Thursday, March 19, 2015

Good Lord...


…as the ONLY gun person in the entire United States to have NOT been summoned to Smyrna and given 150-10,000 rounds with the G43, I have a few observations based on the "exclusive first looks" at the single stack 9mm that is destined to change not only the world, but possibly the entire universe. Or not.

The G43 compared to the G26:

• The G43 is a single stack version of the venerable G26, except...
• It's shorter, but only by a little itsy bit.
• It's taller, but only by the same little itsy bit
• It's skinnier, by a bunch (okay, by .16 of an inch, the thickness of a couple of quarters and a bit)
• It weighs a bunch less, as much as a full stick of butter, plus maybe a smear
• The mag holds 6 rounds instead of 10, which would be 40% less

The G43 compared to the G42:

• It's a 9mm instead of a .380…do the math yourself

Recoil of the G43 compared to other mini-9mms:

• It is exquisite
• It is less than any other mini-9mm
• It's like the G26
• It is nothing like the G26
• It is more than equivalent mini-9mms (S&W Shield, Ruger LC9, assorted Kahrs, Kimber Solo, Taurus Slim, Springfield XD 9mm, Sig Sauer 938)
• It is less than equivalent mini-9mms
• It is the same as equivalent mini-9mms

The trigger pull of the new Glock 43 is:

• Exactly like a Glock
• Different than any other Glock
• Exactly like squeezing an overripe avocado
• Perfection
• Sucks
• It makes my G26's trigger feel like an Artillery Luger after a month in the trenches

Sales potential of the G43:

• It will sell more than the first iPhone
• It will sell more than Ford Mustang
• It will sell more than the Ruger LCP
• It will sell more than cheese curds at the Wisconsin State Fair
• It will sell more than bids for an auctioned-off dream date with Kaley Cuoco at Comic-Con 2015

The best article on the G43 by yet another person who hasn't shot it yet:

• Mark Keefe @ American Rifleman on why the G43 took so long:
You have to remember, the idea of a small, single-stack pistol was anathema to Glock’s culture. The Glock was built on wide guns regardless of barrel length that fed from Glock's superlative double-column, single-feed magazine. Short and fat, rather than thin and sleek.
The bottom line on the G43:

I was an early adopter of the mini-9mm concept and have routinely carried Ruger, Kahr, Kimber and Taurus mini-9mms over the last few years. As I have said before…and repeatedly…mini-9mms are in fact experts' guns. They all bark, especially with the 9mm self-defense ammunition that has essentially changed the game on carry guns.

I was initially skeptical of the larger sized .380s until I shot the Ruger LC380. Then I "got it"...the larger platform .380s, especially given modern self-defense ammunition, were super easy to shoot, making them ideal guns for the recoil-shy. So the G42 .380 made perfect sense to me…I wasn't surprised at all that it became the best-selling handgun of the year.

The G43 is a welcome addition to the mini-9mm battery. It comes at a time when I'm considering moving away from the single stack 9mm to larger capacity 9mms, because the world is changing, and not for the better. But, as always, you pays your money and yo takes your chances. I will be buying a G43 to try for myself, and so will you...probably...




19 comments:

CR Cobb said...

Thanks and bravo. You stated the exact (LOL) nature of the latest - and any Glock - release: a Glock is a Glock is a block yet slightly different, and that difference is seen as a tectonic shift, because a Glock is a Glock is a block.

Eric said...

How does it compare to the G36, the original Glock single stack? They both hold 6+1, so they have that in common.

JohninMd.(HELP?!??) said...

Nope. No money for a new gat, and quite happy with my 1rst gen G-17, which I've had for 30 yrs. and can count the malfs and fail to feeds on one paw, thank yew vury much.
The only time it did was running some truly scuzzy Egyptian surplus ball that I was scraping the green verdigris off (mostly). If I got another, it would be a 26 I could use my 17 round mags in.

James said...

Huh. My Walther PPS40 holds 7 in single stack and is .9" wide. And the grip angle doesn't suck. I'll hang with it.

