Glock 43 vs 43X vs 48: Which Slimline 9mm Should You Buy?

The Glock 43, Glock 43X, and Glock 48 look like three versions of the same Slimline 9mm. They are close, and that is why Glock 43 vs 43X gets confusing once the 48 is in the same case. There are two size decisions, then a magazine decision.

First, grip. The 43 is 4.25 in. tall with a magazine in and uses a six-round magazine. The 43X is 5.04 in. tall and uses Slimline magazines. The slide on those two is the same 6.06 in. length.

Second, slide. The 48 keeps the 43X grip and the Slimline magazines, then uses a 6.85 in. slide. That is the same slide length as a Glock 19, in a frame that is 1.10 in. wide.

If you want the smallest 9mm Glock we stock, start with the Glock 43 pistols. If you want the short slide with a longer grip, look at the Glock 43X pistols. If you want that grip under a longer slide, look at the Glock 48 pistols. If a double-stack 19 or 17 is still in the mix, read which 9mm Glock you should buy before you settle on a Slimline.

Quick Navigation

• Quick Verdict
• Glock 43 vs 43X vs 48 Specs
• Glock 43: Best for the Smallest Setup
• Glock 43X: Best Balance of Size and Grip
• Glock 48: Best for the Longer Slide
• Size and Carry
• Magazines
• Slimline MOS and Aimpoint COA
• Which One Should You Buy?
• Final Recommendation
• Glock 43 vs 43X vs 48 FAQs

Quick Verdict

Choose the Glock 43 if you want the smallest pistol in this comparison. It is the best fit when the short grip is the point, and you are fine with a six-round magazine and no rail.

Choose the Glock 43X if you want the short Slimline slide with a grip you can close your hand on. It gives you Slimline magazines, a slim rail, and the choice of polymer sights, an MOS cut, or a factory Aimpoint COA.

Choose the Glock 48 if you want the 43X grip and magazines with a longer slide. The barrel is a 4.17 in. Marksman Barrel, overall length is 7.28 in., and the pistol still stays 1.10 in. wide.

Glock 43 vs 43X vs 48 Specs

Size and weight in this table are Glock’s current US numbers for the iron-sight pistols. MOS slides weigh a little less. A COA pistol adds the optic. Read the listing for the package you are buying.

Feature	Glock 43	Glock 43X	Glock 48
Size	Slimline subcompact	Slimline compact	Slimline compact
Barrel	3.41 in.	3.41 in. Marksman	4.17 in. Marksman
Slide	6.06 in.	6.06 in.	6.85 in.
Overall length	6.26 in.	6.50 in.	7.28 in.
Height with magazine	4.25 in.	5.04 in.	5.04 in.
Width	1.06 in.	1.10 in.	1.10 in.
Slide width	0.87 in.	0.87 in.	0.87 in.
Weight without magazine	16.23 oz	16.40 oz	18.48 oz
Magazine	6-round	Slimline, 10 or 15	Slimline, 10 or 15
Accessory rail	None	Slim rail	Slim rail
Optic	Iron sights	MOS or COA	MOS or COA

A 43 with an empty magazine weighs 17.99 oz, and 20.64 oz loaded. An iron-sight 43X with an empty magazine weighs 18.70 oz, and 23.07 oz loaded. A 43X MOS weighs 16.26 oz without a magazine. A 48 MOS weighs 18.31 oz without a magazine. Glock publishes a 5.24 in. sight radius for the polymer sights on a 43X. The 48 page does not publish an empty-magazine weight or a loaded weight.

Glock 43: Best for the Smallest Setup

The Glock 43 is the original Slimline, and it is the smallest 9mm Glock we stock. A 3.41 in. barrel sits in a 6.06 in. slide. Overall length is 6.26 in. Height with a magazine is 4.25 in. Width is 1.06 in. The factory black pistol weighs 16.23 oz without a magazine.

The short grip is the whole reason to buy it. The magazine holds six rounds. The frame has a built-in beavertail and a large magazine catch, and it has no accessory rail. Polymer sights sit on the slide. The slide is not cut for a red dot, and Glock’s 43 page does not call the barrel a Marksman Barrel.

A lot of hands run out of room on that 4.25 in. grip. That is the trade. It is the smallest pistol in the group, with six rounds and no light rail. Cerakote and other dealer finishes on the Glock 43 pistols page are this same size and the same six-round magazines.

