Glock 26 Vs. Glock 43

I have both. I wouldnt trade my G26 for the G43. I also wouldnt trade my G43 for a G26. Both are easy to conceal with the right holster. I bought the G43 because it was different, which is the same reason I bought the G26, 30s,17,23, and 42. I still carry my G27 most often.

For me it is natural to have gone to the 26 & 27 since I also have the larger frame models.
Magazine commonality as well as familiarity with the feel of the frames albeit differing lengths are what have driven my Glock purchases.
That is not a consideration you have now but might be if you decide you like the Glock.
Overall I prefer the mid size, 19,23,32 grip size for carry and have at least 5 mags for each frame/grip size and then load up on the largest so they will fit all 3 sized frames.
Works for me, same thing with holsters and mag carriers.

I've had a 26 and still have a 27. I keep the 27 only because it and a 22 was the duty weapons I carried before I retired as a LEO. I sold the 26 because I found I can conceal a model 19 just as easy as the 26 due to its width. Now the 43 is another story. I found I can pocket carry it unlike the 26. So, it has become my most carried handgun. If I have pants on its in my pocket and never seen.

The 43 pocket carries more easily for me.

I have both and the width difference isn't neglible IWB. 43 obviously carries easier, but the baby Glocks are not unpleasant to carry...for that matter, neither are the compact Glocks. If I had to give up one, it would be the 43...on the long list of single stack 9's, it is just another mediocre pistol IMO.

I dont have a 43, the 42's I have convinced me not to bother. I have a couple of 26's, and carry one pretty much daily, and usually in a Smart Carry.

I dont pocket carry, even guns I have that would fit in one. Never found it to be a feasible method, although I have used it on occasion through the years.

As much as I like shooting my 42s, and the way they handle and shoot, more like a full size than they do a compact, they just dont offer what the 26's do.

I have a 26, and just can't quite convince myself to buy the 43. I may someday, but for now I'll keep the 26. Now I do know where a couple of used G42's are at a good price. Apparently some guys bought them 1st and traded for the 43. That is small enough to matter even if it is in 380. If those stay on the shelf much longer one will come home with me.

I think 26 is the best pistol that Glock made. I shoot it better than G17, it's compact and not too heavy. I can comfortably carry it at 4:00 IWB or 3:00 OWB, however I am also entertaining the idea of getting a small pocketable pistol, but not sure if 43 is small / pocketable enough. I am thinking more along the lines of LCP.

I did not shoot 43 yet, but in my mind it's still not much more pocketable than 26, at half the capacity. I can carry 26 in a Remora holster in the front pocket of any pair of shorts that I own - it prints as much or less as my wallet. I can't comfortably carry it in the front pocket of my jeans (I don't wear baggies) but I have hard time imagining a 43 in there either. I am sure that 43 is more comfortable IWB and probably prints less, but again I am not convinced that it's a major difference. No reason - in my mind anyway - to give up half of the capacity and get a slight diff in size. I think if you go small, you go really small.

The 26 all day long, I can keep the 10+1, 12+1. 15+1 17+1 or 33 rounder in this baby. I have 4 other single stack 9's and the new glock doesn't do anything, better than any of them do. The size difference with the 10 round mag is not great enough to make it even close second. My Kahr is much more discreet for pocket carry or iwb.

I own both (and a 42). I say it totally depends on your purposes for the gun.

If you're hooked on GSSF competition, and want to shoot the Pocket Glock division, only the 42 & 43 can do it.

If it's strictly for carry, the 43 is noticeably thinner/lighter than a G26. You really can't appreciate the difference just by reading the specs. Pearce makes +1 mag bases for the 43 now, so it can be a 7+1 pistol, compared to the G26's stock 10+1 (which you can of course similarly expand on with + bases or G19/G17 mags).

If you might carry it, but also want something reasonably pleasant for plinking at the range, the G26's wider grip gives you much more to hold onto.

I don't have a G43 but I do have a few other smaller single stack 9x19s and a G26. I'd encourage you to remember that size is a trade off not only in ease of carry but also in the capability of the pistol. Going down to rhe g26 is about as much of a compromise as I like. If you have a chance shoot some different sized guns with the aide of a shot timer and some know drills.

If I knew I were going to be using it I'd much rather have the 26. That said there are times when compromising down to my smallest 9x19 makes sense. For me it wouldn't be my daily carry choice though. The reasons that cause me to carry a gun make me want to carry as capable a gun as I can. That said other people's weighing of those factors come out differently.

Lastly I'd encourage you to check out the shield and PPS if you decide to go with something smaller than a G26.

I'd also encourage you to do some reactive drils and force on force before falling into pocket carry as a primary means of carrying a defensive firearm if that is a factor for you. This is another big compromise. I think it has a place, but I think it has a number of short comings that people should be aware of.

Carrying a gun is often as much about the means and location of carry than the size of the gun. I can in the same clothing carry a 26 or Kahr P9 and have it print like Gutenberg. By using a different holster and carry location, I can make a G17 disappear in the very same attire. Unfortunately it typically takes buying and experimenting with different holsters and methods of carry to find what works best for each person. Finding a good means of carrying a gun is better than getting a tiny one and sticking it in ones pant pockets IMHO, at least for a primary carry gun anyways.

I'd also encourage you to do some reactive drils and force on force before falling into pocket carry as a primary means of carrying a defensive firearm if that is a factor for you. This is another big compromise. I think it has a place, but I think it has a number of short comings that people should be aware of.

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I have to wonder sometimes, if any of them ever actually practice drawing and shooting from those pockets. In all the years Ive been shooting at various public and private ranges, I have yet to see anyone do so.

