After rereading the thread on whether or not Glock will eventually issue these en masse with black slides I decided to pass on the two-tone Glock 43X. I handled one this weekend at the LGS and I have to say I love the grip enough that I might actually sacrifice other firearms to get a couple of these–IF I can get all black.
I’ve watched several YouTube reports on the 43X and I have to say the ones I watched seemed to be the usual ho-hum “it shoots fine” type videos.
I’d expect that from Glock but then again I remember the debacle over early Glock 42’s and their issues.
I’m guessing range reports will be similar to those of the shorter Glock 43, but any time changes are made to a design I believe there is always a “Beta testing” phase.
So I’m looking for reports on how your pistol is doing if you have one of these.
My wife recectly purchased the 43x after shooting my Glock 48. We both really like shooting the 48 and it shoots perfectly and accurately with the front and back sights lined up, as it should. Both the 43x and 48 have the Ameriglo sights with the orange front sight which really helps with sight acquisition and quick shooting. NOW, to the 43x…as other reviews and youtube videos have said, it shoots low. I proved this to be true as well. Once I raised the front orange sight a good 1/4" above the back sights; all shots were exactly where I wanted them to be. I’m OK with that minor adjustment. I do prefer the 48 over the 43x because of the extra 1" barrel length and sight radius. To me the 48 may just be Glock’s perfect single stack gun.
I have been very please with mine. I find it much easier to grip and control over the 43, which I also own. For my hand size and grip on the pistol, there is a drastic difference vs the G43x grip size and the mag extender on the 43. While the 43 mag extender works, it’s simply not the same for me. I also prefer the shorter barrel for my use.
Accuracy has been great for me. I have not experienced low groups. I too have the AmeriGlo sights. So far, about 600 rounds in, it’s been reliable and I have not experienced one malfunction.
My wife likes it too. I just bought her one but with standard Glock sights. She hated the 43 but likes the 43x and shoots it well.
I don’t care for the two-tone but it’s a pistol that is intended to the concealed. It’s not a show piece and I am pretty comfortable I’m not giving up any tactical advantage vs a black pistol (I’m being sarcastic).
I wouldn’t anticipate any issues with the 43X or the 48 as they are mechanically identical to the 43 and 42. The only thing that isn’t proven on it is the magazine.
I understand the two-tone is not as durable as the black finish on most Glocks. Given that Glocks are designed to be ugly, the silver finish tends to go against that on the one hand and wears quickly on the other. Bottom line: You have a gay finish that looks like an abused bitch in short order. :sarcastic:
[QUOTE=pomyc;2733082]I have been very please with mine. I find it much easier to grip and control over the 43, which I also own. For my hand size and grip on the pistol, there is a drastic difference vs the G43x grip size and the mag extender on the 43. While the 43 mag extender works, it’s simply not the same for me. I also prefer the shorter barrel for my use. Accuracy has been great for me. I have not experienced low groups. I too have the AmeriGlo sights. So far, about 600 rounds in, it’s been reliable and I have not experienced one malfunction.
My wife likes it too. I just bought her one but with standard Glock sights. She hated the 43 but likes the 43x and shoots it well. [/QUOTE]
You don’t even read your own threads? :lol:
I’m probably going to get a 48 just for GSSF shoots.
Of course I read them but one or two anecdotes just makes me want more responses. For example: I’m hearing not everybody shoots low with them.
I had not seen that one. I watched MrGunsngear and three or four others. I got kind of frustrated because they didn’t really offer much more than the usual overview without really going into any details that I didn’t already know about every Glock. I didn’t spend hours on it. I just started thinking after a while “well no one has evidently shot one of these very much.”
One concern I had, having been burned by an early Glock 42, is that the 42 would spontaneously drop the mag on occasion. WTF???
What I look for is stories of mag design problems with the 43X (haven’t found any yet), or other issues that might have come about due to the lengthening of the grip frame. I’m not saying there are any, just that this is part of my research.
I’m still debating the “shoots low” issue. I know Gen 5’s require a different front sight height IIRC. Correct me if I’m wrong.
This is one area in the “Beta testing” that I’m going to keep an eye on before I purchase one.
Shawn Ryan loves the Glock 43, but really did not seem to care for the 43X. I have only handled them, have not shot one yet though. However I am in the camp that does not like the Glock 43 at all, even though I enjoy almost everything else they make.
That’s got some good info in it. There’s enough doubt now in my mind that I think I’ll wait and let everybody else Beta test the Glock 43X before I get one. My experiences with the G42 made me never want to be the first one to purchase a new Glock model ever again.
Oh, 26 Inf, just so you don’t miss a beat.
I actually ended up getting rid of the “purple” Colt 6920 that I said didn’t bother me.
I woulda kept it, but a $2,500 tax bill this year made me have to sacrifice some stuff, and well, the purple finally became expendable if the other alternative was to get rid of my PA State Police 6520.
I think one of the problems with folks shooting low might be the ‘bold’ front sight and how the shooter establishes their sight picture.
I have found that with a fiber optic front sight it is pretty important to know whether you are supposed to be focusing on the tip of the front sight blade or the dot to get your sight alignment if you are expecting precision - which is not necessarily the primary purpose of a front sight with a huge hi-vis orange circle around a tritium tube. Take a look at this picture:
Notice how the tip of the front sight post is aligned/level with the top of the rear sight blade?
Notice how the three green dots are not aligned?
So, if you raised the front sight to bring the edge of the orange circle to align with the top of the rear sight you would shoot slightly high. Conversely, if you lowered the green dot on the front sight into alignment with the dots on the rear sight you would shoot low.
The dots are for a coarse, fast sight picture or for dimlight usage. Other than that folks need to focus on the front sigh for precision. This is one of the reasons that most serious shooters like black on black sights for precision