I picked up my G43X and G48 yesterday and immediately looked at the mags. I’ll give some general thoughts on the guns, but I haven’t shot them yet and the internet has/will have a ton of reviews now anyways.

I want to focus on the mags and the capacity. I did a super scientific test of holding the 43X mag back to back with the 365 mag and they seemed almost exactly the same to me. That’s when I decided to get super duper scientific and jammed the 365 mag into the 43X. Guess what...it fits.



Since I know some folks won’t be satisfied with such methods, I grabbed the calipers.

The Glock mag:



The Sig mag:



This makes me want to bang my head into wall. I’m shacking my hands at the sky shouting “why God?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?” Clearly the G43X/48 should have a capacity higher than 10 rounds. If Glock would just use a damn metal mag this gun would be at least 12 rounds.

Here is one of them next to the 365 with the 12 round mag in it.





I don’t think I’m crazy to say that a metal mag in a 43X/48 could hold 13 or 14 rounds? I’m looking at you Mecgar. Wake up one of your engineers and tell them to get to the office and fire up their CAD program ASAP please. If someone reputable jumps on the opportunity to make a metal mag for these guns, I think it will be a home run.

Initial impressions on the guns: I actually like the slide finish. Color aside, the 43X and 48’s finish feels a little less slick than my gen 5 black guns. I’ll take the silver for the noticabley more traction on the slide. I’ll be curious to see if others feel the same way or if I’m imagining the texture.

The guns feel great in the hand. I prefer the balance of the 43X to the 48. It reminds me of the G45 vs G17 effect. The G43X just feels “right.”

The checkering is lighter than my other gen 5 guns. It’s more like the 42 and 43. I think this is a mistake. I have never found the normal gen 5 checkering to be abrassive when carrying and I carry appendix, so it’s on my sensative ‘whittle tummy, so I don’t see the need to lighten it up for the Slimline Series.

All in all, I really like these guns in the hand. Obviously the real test will come at the range, but I wanted to post this now to share what I found in regards to the mags. If anyone who reads knows someone at Mecgar, please tell them to have a heart and save us from these silly 10 round polymer mags.

Here are some pics comparing them to a couple of other glocks. If you want a pic of them compared to another gun, let me know and I’ll try to accommodate. I don’t have the collection some of you have, but I might have what you’re looking for.

43X with a 26. Sorry, I don’t have an OEM floor plates on my 26 mags. Taran Tactical fo’ life.




[url=https://beta.photobucket.com/u/esdphotos/p/6afcdb93-8527-4c6b-a192-f34ba29bd748]

With my Franken 19 because I hate the moon cutout on the gen 5 19:




As they relate to the 365, I still think the 365 has the more comfortable grip so long as I have the 12 round mags in. I like the slightly longer slide (and thus sight radius) on the 43 and 43X. I also like the full size grip without the magazine sleeves like the 365 requires.

If I were on Sigs Board of Directors, I’d be pushing to build out the 365 line. I’d keep the 365 as it is in it’s current design for the sub compact, build a compact that is the same dimensions as the G43X and another one the same dimensions as the 48. The first day I handled a 365 I said on this forum they should make one the very dimensions the G48 is.

I think the slim line double stack market that the 365 created has a hugely profitable future. Glock tried to follow but blew it on the mag imo. Glock will have buyers like me who will buy their guns because they don’t trust the 365 given all the issues that gun, and Sig in general, has had.

That’s why I think a metal after market mag with a higher capacity for the 43X and 48 would be a big hit. For people who are either comfortable with Sig or who don’t know about their issues, I think expanding the 365 line would be a big hit too.

So many options in today’s shooting age...it’s just friggin’ awesome.

Some with the 365, including one with the Sig’s 10 round mag.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: esdunbar,

Nice photos and measurements!

IMO what Glock should have done with the 43X is a complete magazine redesign. Granted they made it a little wider than the standard 43, but it has the same plastic skin Glock has on all their mags. In order to compete with the SIG 365, they really needed to ditch the plastic skin and stick with a quality metal magazine. They could have easily out done SIG in capacity without sacrificing reliability of the firearm. For a few dollars I added 2-3 more rounds to my Glock 43 with a Taran Tactical base plate. Glock could have also slightly widened the grip a millimeter or two and gained additional volume without sacrificing much of anything. Personally, I see no need to trade in my existing G43 for a G43X...it's a small gun and that is what it is intended to be. If I need more capacity, I have a G19 that is easily concealed.

I should add, the 43X fits in the holster that I had for my 43 (sold the 43 a couple weeks ago when the 43X was announced). However, there is a little wiggle that is not present in my other holsters by the same maker, so I did order a new holster for the 43X specifically.

If you’re not OCD, a 43 holster will work just fine.

My 43 holster is open bottom so it will also hold the 48. I carried the 19 with a spare mag around last night for a while. Then I swapped it out for the 48 with a spare mag. As one would expect, there is a noticeable difference in weight and slenderness.