Factory pistols we stock:

• Glock 43 9mm 3.41″ 6-Round Pistol, the factory black gun, built in the USA, with two 6-round magazines
• Glock 43 Refurbished 9mm 3.41″ 6-Round Black Pistol, a factory-rebuilt 43 in black, also with two 6-round magazines

Glock 43X: Best Balance of Size and Grip

The Glock 43X is the short Slimline slide on the longer grip. The barrel is a 3.41 in. Marksman Barrel with enhanced polygonal rifling and a recessed crown. The slide is still 6.06 in. Overall length moves to 6.50 in. because the grip is longer. Height with a magazine is 5.04 in. Width is 1.10 in. An iron-sight 43X weighs 16.40 oz without a magazine.

That extra 0.79 in. of height is a three-finger hold. The frame adds a slim rail, a built-in beavertail, and a reversible magazine catch. Front serrations are milled into the slide. Magazines are Slimline, 10-round or 15-round, and they do not fit a Glock 43.

For most people comparing Glock 43 vs 43X, the 43X is the better fit when the 43 grip is too short and the slide still needs to stay short. The taller grip prints more than a 43, and it adds the hold, the rail, and the Slimline magazine. Dealer colors on the Glock 43X pistols page are this same size.

The sight setup is the other split on this frame. The plain gun has polymer sights and is not milled. MOS guns have an empty RMSc cut, with no red dot and no adapter plate in the box. COA guns ship with the Aimpoint already mounted on an A-CUT slide. The product titles on those COA pistols still say MOS. The slide under the optic is A-CUT.

Factory pistols we stock:

• Glock 43X 9mm 3.41″ 10-Round Pistol, polymer sights, slim rail, two 10-round Slimline magazines, 16.40 oz without a magazine
• Glock 43X MOS 9mm 3.41″ 10-Round Pistol, empty RMSc cut, no adapter plate, two 10-round magazines, 16.26 oz without a magazine
• Glock 43X MOS 9mm 3.41″ 15-Round Pistol, the same MOS 43X with 15-round Slimline magazines in the box
• Glock 43X MOS 9mm 3.41″ 10-Round Pistol w/Aimpoint COA, Austria-built, enclosed 3.5 MOA Aimpoint on A-CUT, two 10-round magazines
• Glock 43X MOS 9mm 3.41″ 15-Round Pistol w/Aimpoint COA, the same Austria COA pistol with 15-round Slimline magazines

Glock 48: Best for the Longer Slide

The Glock 48 is the 43X grip and the 43X magazines with a longer slide on top. The barrel is a 4.17 in. Marksman Barrel. The slide is 6.85 in. Overall length is 7.28 in. Height stays 5.04 in. Width stays 1.10 in. An iron-sight 48 weighs 18.48 oz without a magazine.

Put it next to a Glock 19 and the outside length matches. Slide 6.85 in., overall 7.28 in., height 5.04 in. The 48 is 1.10 in. wide. A Glock 19 Gen6 is 1.35 in. wide. Same general length, thinner frame, Slimline magazines instead of Glock 19 magazines. The longer slide also means a 43X holster is the wrong holster.

The rail, front serrations, and optic choices match the 43X. Polymer sights, an empty MOS cut, or an Aimpoint COA already on the slide. On the COA 48, MOS8 in the title is the factory name for the A-CUT package. Dealer finishes on the Glock 48 pistols page are this longer pistol in another color.

Factory pistols we stock:

• Glock 48 9mm 4.17″ 10-Round Rail Pistol, polymer sights, slim rail, two 10-round Slimline magazines, 18.48 oz without a magazine
• Glock 48 9mm 4.17″ 10-Round MOS Pistol, empty RMSc cut, no adapter plate, two 10-round magazines, 18.31 oz without a magazine
• Glock 48 9mm 4.17″ 15-Round MOS Pistol, the same MOS 48 with 15-round Slimline magazines in the box
• Glock 48 9mm 4.17″ 10-Round MOS8 Pistol w/Aimpoint COA, enclosed 3.5 MOA Aimpoint on A-CUT, two 10-round magazines

Size and Carry

The grip is the difference you notice first. With a magazine in, the 43 is 4.25 in. tall and the 43X and 48 are 5.04 in. tall. That 0.79 in. is grip and magazine. On a 43, many hands run out of room. The 43X and 48 height is a three-finger hold on a frame that is still Slimline.

Width barely moves between the three. The 43 is 1.06 in. wide. The 43X and 48 are 1.10 in. wide. Slide width is 0.87 in. on all of them. The shorter grip is why a 43 prints less than a 43X. Against a Glock 19, the 43X and 48 match the 19’s 5.04 in. height and print less because the frame is thinner.