Defens said...

I've sold every Glock that I've owned - three of them. If I feel like carrying a mini, I'm perfectly happy with my XDs (.45) or Para PDA (9mm).

As you mentioned, the times are a hanging. My tendency now is to go with higher capacity when outside my immediate neighborhood. I for one have no need for a new mini-Glock, though I could see them being a minor hit.

Anonymous said...

Yep, those Glocks are horrible. So horrible that all of the other gun manufacturers copied them, right down to the striker-firing and trigger design (even with some patent violation-avoiding mods') and polymer frames; just so they can remind us how horrible they are. Glock sold millions to buyers who also wanted to show just how horrible they ARE!

Yet, we start to drool whenever we hear even a rumor that big "G" is about to release another model that will undoubtedly continue the all-be-it sad saga.

Since my son bought a Model 21 and absolutely loves it for what it is, I am looking, nonchalantly of course, at it. Don't get me wrong, I love my Third-Gen stable of Smiths'' and my stable of 1911s, BUT DAMN.....

Could this new Glock BE the "everyday, all-the-time" gun?

We'll all see. ; )

Life Member

David said...

Not for me. Got a G26, got an M&P Shield. Thus I have both single-stack and fatty-fat compact nines, and no need for another single-stack compact nine simply because it starts with a "G".

I'm more interested in the modular capabilities of the Sig P320 at this point.

KevinC said...

BUT GLLLLLOOOOOOOCCCCCKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!

Don't you understand that nobody, and I mean NO-BODY has EVER done a single stack 9mm like this before!?!!?1! This gun is breathtaking in it's audacity: It's a game-changer, it's unlike anything ever made by anywhere at anytime.

Because it says Glock on it. And it's $130 more than its competitors. That alone should settle every argument against it.

And in case it doesn't, did I mention it's a Glock?

Anonymous said...

I've got three Glocks, no interest in this one. I've already filled that need with a LC9s Pro. Shorter, about the same weight, higher capacity and less expensive.

Unknown said...

No not going to buy one! I'm not a Glock fan. I have shot many different models over the years, and they have not impressed me.

Stu Nod said...

That is a very nice copy of the Walther PPS

Anonymous said...

I think it is safe to say that this one won't be recalled as the "Solo", "P290", "XDs" and the "R51". were.

Life Member

Jim said...

I'm holding out for the Glock revolver.

Certainly, it'll be revolutionary, yes? I'm guessing on a square cylinder and a horrible trigger pull on the hybrid double-action, striker firing system.

Oh yeah, and I need to lay off chugging the absinthe, too. The hallucinations though, are epic!



Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX

Unknown said...

Don't see a G43 in my near future. I guess I'm also in the minority of folks who weren't clamoring for a single stack Glock 9mm. Just doesn't fill a roll that's not being already filled in my current battery.

I'm sure Glock will sell all they can make and I hope they do.

Think I'll go shoot some 44 Specials in my Ruger flattop to counter all the Glock single stack 9mm hoopla this week.

Michael Bane said...

Absinthe causes hallucinations? Oh man, so Anna from FROZEN may not be living in my freezer? And th spiders…

mb

TheManWith2FirstName said...

I wonder if Glock will also make a 40S&W to go after the S&W Shield or a 45ACP version to go after the Springfield XDs.

What is really surprising about this whole thing is on the Glock web site. They are now showing the G17L and G24 as in production. This to me is more exciting than the G43. I would love to have a G24 Gen 4.

Anonymous said...

TheManWith2FirstNames,

Glock already has the model 36 single-stack and the 30 and 30s double-stacks. There's no need for any more .45s in those classes. Making models that are only slightly smaller doesn't make much sense to me, at least.

Life Member

Anonymous said...

I have carried a G36 for 12 years or so with time out for a gummit model or a N-frame S&W. I will give the G43 a serious look. It just might be the 9mm I can carry for those times when I can't carry. IYKWIM.

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