What Gen Is Glock 48 - After a (mostly) glowing review of the Sig P365 XL, I look at its closest competitor: the Glock 48. The G48 (along with the G43X) threatens to take the G19's place as Goldilocks goes - For a mid-range Glock. The availability of an aftermarket 15-round magazine from Shield Arms has made it an even more useful option for many Glock fans. But does the G48 really deserve to take over the "do it all" Glock title? As always, the answer is difficult.
I really like the Sig P365 XL. So naturally, a lot of people have asked me "What about the Glock 48? Or the 43X? They look like a Sig. They're in the single pack, but not quite the square section. Are they any good?"
What Gen Is Glock 48
Glock launched the 48 along with the 43X in January 2019. Both guns share the same design, but the 48 is longer. The 43X has the same barrel as the original 43. This is a 3.41 inch barrel. The 48 has a 4.17” barrel – that’s actually a hair longer than the Glock 19.
Brand New: Glock 43x Mos And Glock 48 Mos
Both guns are fed from a 10 round magazine. But a company called Shield Arms has noticed an aftermarket 15-round rifle. All Glock factory magazines are polymer with a metal handle inside. The Shield magazine has a simple one-piece metal frame. By eliminating the top rubber layer, there is room in the magazine for 5 more rounds without increasing the length.
These magazines have been in short supply recently and we were unable to find one to review until the last minute. From what I understand, if you want these things to work reliably, you really need to install a Shield Arms aluminum magazine release. Apparently, it also helps if you get the +10% power magazine resource option. When in stock, you can pick up five Shield magazines, mag releases, and springs for $225, which averages out to $45 per magazine. So... still cheaper than buying P365 mags from Sig.
Many Glock fans have looked to Shield Arms trending 15-round hybrids with 48 or 43X as a basic replacement for the Glock 19. I've even heard some go so far as to say that the G19 is now obsolete. I don't know if I agree with that, but it's certainly an interesting development.
Size-wise, I can't tell much between the 48 and 43X when I'm shooting. The 48 weighs two more ounces – 25.8 ounces loaded and 23.7 ounces unloaded. There is a slight difference in the buzzing recovery, but to me, it's not noticeable. I shot a few drills with both guns and the timings are about the same.
Got My First Glock. It's The Glock 48. Amazing Gun. I've Only Added The Talon Grip. Any Other Good Mods? I'm New To Glocks
However, given the choice between the two, I'd go for the 48, and that's what I'll focus on in this review. But most of what I'm going to say applies to the 43X as well.
The long sight radius makes the Glock 48 easy to shoot accurately at long range. It is also easy to carry in the attached position. The longer the barrel, the more the butt of the gun will be pulled back towards your body so it won't print. A barrel that is too short will always cause the gun to go off center. I find that up to about four and a half inches, a little extra barrel length doesn't matter how comfortable the gun is to carry. It's actually not that hard to hide inside the waist. Since the body is the same and they shoot almost the same, to me, it makes more sense to carry the 48 over the 43X.
Of course, you can always use a shorter gun with a larger cap to get the most out of a longer gun. For example, I tested this Phlster Pro Series device. It might fit a 48, but it would also fit a 43X or even an original 43. It's open at the bottom so you can even use something like the rear threaded barrel on the 48 and it will still fit if you put it back like this.
We've actually had this 48 for a while now. I picked them up shortly after they came out last year. I've been shooting ever since. I haven't gone through more than 1000 rounds. There are no flaws, which is not really surprising. I ran a lot of stock with two very small mods. I changed the Glock sights from the factory plastic sights to an Ameriglo i-dot Pro sight. This tool is marked to fit 42, 43 and 43X. They work more or less at 48, but my groups are a few inches higher at 25 yards.
Is The Glock 48 The New \
I also have a striker control device in the back seat. I did a whole video on this last year if you want all the details. Basically, when you pull the trigger, the backplate swings out as the striker pulls it. If you put it on your thumb, it prevents the gun from being removed. It's great to have when you refill. The thumb hammer has been common practice on DA/SA guns for decades, and I think it's really cool to have that option on Glocks as well.
From the side, the G48 is really very similar to the G19, but when you carry it, or even hold it, the thinness of the 48 is really noticeable.
Here is the G19 and it will remain green for easy identification. And here is the blue coated G48. Again, I made them line up in the holding tank. The overall length is essentially the same - a difference of about a tenth of an inch. The overall length is the same. The 48 has a slightly shorter undercarriage and the grips are slightly shorter front and rear.
If I throw a 43X in there, you can see the difference in column height - a little over a third of an inch.
Glock 48 9mm
And for fun, let's add a red Glock 43. Same slide as 43X but much shorter grip.
Let's look at them from behind. The 48 and 43X look the same from this angle, so I'm just showing the 48 between the 19 and 43. Grip size is unknown, the 19 is slightly wider than 30% of the 48. The 43 and 43 48 are about the same width at the slide, but the 48 is obviously slightly wider at the grip to accommodate the thicker magazine. Let's go ahead and add the P365 XL one last time. About the same width as the 48, but slightly shorter.
And now we will return to the side view. When you look at the 48 next to the P365 XL, it should give you an idea of how small the Sig feels in the hand. My secret view, it's actually this part here [circled in red] that I'm most concerned about.
The top of the slide and the bottom of the grip are the parts of the gun most likely to be printed. Personally, I seem to have more trouble hiding the bottom corner of the clutch. The letter is not shorter than the 48 - it goes in here at the bottom where the 48 actually comes out. Then on top of that, the Glock magazine base pad adds some height.
Glock 48 Vs Glock 19
This little corner here might not seem like a big deal. Many of you would never know the difference one way or the other if you picked up these guns. But, you know, I don't have a lot of real estate under my belt. There's not a lot of room to hide underneath. So for me, that extra grip is the difference between whether or not I can hide a gun with minimal effort under my shirt.
So for all of you asking me why I prefer the P365 XL over the Glock 48 or 43X - it's right there. The way I've heard it is that the Glock 48 feels like a small version of a big gun and the P365 XL feels like a big version of a small gun. This is the aspect of their care and transport. In terms of limits, I think they meet in the middle and you can't say that one character is much easier than the other.
But I think the question a lot of people have is whether the 48 is more like a Glock 19 or like a Glock 43. At first I wasn't really sure, so I'll have to put that on the watch. As before, I shot
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