A friend of mine was dying to get a Glock 43 of his very own and he was able to secure one before I requested a test sample from Glock. He offered to let me to review his so I let Glock know I have a test gun already and we went from there.
The Glock 43 is the long awaited single stack pistol from Glock chambered in 9mm Luger. I am a bit late to the game with my review but Tyler and I have both taken our time on evaluating the pistol. The small Glock has been Tyler’s carry gun for about six months now and he and I both have had plenty of trigger time with it.
The first thing I noticed about the pistol is taht it is not as small as I had expected. For a small carry gun I thought it was a little large to be honest. That size did help when shooting it during drills or for accuracy. As we all know all handguns are a compromise, of size, caliber, and capacity. The magazine release, which is reversible, is well serrated and worked as it should. The slide stop is the typical factory Glock slide stop, which I hate. This is the first thing I always change out so I can use it to drop the slide on a fresh magazine.
Here you can see the difference from the box stock Glock 43 and on the right chart with some changes and a aftermarket barrel
The little Glock shot well and through about 300 rounds of various kinds there were no issues. Though it is a small carry pistol, we still shot it out to 25 yards just to see how the little Glock would group.
The trigger was pretty heavy, breaking just under 6 pounds, with the Glock take up and over travel. You are already used to if you have shot Glocks much at all. Tyler had decided to upgrade the sights just before we wrapped up the review and add some grip stick to the grip area, as well as the magazine extension. The grip stick made quite a difference and the magazine extension is a must. Though the aftermarket sight did not have much effect on accuracy, they were easier and quicker to acquire. On a defensive pistol that is very important. The cocking serrations were plenty deep enough for a solid purchase to rack the slide.
We also used the Glock 43 to review the new threaded barrel from American Tactical, and you can read that review by following this link.
Conclusions
After a full day of wrapping up the review with myself and Tyler I came to a few conclusions. I liked the Glock 43 just fine but for the size difference I prefer the Glock 26. I just don’t think the size difference is enough to give up four rounds in the magazine. Now Tyler is much skinnier than I and he could not easily conceal the 26, so for him the 43 does make a bit more sense. As for accuracy, it is surly not a match grade pistol, but more than plenty enough for what the little pistol was designed for. Most important is, and as with all Glocks I have worked with, it is reliable. I see this as a viable option for a carry pistol if you have trouble concealing a larger pistol but, and again with all Glocks I have worked with, it needs some changes. I liked the little pistol fine and really have nothing bad to say about it but I won’t be trading in my Glock 26 anytime.
Specifications
Caliber : 9×19/9mm Luger
Length : 6.26 inches
Width : 1.02 inches
Sight Radius : 5.39 inches
Weight : unloaded 18 ounces
Rifling : right twist 9.84 : 1
Magazine capacity : 6 rounds
Trigger pull; 6 pounds
Acknowledgments
Tyler and Clinton , for all of their help and ammunition
Is the weight of the trigger pull usually 6 pounds? Does it give and take and every kind of gun?
Yes, I believe Glocks average around 5 1/2 pounds and that would be consistent throughout the line.
Thank you and sorry for the delay. Is there a simple way to reduce the trigger weight to around 3-4 pounds without heavy modification, if at all possible? Thanks
I would look at the aftermarket parts Lonewolf makes.
Me too i like the 26 more, it is far easier to use.
I agree.