Glock 43 Comes Home

[CZ93X62]

Well, yesterday was Cal-DOJ's release date for my slightly-used Glock 43, and I am very happy to have it home. Its principal use will be as a summer carry option, an upgrade in both cartridge power and round capacity from the 5-shot 38 Special (S&W Model 642) that has served in that role for about 3 years now.

The G-43 is a 9 x 19 sub-compact pistol with a single-column magazine form. Standard capacity is 6 rounds in each of the two magazines that come with the pistol. One of the magazines is in OEM form, and it has a finger-hook that enables my big hands to get all three gripping digits comfortably placed on the pistol's butt. The single column mag form enables a significantly smaller cross-section, and this pistol in OEM form fits my hand WONDERFULLY--perfectly.

The 2nd magazine as an aftermarket "+1" floorplate/extension that I have not seen previously--maker marking is "HYVE". Given the pistol design's relatively limited capacity, I like the idea of the +1 floorplate for my uses, and this HYVE unit feels as good or better than the extension on the OEM-form mag. Naturally, I can't leave well enough alone--I ordered a third OEM magazine and a couple of the Pearce +1 baseplates with their extension hooks for the best load-out possible with this bitty 9mm.

Overall size and weight.......reminds me a lot of my East German Makarov, but a couple ounces lighter when both are full up. Like the Mak, it feels like a PPK/S with a gym membership and a steroids 'scrip. What I like most--unlike my Glock 29, this sub-compact pistol feels like there is enough grip to hold onto when fired. The G-29 with Silvertips on board is quite a ride. Pearce base plates with finger-hook help quite a bit, but OEM mags are not enough gripping surface for my comfort. This single-column form does away entirely with the typical Glock complaint that the pistols fell like you're holding a 12 oz. beer can while firing the pistol.

I really like this little critter.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

Congratulations on your new acquisition.

The Glock Model 43 pistols are popular in my neck of the woods. Glock FINALLY produced a single stack, sub-compact pistol chambered in 9mm; I think they lost about 15+ years of potential sales but better late than never.

I’ve said it before and I’ll repeat it here, the introduction of truly small, locked-breach pistols chambered in 9mm is a game changer.

 

[Ian]

Is the slide narrower than a G17?

 

[CZ93X62]

It looks and feels narrower, but I haven't hauled out Melissa's G-19 or my G-23 to caliper-compare them yet. It has a pretty healthy recoil spring, perhaps to offset lesser slide mass. The slide is still blockish and squared, which potentially can add slide mass but is my own stumbling block to easy concealment and calls for Glock-specific holsters instead of my usual run of "generics" for carry.

 

[Brad]

I believe it is roughly .2” slimmer in the slide.

 

[Ian]

That's good. I have difficulty justifying a 6-7 shot 9mm automatic over a 5-shot .38 Special +P revolver, but difference of opinion make good horseracing and the auto can sure be reloaded faster by the average non-Miculek types.

 

[CZ93X62]

"Horse racing", indeed. With the +1 magazines, I start out with 8 rounds ready and 7 more x 2 in a pocket. As always, ammo choices in 9mm make a HUGE difference, and I run 124-125 grain JHPs at +P pressures, AKA Euro CIP standards. Once that is established, the 38 five-shot and the Makarov are both bested. I am no Miculek, either.

 

[Winelover]

Majority of the time, a 642 is in my pocket with a extra speed strip. Revolver is a better choice for snake loads. However, I do own sub compact semi's. The Kahr CM-9 offers 7,8 & 9 round options, depending on magazine chosen. Rarely, do I carry an extra magazine for a semi..................weight is a prime consideration when you carry all day long. You're in deep doo-doo if more than a couple of rounds is needed.

 

[CZ93X62]

My sitch might differ from those of other folks, FWIW. Since retirement in June 2005, I have been presented with direct threats requiring a firearm to be deployed. In two of those instances, there were two actors; in the most recent, it was a one-actor engagement in Feb. 2019. This most recent event came the closest to "going kinetic", the ATM robber came after Marie and stopped about 8 yards short when I pointed the Glock 23 at his head. "The Harmless Homeless", mi nalgas.

These little vignettes happen just often enough that I always go heeled. Mind you, I don't go out looking for trouble--given my career experience, I use that experience to help avoid such encounters. The Feb. 2019 event broke one of my cardinal rules--NEVER visit any walk-up ATM in hours of darkness. Marie INSISTED upon getting out cash at 7:30 P.M. for some purpose, though--and luckily enough she saw the dude hiding behind a support beam as she walked up. When she retreated, he came out after her. She ran to our Jeep's far side/driver's side, I told her to start it. I positioned myself at the right rear of the Jeep between Marie and the goblin. He came directly toward me and at about 10 yards away I pointed the pistol at his head and said "STOP!" He did. He looked around for a few seconds, and the parking lot's construction left him no way past or around me except to reverse out the way he approached. He never took his hands out of his coat pockets the whole time, despite me telling him to "SHOW ME YOUR HANDS!" several times. Even at gunpoint, and marginally close to getting shot, crooks will not comply with citizens or cops. A GOBLIN WILL ATTEMPT TO PRESERVE EVERY ADVANTAGE THROUGHOUT CONTACT. It is this non-compliance/advantage preservation bit that gets these social pariahs shot by cops and citizens. I had this hairball dead to rights, and he knew it. He sauntered off, backing out and circling away to our left and went out of view.

