My Glock 43

    This is where I get to talk about my second gun: a Glock 43.

Pictures

    Here's some pictures of my Glock 43:

Glock 43

Research

    After buying my first gun, a Glock 19 Gen 4, I began to look for something more concealable.  The reputation of Glock, with only one failure to feed or eject out of 1,400 rounds of Tula ammo from my Glock 19, was firmly cemented in my mind.  But while I love my Glock 19, I had to often wear one size shirt larger to be able to successfully conceal it when I was in public.  Great gun, but barely concealable.
    So when this gun came out, I knew I had found what I wanted.  But I waited for reviews, and as they started being published, I noted that they always commented about how reliable and easy to shoot it is.  The only thing reviews commented on was the price.  But since I qualify for the Blue Label program, price wasn't that big a deal to me.
    So then I bought it for $379 blue label.  Slightly more than I wanted to pay, but not a big deal.  With my first holster, the MIC holster, at around $20, I was good to go.

Shooting Experience

    So I went to shoot it.  I put 18 rounds of Federal Guard Dog through it first (because 3 x 20 rounds = 60 - 30 in my Glock 19's two magazines - 12 rounds in my two Glock 43 magazines = 18 left to shoot, and because I'm cheap).  Not a single problem.  Then I put the rest of the Tula ammo I was trying to shoot off (since I am now buying my ammo from Freedom Munitions).  One hundred and fifty rounds later, I had only one failure to eject, which I blame on the ammunition.
    Recoil was tolerable.  Not the best, and about equal to my Glock 19.  Glocks seem to have a very distinct recoil due to how their grips are constructed, in my opinion.  This gun is a compromise between firepower, size, and capacity, obviously, so capacity is a bit lot.
    Like other reviews, I was unhappy with how only one magazine came with a grip ("pinky") extension, and that this extension didn't add any capacity.  I was thinking maybe +1 (so 7 in total) would be reasonable for a grip extension, but this one adds no capacity.  So if some company comes out with grip extensions that add +1 to the capacity of this gun, or if (especially) Glock does, you can bet I'm going to want to buy these products.

Carrying Experience

    So far, this gun has been fantastic!  It's easy to conceal, and so far I've only had one holster, my MIC holster, for the job.  But it works so well that it meets nearly all my needs.  This gun disappears even under Large size shirts, eliminating the need to wear XL shirts.  It's light and compact, and so are the holsters.  All in all, I'm very happy with it.
    One thing that helps when wearing tighter fitting clothing is to use the magazine that doesn't have the pinky extension.  In my experience, this makes it even easier to hide the gun.  Those who complain that this gun's 6 round capacity is limiting either don't understand what this gun is for or have paranoia issues.  If you feel that 6+1 rounds isn't enough, carry a different gun.  And in extreme cases, see a psychologist.

Carrying At A Springs, 25 July 2015

    I don't want to say where I was carrying my Glock 43, but I can say it went well.  I went to a public Springs nature park with my Glock 43 in my pocket, no round chambered, carrying Full Metal Jacket rounds (only because I might encounter alligators, and because these are cheaper to replace if they become water-logged).  I swam with it and got sand in my pocket and in my Glock 43.  When I got home, I sprayed it out with Otis Special Forces Dry Lube.  I only chose this because I needed something to spray it out with that would displace water but still do a good job lubricating, unlike WD-40, which is not meant for guns.  That and it was free: a blind Christmas Gift.
    My experience was that I didn't need my gun, but that it did great in pocket carry in some old ABU pants that I had converted into shorts.  The gun didn't malfunction, and when I got home, the slide still cycled despite the sand.  After spraying it out, it function checked good.  No issues.  I will soon go to the range yet again, and there I will further test out how this gun is doing.

Galco King Tuk for Glock 43, 1 August 2015

    I recently got my Galco King Tuk in for my Glock 43.  I instantly fell in love with it.  It's durable, versatile (for an inside waistband tuck-in holster), and well made.  I had already purchased one for my Glock 19, so I already had experience with their holsters.  Again, completely satisfied.  I highly recommend this holster for the Glock 43.

Gun Range, 8 August 2015

    After swimming with it (25 July) and spraying it out with Otis Special Forces Dry Lube, today two weeks later I put 200 rounds through it at the gun range without a single problem.  Half of them from 10 feet, and I blew away the center black of the targets.  The other half, from 25 feet, not as good, but I'm improving.
    I intend to do a "torture" test on this gun when I get the chance, as so far I don't see any such videos on YouTube.

Summary

    I love this gun, and I am thankful that Glock made it.  It's probably going to be part of my carry ensemble for the rest of the foreseeable future.