Top 5 Modular Pistols

Modular pistols are all the rage today. But what, exactly, is a modular pistol?

Generally speaking, they’re pistols that will accept different modules or accessories. Many pistols on today’s market have interchangeable back straps, making them modular. The various rails allow for attaching different lights and lasers. Some have slides machined to mount red dot sights.

Several pistols now have Fire Control Units (FCUs), which are metal chassis that fit inside the outer frame of the pistol. The FCU can be removed from one frame (perhaps a compact-size frame) and fitted into another frame. From a legal perspective, the actual handgun is the FCU, which allows us to have a number of different configurations because that FCU can be placed into a myriad of frame sizes and configurations.

On modular pistols, components can be swapped out, including barrels, triggers, slides, and the FCU we spoke about, among other things.

Others, such as the Glock 43X and 48, can swap out slides in seconds. You can buy a G43X frame and just get a G48 slide for two different configurations that take mere seconds to swap out. This can also be done with other pistols.

Advantages of Modular Pistols

Modular pistols are kind of like Legos but for grown-ups. In the military, this modularity allows weapons systems to be set up specifically for certain missions. Even as far back as the Vietnam War, the Stoner 63 was a modular system that could be either belt-fed or magazine-fed. It could accept long or short barrels to be set up as a belt-fed light machine gun or a magazine-fed carbine. So, the concept of a modular gun is far from new.

Civilians and law enforcement also like being able to set up modular handguns for specific purposes. Different strokes for different folks.

Plus, it can also save money. Let’s say I buy a pistol with an FCU that can be switched out. From that one pistol, I can buy frames for small, medium, and large pistols, which costs much less than buying three different pistols. Sig’s P365 series comes to mind here. My micro compact carry pistol for daily carry can become my competition pistol for the weekends just by switching out the FCU. Of course, I’ll want to buy specific components for each purpose, but it’s still a money-saver in the end.

A Few Picks

Let’s examine various modular pistols from which we can choose. We won’t go overly in-depth with any of them; we will just give a brief description.

Sig P320

The Sig Sauer P320 is the winner of the military’s Modular Handgun System (MHS), and it’s truly a modular pistol. The serialized number of this pistol (that actually is a pistol) is the Fire Control Unit (FCU). It can be switched between differently sized frames, giving this handgun unmatched flexibility. Not only can it permit the swapping out of frames but also of slides, barrels, and magazines of varying calibers.

Glock 19X

The Glock 19X was a contender in the military’s MHS trials as well, but it lost out to the Sig P320. From what I understand, though, the loss wasn’t due to any inferiority on Glock’s part, and Glock pistols are actually issued to various military units.

The 19X has interchangeable back straps, so users can configure the grip size to suit just about any size of hand, which is a great option. This becomes even more pertinent, given that the 19X’s grip is the same as the Glock 17, giving a full grip to the pistol, along with serious magazine capacity (it takes Glock 17, 17-round magazines as well as 19-round magazines). Glock makes the best magazines of any pistol on the market in that they work perfectly, are the most durable around, and are at a reasonable price point. And the 19+1 capacity is really nice to have in a handgun.

Modular Options

The 19X’s slide is that of the Glock 19, with a 4.02-inch barrel. The full-size grip, coupled with the shorter slide, gives this pistol a very unique and awesome feel that’s hard to describe until you actually pick it up and put rounds through it. The full-sized grip really lends itself to controlling this pistol, while the short slide indexes well on targets and clears leather just a little faster than a standard, longer slide.

Of course, it comes in Coyote Brown color for an added coolness factor. This finish, incidentally, is extremely durable.

Glock wisely decided to put steel sights on this pistol (they should do this for all of their pistols). And not just any sights; night sights with tritium! Bravo, Glock, you got this one right! The sights are just basic 3-dot configuration, but they are very good, and we have no complaints with them. The 19X also easily accepts lights and lasers on its rail system.

If I were taking a pistol into a hostile combat environment, this would be the one I’d carry. It’s extremely accurate, has low recoil, is very durable, and inspires confidence. I’d bet my life on this pistol without a second thought.

Glock 43X/48

First, there was the Glock 43, which held six rounds and was fairly compact. People, however, wanted more rounds, and eventually, Glock got around to making the Glock 43X and the Glock 48. Both the 43X and the 48 have a Glock 19-length grip. Despite the grip’s length, though, it is thinner than the Glock 19 grip, making it both more comfortable and more concealable. The 48 is basically a thinner version of the Glock 19.

