Small 9mm - Glock 43 best?

[sandman228]

I traded my g 43 on a shield and don't regret it 1 bit .

[Idaho45guy]

My PC 9mm Shield is a great little pistol with a fantastic trigger and sights for $460. However, mine came with a flawed barrel and S&W has been unable to rectify it. So, I've been looking at other single-stack 9's to replace it. Might actually go back to a .40 S&W...

My top picks in the $450 range are the Springfield Armory XD-S, the Walther PPS, and the Honor Defense Honor Guard 9mm... I handled and shot a buddy's G43 and just didn't like it. For under $400 and closer to $300, the Ruger LC9Pro and Shield are good choices...

[Lefty Red]

Can't say anything bad about the G43, except I just don't like it. LOL And it should have been a 7/8 shot staggered 9mm.
I kept my G27 with a 9mm barrel and don't see me switching over to it.

My pick is the Sig P938. I had the Scorpion and Extreme versions, but kept the SAS two tone version.

Lefty

[warboar_21]

I bought a Sig P290 when they first came out. Smaller than the Glock 43 by a small amount but weighs 20oz. It's about the same size as the PM9 with the exception of the grip being larger from the front strap to back strap. Shoots everything I have fed it without any problems. I really like it for an EDC gun. It's accurate even out to 25yds which many ultra compacts are not. If the Sig P938 had come out when I bought my P290 I think I would've went that route. I don't regret the P290 though.

[Lefty Red]

Can't say anything bad about the G43, except I just don't like it. LOL And it should have been a 7/8 shot staggered 9mm.
I kept my G27 with a 9mm barrel and don't see me switching over to it.

My pick is the Sig P938. I had the Scorpion and Extreme versions, but kept the SAS two tone version.

Lefty

I will eat some words that I have said about the SW Shield. I got a Performance Center 9mm in trade and I am loving it! Ordering one in 40SW this week.

Also can't say anything bad about the SA XDS in 9 or 45, never tried the 40. My best bud finally got into single stack (non 1911s) for concealed carry and he choose it. It still don't known why I got rid of mine. Maybe seeing Croatia on it freaked me out. I'm weird like that.

Anyways, those two striker fired and the Sig P938 are my favorites.

Lefty


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[Tom W.]

I bought an LC9S Pro a bit before that Glock 43 was announced. I'm fond of my Glock 19, so I think I'd like the 43 if I could shoot it straight. Never could shoot the Glock 30 to point of aim. The little Ruger sure is nice.

[wlkjr]

I bought an LC9S Pro a bit before that Glock 43 was announced. I'm fond of my Glock 19, so I think I'd like the 43 if I could shoot it straight. Never could shoot the Glock 30 to point of aim. The little Ruger sure is nice.

It has taken me a while to warm up to the 30S. I'm much better with it than I was a year ago. I have 2 43's but much prefer the 42.

[Loudenboomer]

If you like 1911's the springfield compact EMP 9mm is a winner.

[Lefty Red]

If you like 1911's the springfield compact EMP 9mm is a winner.

Boy Howard it is! It's just a lot of money. But man I would almost think it's worth it.

Lefty


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[bbogue1]

You are missing an opportunity if you overlook the Sig Sauer sub compact P250 or P320. Light weight, double action, if you need a carry gun the sub compact fits the bill. Then if you want a compact size or a full size just change the frame and you have a different size gun. Now it gets interesting. Suppose you want to target shoot. Using an exchange kit you can change your 9mm into a 22 or a 45 depending upon which exchange kit you buy. I quite often wil shoot 22 at the range then switch to 9mm hollow point for carry. Sometimes I'll shoot 9mm at the range just so I don't forget how it feels and sounds.

[Thin Man]

The features I look for in a daily carry pistol are those that encourage me to carry it. Some of the values I consider are reliability, caliber, how wide the slide/grip measure, slide length, weight, options for sights, and the list goes on. When all of the basic elements are satisfied, the final vote will go to the the firearm with a grip area that best fits my hand. For all too long I have recognized that the grip must be a comfortable match to my hand size and grip purchase. This comes from many years of owning and shooting multiple grip sized handguns. Those that fit my hand commonly produce tighter groups on the targets. This lends to confidence in taking a shot - that I will hit the intended target. All of these factors listed above matter, just some more than others. There are many high quality firearms offered that would satisfy the daily carry role and I would not look down on any of them that don't fit my hand, I simply would select from those that do fit.

