can shoot my G26 all day. And I can carry or shoot my G42 easier due to lesser weight and recoil. If I feel I have to go up to a larger pistol and heavier weight then my G26 looks like the same square brick in the same DeSantis Superfly or Alabama Deep Cover Pocket Holster. Both look like a small book in my pocket, but disappears under my orange apron at work. But when switching to the shoulder holster, it’s a wash.

I will add this, using Critical Defense Lite ammo in the G43 helped the snappy recoil for me. It still nothing like the recoil of the G42. If I didn’t have several other smaller handguns to carry and was just stuck with the G43, that is what I would be carrying in it and just march on.

Jerry

[TGS]

Not that I can answer the question of "how's the G43 still working out for you", but I felt the need to chime in regardless.

I think I'm one of the few people who aren't bothered by the lower capacity vs the P365 and Hellcat..I'm not looking at the gun as a EDC replacement like most people, but as a dedicated BUG and NPE gun. There's an upper limit to weight for that role, and ammo adds weight. It might sound trivial, but a full loaded P365 is over that weight at 23 oz. A 20oz G43 is right at it. A G42 is perfect, being 16oz loaded.

Like other posters, I have a G42 and I just can't find a good reason to buy a G43 to replace the 42. Sure, it's 380, but it's not a primary gun for me and we kept being told that the most important thing is shot placement...and I can shoot a G42 exceptionally well compared to any micro 9mm. That, and it's significantly lighter than the G43 while still being easier to shoot well. It's a very compelling gun to me, and I will likely never sell it.

One of the things that holds me back from buying a G43 is that I can't even use my issued duty ammo in it (Gold Dot G2). Somewhat irrational given the cost of ammo in the grand scheme of things, I know, but I can't get past the mental roadblock that I'd have to buy separate SD ammo for it regardless of it being the same caliber as my issued gear.

Otherwise, I'd probably buy one. I still want one and will probably buy it on a lark sometime. If I was issued one like @TC215, I'd probably just roll with that and forget the G42 until retirement.

[TGS]

We started to issue out the 43x at work for certain roles. We put the RMRcc on them and use the Shield mags with the metal magazine catch. So far, the only issues we've had have been with one member of management not getting magazines seated. I get why it happens, I have overly sized mitts and have to adjust my grip a little to get a mag in. He just didn't get why it kept happening, even after the explanation was given.

Haven't seen any reliability issues and I don't hate shooting it. The wife wants one now too, to replace her M&P Compact. Finally.

Before one of ya'll get killed in a gunfight due to a mag malfunction, you should probably reach out to the FBI for their test data on the + capacity 43X mags.

[cosermann]

Shooting G43s and P365s, and such are the main reason I went back to a G26 minimum, and a G19 preferred. The smaller guns are fine for what they are, and are sometimes needed in certain situations where one can't absolutely carry anything larger, but given the choice and option, but I just don't shoot the smaller guns as well as the larger (or enjoy shooting them as much).

Physics I guess.

I keep the small ones around for corner/niche situations when they're needed. Otherwise, they don't get carried all that much given my lifestyle. YMMV.

[Greg]

My 43 has been reliable and decently accurate but it’s so small in my hands I can’t really like it.

It’s for situations where nothing bigger can be carried.

[G19Fan]

I liked the idea of the G43 when it came out. I still like it. It’s a reliable and accurate small handgun. But I find it heavy and has more felt recoil than others in its size category. Although I’m very accurate with it at longer distances, I’m just slower with it than compared to my G26 or even my G27. I will be up front and say the capacity does not bother me. And it carries so well for me AOWB. Just disappears under a t shirt.

I really liked the 365 when it first came out and even after I had issues with mine in 2018/19. I have one in 9mm and one in 380 today from 2023 builds. But I have several user induced malfunctions, slide locking back and magazines dropping, with it and had to convert them both to an “x” to make them shootable for me unfortunately. That takes away pocket carry for them, which is my number one way or concealed carry for me. But I can carry them in my shoulder holsters, so there is that. Cause the 365 is such a great shooter. I hate to be without one. I swear, if someone made a Taurus GX4 grip module for the 365 I would sell everything else and be the biggest 355 fan boy ever! Until then, I will experiment with strips of leather and horse leg wraps.

But for me, I don’t see the G43 being in my rotation anymore. Having nerve and structural damage in my hands, it’s pretty painful to shoot more than 25-30 rounds through it. I can shoot my G26 all day. And I can carry or shoot my G42 easier due to lesser weight and recoil. If I feel I have to go up to a larger pistol and heavier weight then my G26 looks like the same square brick in the same DeSantis Superfly or Alabama Deep Cover Pocket Holster. Both look like a small book in my pocket, but disappears under my orange apron at work. But when switching to the shoulder holster, it’s a wash.

I will add this, using Critical Defense Lite ammo in the G43 helped the snappy recoil for me. It still nothing like the recoil of the G42. If I didn’t have several other smaller handguns to carry and was just stuck with the G43, that is what I would be carrying in it and just march on.

Jerry

I top would like a taurus gx4 grip module

[Whiskey]

Before one of ya'll get killed in a gunfight due to a mag malfunction, you should probably reach out to the FBI for their test data on the + capacity 43X mags.

I’m not being sarcastic, what’s the best way to do that? Our firearms team is young and we work in a place where the firearms part of work is often treated as secondary to the other parts of the job.

After doing some range time today I’m wondering if we should have just left our plain clothes folks to carrying their G17s, because shooting a smaller gun just made shit harder for them.

[JHC]

I was a big fan of my G43 but it’s really punching over its weight class with my 43X MOS slide wearing a RMSc. It’s ridiculous capability for a tiny gun.

[TGS]

I’m not being sarcastic, what’s the best way to do that? Our firearms team is young and we work in a place where the firearms part of work is often treated as secondary to the other parts of the job.

After doing some range time today I’m wondering if we should have just left our plain clothes folks to carrying their G17s, because shooting a smaller gun just made shit harder for them.

No worries. One of the members here has talked to them in the past a bunch, on behalf of his agency. I'll PM him to draw his attention and see if he can share the POC.

As for plainclothes...26 and 19 are probably the best bet. You retain most of the shooting ability of a Glock 17, whereas everyone seems to pretty much agree that the 43 and 43X are noticeably less "shootable". It doesn't hurt that agencies like the FBI make no restrictions on the 26 like they do based on reliability concerns for the 43/43X as far as ammunition compatibility, mags, accessories. In order to pass reliability testing they had Glock perform several modifications to the guns, and they have a specific SKU that is ordered direct from Glock to ensure agents don't buy one of the earlier guns (I want to say pre-2020?) which can't pass testing. Even still, they apparently couldn't get them to pass testing with larger capacity mags or accessories like WMLs (a phenomenon noted in this thread by others).