In August 2018, Marie and I were watching the Perseid Meteors just after midnight about 6 miles north of the Joshua Tree NP south boundary along Cottonwood Road. Zero traffic, as you might imagine. We saw a white Ford F-series pickup with a camper shell come toward us northbound on Cottonwood, slow down to about 10 MPH (55 MPH zone) then continue northbound. A few minutes later, this same truck came back and parked about 80 feet north of us. "Honey, start the Jeep". There were two tall occupants in the truck cab. The moment I saw the cab light come on as the driver door opened, I told Marie "PUNCH IT!" and we hauled ass outta there. I have no idea what those fools were selling, but we weren't interested. They didn't come after us. No arms deployment required this time, but we both had pistols on our hips in the event of need. My guess? Likely a dope/money switch that we weren't a part of. Crooks make mistakes, too.

March 2007, Marie and I are in our week-old Dodge 1500 4 x 4 dirt-roading north of Silverwood Lake in the San Bernardino National Forest. We drive past two occupied pickup trucks, their drivers behind the wheels of both conversing, driver's window to driver's window. As we drive past eastbound, I see the truck that was parked facing west start backing rapidly and fell in behind us--still backing. He had enough room to turn around where he was parked, too. Most curious. He continued following us, still backing up, for close to a mile, trying to get closer. I just sped up, and he had trouble keeping up. "Marie, get out the Mini-14". As soon as that rifle came into view through my truck's rear window, I saw brake lights and the Backing Up Bandito(s) went shopping elsewhere. Meth freaks do weird stuff.

So, downtown in cities or out in The Sticks, goblins are everywhere. Idiot-wind bail reforms and brain-dead criminal coddling not only increases their numbers at large among us, but also incentivizes them to continue and expand their depredations. Small wonder that firearms sales are through the roof. Those of us who carry in public owe our fellow citizens the responsibility to carry safely, conscientiously, lawfully, and effectively. If push comes to SHOVE, and a goblin insists upon exchanging finality--have the means to END THAT PREDATOR. A 5-shot 2" 38 Special that is difficult to refill falls short of that standard, in my view. Its best use is as a back-up to a main carry sidearm.

OF COURSE I'm biased as h--l. That comes with the territory.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

I think we've all encountered people that mistakenly believe that criminals only exist in densely populated areas.
How many times have we heard, " but I live in the country" or "I live in a suburb", or "This isn't a big city"?
There was a time when I would explain to naïve twits that criminal behavior isn't a function of population. Now I just say, "good luck with that attitude".
Small communities, even very rural areas, have the EXACT same murderers, rapist, thieves, drug dealers, etc., as big cities. Those areas may have smaller overall numbers of criminals simply because the total population is smaller, but they have the exact same TYPES of criminals. I've actually had liberals vigorously argue that murderers, rapist and thieves could not possibly exist in rural settings. (Yes, they are that dumb).
While it may be true that the odds of encountering a bad person are smaller in rural settings (because the odds of meeting ANY persons are smaller), that doesn't mean bad people only exist in big cities. In fact, criminals may actually prefer to operate in sparsely populated areas because there are fewer witnesses, fewer good citizens and fewer law enforcement officers; simply because there are fewer people overall in rural areas. We just saw a national story about a sociopath named Brian Laundrie that killed his girlfriend Gabrielle Petito in Wyoming.

Humans can be civilized and honorable, but humans are absolutely not innately civilized and honorable. Those traits are not inherent, and they require some outside force to instill in people. At their very core, humans are animals. I have seen the very worst in my fellow humans and I truly believe there are far more bad people in our society than the idealistic twits want to admit. Knowing this, I operate accordingly.

 

[CZ93X62]

When I started cop work in Indio (early 1978) my agency had a total of 250 sworn personnel. About 40% of that number worked in patrol and investigations venues, others were admin staff, corrections-assigned or bailiffed the Superior Courts. Riverside County is 7,200 square miles, and at that time more than 90% of it was our turf. We were kind of thin on the ground, and deputy-involved shootings were rather rare--mostly because we seldom were on scene when bad things took place. The Norco Bank Robbery took place in May 1980, and IIRC the next DIS was mine in Desert Hot Springs in Aug. 1981.

As a function of numbers (per P & P's statement), my shop has almost 2 DIS per month these days. In 2022, we cover about 80% of those 7,200 sq. mi. now, and we have about 1250 sworn personnel these days--40% are outside playing, but the land space they occupy is a bit smaller--so it is far more likely that bad guys are getting caught in-progress or fleeing from a crime scene. Population was almost tripled in the past 40 years, too. More people = more bad guys, like P & P says. More DIS = more ticked-off compassion fascists. One other thing--LOTS MORE citizen CCW permits being issued these days, too.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

I believe there are two factors that have altered the landscape in terms of crime, and they are not factors people typically think of.
The widespread existence of cell phones and the increase of concealed carry permits.
It's difficult for some people today to grasp the concept of a world without cell phones, but it wasn't that long ago that cell phones were rare. Cellphones existed in the late 1980's and early 90's but they were far from common. In those days the ability for citizens to immediately report crimes only existed if they were near a landline. The ability to report the current location of a suspect in a vehicle, in real time, was also exceedingly rare.
The other change was the increase in concealed carry licenses. I remember when Florida became one of the first of the larger states to become a "shall issue" state. The anti-gun crowd wailed that Florida would become a bloody land of lawless people. The opposite occurred and violent crime actually went down. Criminals had to worry about their victims being armed. Many states followed and concealed carry became far more common.

Obviously, there were countless other factors, including tougher legislation, a shift in funding and other factors. The landscape is always changing but bad people will always exist.