G43 custom build

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  • BT802

    Plinker
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    Not much action here lol. I'm curious as I think I've decided to pull the trigger on one tomorrow. $449 at my local Rural King.
     

    WebSnyper

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    Not much action here lol. I'm curious as I think I've decided to pull the trigger on one tomorrow. $449 at my local Rural King.

    Are you an avid Glock shooter? Not trying to dissuade, but what else have you looked at? I had a couple of 43's, and I sold them both off myself and went with the 365 in that same size gun.
    I was committed to Glock for EDC (and still appreciate them for what they are), but have moved away from Glock for my EDC's. I have still have some other Glock models.

    As far as the OP, are you building your own completely, or buying an OEM Glock and then looking to heavily modify? If building your own, what are you starting from?
     

    BT802

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    Are you an avid Glock shooter? Not trying to dissuade, but what else have you looked at? I had a couple of 43's, and I sold them both off myself and went with the 365 in that same size gun.
    I was committed to Glock for EDC (and still appreciate them for what they are), but have moved away from Glock for my EDC's. I have still have some other Glock models.

    Quite the opposite honestly, not what I'd consider an avid shooter at all. I just hit the range a couple times a year. Actually the only thing I even own is my Glock 27 which I've owned for around 11 years now. I just recently decided to pick up something else that myself or my wife could carry. I've really only looked at both gen Shields, a Kimber Micro, Taurus G2C...
     

    Sniper 79

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    Oct 7, 2012
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    More mags and ammo. If you're going to carry it leave it stock. Maybe upgrade to some steel sights.
     

    STEEL CORE

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    Oct 29, 2008
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    Fishers
    Nice pistols, a Glock-42 in .380 for the lady wouldn't be to bad either, the Shield and Glock-43 are both also ideal for carry, you just need to shoot both and decide.
     

    WebSnyper

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    Quite the opposite honestly, not what I'd consider an avid shooter at all. I just hit the range a couple times a year. Actually the only thing I even own is my Glock 27 which I've owned for around 11 years now. I just recently decided to pick up something else that myself or my wife could carry. I've really only looked at both gen Shields, a Kimber Micro, Taurus G2C...


    I'd probably add a P365 to that mix of evaluation and shoot it with both the 10 round mag and if you can get one a 12 round mag.

    Shield is a nice gun (I have one, and was setting up to make it my EDC quite some time back, but then shifted to the 365. I am keeping my Shield as my son has taken a liking to it), the 43 is a good gun as well. I just found the 43 a bit more difficult to shoot well than I had anticipated and somewhat anemic on capacity these days for the size gun it is. Basically a couple of drawbacks, seems to shoot smaller than it is for me if that makes sense (probably could have overcome that with enough rounds through one) and short on capacity to it's competitors in the same size class.

    If you are not married to the Glock platform (primarily trigger feel) and since the 43 doesn't share mags, holsters, etc with the other sizes anyway, I'd look at some additional guns just to be sure. I had 2, 43's and carried one for a while, but now I have no 43's. Just my opinion.
     
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    WebSnyper

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    Thanks for the feedback. I'll take a look at a few today

    Cool. The 43 is not a bad gun at all, just have to be aware of its limitations, especially in the hands of someone who may not shoot it alot, and that there are others in this space that do what it does, some a bit better for some folks. Be interested to hear what you end up with no matter what it is.
     

    bwframe

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    Feb 11, 2008
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    Good to see interest and activity on the G43 front!

    With the release of the G43X and G48, the perfectly sized G43 interest has seemingly slipped by the wayside.

    :postpics:
     

    BT802

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    Dec 2, 2008
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    If you can rent what you are looking at or have someone you know with one, that may help you decide.

    Well we did just that today. We're pretty lucky in having a pretty kick ass gun shop in town with an indoor range. We checked out the 43, 43X, Hellcat, Shield 2.0, and Shield EZ. We're definitely novices when it comes to guns, so some things that bother people may not be as noticeable to us. I'll add, we're picking this up to be my wife's EDC

    Here's a quick recap of what she liked/disliked in the order that we had them.

    43 - This did have the pinky extension mag in, it also had upgraded sights. She shot this well, slide wasn't hard for her, and fit her hand decent I thought. No complaints really other than she would have liked to have had a little more grip. I have pretty large hands and while it was a hair small I still shot it well.

    Shield 2.0 - The slide was a little stiffer but manageable. She didn't like the texture at all, and it's considerably bigger than the 43, a little bigger than she's wanting. I thought it shot extremely well though.

    Hellcat - We actually didn't even put any rounds through this. The slide was super stiff, to the point where it was a little uncomfortable for her. So, that one was out from the start.

    Shield EZ - After the Hellcat being too stiff, the guy at the range recommended trying this, so we gave it a go. She didn't like the grip safety at all, so it was a no go. The slide was super easy though, along with loading the mag. It wasn't really necessary as she can handle a typical slide, but worth looking at to see the difference. It was still larger than she wanted as well.

    43X - After seeing what she liked and didn't from the first 4, we checked this out. The 43 that she liked with a little added grip, it worked out great. It also was a lot more balanced making it feel lighter to her.

    Looks like the 43X is the winner with it almost being a toss up with the 43. The X just gave her a little better feel which gave her a little more confidence. The few extra rounds wasn't really a deciding factor but it will never hurt either I suppose.

    Hope I didn't bore you with my generic recap. Again, we're pretty green to most things.
     

