HandgunsConcealed CarryPhoto Gallery: Introducing the Glock 43 Single-Stack 9mm

Photo Gallery: Introducing the Glock 43 Single-Stack 9mm

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Glock 43 Review — Exclusive

Gun Digest Publisher Jim Schlender was invited March 3 to Glock’s factory in Smyrna, Ga., for what he thought was just going to be a tour of the production floor. But when he was asked to autograph a disclosure statement, he knew this was not going to be an ordinary tramp around Glock’s digs. And it wasn’t.

Turned out Mr. Schlender was part of a very select group of gun scribes that got the first gander at one of the most anticipated pistols in a spell â€” the Glock 43.

Yes, the mythical single-stack 9mm was finally a reality and our Publisher got to be one of the first ones outside the gun company to pull the trigger on one. His first impressions of the petite polymer striker-fired — slim, trim and manageable to shoot:

Most noticeable when you handle and fire the new pistol is that the grip has shrunk from the G26’s 1.2 inches to an inch at its widest point, with the slide at .87-inch. In the world of compact 9s, those fractions of inches are a very big deal. Just as importantly for those on a quest for a little 9 that’s still large enough to actually shoot well but isn’t cumbersome to carry, the G43 weighs in at only a pound unloaded. Compared to the G26’s nearly 22 ounces unloaded, this is a substantial difference.

On the firing line, I found the G43 had enough weight and bulk to make stout 9mm defense ammo manageable while its trimmed-down profile was slim enough to quiet any objections by those who, for whatever reason, find a double-stack configuration to their dislike.

Glock is set to formally introduce the G43 at the April 10-12 NRA annual meetings and convention, held this year in Nashville, Tenn. Until then, here’s a bunch of photos from the head honcho’s sneak peak at the 9mm. Yeah, we know, it's not the same as shooting it yourself.

Glock 43 Specs
Caliber: 9mm
Capacity: 6+1
Barrel Length: 3.39 inches
Overall Length: 6.26 inches
Width: 1.02 inches at frame; .87 inches at slide
Weight Unloaded: 16.19
Sights: Fixed White
Frame: Polymer
Slide: Steel
Options: N/A
MSRP: N/A

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Elwood Shelton
Elwood Shelton
Elwood Shelton is the Digital Editor for Gun Digest. He lives in Colorado and has provided coverage on a vast spectrum of topics for GD for more than a decade. Before that, he was an award-winning sports and outdoors reporter for a number of newspapers across the Rocky Mountains. His experience has consisted of covering the spread of chronic wasting disease into the Western Slope of Colorado to the state’s ranching for wildlife programs. His passion for shooting began at a young age, fostered on pheasant hunts with his father. Since then, he has become an accomplished handloader, long-range shooter and avid hunter—particularly mule deer and any low-down, dirty varmint that comes into his crosshairs. He is a regular contributor to Gun Digest Magazine and has contributed to various books on guns and shooting, most recently Lever-Actions: A Tribute to the All-American Rifle.

2 COMMENTS

  1. I am very interested to hear what sort of manual safety you would like to see on a Glock. Personally, I dislike de-cockers, which of course are only for hammer-type pistols. However, a de-striker safety could be designed providing the user KNOWS it has been applied, or there is a visual method to determine it.
    Would you like this lever on the slide or receiver?
    The actual operation of this safety would require careful thinking out as with the polymer, there exists a high degree of ‘creep’ and flex before the safety mechanism engages.
    I would like a feedback from readers as I am also a designer with a dozen or so patents in the world of plastic/metal product, thus venturing into the world of firearms design fits into my firearms designs-savvy thinking. I can design a system which WILL work and I shall be looking at a retro-fittable method!
    Looking forward to hearing from shooters.
    Kind regards.

  2. Glock these days seems to be making one marketing blunder after another. Its .45 Gap and .380 model were a colossal failure and no one wants a single stack Glock when the double stack in most instances is just as concealable. If Glock would get their arrogant head out of their ass they should bring out A GLOCK WITH A MANUAL SAFETY. There are some Glock owners that actually understand how this gun works and how easy it is to accidentally shoot your self or some one else with one because of its short stroke trigger and lack of a manual safety. I personally whould be the first to buy one. And if Glock were really on the ball they would come out with a new model with a much safer take down system, one that requires the slide to be locked back before take down which would avoid all of the accidents that happen when attempting to take the pistol apart.

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