{"id":413770,"date":"2023-12-15T11:00:47","date_gmt":"2023-12-15T17:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/?p=413770"},"modified":"2026-01-20T14:05:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T20:05:13","slug":"fn-reflex-vs-glock-43-battle-of-the-guns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/fn-reflex-vs-glock-43-battle-of-the-guns\/","title":{"rendered":"FN Reflex vs Glock 43: Battle of the Guns"},"content":{"rendered":"

The FN Reflex and Glock 43 are two awesome little guns. They sell like hotcakes and, better yet, they’re reliable. Comparable in size, these two pistols are more similar than they are different, yet many people seem to have their preference for one over the other. Today, we\u2019re taking the FN Reflex and G43 head-to-head to distinguish what advantages, if any, one has over the other.<\/p>\n

\"Glock
Glock 43 and FN Reflex in leather G43 holsters. [Photo: Jason Mosher<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Introduction<\/h2>\n

Glock is the household name that set the standard for polymer, striker-fired guns. Just about any gun after is viewed as, in some sense, a copycat version of Glock. But even though Glock did it first, companies have been making polymer striker fire guns for decades and they\u2019re getting good at it. Good enough, in fact, that Glock is often on the defensive with the competition.<\/p>\n

FN is not new in the gun-making business, and they have some legends of their own. If you are not familiar with them, you may be surprised to know they were around long before Glock was even a thought. Famous American inventor John Moses Browning partnered with FN Herstal to produce many of his guns. It was an FN Herstal gun, model 1910 that was used to assassinate Franz Ferdinand, which ultimately started WWI. That gun was designed by Browning, making a unique situation as Browning-designed guns were used on both sides of WWI and WWII.<\/p>\n

Gaston Glock came along in the mid-1980s with the Glock 17 and made waves of his own. His new design was not accepted well by many at first, and people often wrote the gun off as a cheap plastic gun. People believed it would not hold up to the heavy metal-framed guns of the time. But it did, and years later, everyone else started making their own version of Glock pistols. But, enough about history and back to the task at hand, the G43 and Reflex 9mm.<\/p>\n

Glock 43 9mm Pistol<\/h2>\n

The Glock 43<\/a> is the smallest 9mm pistol that Glock makes. I ran down to my local gun shop to buy one after its release because I wanted to see this small Glock handgun for myself. I like all kinds of guns, but in law enforcement, you become familiar with Glock handguns, and their reliability and compatibility. A small version of my trusted G17 was a dream come true.<\/p>\n

\"Glock
The Glock 43 is great when you need the most concealability. [Photo: Jason Mosher]<\/figcaption><\/figure>When it comes to reliability, Glock earns five stars. There’s not even a point discussing the reliability of any Glock handgun so we will move on from there. Glock kept it simple with the G43. Iron sights, short grip, and the same classic frame we are used to with Glock pistols. The slide and mag release are easy to access and the gun shoots well for such a small frame. But there is one thing that causes some to look elsewhere, and that is the magazine capacity.<\/p>\n

Designed around a single-stack mag, the G43 only holds 6 rounds in the standard magazine. Extended mags increase the count some, but not by a lot. For self-defense purposes, this may be sufficient for some CCW carriers. What I consider enough changes over time as companies continue to increase the ammo count in their mags.<\/p>\n

Six rounds were enough until I could buy a compact gun that held more, like the Springfield Hellcat that comes standard with a 13-round capacity. I like carrying as much ammo as I can (within reason), and six rounds just isn\u2019t enough in today’s world. Other than its anemic capacity, it\u2019s hard to knock anything else on the G43.
\n\t

\n
\n

Shop This Article<\/h2>\n <\/div>\n
\n