    Amishman44

    Master
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    48   1   0
    Dec 30, 2009
    3,678
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    Woodburn
    First time I've lego'd together my own glock instead of customizing... doing a 43.
    Best parts worth the $ or things to do / avoid...? ... and go!

    I've been sort of putting together Lego'd Glocks for some time myself...Glock 21, 19, 23, 30, 32, etc...with a Glock 36 frame up next.
    So far I've always gone with an OEM Glock frame for whichever pistol I'm building, but did some mods on the polymer to create a better fit.
    I've used other internal parts, but have always come back to Glock OEM parts and find that they work best...LWD does fairly decent as well.
    Slides, I've ordered online via ebay, gunbroker, LWD, etc...and only one (1) has had to have any work done to it at all and that was to widen the
    extractor space to open it up just a shade more in order to allow the extractor to 'flex' while performing it's job of extracting the empty casing.
    Barrels, I have used KKM Precision, LWD, Storm Lake, and a few 'no-names' and have really liked the KKM Precision barrels for overall accuracy!
    Magazines...I prefer OEM magazines for reliability, but have found that the MagPul 9mm magazines are excellent for both fit and function!
    I've never done a Glock 43, but have considered it...there's some pretty cool looking slides out there right now!
    I recommend sticking with name-brand items for things like internal parts and barrels...otherwise, give it a shot and best of luck!
     

    WebSnyper

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    Jul 3, 2010
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    I've been sort of putting together Lego'd Glocks for some time myself...Glock 21, 19, 23, 30, 32, etc...with a Glock 36 frame up next.
    So far I've always gone with an OEM Glock frame for whichever pistol I'm building, but did some mods on the polymer to create a better fit.
    I've used other internal parts, but have always come back to Glock OEM parts and find that they work best...LWD does fairly decent as well.
    Slides, I've ordered online via ebay, gunbroker, LWD, etc...and only one (1) has had to have any work done to it at all and that was to widen the
    extractor space to open it up just a shade more in order to allow the extractor to 'flex' while performing it's job of extracting the empty casing.
    Barrels, I have used KKM Precision, LWD, Storm Lake, and a few 'no-names' and have really liked the KKM Precision barrels for overall accuracy!
    Magazines...I prefer OEM magazines for reliability, but have found that the MagPul 9mm magazines are excellent for both fit and function!
    I've never done a Glock 43, but have considered it...there's some pretty cool looking slides out there right now!
    I recommend sticking with name-brand items for things like internal parts and barrels...otherwise, give it a shot and best of luck!

    You should check out the Sig P320's... modularity like crazy. Change grip modules like underwear without any FFL transfers, etc to worry about once you have the FCU.
     

    KokomoDave

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    Oct 20, 2008
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    Kokomo
    Nice-looking 43X with stippled grip and after-market slide!
    I'm sure that grip is easy to hang on to...makes a difference!

    That is just a stick on grip. They are Talon grips that I bought off of evilBay. The barrel is a fluted Agency Arms match grade. Sights are Trijicon u notch rear and hi viz orange dot with tritium. I bought 8 Shield Arms mags to go with it. With the smaller footprint from this v.s. my larger and thicker 19 Gen 5, I sold the 19. I don't need the rail or optic ready slide.
     

    doddg

    Grandmaster
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    May 15, 2017
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    Well we did just that today. We're pretty lucky in having a pretty kick ass gun shop in town with an indoor range. We checked out the 43, 43X, Hellcat, Shield 2.0, and Shield EZ. We're definitely novices when it comes to guns, so some things that bother people may not be as noticeable to us. I'll add, we're picking this up to be my wife's EDC

    Here's a quick recap of what she liked/disliked in the order that we had them.

    43 - This did have the pinky extension mag in, it also had upgraded sights. She shot this well, slide wasn't hard for her, and fit her hand decent I thought. No complaints really other than she would have liked to have had a little more grip. I have pretty large hands and while it was a hair small I still shot it well.

    Shield 2.0 - The slide was a little stiffer but manageable. She didn't like the texture at all, and it's considerably bigger than the 43, a little bigger than she's wanting. I thought it shot extremely well though.

    Hellcat - We actually didn't even put any rounds through this. The slide was super stiff, to the point where it was a little uncomfortable for her. So, that one was out from the start.

    Shield EZ - After the Hellcat being too stiff, the guy at the range recommended trying this, so we gave it a go. She didn't like the grip safety at all, so it was a no go. The slide was super easy though, along with loading the mag. It wasn't really necessary as she can handle a typical slide, but worth looking at to see the difference. It was still larger than she wanted as well.

    43X - After seeing what she liked and didn't from the first 4, we checked this out. The 43 that she liked with a little added grip, it worked out great. It also was a lot more balanced making it feel lighter to her.

    Looks like the 43X is the winner with it almost being a toss up with the 43. The X just gave her a little better feel which gave her a little more confidence. The few extra rounds wasn't really a deciding factor but it will never hurt either I suppose.

    Hope I didn't bore you with my generic recap. Again, we're pretty green to most things.


    Good job! :thumbsup:
    You are doing exactly what you should do in telling your story & getting some great input from guys that have helped me in my journey of doing the same thing.
    I have had nearly all that has been mentioned, some more than once.
    It is nearly the same dimensions of one of my favorite guns that I loved the fit and feel of & it should make the wife a fine gun.
    I won't muddy the waters by mentioning the brand, but it was a DAO & not for everyone b/c of that.
    If the Glock 43 I had would have been a Glock 43X, I would have liked it more.
    Enjoy!
     
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