Thin Man

[wlc]

I put my money on the Glock. Bought the very first 43 I saw and haven't looked back. It simply goes bang every time I pull the trigger, like my other Glocks. At normal small pistol ranges I shoot it fine. Carry it in an Alien Gear IWB holster. Never know its there.

[NC_JEFF]

My compact carry decision came down to either the Glock 43 or the Shield 9C. I chose the Shield because the trigger felt better to me. I'm very happy with accuracy and the reliability I've experienced to date.

[rototerrier]

G43 owner, but i couldn't shoot it well until i installed a ghost connector. Trigger was just too heavy and clunky. Called glock about it and they said they had a lot of folks complaining and they lead me to replace the connector. At the time, they didn't offer anything so i had to go ghost. Shoots great now, but i still don't carry it. I just prefer my trusty 38 airweight revolver. If i carry a 9, i go for the g19 for that extra capacity.

I guess my issue is more personal preference at this point. I can't knock the gun as long as the trigger is ok for you.

[Lefty Red]

G43 owner, but i couldn't shoot it well until i installed a ghost connector. Trigger was just too heavy and clunky. Called glock about it and they said they had a lot of folks complaining and they lead me to replace the connector. At the time, they didn't offer anything so i had to go ghost. Shoots great now, but i still don't carry it. I just prefer my trusty 38 airweight revolver. If i carry a 9, i go for the g19 for that extra capacity.

I guess my issue is more personal preference at this point. I can't knock the gun as long as the trigger is ok for you.

That's the biggest problem I have with the G43 and Glock in general, the trigger and the width. The G43 is just barely thinner than the G26/G19. In fact the differences between the 43 and 26 is height-.08", width-.16", and length-.15". Yet you loose four rounds and have crappy trigger. If they were going to make the 43 the size it is, they could have staggered the magazine a bit and added one or two rounds. Anything under 7/8 rounds in this size pistol is ridiculous.

If the 43 was the size of the 42, then they could have justified the 6 round capacity. But at the size the 43 is now, it's just poor design. Glock had plenty of time to trim and configure the 43, since they took forever to come out with it. They just threw it together and said, here now shut up and be happy because this is the pistol we tell you will get.

There are just too many good single stack pistols out there, especially in 9mm, that I wish the 43 would be a flop. But too many fanboys listening to Gaston.

Lefty


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[Petrol & Powder]

That's the biggest problem I have with the G43 and Glock in general, the trigger and the width. The G43 is just barely thinner than the G26/G19. In fact the differences between the 43 and 26 is height-.08", width-.16", and length-.15". Yet you loose four rounds and have crappy trigger. If they were going to make the 43 the size it is, they could have staggered the magazine a bit and added one or two rounds. Anything under 7/8 rounds in this size pistol is ridiculous.

If the 43 was the size of the 42, then they could have justified the 6 round capacity. But at the size the 43 is now, it's just poor design. Glock had plenty of time to trim and configure the 43, since they took forever to come out with it. They just threw it together and said, here now shut up and be happy because this is the pistol we tell you will get.

There are just too many good single stack pistols out there, especially in 9mm, that I wish the 43 would be a flop. But too many fanboys listening to Gaston.

Lefty


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I don't own a 43 but have friends that do and I've shot one. It has all of the attributes that make a Glock a Glock, both the good & bad attributes. They are reliable, simple and appear to be tough little guns. They also have the Glock trigger which is no doubt, ..a Glock trigger.

The difference in size doesn't appear to be much on paper but it is huge in reality. It's not that the gun is significantly smaller than a G26 but rather the way that it is smaller that makes the difference. The subcompact, double column magazine Glocks (G26, G27, etc.) are chunky little pistols that are not always the best guns for concealment. The fat grip does make them easier to shoot for people with large hands but the flip side is that grip is difficult to conceal.

I believe that if Glock had come out with the G43 10 years ago they would have dominated the market in that class of pistol. Obviously they were in no hurry to produce a single stack 9mm, probably because they were selling plenty of double stack pistols.

I'm dedicated to the snubnose revolver so it's a non-issue to me. Cartridge capacity isn't my first concern and 5-6 rounds in the gun with a reload available is adequate in my eyes.