The other thing I find interesting is, how we're often told, that deploying a gun from your pocket, its the fastest draw youre going to see. Funny how that doesnt seem to work, when you start with your hands out of your pockets, and from a "startle" draw.

Carrying a gun is often as much about the means and location of carry than the size of the gun. I can in the same clothing carry a 26 or Kahr P9 and have it print like Gutenberg. By using a different holster and carry location, I can make a G17 disappear in the very same attire. Unfortunately it typically takes buying and experimenting with different holsters and methods of carry to find what works best for each person. Finding a good means of carrying a gun is better than getting a tiny one and sticking it in ones pant pockets IMHO, at least for a primary carry gun anyways.

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I feel the same as you. I carry a 17 daily (and more often than not, a 26 as well), in clothes many will tell you, they couldnt possibly carry a 26, or even smaller in.

Pointing it out, usually draws quite a bit of ire from those who choose to do so. Im constantly told you cant possibly carry a full size handgun unless youre wearing a winter parka thats two sizes to big.

If youre serious about carrying, you'll find a way. Its not a buy one holster and live with it the rest of your life sort of thing either. Its an ever evolving, living thing. It takes some time, some work, and some money, until you figure it out. By the time you get there, you'll have learned a lot along the way.

I suppose for many, if not most, the cost of the gun is a burden enough, and then to have to spend as much and sometimes more, just finding a decent holster (the good ones generally aint cheap) that works, and slowly adapting your attire to do the same, wasnt even considered.

Where practice and the ammo to do so realistically fits in, is a whole other story.

If find the G43 too big for pocket carry.

If I have to carry on a belt, I want a bigger gun... in fact I have stopped carrying my G26 and instead carry my G19.

I think the G19 is the perfect size 9mm. It does not carry any more difficult than a G26, and I shoot the G19 better and has an extra 5 rounds of ammo.

think you guys hit an important note. I have had my CCW for a little over a year. And I just haven't found my ideal carry holster. I suppose I just need to truly start experimenting with different holster options.

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For me apendix carry was a revelation. Carrying AIWB I can carry fulls size guns and they disappear under a T-shirt. A Glock 26 is like having nothing at all. What works in terms of holsters, guns, comfort, etc in AIWB varies from one person to the next. I have an athletic build but have been told by heavier people it doesn't work for them. It has its own issues associated with it but I have been won over because it is what allows me to carry a much more capable gun and still have it conceal rather easily.

When I wear tight fitting dress shirts and a suit I don't carry apendix and don't know how well it would work. However, a suit coat provides good concealment for other positions.

I think I tend to agree that a G19 size gun is about ideal. The grip is just enough shorter than a G17 that it does conceal a bit better than the fullsize while sacrificing very little in capability. Also with new lights like the Surefire XC1 coming out, it offers an advantage over a G26 in being able to readily mount a light.

If I were only going to have a couple carry guns, I'd likely have a G19 (at least until they make a VP9 that is that size) and a truly small gun like the Kahr CM9, and then an LCP for truly deep concealment and/or bug use.

If you like Glocks and have a few, then you need a 43. You will find that with it's thinness and it's light weight that it will have most likely have a place in your carry style. It shoots like any other Glock, reliable, accurate and fun to shoot.

The 26/27/33 feel weird in my hand and distract me since I'm used to the seemless way a Glock 19/23/32 fit's in my hands. So if I have to deal with a pistol, that I feel is a little too small to shoot well, I minus well go all the way down to the Glock 43.

The difference in thickness between the 26 and 43 is not negligible, it's significant in the right holster. A thin holster like a Crossbreed can really showcase the advantages of also thin guns. I don't need to pocket carry anymore.

My Kahr p380 is completely too small to fight with.

If I was only going to own one Glock it would the 19. I think you chose well there.

The 26/27/33 feel weird in my hand and distract me since I'm used to the seemless way a Glock 19/23/32 fit's in my hands. So if I have to deal with a pistol, that I feel is a little too small to shoot well, I minus well go all the way down to the Glock 43.

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If the 26's feel weird in your hands, the 42's/43's arent likely to feel any better. Once you learn to wrap that pinkie under the mag, the whole feel of the gun changes, and they shoot very well. There is no need for the extensions, and they are actually counterproductive, if youre going for the smallest possible package. You also have to watch reloading, and in some cases, just shooting the gun with them on. When I first tried them, they pinched my hand while I was shooting, and the first quick reload I did, raised a nice blood blister. I got rid of them pretty quick after that, and havent regretted it in the least.

The difference in thickness between the 26 and 43 is not negligible, it's significant in the right holster.

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Not sure what holsters you mean here.

Im also comparing the 42's to the 26's, and the difference really isnt that big with them. I got the 42's back before they let the 43's out, and once got to shoot them and see what they really were about, I quickly realized they werent going to replace my 26's. I still carry them pretty much daily, and in the same spots I used to carry my "smaller" BUG's. Mostly thats in a Smart Carry, or on lesser occasions anymore, in an ankle holster.

If I was only going to own one Glock it would the 19.

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I have a couple of 19's, but Ive never got the point of them. They are not much smaller than the 17, yet they wont go where the 26 will. Their grip is also just a tad cramped for my hands, although they are better now, than when they still had the "mag rip" cut out on the front strap.

If I could only have one, it would be a toss up between the 17 and 26, and Id probably go with the 26 in that case. But Im glad Im not stuck in that position, as I really prefer the 17's over all the rest.

This is my Ruger SR9c (roughly the same size as a Glock 19), in a DeSantis Mini-Slide holster. Very comfortable to wear, holds the gun really close to the body, and does a great job of concealment.