The original 43X and 48 weren’t quite as modular initially as they are now, in that you can get them in the MOS version, which accepts Red Dot Sights. These versions also have an accessory rail on the dust cover, which the originals did not have. Being able to add electronic sights, lights, lasers, etc., really brings these pistols into the modular realm.

But even the initial pistols were kind of modular, in that the slides for both are interchangeable. I can pop a Glock 48 slide (which is longer) onto my Glock 43X if I desire (and vice versa), so I can have two pistols in one without actually having to buy two of them.

Comfortable and Concealable

Like the Glock 19X, the 43X’s more substantial grip and short slide offer good control while allowing for a fast index on targets and draw time.

Some people don’t care for the 10-round capacity, which many other pistols have surpassed at this point. However, I believe the grip of the 43X and 48 is outstanding; it is very comfortable and offers excellent control of the pistol. These pistols are a little larger than what most people would refer to as “micro-9s,” which is fine for my purposes. They just work.

And, of course, we get the supremely reliable Glock magazines with this platform, so that’s a huge plus. I know there are aftermarket magazines out there that hold more rounds, but from what I can ascertain, the aftermarket mags don’t function as well as the Glock factory mags.

Beretta APX

The Beretta APX A1 has three interchangeable backstraps to suit the hands of a wide range of shooters. It also has reversible controls and forward/rear slide serrations. There are also several different models of these pistols available, including Carry (a micro-9), Compact, and Full-size. Additionally, there are compact and full-sized Tactile versions.

The full-sized Tactical version is impressive, with a 4.8-inch barrel that is threaded for a suppressor and a slide equipped with suppressor-height sights. To spice up the package, Beretta includes three 21-round magazines with the pistol.

The Carry version is interesting. Like all the pistols in this series, a red dot sight can be mounted on the slide. The barrel length is three inches. Because of its modularity, three different colored grip frames can be switched out to suit the user’s taste.

P365 Series

Did I save the best for last? You be the judge. I do have to say, though, that Sig Sauer has knocked the P365 series out of the park.

Like the P320, the P365 series operates with a removable FCU, which is the serialized part of the pistol. So it can be transferred from one frame to another.

Had Sig merely stopped at the P365, they’d still have had a stellar winner. But they didn’t. In fact, they didn’t even come close to stopping, instead going completely overboard. We, the consumers, won big time.

The standard P365 is a very compact, concealable micro-9, striker-fired pistol. It feels like a dream and is very accurate. It would be hard to imagine a better pistol suited to concealed carry than this one. There are some others that are almost as good as the P365, but I wouldn’t say that any are superior. The barrel length is 3.1 inches, and its capacity is 10 rounds (it can accept higher-capacity magazines from its bigger brothers).

Options. So many options.

Not content to rest on their laurels, Sig went on to develop the P365XL, which has a 3.7-inch barrel and takes 12-round magazines as standard (larger-capacity mags will also work). Then there’s the P365X with a 3.1-inch barrel (just like the standard P365) but with the same grip as the XL version, taking 12-round magazines. It’s a longer-grip version of the regular P365.

There is also the Macro version, which has a 3.7-inch barrel but the longest grip of any of the series, holding 17 rounds.

All of these P365 series pistols are cut for adding optics to the slides, and they also have accessory rails on the dust covers so lights and lasers can be added with ease. Night sights are standard on all of them. Given all of these configurations, there is surely one for every shooter.

I have the P365 and P365XL. I actually like the XL version, with its 3.7-inch barrel, which is slightly better because it’s a little more accurate, has slightly less muzzle flip, and has a more comfortable grip.

Final Thoughts

We covered a lot in this article, and certainly, we didn’t come close to covering all of the handguns on the market. But armed with this knowledge, readers should be able to set forth with some basic understanding and make a sound purchase if they so choose.

To be honest, even as a gun writer, it’s difficult to keep up with all of the advances that are currently taking the market by storm. Each week, it seems like ten new products pop up. I can recall that, back in the 1980s, it was fairly easy to keep up with recent developments since they were fewer and farther in between. When a manufacturer was coming out with a new pistol, it was huge news all over the industry. Now, it’s a daily occurrence. I won’t complain, though, as having so many amazing choices is great!

My personal favorites are the P365 series and Glock’s 43X because they feel great in the hand, are reliable, and are accurate. How about our readers — which are your favorites, and why?