Excellent information, thank you. I wouldn't worry about drifting the thread.

My Vickers slide stop arrived early and I am not encouraged it will correct the issue. The follower tab seems to be the same shape and dimensions of the factory stop. I had intended to try shooting the pistol before taking it to Glock, but I think I'll let them first take a look at it.

I have no problem taking a Dremel to a Glock slide stop lever, since they cost just a few dollars. If the premature locking occurs still with the Vickers part, perhaps I'll use it to experiment.

Ran another 65 rounds through my G43 today. 2 mags worth of Federal 124gr Hydra Shoks which functioned flawless. All the other rounds went bang as well. Right now I'm at about 130 rounds total through my G43 with no slide lock issues.

As for someone who mentioned the G42 being made in the US, there is a reason for that. Glock cannot import them due to the "points" system. (which is very similar to the 922r compliance) being a .380 they score a whopping 3 points versus a 9MM or larger which scores 10 (IIRC)

I paid a visit to Glock this morning.

You guys waiting to buy a G43- you'll be pleased to hear that you have a green light. According to the technician who examined my G43, they couldn't make it malfunction in any way. He shot 210 rounds. You heard me correctly. He shot Federal ball ammo and a substantial number of my standard 9mm load, the Speer GD 124 grain +P. He shot it strong hand, weak hand, one handed, two handed. He shot it limp-wristed. He shot it with a death grip. Feed, fire, extract, eject, 210 times.

I say the following without the slightest sarcasm- It's apparent the problem is me, not the pistol. I have to be slide-locking it with my thumb during recoil. The reason I was able to fire a hundred rounds of Federal fmj ammo through the pistol without a hitch is because it's standard pressure ammunition. The snappier recoil of the higher pressure ammo is causing my thumb to hit the lever.

It's funny- when I got back to the security gate, I was talking to one of the guards about the pistol. He'd asked me on the way in how I liked it and I told him I'd let hem know. The guard seated at the computer heard me and said he had heard a tech was really wring out a customer's hand gun. They must have a group IM chat going. Kinda funny that he knew about it, but this lends credence to the tech's claim of how much he shot the pistol.

I don't get it. I would say I have average size hands, perhaps just a bit larger. I'm using a thumb down grip on the pistol, and this positions the knuckle of my thumb close to the slide stop lever. I'll probably shoot it a bit more tomorrow.

So, go buy your G43, gents. You're all set.

I'm glad to hear that Para. I have mine on order and am looking forward to replacing my S&W BG 380 for summer carry. I have even ordered sights, holster, and Taran Tactical +2's.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Excellent information, thank you. I wouldn't worry about drifting the thread.

My Vickers slide stop arrived early and I am not encouraged it will correct the issue. The follower tab seems to be the same shape and dimensions of the factory stop. I had intended to try shooting the pistol before taking it to Glock, but I think I'll let them first take a look at it.

I have no problem taking a Dremel to a Glock slide stop lever, since they cost just a few dollars. If the premature locking occurs still with the Vickers part, perhaps I'll use it to experiment.

Thanks for the update, I've been anxious to get one, this was the one holdup. I'm going to one pops up on the used market, can't find them locally.

Outstanding, good for Glock and your humility is to be applauded. I say two big thumbs up (pun intended) for Glock and Para! MG

Oh, crap, you've taken away the last excuse for me not buying one.

Well, I do have another excuse, I haven't seen one yet.

Thanks for being upfront with the cure/problem.
Many wouldn't have

Thanks for the update, para. I just went and filled out the paperwork for mine today at my FFL (have to wait the two days here to pick it up ) and now I'm actually looking forward to getting it. It felt really good in the hand, and I was really impressed with how thin it is.

Damn. Guess I have no excuse now.


Let's just pull up the work schedule and find some overtime to work....

Good to hear you've got it figured out Para. I had the opposite results with the G43 that I rented. My thumb would lay on the slide stop, preventing the slide from locking back after the last round. This hasn't happened with any of my other Glocks.

300 rounds Fiocchi 115gr FMJ
20 rounds Speer Gold Dot 124gr JHP +P
20 rounds Federal Hydra Shock 124gr JHP HST

Absolutely no problems what so ever. The G43 has now become my favorite EDC.

G42 is a close second.

Just left Chucks gun shop in Dolton, Il. Father Phleger was up there protesting with Jesse Jackson. I was talking to John Riggio about the .380 Glock. It was nice, but here showed me Glock 43 . Nnnnnnnnnice , he gave me a couple rounds to try it out .Long story short Father Phleger and Jesse Jackson were responsible for getting another gun on the streets of Chicago!

