Glock 23 Magazine 43: A Quintessential Back Up
I never knew if the supply creates the demand, or vice versa. The truth is that in recent years the public consumer of handguns in the United States has turned to the acquisition of ultra-compact models. And this trend led to a proliferation of small semi-automatic pistols. There were always compact versions of the full size, but they were no more than linked here mere cuts from the larger version (one or two inches less barrel and a couple of cartridges less in the magazine), which resulted in a chubby girl that was sometimes uncomfortable to hold. and generally as conspicuous as the other to wear. The .380 Auto caliber was the one chosen for the smallest ones, and so it was that the Ruger with its LCP gave a commercial hit all over the world. glock 23 magazine did not want to be less and launched its G 42 model chambered for that popular cartridge.
But… the 9x17, 9mm short or .380 ACP — whatever you prefer to call it — is considered in the lower range of calibers suitable for defense. It maintains great popularity in some countries where it is the maximum allowed for civilians, to be used in semi-auto pistols, which does not happen in other parts of the world. So factories set out to design and produce subcompacts in the most powerful and effective 9x19. In order not to fall into the chubby versions, the most famous brands of weapons regress and return — as in the 1940s — to use single-row magazines. Among others, Walther, Smith & Wesson, Ruger, Bersa and even Remington (with a revival of their 1917 Model 51) are introducing compact 9x19 caliber pistols with single-row magazines,
The evolution
Glock had a major commercial success (and they go…) with the Model 26, a subcompact in caliber 9x19 but… chubby. Following the market trend, at the same time it presents its G 42 in caliber .380 Auto and single row charger. It was already inevitable to offer a slim line in caliber 9x19 and the G 43 is born. If we analyze the brands in this segment, we will see that the Austrian took considerable time to enter it. According to expert Massad Ayoob — one of the first guns writers to test the G 43 directly at the glock 23 magazine plant in Georgia — it is because they went to great lengths to launch the best possible product. Will be? The first thing that stands out about the G 43 when you see it is that it is… a Glock. And yes, let’s agree that they are all the same: in materials, system, design, shape … only their size and caliber varies.
Perhaps what Massad Ayoob affirmed — about the reason for the time they took — is not so far-fetched. I feel a slight difference in the trigger, a firmer support after pressing it in its first half of the trip, and a sharper exhaust … less rubbery than in other models of the brand. And this detail helped to achieve very good groupings on the target. For the issue of the grip, which can be uncomfortable for those who do not have small hands –as is the case with any subcompact–, a second charger equipped with a finger or pinky pad was used. Solution that Walther adopted for its PP and PPK models already in the 1930s. Old solution, but effective. Despite its caliber, the G 43 is fully controllable while shooting, accurate and reliable. This last characteristic is fundamental
