It’s mea culpa time.
I like Glocks and always have. In fact, I own four of them. A 26, 31, 17 and 32 in case you’re wondering. Yeah, I have a thing for the .357 Sig caliber. But I have to admit that when I heard about the new Glock 42 and 43 models I had a ho-hum reaction. “Late to the party” would be the phrase that summed up my pre-existing emotions about the whole deal.
The reason I’ve bought all those other Glocks over the years is simple. They work. All the time. You can carry them, sweat on them, drop them, abuse them and rarely, if ever, clean them and they will go bang when you want. But, I have to admit, I don’t really like shooting them. The blocky shape and rough edges make them far less “comfortable” to shoot than other guns like Smith & Wesson M&Ps, Sig Sauers, Berettas and the like.
Today at a pre-NRA Annual Meeting launch party, I had the opportunity to really check out and shoot the new 9mm compact Glock 43. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least. I actually like this new compact Glock better than any of my existing Glocks. Why? Glock has discovered curves. For a small 9mm pistol weighing just over one pound, it’s surprisingly pleasant to shoot.
From a size perspective, the new Glock 43 is kind of like a Glock 26 sliced in half longitudinally. The outer dimensions of length and height are almost identical. But the width is dramatically reduced owing to the single-stack magazine design. This makes the G43 a great option for concealed carry. Yes, it’s big enough to use in an inside-the-waistband or outside-the-waistband holster without being weird. But it’s small enough to make a great ankle or pocket carry gun. Jacket or cargo pockets (with the right holster) would be no problem, and with the right pants, front pocket carry is not out of the question either.
To get a bit more into the weeds on the specs, you can envision the size of the Glock 43 as a Glock 42 expanded just barely enough to fit a 9mm cartridge. The grip is a bit longer, as it needs to be to fit a 9mm Luger instead of a 9mm Kurz, or .380 ACP. The ejection port is also a bit longer as the brass flinging out is a tad longer than that of the .380 ACP. All of this results in a gun that is 8mm, or 5/16 inches longer than the Glock 42. It’s also ⅛ of an inch wider and 5/64 of an inch taller.
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