Glock 42 vs 43?

Cooldill said:

Does the G42 conceal a lot easier? Is the G43 better?

Click to expand...

Yes, and yes.

In shorts and flip-flops, I go with the 380. Everywhere else I try to stick to 9mm.

I would recommend the G43, 9mm cause its not 380. The 9mm has more power, a better selection of ammo, and less expensive ammo. Sure the 43 is slightly larger, but still very concealable. That said, for CCW I prefer the S&W shield to the 43, it just feels better to me. In another post, I described how the 42 and 43 are the only Glocks that I don't care for.

Cooldill said:

How much bigger is the G42 vs G42?

Click to expand...

https://us.glock.com/products/compare?g1=g42&g2=g43&g3=&g4=

I can't envision a Glock 43 being too big to conceal IWB in "summer attire".

I have a Glock 42 and it quickly ceased to be a perfered CCW. It's size and terrible trigger worked to together to create a gun that I could not stay on the target with.

It consistently shot left. I adjusted my sights and tried a recommended grip method. It didn't matter what I did, the shots went left. I switched to the Kimber Micro and I am back to hitting centre every time.

As is always recommended, try to see if you can get access to one of the two you are looking at before buying. I definitely recommend the .380 1911 style (Colt, Sig, Kimber) over the small Glock. The disadvantage is that condition one in the 1911 style pistols is more disconcerting and they must be in a proper holster.

I have both the G42 and G43. I have medium sized hands and love how the G42 feels in my hands. Although I don't carry often, the G42 is my choice because I like to pocket carry the G42. With the right ammunition, the G42 has adequate stopping power. The G43 is a little large for me to pocket carry. I've added Pearce +1 magazine extensions to both and the extension really helps the feel of the pistols in my hands. I've added 3.5# connectors to all my Glocks and that improves the trigger. Both shoot great! The top left one is my G42, bottom left is my G43, and my G19 and G17 are on the right.

I bought a 43 for my daughter. I wonder if she'll ever get it???

jonnyc said:

I bought a 43 for my daughter. I wonder if she'll ever get it???

Click to expand...

Yeah ... I had the same situation with the G42 that I bought for my niece in Aug'16 ...

... I finally had to buy a 2nd one to give her this past Christmas.

My hands are too big for the 42, but I can shoot the 43 quite well with an extended magazine. I carry it OWB. To me it seems too large to be a true pocket pistol. Something like an LCP is what I can carry comfortably in a normal pocket.

I carry the Glock 43 all day in front pocket of Cabelas Hiker pants and/or Wrangler loose fit cargo pants, shirt untucked.
Carried in weak hand pocket, the 43 is a 2nd option to a larger pistol IWB.

I settled on the G42. But I already had a G26 and the G43 is not enough smaller to bother with. If you are really worried about concealment and carry and don't care about the caliber get the G42. It is a sweet shooter with next to no recoil. Very accurate, ridiculously accurate considering its size. I don't think the numbers really reflect the size difference either. There is a tipping point right between those numbers.

Cooldill said:

Guys I'm looking for a hot weather CCW option for IWB carry.

How much bigger is the G42 vs G42? I'm worried the G43 will be too big for me to conceal on my person. I am not a large man. Does the G42 conceal a lot easier? Is the G43 better?

HELP!!!

Click to expand...

Both can be concealed in the waist pretty easy, but the 42 can also be pocket carried in hot weather if you buy the right cargo shorts.

The 43 makes no sense too me. They made it too big. There are a ton of other pistols the same size, and it's capacity sucks too. Most people that don't have a dog in the fight or any loyalty to Glock will tell you that the S&W shield beats the breaks off the Glock 43 in almost every way. Had they made the 43 the same size as the 42 and the 42 the same size as other micro 380s, Glock would have made a bazillion dollars IMO.

All that wait for a couple mediocre pistols SMH. For what it's worth, my wife caries a 42 in her fanny pack. She seems to like it. Me, not so much.

FL-NC said:

I would recommend the G43, 9mm cause its not 380. The 9mm has more power, a better selection of ammo, and less expensive ammo. Sure the 43 is slightly larger, but still very concealable. That said, for CCW I prefer the S&W shield to the 43, it just feels better to me. In another post, I described how the 42 and 43 are the only Glocks that I don't care for.

Click to expand...

I'm opposite. The 42 and 43 are the only blocks that interest me because they aren't obnoxiously fat gripped with a weird angle. I agree though 380 vs 9. My wife has a 42 and it is an incredible gun for what it is. She kills golf balls to 15 yards every shot, 30 yards about 1/2 of the time.

Cooldill said:

Guys I'm looking for a hot weather CCW option for IWB carry.

How much bigger is the G42 vs G42? I'm worried the G43 will be too big for me to conceal on my person. I am not a large man. Does the G42 conceal a lot easier? Is the G43 better?