For me, this difference is what I was looking for and expecting. I will most defineitly be going to these new guns for my carry guns...with the big assumption that they are shooters on the range. I have every expectation they will be though.

Thanks for the photos and information, well done.

I'm with jcsabolt2, I have a G43 w/ Pearce +1 in the gun and Vickers +2 as a reload, so I don't see myself making an immediate switch. Especially since the G43 isn't a main carry gun for me.

Also remember Glock didn't just make these guns for the US Free market. They made them for the ban states (typically 10rd) and foreign market (hence the G48 slide length).

I carried my 43 with TTI +3 round mags. I carry appendix, so the grip length was a non issue for me.

The only reason I sold the 43 for the 43X was because I prefer a longer grip without the mag extensions. This is for three main reasons: 1) The Glock hump on the 43 with TTI base plates is in a really odd place for me, 2) I have pinched my pinky plenty of times when doing reloads at speed and the longer grip eliminates this, and 3) I find the G43 to be too narrow/small of a grip and I was in hopes the 43X would add a little extra to feel different.

To the last point, I do think the 43X larger grip fills the hand better than the 43 did.

If those aren’t things that matter to you, yeah, really no need to ditch the 43 at all.

Didn't mean to imply it was useless, it looks like it works perfectly for what you need.

Didn’t take it that way at all man. Your comment sparked me to try and point out what made it worth it to me. I assume many folks will be sitting there trying to decide if they should either sell their 43 and pay the difference to get the 43X, or keep their 43 and pony up for a whole new gun.

That’s a good discussion, so I tried to give my view on what would be some of the factors that would come into play.

In no way can I say that the 43X is world changing if you already have a 43 with extensions. If you don’t mind the money for those minor changes, then I say go for it.

For me, the reason I didn’t keep my 43 was because I never carry the 43 with factory base plate (or even the TTI +1 I had). If i was ever in a situation where the 43 with the +3’s wouldn’t work, I found myself reaching for my 42 anyways.

So my Slimline Glock set up is 42, 43X and 48 now.

quote:

Originally posted by esdunbar:
I carried my 43 with TTI +3 round mags. I carry appendix, so the grip length was a non issue for me.

The only reason I sold the 43 for the 43X was because I prefer a longer grip without the mag extensions. This is for three main reasons: 1) The Glock hump on the 43 with TTI base plates is in a really odd place for me, 2) I have pinched my pinky plenty of times when doing reloads at speed and the longer grip eliminates this, and 3) I find the G43 to be too narrow/small of a grip and I was in hopes the 43X would add a little extra to feel different.

To the last point, I do think the 43X larger grip fills the hand better than the 43 did.

If those aren’t things that matter to you, yeah, really no need to ditch the 43 at all.

This was my reasoning as well. I was right. I'm waiting on night sights to arrive (today) and will be at the range with my 43x. I'm not trying to get too excited, but I may have found the perfect carry weapon.

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
I have a G43 w/ Pearce +1 in the gun and Vickers +2 as a reload, so I don't see myself making an immediate switch.

PLEASE keep and eye on your Pearce mag extensions before they fail. I had two blow out on my G19 this past summer while training...the edges cracked and/or sheared off. I dumped two back to back guts ammo and all on the range. Springs and internals went flying. I switched to Taran Tactical baseplates afterwards.

I picked up a 48 today....so far I like it a lot

43 for me is pocket carry, so I won’t get the 43X. The 48 will be nice when I want something thinner, but with a full grip and sight radius

The comparison pictures to the P365 says it all for me. The grip is the hardest part of a pistol to conceal, so going longer (with less capacity) makes absolutely no sense to me.

10 years ago a single stack G19 would've been awesome. Today, not so much, and I love Glocks. Just my $.02 worth

quote:

Originally posted by SIG228:
The comparison pictures to the P365 says it all for me. The grip is the hardest part of a pistol to conceal, so going longer (with less capacity) makes absolutely no sense to me.

10 years ago a single stack G19 would've been awesome. Today, not so much, and I love Glocks. Just my $.02 worth

Grip length may be hardest for you to conceal. For some it’s the width. 1/4” doesn’t seem like much but it can be a big deal for some.

Lol

The 43X and 48 make a lot of sense and it's easy to see why they did it. Take an existing model, the 43, and just change it up in a few minor ways. Get closer to the capacity of the Sig 365 and significantly increase capacity over the current model they're based on. Use the immediate future to allow Glock fans to gobble them up while you take more time to create a new product vs just iterating a current one.

quote:

Originally posted by ah3:
The 43X and 48 make a lot of sense and it's easy to see why they did it. Take an existing model, the 43, and just change it up in a few minor ways. Get closer to the capacity of the Sig 365 and significantly increase capacity over the current model they're based on. Use the immediate future to allow Glock fans to gobble them up while you take more time to create a new product vs just iterating a current one.

