The Glock 43 design isn’t very old; it was introduced in 2015. However, a number of designs by other manufacturers that have come out since then have surpassed it in capacity. So is the Glock 43 even worth a look these days? We’ll examine whether or not it has merit.
Starting Out
Glock has been wildly famous ever since the first Glock 17 hit the shores of the US in 1988. Well, to be fair, they weren’t an instant hit. Very few people wanted a “plastic gun,” instead preferring the metal frames that they were used to. It took some time for the Glock to take off but when they did, there was no stopping them! Nowadays, they enjoy a huge portion of law enforcement and civilian sales in the United States. And for good reason. Their attributes of moderate cost, high quality, accuracy, reliability, durability, and other points make them top dog for a lot of people.
For some time, people pestered Glock for a truly compact single-stack Glock. The company responded with the Glock 42, a .380 pistol with a single-stack magazine. It made a lot of folks happy, but what many really wanted was the same pistol in 9mm.
Glock 43
Verily I say unto ye, ask and ye shall receive! Glock responded with their model 43 in 9mm. It’s ever so slightly larger than the model 42. Neither pistol is what most would consider a “pocket gun”; they’re just slightly large for that mode of carry. Yes, it could be done, but most of us wouldn’t.
Glock’s Model 43 weighs just 16.23 ounces without a magazine. The barrel length is 3.41 inches long, with an overall length of 6.26 inches. The height is 4.25 inches. The thickness overall is 1.06 inches, with the slide being .87 inches thick. So it’s a relatively compact pistol.
The grip is very comfortable for me, especially when the magazines with the extended base plate are used. It’s a thin grip, given its single stack 9mm magazine that holds six rounds.
That’s one of the criticisms that people level at the Glock 43 these days, that it “only” holds six rounds. I think they get caught up in the numbers game, in that they’ll see a pistol from another manufacturer that holds twice as many bullets.
Yes, other guns do carry more bullets. But compare both guns side by side, and you’ll notice differences. The others won’t have the slim grip that the G43 has. Their handling characteristics won’t be the same. Sure, on paper the other guys beat the Glock. But in the hand, it’s a different story. At least for me. Those other pistols, in my estimation, feel blocky and not as well-balanced. In short, they’re not as comfortable in the hand. Their grips are chunkier.
About the Capacity
As we harken back to yesteryear, we recall that police officers sallied forth to combat evil armed with six-shot revolvers. For decades upon decades, that was sufficient. Note that the Glock 43 carries 6+1 rounds. More on this later.
It wasn’t until the 1980s hit that cops learned they were “under-gunned” with those revolvers. The arms race took off! Suddenly, unless we had at least 15 rounds in our pistol, our chances of survival were nil. At least, that was the narrative at the time.
On the flip side, I’ve never talked to a gunfight survivor who said, “Gee, I wish I’d been carrying less ammo with me.” And that’s a fair point. If I were a duty cop these days, I’d want an auto pistol with a respectable capacity. Probably a Glock 19 with 15 rounds to fill my holster with would make me most happy. So I’m not criticizing those who like higher-capacity handguns.
I have a Glock 19X that holds 19+1 rounds, and it makes me feel warm and fuzzy—except when I have to carry it for any length of time. The weight is just a pain in the ass. Or, more precisely, a pain in my hip. Because I do often develop hip pain if I carry it for hours on end. This is the cost of being old and having been abused by the prison system when I was on duty. Years of standing on concrete floors, not to mention rolling around on those floors with miscreants from time to time, took their toll.
But I digress.
Why?
Why are we carrying our pistol? Obviously, for self-defense.
Will the Glock 43 serve as a backup weapon? Perhaps you’re a uniformed officer and want something small as a backup pistol. For that role, the diminutive Glock 43 would be perfect. Especially if your duty weapon is a larger Glock (and statistically, that is very probable). The manual of arms will be the same. Some officers attach a small pistol to their ballistic vest via a holster. It’s there if they happen to need it.
I know a few ex-cops and civilians who also carry a backup pistol. I’ve never felt the need to have a backup pistol in civilian clothes but to each his own. Again, the little 43 would fit the bill nicely here.
How about if we’re just running to the convenience store for a gallon of milk or to fill up the gas tank? We don’t feel like gearing up for Armageddon, so we just grab the little Glock 43 to take along for the ride.
It’s useful for the times when our entire family isn’t along. If we do happen to run into trouble in that convenience store, we’re probably alone without family, and all we need to worry about is getting out of that store ourselves. Seven rounds will likely be sufficient. And the spare magazines are so small and light that we can have a couple of those with us.
Understand, I’m not advocating the Glock 43 for launching a hostage rescue operation. It’s a small pistol meant for getting us out of a tight spot. I know many people who still carry small, lightweight, 5-shot .38 revolvers (including myself). The little Glock 43 holds two more rounds than that revolver and is much faster to reload.
Ease of Carry
We’ve all heard of people speaking about a particular firearm, “It’s so comfortable to carry that I forget I’m even wearing a gun!” For me, that perfectly describes the Glock 43. To be honest, I’ve never “forgotten” that I’m carrying a gun because it’s a hunk of metal shoved into my pants. It’s rather hard to forget it’s there. But the little G43 sure does carry nicely!
That light weight and short grip go such a long way in being unobtrusive when it’s carried. Yes, we can find smaller handguns to carry. Ones that weigh a few ounces and that slip into a pocket. But a facet of many of those tiny guns is that they can be painful to shoot, especially the featherweight .380 pistols.
And such guns won’t have seven rounds of 9mm onboard. And the 9mm, especially with quality ammunition, is good medicine for homicidal cretins who’d like to cancel our birth certificate.
My holster preference is the DeSantis Inside Heat IWB holster. At the time of writing, the Inside Heat holster is $34.99, and the quality far outweighs the price. It’s a high-quality holster that is very comfortable to wear. This one is a true bargain!
Shootability
Those tiny pocket pistols I talked about are also not necessarily the easiest to shoot, either. However, the Glock 43 is pretty easy to shoot. Recoil is a little more pronounced than some of the larger Glocks because of its light weight and the fact that there’s not quite as much grip to hang onto.
With that said, it’s not bad at all and is surprisingly controllable. When we use the magazine with the extended base plate so our pinkie finger has a landing spot, it makes controlling the little pistol easier. It even handles well during rapid fire.
Accuracy
Out to 25 yards (and even beyond), the Glock 43 offers plenty of accuracy to engage threats. During rapid fire, I had no problem shooting nice groups.
As the photo indicates, a slight adjustment in the sights was necessary. After that, the little pistol was dead on. Have no fear, it’s more accurate than many shooters are.
The Final Word
Is the Glock 43 still relevant? I believe it absolutely is! It fills a role for a light, very concealable pistol. It’s true that the capacity isn’t huge, but you can raise the capacity by adding extensions to the magazines. Personally, I elect to keep my magazines in the factory configuration, though.
It’s accurate, smooth shooting, and can be reloaded much more quickly than a revolver. Aside from all that, the consumer is getting Glock’s legendary reliability and service to stand behind the product. As far as I’m concerned, that’s worth the price of admission!