Click to expand...

In my experience, IWB you will be fine with G43, so just do that. The ammo is way cheaper, so you can practice more.

The G42 is friendlier for carrying in confined places like purses and pockets. In fact, I wish it were even smaller. I have one place where it only fits in a special holster, but not in the preferred kydex holster (and the G43 is completely out of question there).

Still, if I went IWB, I'd give a good look to Walter PPS or perhaps other single-stacks, like Kahr CW9. The only good competitor for G42 is LCP II (IMHO only). But G43 is in a class where you have very many excellent choices.

Both are able to fit in a pocket.



To me the 42 felt too small. Then again I have large hands. When drawing it I had to adjust it in my hand.

The 43 felt slightly better.

I went with a Walther PPS M1/Original.

To me the 42 felt too small. Then again I have large hands. When drawing it I had to adjust it in my hand.

The 43 felt slightly better.

I went with a Walther PPS M1/Original.[/QUOTE]
You must be a pretty big guy if you can comfortably stuff a glock 43 in a pants pocket. The 42 is too big to be a legitimate pocket pistol. I can put it in a loose fitting cargo pants or shorts pocket if they're deep enough, but a the 42 is HUGE compared to actual pocket guns.

42

The difference between the 2 is very little. The 43 is marginal to pocket carry (some can/some cant) so advantage to the 42. But, the 42 is on the large side for pocket also. The 43 is on the snappy side where the 42 is not. I dont see the size difference mattering if you plan on carrying iwb or owb.

bangbang01 said:

View attachment 774077
You must be a pretty big guy if you can comfortably stuff a glock 43 in a pants pocket. The 42 is too big to be a legitimate pocket pistol. I can put it in a loose fitting cargo pants or shorts pocket if they're deep enough, but a the 42 is HUGE compared to actual pocket guns.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm a pretty big guy I guess. 6'3 in bare feet.

I'm not doing it in skinny jeans though.

Here's with that Walther PPS when I first got it. Same sized pistol as the G43.



Completely doable if the pants aren't tight. Those are Carharts.

Browning said:

Yeah, I'm a pretty big guy I guess. 6'3 in bare feet.

I'm not doing it in skinny jeans though.

Here's with that Walther PPS when I first got it. Same sized pistol as the G43.



Completely doable if the pants aren't tight. Those are Carharts.

Click to expand...

Makes sense. I'm 5' 9" 170lbs. The Glock 42 is as big as a pocket gun as it gets for a guy my size.

My step brother is 6'6" 330lbs. He's not sloppy fat either. He was a division 1 offensive lineman in college. Anyways, He pocket carries a 3" Ruger sp01 357 in cargo pants lol.

I'm really interested in the colt mustang right now. I think that's a gun that I could pocket carry with the right holster, and from what I've been told it's a great shooter.

I'm 5'9" and about 140 lbs. I have pocket carried the Glock 43, an XDS, Kimber k6s, j frames and LCRs and the LC9S. With the right pants those are all very pocketable, with the weight of some being the limiting factor. Cabelas 7 pocket hiking pants will conceal most anything in the pocket due to the way the pockets are built.

For the OP, I would think the 43 would conceal perfectly fine for IWB summer carry. If going to 380, I'd personally opt for something in the LCP size. Good luck.

Cooldill said:

Guys I'm looking for a hot weather CCW option for IWB carry.

How much bigger is the G42 vs G42? I'm worried the G43 will be too big for me to conceal on my person. I am not a large man. Does the G42 conceal a lot easier? Is the G43 better?

HELP!!!

Click to expand...

I am really curious as to how big you are. I am 5'10" and about 170 lbs and conceal carry a Glock 23 IWB in a Crossbreed Super tuck at least 12 hours a day, winter and summer, in jeans and a t-shirt or shorts and a t-shirt. I got rid of my LCP when I realized there really wasn't a situation where I could not carry a much more powerful and easy to use gun. Occasionally I consider buying a G42 or 43 but that is mostly because I want a miniature Glock, not because I actually have a need for them.

What do you normally carry?

I felt the G42 was just WAAY to big to be in 380. If you want 380 there are lots of smaller options. Glock had to make it much bigger than necessary to be able to import the gun. I went with the G43 and had no trouble at all carrying it concealed IWB. Of course I already had a Kel-Tec P3AT which is much smaller than the G42.

FWIW, I tried one of the Ruger LC9s pistols and liked it enough better that I sold the G43. The grip on the Ruger is a hair longer to fit in 1 more round, but feels thinner. I shot it much better though.

jmr40 said:

I felt the G42 was just WAAY to big to be in 380. If you want 380 there are lots of smaller options. Glock had to make it much bigger than necessary to be able to import the gun . . .

Click to expand...

The Glock 42 isn't imported. It is made in the USA, as I recall, in Smyrna, Georgia.