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Building The Ultimate EDC: Glock 43

Updated: 12/4/2018

Here is the G43 in it’s from-the-factory, out-of-the-box state. 

The VERY first thing I do, when I buy a new pistol is clean it thoroughly. I want to remove any factory grease, oils, dust & debris that might have accumulated during packing, shipping or while sitting on the shelf. It is my opinion, that most failures people experience with new firearms may be due, in large part, by failure to sufficiently clean it prior to firing.

The first thing I decided to upgrade were the factory magazine base pads. Each magazine holds 6 rounds and, from the factory, one has the flat base pad and the other has the extended pinky rest (adds no extra rounds). I decided in the Taran Tactical aluminum base pads, which add an additional round while only adding 1/8th of an inch to the overall height. They also feature a sliding post, held in place via a set-screw, that makes removal/install snap!

* Tech tip - be sure to remove the plastic foot piece from the factory mags PRIOR to installing the Taran Tactical base pads

Next was the addition of some black, rubber textured, grip enhancements from Handle It Gun Grips. The stock texture on the G43 (as well as the Gen 5 Glock lineup), to me, is a bit “slick” compared to other pistols on the market. I have been interested in trying something like these out before in the past, (like the Talon Grips for example) but just never followed through on it. Boy, am I glad that I did with these!

These grip enhancements feel absolutely AMAZING in the hand; soft, yet grippy. They are laser-measured & cut and fit perfectly and when warmed up with a standard hair dryer, they are even somewhat moldable for an ever more precise fitment. Definitely worth the $12 I spent for them on Ebay.

To be continued...

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Choosing My Current EDC

Updated: 12/2/2018

I have owned just about every striker-fired compact, sub-compact and micro pistol available but after my recent split with the Sig Sauer P365, I was on the hunt for the perfect EDC.

In retrospect, I should've just purchased another Glock 43 and called it a day, but I am (admittedly) foolish at times & curious by nature, so I decided to see what other offerings were on the Market.

My search brought me to hammer-fired pistols, a realm I'd never ventured into before. It started with the Heckler & Koch P30SK with the V1 LEM trigger system, but the grip was too "bulbous" (it’s a word, click the link ;) to me. Also, the grip kind of looked like something Batman had Alfred create for him in the Bat Cave. 

One thing I did really like was the added safety of being able to ride the hammer with my thumb when re-holstering.

The V1 light LEM (Law Enforcement Modification) had a longer take-up and reset than I was used to, but overall the trigger was extremely smooth. But, again, while the grip felt good in my hand, it still felt too big and round.

My next choice was the seemingly twin brother of the P30SK which was the P2000SK also by H&K.

The dimensions were almost identical in every way except for the grip and trigger variant; the P2000SK came standard with the heavier V2 LEM system.

The grip was more squared and slim on the sides, which I think I like better because of my many years of experience shooting Glock pistols.

While a bit heavier, the trigger pull was not altogether unbearable. It still had the same long up-take and reset, only the overall resistance, or weight, of the pull was a tad heavier. Nevertheless, I decided to “spring” (pun intended) for the parts necessary to convert the P2000SK from the heavier V2 down to a lighter V1 variant. It was actually quite simple, requiring just a couple of parts from HKParts.net (seen below)

The parts needed are:

Light Trigger Return Rebound Spring

New Style Firing Pin Block Compression Spring FPBS - Light

I also decided to grab the Trigger Return Spring Installation Tool to help with getting the tricky Trigger spring in (turns out it REALLY helped!). Taking it to the range proved that I shoot extremely well with the light V1 and the pistol had ZERO malfunctions through 300 rounds. 

So, now I had a better-feeling grip (to me, anyway), the light trigger of the V1 LEM and confidence in both my ability to shoot it well as well as the pistol’s reliability, so I put it in a SlimFit Holsters “Shell” model holster and wore it around for awhile.

To say that the P2000SK is a Sub-Compact (or Sub Kompact in German, hence the “SK"), is a bit of a stretch... it feels rather heavy, bulky carrying in the Appendix position. I suspected this may be the case, given it’s dimensions are close to the Glock 26, but was hopeful that it wouldn’t be as bad.

But, it was...

I just don’t like wearing the P2000SK around. Some people can comfortably carry larger pistols, like the Glock 19, for example. I would as well (if I felt I could comfortably) as I like the idea of having greater capacity, should the need (God forbid) ever arise. But, at 5′ 11″, 175lbs, I am not a big guy by any means and just am not comfortable wearing pistols of that size daily. I would honestly prefer comfort over capacity (which is a raging debate) and generally carry a spare mag anyway.

Let me make this extremely clear... I really had a difficult time parting with the Sig P365. It seemed to be an extremely well-made pistol overall and I experience ZERO issue, malfunctions or the like through the 300 - 400 rounds I shot through it. The issues I had with it that led me to the decision to sell it were these:

 Overall size - it was just TOO small in my hands to where it was uncomfortable and kept rubbing against the inside of my strong-side (right hand) middle finger. This made it unpleasant to practice with, which I desperately needed, as I didn’t shoot it well (which I attribute to it’s size/feel in my hands). This leads me to the second main issue... 

Accuracy - or maybe more aptly lack thereof. I was just not accurate with it on the draw. This is extremely important to me as, most likely, the only time I would brandish my pistol is under a quick-draw from under duress.

So, after all this, I decided I missed my G43 and that this time, I would do it right. 

To read up on my return to the Glock 43 platform, please check out my next post titled: 

“Building The Ultimate EDC Glock 43″.

- Cosmo Recuparo, Owner  10 Buck Transfers