FOG HORN2015 Twobirds Flying Publication Copyright 2015, Towbirds Flying Publication. All Rights Reserved. GLOCK-43 GLOCK-43 - Last to market is not always in last place. 2015 Copyright 2015, Twobirds Flying Publication, All Rights Reserved GLOCK-43 - Late to market is not always last place. By: Sal Palma Abusinessstrategythatworksitselfinto BusinessSchoolcurriculaisthatbeinglastto marketisnotalwaysabadthing.Thisis especiallytruewhenyourcompanyisaglobal leaderinthemanufactureandsaleofhigh performance firearms, Glock Inc. Nationally,theincreasingnumberofconceal carrygunownersisbeing servedbya veritable cornucopiaofsubcompactsinglestackpistol offerings, first in .380 ACP then followed by the morepotent9mmcaliber,fromanumberof manufacturers.Glock,Inc.hasthedistinction ofbeinglasttomarketwithitsGlock42 chamberedin.380ACPandmorerecentlyits 9mmcounterpart,theGlock43.Thebusiness challenge,as an executive,is howdo you place a new offering in a spacethats inundated with competingproduct?IfyoureGlock,youwait until the dust settles then show the world what theyvebeenmissing.Hence,thewildly successfulGlock42,whichbythewaywas available in the EU long before entering the U.S. market. So, what awaits the Glock 43? Toanswerthatquestion,Ijumpedatthe opportunitytogetacloseuplookatGlocks newestofferingtheenthusiasticallyawaited Glock 43 in a single stack 9mm form factor. My reviewwillincludetalkingpointsandrange time observations but before jumping into that I wanttopassalongsomeofmyviewstoreveal my thought process. First,letskeepinmindthatafirearm,likea handtool,isdesignedwithaspecific philosophyofuse1.Forexample,you wouldntuseasledgehammertodrivea finishingnail.So,consistentwiththatidea,I continuebysayingthatboththeGlock42and Glock43arenicheguns.Theywerespecifically designedforconcealcarry,andbynecessity offerasmallerframesizeandmagazine capacity. Mypositiononconcealcarryandmagazine capacity is simply thisIndividuals,whenconfrontedbyanassailant, haveonlyoneobjectiveandthatistoBREAK CONTACT. This is accomplished by neutralizing thethreatthroughincapacitation,orcausing thethreattoretreatandexit.Visionsof firefightswhilechasingabadguydownthe streetarepieintheskyandwillgetyouin trouble.Therefore,aconcealcarrydefensive scenariodoesnotrequire a 13 round magazine capacity so why carry the extra size and weight. Whatsimportantisthatyoureabletodeploy andengagereliablyconsistently,bothofwhich areaccomplishedthroughsimplicityofuse, weaponreliabilityandusertraining.So,it followsthatmyprincipalconsiderationwhen

1 Borrowed from NUTNFANCY GLOCK-43 - Last to market is not always in last place. 2015 Copyright 2015, Twobirds Flying Publication, All Rights Reserved qualifying the suitability of a conceal carry pistol issimplicityofuseandreliability.Anegativein any of the two categories translates to a NO-GO decision for this guy! Before moving on, I want it to be clear that I do notsupportlimitsonmagazinecapacities; however,Imafirmbelieverinusingtheright tool for the job and the Glock-43 in my opinion istheperfectconcealcarrypistolevenwithits six round magazine. LikeallGlockpistolsthe43hasnoexterior hindrances.Edgesarerounded,andyou wont findsafetyleversandslidelocksthatcouldget caughtduringaweapondraw;eventhe magazine release is rounded making draws very smooth from a credible holster. One departure from the typical Glock persona is the aggressive beaver tail which is in feel and looksakintothevenerable1911.Thisfeature, alongwithitsslidelengthof5.96inchesgives theGlock43anexcellentpurchase.Thestrong handsitshighonthepistolsocorrespondingly thepistolpointsverywell.Whencomparedto competingsinglestack9mmofferings,the Glock 43s slightly longer slide, as marginal as it isinsomecases,givesthe43alargeframe feel. Outofthebox,Ifiredatotalof50rounds consistingof115grFMJball,124grFMJball, 124grFederalHydra-Shokand147grsubsonic with zero failures to eject, zero failures to feed, zerolightstrikesandzerostovepipes.Glocks global reputation for reliability isevident in the Glock43asitisinallofthecompanys outstanding pistols. Shootingthissubcompact9mmwasenjoyable and surprising. I was expecting a snappy gun but itwasnotmuchheavierthana.380ACP;I attributeitsmildmannertothelargerand heavierslidealongwithitsdualrecoilspring assembly. Glockuseshexagonalriflinginitsbarrels accountingforthepistolsaccuracy.TheGlock 43isnodifferentandfeaturesa1:9.84twist. Duringthefiringsession,Iexperiencedno stabilityissueswitheverythingfrom115grto 147grbullets,the43performedflawlessly.No key holes at any range. The Glock 43 trigger is a little heavy at around 7 lbs.withasmallamountofslackandashort reset.Glocksteeredawayfromthegimmicky SA/DAdesignspioneeredbyTaurus.The conceptbehindtheSA/DAiscenteredona singleactionstrikerfiredpistol,butifyou happentoencounterahardprimer,youcan squeezethetriggeragainratherthanclearing the chamber. GLOCK-43 - Last to market is not always in last place. 2015 Copyright 2015, Twobirds Flying Publication, All Rights Reserved The Glock 43 is not a target pistol by any stretch anditsrelativelyshortsightradiusof5.20 inchesisalimitingfactor.Ifyoupickoneup,I stronglysuggestthatyouconsiderinstallinga MeprolightorTrijiconnightsightanddiscard thefactoryplasticset.Thestandardsightsare adequate but the 43 deserves and benefits from better sights. IweighedtheGlock43emptyandloadedwith 6+1of115grball.Empty, thepistolcameinat 16.39 ounces and 19.01 ounces loaded. So, its a comfortablepistoltocarryforextended periods; of course, youll want toa quality IWB holster for the 43. AllofstandardGlockcritiquesapplytothe43. Yes, if you carry it with one in the pipe and draw thepistolwithyourfingeronthetriggeritcan accidentally discharge, but its 7 lb. trigger helps to mitigate that risk.Andyes,youneedtopullthetriggerwhen takingthepistoldownforcleaningor maintenance.Allofthesearetrainingand disciplineissuesthatmustbetaughtuntil theyre engrained in your trainee. One slightly annoying issue for me was that the fleshypartofmyhandinterferedwiththe magazinedroppingfreelyonarelease.Nota bigproblemthatwasresolvedbyaslighthand adjustment. OnceyougetpasttheminorGlock-ismswhat yougetinreturnisalightweight,accurate, durableandhighlyreliablepersonaldefense weapon. The Glock 43 is Glock Perfection personified and oncetheystartshippinginquantity,Ihaveno doubtsitwillbecomeAmericasmostpopular singlestacksubcompact9mm.Itsreadyfor your favorite defensive load! -SP Manufacturer Specifications 9x19 / Safe Action LENGTH: 159 mm / 6.26 in. WIDTH: 26 mm / 1.02 in. LENGTHBETWEENSIGHTS:132mm/ 5.20 in HEIGHT: 108 mm / 4.25 in UNLOADED: 509 g / 17.95 oz. LOADED: 634 g / 22.36 oz. TRIGGER PULL: ~2.5 kg / ~5.5 lbs. TRIGGER TRAVEL: ~12.5 mm / ~0.49 in BARREL RIFLING: right hand, hexagonal LENGTH OF TWIST: 250 mm / 9.84 in. CAPACITY: 6 +1