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I just recently wrote a piece about the Pros & Cons of the Glock 19X . Near the end of it I mentioned how one shooter I know requested a Glock Model 17 sized but single stack 9mm handgun. It occurred to me that the same comparison of pros and cons I made between the G19X and the Glock Model 19 Fifth Generation (G19-5) can be made between the Glock 17 Fourth Generation (G17-4) and the Glock Model 43. That may seem quite outrageous because one is a full sized double stack 9mm handgun intended for duty wear and the other is a diminutive single stack 9mm handgun intended for concealed carry and strictly defensive purposes. As I considered them and my belief that overall height of the weapon has the greatest impact on concealability with slide assembly length and weapon thickness as secondary considerations, I realized that the G43 could certainly be customized in such a way as to be no more concealable than the G17-4. Let me explain...
When making the comparison between Glock's about to be released 19X and the fifth generation of the Glock 19, what I concluded was that where concealability is concerned, it's mostly about frame height which often / usually equates to ammo capacity. In essence I determined that the G19X really should have been a G17 called by a different identifier. The shorter slide assembly might help in concealment, but the full length grip frame and the addition of extended magazine floor plates takes away from ease of concealment. Given that both weapons are the same width, it truly is the length of the grip frame that most seriously impacts concealment.
Now, let's take that thought process over to the G17-4 comparing it to the G43. In this case, the G43, in its original configuration of a single stack 6-round magazine, is far more concealable than the G17-4 with its 4.5" barrel and double stack 17 round capacity. The G43 is just about small enough to be dropped in a pocket (with the proper safety consideration of having a pocket holster). You can't come...