There are drawbacks to the Glock system that make the gun difficult to scale down. Because the gun is striker fired and that striker is only partially pre-loaded during the cycling of the slide, there needs to be some distance for the striker to move within. This necessitates a little more length in the slide behind the breach face. As a result, Glock slides tend to be a bit long even when the barrels are shortened to sub-compact lengths. Glock also insists on using a square cross section slide which is appropriate for a full sized pistol but limits the degree that the slide can be narrowed in a compact pistol. Other makers do a better job of shrinking their slides when they produce subcompact pistols.

Overall I think the G43 is a good pistol in its class. It is reliable, lightweight, thin where it needs to be thin, has enough capacity for its intended role and has a familiar operating system. If you train with a full sized Glock, the G43 is a logical secondary, concealable pistol.

[Lefty Red]

I don't own a 43 but have friends that do and I've shot one. It has all of the attributes that make a Glock a Glock, both the good & bad attributes. They are reliable, simple and appear to be tough little guns. They also have the Glock trigger which is no doubt, ..a Glock trigger.

The difference in size doesn't appear to be much on paper but it is huge in reality. It's not that the gun is significantly smaller than a G26 but rather the way that it is smaller that makes the difference. The subcompact, double column magazine Glocks (G26, G27, etc.) are chunky little pistols that are not always the best guns for concealment. The fat grip does make them easier to shoot for people with large hands but the flip side is that grip is difficult to conceal.

I believe that if Glock had come out with the G43 10 years ago they would have dominated the market in that class of pistol. Obviously they were in no hurry to produce a single stack 9mm, probably because they were selling plenty of double stack pistols.

I'm dedicated to the snubnose revolver so it's a non-issue to me. Cartridge capacity isn't my first concern and 5-6 rounds in the gun with a reload available is adequate in my eyes.

There are drawbacks to the Glock system that make the gun difficult to scale down. Because the gun is striker fired and that striker is only partially pre-loaded during the cycling of the slide, there needs to be some distance for the striker to move within. This necessitates a little more length in the slide behind the breach face. As a result, Glock slides tend to be a bit long even when the barrels are shortened to sub-compact lengths. Glock also insists on using a square cross section slide which is appropriate for a full sized pistol but limits the degree that the slide can be narrowed in a compact pistol. Other makers do a better job of shrinking their slides when they produce subcompact pistols.

Overall I think the G43 is a good pistol in its class. It is reliable, lightweight, thin where it needs to be thin, has enough capacity for its intended role and has a familiar operating system. If you train with a full sized Glock, the G43 is a logical secondary, concealable pistol.

I completely agree with you, except that it should have been a 7/8 round capacity pistol.

No matter what my feelings are toward Glock is, the fact the damn blocks work and work in the crappiest of conditions will never change. But the Slimframe 42/43s have had their share of problems.

But I will states this.....if the same design would have the name Ruger or S&W or SCCY or Taurus on it, then it wouldn't have sold a third as many.

Lefty


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[Petrol & Powder]

Lefty, I agree. And Glock does get away with more due to their name and market share.

Prior to the introduction of the G43, I leaned toward the Kahr MK9 and polymer PM9 in that class of pistol. Unfortunately those guns are pricy. After the introduction of the G43, I must include the G43 to my list of recommended pistols in that class. I'm a big fan of the older Ruger products, particularly their DA revolvers, but I'm sorry to say that Ruger missed the boat with their early production LC9. I think they've got their act together now. I've shot the newer ones and they work so maybe I should add them to my list.

The good news is that buyers now have a LOT of choices when it comes to subcompact 9mm pistols. 20-25 years ago there was no such thing as a subcompact 9mm pistol. If you wanted something in that class, .380 auto was your ONLY choice. Those days are over and we now have several lightweight, really small 9mm pistols to choose from.

[Plate plinker]

Just add a Taran Tactical extension for more magazine capacity. Works for me.
My Khar p9 is a nice accurate piece but the trigger is way way to long. Also it is super snappy compared to the G43.

[Lefty Red]

Just add a Taran Tactical extension for more magazine capacity. Works for me.
My Khar p9 is a nice accurate piece but the trigger is way way to long. Also it is super snappy compared to the G43.

Sure, spend another $30 per magazine for something that should have been all a long. No thanks, the Glock Kool Aid isn't my flavor.


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