So now I have the 26, the 43 and the 42. That's the smallest Glocks. So why don't I fire them all back to back and compare? Sounds like a plan to me.
First the facts.
The Glock 26 is the one that's been in production the longest. It, and it's almost twin the 27 are called the Baby Glocks. The smallest Glocks available in the US until the arrival of the 42. You can go to Glock's website and check the dimensions and things. I can duplicate them, but not sure I agree. My 26 is the Gen 3. It doesn't have the adjustable back straps or reversible magazine release. Gen 3 26's have the double recoil spring that all Model's of gen 4's have. It also came with only 2 magazines. The stippling is also less aggressive on the gen 3's.
Before firing the advantages of the 26.
1. It holds more rounds. Being a double stack, with the unmodified factory magazines, it holds 10 rounds. There are things like Magguts kits and Pierce grip extensions with +1 or +2 that can increase capacity. The Magguts even leaves the flush fit of the magazines. I believe you can also find 12 round magazines for the 26 now.
2. It works with magazines for the larger 19 and 17 models. You can carry 15, 17 or even 30 round magazines for the larger 9 mm if you want.
3. More weight and larger grip. This is an advantage while firing I think. It should make both aiming easier and recoil easier to manage.
The disadvantages:
1. It's fatter, harder to conceal. This was also an advantage.
2. It's heavier. Less comfortable to carry.
The Glock 43 is one of the newest Glocks on the market. It is now the smallest 9 mm made by Glock. It seems to be one of the models that doesn't fit into a generation. It's kind of like a Gen 3 with no finger grooves. Looking at them together, I would say the 43 is a slimmer, leaner version of the 26. Sort of like the 26 after a year of paleo and crossfit training. In other words, identical except in width. Glock's website doesn't agree, claiming it;s taller, with a shorter length and barrel, as well as thinner and lighter.
The pros:
1. This gun is easy to carry, it's thin and light.
The cons
3. I have a feeling that thin and light are going to mean harder to aim and control and much less pleasant to fire.
4. Unmodified factory magazines only hold 6 rounds.
5. No extended mags. The second mag did include a pinky extension, but still only holds 6 rounds.
The Glock 42 has been around a little longer than the 43. It looks like you tossed the 43 in the dryer on too high of a heat setting and it shrunk just a little.
The pros:
1. It's very easy to carry this gun. It's even smaller than the 43 and 4 ounces lighter!
2. Being a .380 the recoil should be much less.
The cons:
1. Factory magazines hold only 6 rounds.
2. Not even a pinky extension on the extra magazine.
3. It's a .380, while modern .380 ammo is much better than it was, it is still a big step down in power.
All three of these guns suffer from small gun syndrome. In other words, unless your hands are tiny, you aren't going to get more than a 2 finger grip on them with the flush fit magazines. The pinky extension on the 43's spare mag might help. If I like it I may get one for the .42. I don't know that it's worth it to lose the bit of concealability by adding on to both mags. I've heard the + extensions use the factory magazine spring and tend to weaken the springs quickly making them not so reliable. Don't know that is true, but it makes it unlikely I will try them. The magguts uses it's own stronger spring and a thinner follower to make the extra room without lengthening the mag. They have a pretty good reputation at the moment. I might go that route if extended mags don't become available. May eventually get a 12 round or two for the 26 if they don't add much to the length, although I usually just carry 19 mags for reloads, so hadn't seen it as a priority.
Post Shooting:
The Glock 42
The smallest of the firearms I fired today in both physcial dimensions and caliber. The 43 is one of the "no" gen guns lacking the finger grooves of the gen 3 and 4 and having very little in the way of texturing on the frame. With the thin frame and small dimensions it was the most difficult of the guns to manipulate. That being said, it wasn't really a problem. I have to requalify soon, so I used this as a practice session. I put 50 rounds through the gun with no issues. I used the requalification course, firing magazines of 4, 5, and 6 rounds, two handed strong side and weak side, standing and kneeling as required. The only thing I did not do was run a timer. Being a small gun, the 42 has smaller controls, although in the standard positions of my service weapon. We are taught to chamber a round by racking the slide with an overhand grip as opposed to slingshotting or using the slide release, so the only control I had to worry about was the mag release, which worked fine. The shooting experience was pleasant. It was the quietest firearm of the day, and even in the small package, there was very little recoil. As far as performance, this was probably my largest group. I don't claim to be a marksman, and for some reason I tend to pull left with Glocks. I have worked on using less finger, but I usually have to compensate by aiming a bit right. This weapon seems to tend to magnify that. I shot it at 4, 7, 10, 15, and 25 yards. My pattern really opened up at 25 yards, I suspect it was me though, not the gun. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying I was missing the target, I wasn't putting it in the 10 ring, but 95% of my shots went to the same area, the gun grouped well, it was just left of center. It was still very acceptable for self defense. The stuff that didn't was the result of my either rushing a shot or jerking the trigger.
The Glock 43
My first time with this gun and I was pleasantly surprised. The 43 is only a bit bigger than the 42, but a 9x19 mm. I was worried about it being unpleasant to shoot. It wasn't that bad. You do know you fired something when it goes off, but it isn't painful to shoot. It is like the 42 in that it is a "no" gen weapon and the same concerns apply. I had heard it was a skinny version of the 26 and mentioned earlier that I thought maybe the Glock website measurements were wrong, but on closer comparision, I found that the 43 does have a shorter slide and barrel and is a bit shorter in height as well. I grouped well with this gun also, although my pattern opened up again at the 25 yard line. This one wasn't as bad to pull to the left, although I may have just warmed up. I did pull a flyer though, and it went low. No idea why. I also had 2 failures to feed. I will put this down to the fact that I had not cleaned or lubed the gun since buying it used, both were simple to fix.
The Glock 26
I've had this gun longer than the other 2 and fired it more. It's a gen 3. It has considerably less recoil than the 43, but is heftier in the hand. I grouped well with it, but was shooting high with it for some reason. The thicker grip gives you more to hold onto, but for some reason it feels less comfortable for my pinky to dangle than with the others. I didn't notice a huge difference in feel for the grip extension on the 43's spare magazine, but maybe that would help me a bit.
Glock 19
I fired the 19 as a control. Also, it's the same physical dimensions as my 23 for service.
Ideas.
I think I may try grip extensions on the spare magazines for the 42 and 26 and see if I like it. If so may go for it on all magazines. .I may also try talon grips for the 42 and 43 since they are a bit smooth. Never felt the need for them on any of my larger Glocks.
Conclusion
Not sure I came out with much new. I like the 43, even better than I thought. It still bothers me that it's only 6+1, and it isn't going to replace the 26, but I see it getting a lot of use this summer when it's uncomfortable in more than shorts and t-shirt. The 42 I still like, but not sure what I am going to do with it. The size difference isn't much between the 42 and 43. Maybe a second gun on occasion? I like it too much to get rid of it, but have trouble seeing it's niche now.
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| The 42 |
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| The 43 on left, 42 on right |
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| 26 on the left, 43 on the right |
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