The slide is the second decision, and it only separates the 48. The 43 and 43X share the 6.06 in. slide. The 43X is 0.24 in. longer overall than the 43 because the grip hangs lower, not because the slide grew. The 48 adds 0.79 in. of slide and 0.78 in. of pistol in the holster. A holster cut for a 43 or a 43X is the wrong length for a 48.

If you want that 48 length in a double-stack magazine, the other pistol is a Glock 19. It is wider, about the same length, and it takes Glock 19 magazines.

Magazines

This is where people order the wrong spare. A Glock 43 takes six-round magazines. A 43X and a 48 take Slimline magazines. A six-round 43 magazine does not lock into a 43X or a 48. A Slimline magazine does not lock into a 43. The grips are different, so the magazines are different.

Slimline magazines started at 10 rounds. New 43X and 48 pistols now come with 15-round Slimline magazines as standard. The 10-round pistols are still in the catalog, and we stock both, including for buyers who have to stay at 10 rounds. The 15-round Slimline magazine fits the same 43X and 48 grip. It does not fit a Glock 43, and it does not fit a Glock 19.

Buy the magazines for the pistol you pick. Spares are on the Glock magazines page. A 43X and a 48 can share those Slimline spares with each other. A 43 cannot.

Slimline MOS and Aimpoint COA

The 43 does not come MOS or COA. Iron sights are the setup. On a 43X or a 48, MOS means the slide is milled and the red dot is not in the box. The cut matches the RMSc footprint. A factory red dot is not installed. Adapter plates are not in the box. Some dots bolt straight into that pattern, and some need their own plate. That plate is a separate purchase. The polymer sights stay on the slide.

COA is the pistol that already has the optic. The Aimpoint COA is an enclosed 3.5 MOA red dot. Glock cuts an A-CUT dovetail into the slide, and the optic locks on with a patented wedge. There is no adapter plate, and the optic is not screwed through the housing. Factory backup sights co-witness with the window.

On a 48, MOS8 means that A-CUT package. On the 43X COA pistols, the title still says MOS. If the name includes Aimpoint COA, the slide is A-CUT and the dot is already mounted. Those pistols are on the Glock COA pistols page.

Which One Should You Buy?

Buy the Glock 43 if you want the smallest option

The 43 is the pick when concealability and the short grip come first. It is the smallest 9mm Glock we stock, it holds six rounds, and it has no rail and no optic cut.

• Shortest grip in the group
• Six-round magazines only
• No accessory rail and no optic cut
• Factory black and a factory-rebuilt black pistol, plus dealer finishes on the collection page

Start here: Glock 43 pistols.

Buy the Glock 43X if you want the short slide and a real grip

The 43X is the pick when the 43 grip is too short and you still want the 6.06 in. slide. Slimline magazines, a slim rail, and front serrations come with that longer grip. Then pick polymer sights, MOS, or COA.

• Same short slide as the 43, with a 5.04 in. grip
• Slimline magazines, 10-round or 15-round
• Iron sights, an empty MOS cut, or a factory Aimpoint COA
• The usual answer for Glock 43 vs 43X when the short grip does not fit

Start here: Glock 43X pistols.

Buy the Glock 48 if you want the longer slide

The 48 is the pick when the 43X grip is right and the short slide is not. It uses the same magazines, in a holster about as long as a Glock 19, and the frame is still 1.10 in. wide.

• 43X grip and Slimline magazines
• 6.85 in. slide and 4.17 in. Marksman Barrel
• Iron sights, MOS, or Aimpoint COA
• The Slimline to compare with a Glock 19 when you want the length without the wider frame

Start here: Glock 48 pistols.

Final Recommendation

For the smallest setup, choose the Glock 43.

For the short slide with a grip you can actually hold, choose the Glock 43X.

For that same grip under a longer slide, choose the Glock 48.

The 43 is the easiest to hide, and the magazine holds six. The 43X is the balance of a short slide and a longer Slimline grip. The 48 is the longer Slimline, with Glock 19 length and 43X width. If you are still unsure, decide the grip first. The slide and the optic come after that.

The full brand is on the Glock pistols hub. Handguns ship to a licensed FFL.

Glock 43 vs 43X vs 48 FAQs

The measurements are from Glock’s US pages for the G43, G43X, G43X MOS, and G48 MOS. This comparison uses those published specs.