The big news in the gun world this week was Glock released two new concealed carry handguns: the Glock 43x and the Glock 48, both chambered in 9mm.

In the years since its release, the single stack Glock 43 has become one of the most popular concealed carry handguns in the marketplace, competing with other single stack 9mms such as the Smith & Wesson Shield, Walther PPS, and Ruger LC9S.

The Glock 43x is simply a Glock 43 with a grip equal in length to a Glock 19. This increases the capacity in the standard magazine from 6 rounds to 10 rounds. In addition, the Glock 43x also has a silver nPVD finish, which stands in stark contrast to the standard black finishing on most Glock pistols.

Yes, extended aftermarket magazines have already existed for the Glock 43 to increase magazine count, but nonetheless it seems that Glock felt compelled to release an entirely new pistol anyway.

The new Glock 48 is exactly the same gun as the Glock 43x, except that it features a longer slide for a longer sight radius and higher bullet velocity.

In fact, in terms of height and length, the Glock 48 is of exactly the same dimensions as a Glock 19, only it’s much thinner with the single stack magazine.

Even though the original Glock 43 was always the subject of much praise, some people believed that it was too small to be a true fighting pistol, as it was smaller in terms of height and length than rivals from Smith & Wesson and Walther.

Glock’s answer to this criticism seems to be with the new 43x and 48 handguns. In fact, if you’ve already been carrying a Glock 19 as your CCW sidearm but always desired something slimmer, the new G48 could be the gun you’ve been looking for.

This article by Will Ellis originally appeared at Gun News Daily in 2019.

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