Introducing the Glock 43 Pistol

Article by Santie Meyer.

The all new Glock 43 Slimline pistol in 9x19 caliber is the newest member of this subcompact pistol family and the smallest pistol of its caliber that Glock has ever introduced. This pistol has been a long time coming and has been greatly anticipated worldwide as the demand for a small single stack 9mmP to fit into every lifestyle grew ever louder. 

The Glock 43 isn’t the smallest micro 9mm available, but it is a manageable size. The size of the Glock 43 is what makes it so comfortable to carry, shootable, and accurate while still delivering a size that you can easily stick in your shirt pocket or purse. 

From a size perspective the Glock 43 is just 2mm wider than the G42, only 8mm longer and 3mm taller. When held in the hand, there is a notable difference, however I doubt that many would realize the difference between the two guns unless they had shot both. The Glock 42 and 43 feel and look so

similar that it is very easy to confuse magazines and ammunition when shooting both at the same time. However, from a safety perspective the G43 magazine cannot be inserted into the G42, but there is a chance that the G42 magazine will lock up in the G43. Although I could not get a round to feed, so I do not believe that there is any real danger of loading the wrong ammunition in the wrong firearm.

When talking about weight, the unloaded Glock 43 weights in at 509g, which is a notable 119g heavier than its .380 Auto counterpart at 390g. This added weight is still not much in the grand scheme of things, but in a pistol of this size, every gram counts. Because the Glock 43 is chambered for 9mmP, the loaded weight makes an even bigger difference of roughly 144g depending on the ammunition used.

Much like the Glock 42, the Glock 43 has significantly less recoil than you might expect from such a small pistol chambered in 9x19. The Glock 43 is a delight to shoot, although the recoil is much snappier than I perceived with the Glock 42. This, in my opinion, is still far less than experienced with the Smith & Wesson Shield and the slightly larger Glock 26. 

I did find that I struggled to find a better grip between shots with this pistol and as such had to adjust my hand position after almost every shot. I believe that most men would have this same trouble with the Glock 43, but ladies of smaller build than I would have an easier time with this pistol. One problem that I have with this particular pistol, is that the slide release lever on the Glock 43 is extremely tiny and difficult to operate. This resulted in a nasty little slide bite on my trigger finger as I pressed the frame down hard enough that I managed to get my finger caught in the slide. (For the record, I blame this for my first shot being a tad bit low - that is my story and I am sticking to it!)

Accuracy wise, the Glock 43 performs exactly as expected from any Glock pistol and gives good groupings on close distances. I managed to put eleven of my twelve shots into the size of the 0-down zone of a standard IDPA target at 7m, although my shots were a bit low. Since the barrel is only 86mm, shots at longer distances are difficult, but this is not something that I would hold against this little pistol as its claim to fame lies in its small size for every day self defense carry. 

The Glock 43 really conceals very well and is easily slipped into a shirt pocket or purse and conceals extremely well in various holsters. I can see how this little pistol would work well for many ladies who feel that a full sized pistol is just too bulky to carry around with them all day, as well as many businessmen who have difficulty concealing a pistol under their work clothes. I personally prefer carrying the pistol in a sticky holster, but I am sure that many holster manufacturers will come out with holsters suited for this little beauty soon.

Overall I feel that the Glock 43 is a great innovation from one of our favorite gun manufacturers and there is definitely space in the market for this little pistol. I would gladly recommend it to any lady - no matter how petite she might be, as well as any businessman who needs a highly concealable 9mm pistol, and everyone in-between.