No doubt they'll sell a ton of them, it' a Glock. They're just way behind the curve, IMO.

The beauty of Glock to me used to be magazine interchangeability, but they've even lost that. I carried a G26 for years with a G17 mag as a spare (which also worked in my G19, G17 and G34).

If Glock can develop a G43 sized pistol with a 10 - 12 round capacity, then I'll get excited. Until then......snooze

quote:

Originally posted by ah3:
The 43X and 48 make a lot of sense and it's easy to see why they did it. Take an existing model, the 43, and just change it up in a few minor ways. Get closer to the capacity of the Sig 365 and significantly increase capacity over the current model they're based on. Use the immediate future to allow Glock fans to gobble them up while you take more time to create a new product vs just iterating a current one.

I agree that they’ve bought themselves a little time. Oddly enough, they made the gun, they just gave up on the mag.

Thanks for the first hand comparison. I like my 365 for its capacity and width but would swap for the trusted Glock name any day if they were anywhere close to the same capacity.

If someone were to come along with a steel magazine for the 43X, I’d be a buyer.


I’m intrigued by the 48. I love thin guns. I’ll find one to borrow, put a few rounds downrange, and go from there.

Thanks again

quote:

Originally posted by SIG228:
The grip is the hardest part of a pistol to conceal, so going longer (with less capacity) makes absolutely no sense to me.

I have not found this to be the case when carrying AIWB. As long as the holster holds the grip tight to the body I can conceal a full size P220 as easily as a G42.
For me it's the bbl length as it digs into my upper thigh whenever I bend at the waist with anything over a 3.75" length.
The shorter length is also welcome when carrying in an OWB holster under a jacket so the muzzle doesn't protrude.

I took the guns with me to the range today. I put 200 rounds through each gun, 100 rounds through my 365 and 100 rounds through my G19 MOS with an RMR on it.

I focussed mainly on shooting the two guns side by side with the 365.

As one would expect, the 43X feels much more like a full size gun than the 365 does. Having said that, they feel very similar in the recoil department to me. (note, I only shot my 365 with the 12 round mags in it because I don't like the little 10 rounders). Despite the recoil being similar-ish, the Glock is much easier to shoot at speed. There is just no way the Sig can compete with the smaller grip. Given similar grip lengths (that is, if Sig made a longer frame 365), I think the two guns would handle similarly. Also, while not much, the extra sight radius of the 43X is absolutely noticeable when shooting.

I was excited about the 43X because of the grip length and it delivered. It handles much closer to a full-size gun than the 365. For me, that makes the Glock the carry choice even if the Sig had no reports of reliability issues. The Glock does a great job of being small, yet "big." It doesn't feel like a toy gun like the 365 does when you shoot it. I would not take my 365 to a pistol class, but I'd have no issue taking a 43X.

I also shot the 43X and the 48 side by side to determine how they compared. No doubt about it, the 48 shoots softer than the 43X. It's not like the 43X is some uncontrollable beast. It's just that you can tell a difference if you were blindfolded. So yeah, that's all I got, it's noticeable but not a huge deal imo.

I needed to sight in my RMR on the 19, so I took the opportunity to shoot is side by side with the G48. Given the mass of the 19 slide with the RMR was lot higher, and thus slower than a regular 19, I still think it's somewhat relevant. I didn't have my normal 19 with me.

The 19 with the RMR shot noticably softer. Much like the 43X vs the 48, it wasn't world altering, it was just noticalbe. Despite being great shooters, the 43X and 48 are still very slim grips with a slim slide. Not as much meat on the frame and a light slide cycling fast...physics can't be denied.

So, given the perceivable differences, are they good shooters? Absolutely! I will be making the 43X my daily carry. Both guns shoot much bigger than they carry, and that's exactly what I'm looking for. My groups were much better than what I used to do with 43. No matter what I did, I couldn't shoot my 43 as well as my 365, so I sold it. I shoot these guns about the same as my 365 when I shoot slowly, but I can run these guns much faster than my 365.

I didn't get out the shot timer since I was at an indoor range (no transitions). I really think my times will be similar to what I do with my larger guns. All in all, I'm very pleased with the purchases. Glock certainly missed the boat in not making a higher capacity metal mag (I still can't believe the 365 mag fits in these guns), but they nailed the shootablity of these guns.

In some ways I think Glock only made them this tall because they had to get in 10 rounds in their fat polymer mags, but they lucked into a very shootable thin pair of guns. I think now more than every that the market for these sized guns is real. Sig really needs to come out with a full sized grip 365. The current 365 and the 43X really don't compete. It sounds odd, but I think they are two different classes. The 43X is the better gun unless you can't conceal it, then the 365 comes into play.

Now, Mecgar, about those 13-ish round metal mags for these guns.....

quote:

Originally posted by ah3:
Oddly enough, they made the gun, they just gave up on the mag.

I agree a quality metal mag would be nice but I’d way rather have the Glock standard, than a crappy Checkmate mag.