Glad to hear the problem is most likely solved. I had just talked to a friend of mine who is an instructor at a large agency. He is a Glock fanatic and owns two of the 43s. When I read this thread I contacted him to ask if he's had any issues,...knowing he shoots a lot and quite a bit is +P and +P+ ammo, which is what he carries for self defense. He told me he's had absolutely no problems out of either gun regardless of ammo. Again, glad it's been addressed and hopefully all works out.

Back to the range today. I have four magazines, so I loaded them up each with Speer GD 124 grain +P. Being careful to keep my thumb well clear of the slide release, I successfully fired all four magazines without issue.
I then reloaded the magazines with Winchester Q4318. This is Winchester's NATO load; 124 grain fmj loaded to +P level. It has more snap than the Federal AE9AP I was shot previously, and comes close to mimicking my carry load, the Speer GD.

I assumed my normal firing grip and the pistol slide locked after the first shot. I then modified my grip to keep my thumb well clear of the slide release. I fired the remaining 23 rounds without another premature slide lock. Although I would want to do more shooting to be sure, I think it's fairly apparent I am manually locking the pistol with my thumb.

A Glock slide release lever is 9 bucks. I could buy one or more and play with altered shapes of the thumb pad on the slide release lever.

but...

To keep things interesting, I had a malfunction with this pistol today. The last round out of the third of four magazines of the Q4318- this round, in feeding out of the magazine, ended up with its nose against the roof of the chamber hood.

So, I've identified an issue which makes me focus on my grip and for which I will have to make modifications of the pistol, and I probably will make efforts to get this thing to run, but I can't trust it, not right now anyway.

I have a feeling once the G43 becomes more widely available, we'll start hearing my lament from others. I can't be the only shooter with this issue.

It just doesn't appear to be in the cards for me. All of this has really given me a new appreciation for the G26. Today, I took my G26 and a G17 and G19 to the range with the G43, all 1990s production pistols. I fired the same ammo- Gold Dots and the Q4318 out of all these pistols and they ate it up.

We'll see what happens, but right now, I'll rely on the old guard.

The wider grip on the G26, G17, G19 give you a different hold than on the G43. The wider grip also reduces felt recoil. More time with the G43 will most likely stop all malfunctions.

Para, try a new (different) recoil spring.

It is a part I always replace trying to solve puzzling malfunctions.

Even new springs may fail or not be up to par.

Picked up a "Born On" 5/22/2015 G43 yesterday (Saturday) and will shoot it today. I really like how this little guy feels, just like his bigger brothers. I have great hopes for this pistol but I do see how it would be very easy to ride the Slide Stop and effect its operation. Will have to pay attention to my hold and see how it works for me. If it shoots half as good as it feels, this will definitely be worth the wait.

And Para, as always your honesty speaks volumes for this great web site. Good on you Sir!

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Oh, I intend to. A trip to Glock is happening very shortly, and I should get my Vickers slide stop this Saturday. I'll be test-firing the pistol again probably on Saturday.

Cheyenne's photo on the previous page makes me wonder if the magazines are the real issue. If the feed lips of the magazine are such that they allow the top cartridge in the magazine to be canted by the ejector, which is then pushing the bullet into the slide stop, then G43 owners may be looking at a mag modification by Glock before too long. Also, I wonder if relieving the underside of the ejector ever so slightly might be beneficial.

Para, glad to hear that the G-43 is working for you when you take pains to keep your Thumb clear of the Slide Stop Lever...I am still aghast that the Ejector seems to be able to "Bump" the top round in the Magazine enough for it to be "Canted" like the Pic shows--THAT cannot be good...

Unfortunately, it appears to me that Glock continues to have numerous Problems with early-production examples of their new products--I had high hopes that they might have actually LEARNED SOMETHING from the very bumpy introduction of the Gen4 Pistols, but that does not seem to be the case... ....mikey357

I was an early adopter of the S&W Shield and so was my wife. We each have one and like them a lot, but have always been Glock fans so we were very interested when the G43 came out. We went to a local range and rented one to try it and quickly renewed our love of the Shield. To us, the G43 felt MUCH snappier than the Shield. I realize it is a bit lighter and a bit smaller but after shooting the G43, we both decided to just keep our Shields and not make that purchase. We are still big Glock fans. In fact, after that range session, my wife bought a Gen4 G17 and I'm about to buy a Gen4 G34 in the near future. I guess we just prefer Glock's bigger models.

Ours is new with only 100 rounds down range. We shot a bit of white box hard ball, some Federal Personal Defense JHP's; and some G2 Systems Radically Invasive Projectile (RIP) ordnance, the latter tested because of the shape of the projectile. All flawless. It is an excellent shooter and the recoil is noticeable but not unduly harsh. It hides and Carrie as well or better than anything we have tried. We have carried a G36 for years, but have begun working the G43 into our carry rotation.

We trudge on.