BigSteve22
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So, for anyone following along, (or who really cares for that matter...), my recent retirement has seen my return to the shooting range as a avocation rather than a vocation. To that end, I bought myself a Glock G19 as retirement present. I have come to love this pistol.
But, although Glock calls their design "Glock Perfection", perfection is somewhat subjective. There are some finer points of the design that I modified to my liking: New trigger, (adjustable and no serrations), stainless steel recoil rod, (original is plastic), polished Glock OEM firing pin safety plunger, (smooths out trigger pull without changing spring weights), and Glock OEM extended magazine catch and slide stop, (I couldn't easily reach the standard controls without changing my grip). And, speaking of grips, I also went with Hogue's new style grip sleeve. (TruGlo TFO sights were also replaced, because I moved the existing ones to the 22LR conversion kit to keep the same sight picture across platforms.) So my G19 now looks like this:
These modifications are relatively minor compared to what I've seen around. All springs remain at factory standard weights, which retains the trigger pull weight at the factory standard 5.5 lbs., and all safeties remain fully functional at factory specs. However, I did change the trigger to an "adjustable" model, and although the trigger bar, trigger spring, and connector, all remain Glock OEM parts, the ability to limit pre-travel and over-travel, means that the trigger pull could be set at an out of spec/unsafe condition. And, although the weapon is absolutely safe, and functional to factory standards, the adjustability of the trigger could prove to be a legal liability in the aftermath of a defensive shooting.
So here I sat, with a perfectly safe and functional weapon which I didn't want to carry. I could have put the factory trigger back in, but it's really comfortable to shoot, and the Lone Wolf trigger I installed cost me $85! Then it came to me like a revelation, apply some of the wonderful knowledge and logic I obtained right here, reading posts on this very forum, to my current situation: Keep it and build another! Or in this case, buy another! So here it is, my new CCW, the Glock G43X:
The frame is the same height as my G19, but shorter in length and thinner in width. The slide is the same as used on the G43 subcompact, and it boasts a capacity of 10 rounds as compared to the G43's capacity of only 6. These features, taken together, make for a very comfortable, very concealable pistol. It's actually very similar in size to my Walther PPK/S, (another hybrid design consisting of a PPK slide on a PP frame), but much lighter, with a larger capacity, and chambered for the more powerful 9mm Luger, instead of the .380ACP. And although some detractors may decry the magazine capacity being "only" 10 rounds, I live in the People's Republic of New York, which limits capacity to 10 rounds for civilian use. (Funny, on the job, to "protect the public", we carried G17's with 17 round magazines. Now, to "enhance public safety", I can only be trusted with 10. And they can say that with a straight face...)
Anyway, the only changes made to the stock configuration were the sights, (again TruGlo TFO's to keep the same sight picture across platforms, and the fact that I loath Glock factory sights), an extended slide stop, (I could barely find the original, low profile, stop with my thumb), and I sanded a rough spot off the front of trigger safety lever to allow it too sit flush with the trigger face when activated. Nothing else strikes me as needing attention. The G43X has a Gen4 trigger which is much smoother than on my Gen3 G19, the firing pin safety was redesigned, the mag catch sits closer to my hand so it is easily activated, and the recoil spring assembly is double coil making it less likely to flex/break.
I've put about 600 rounds of various manufacture's ammunition through my G43X without a hitch. (That may sound like a lot, but I personally consider 500 to be the minimum number of rounds to fire through a weapon before trusting your life to it.) It's a little snappier on the recoil, but nothing that would effect accuracy or the ability to maintain control. This is mainly due to the combination of the redesigned recoil spring assembly, and the longer grip frame. And, speaking of accuracy, even with a barrel length of only 3.41", I can still put 9 out of 10 rounds into the 10 ring at 15 yards. This can no doubt be attributed to the match grade, Glock "Marksman Barrel", which comes standard on this model.
So there you have it. Applying UW logic to CCW considerations, resulted in me buying a new carry gun. As may be obvious from the above, I'm very happy with the result. Please don't get me wrong, although I advocate for civilian CCW, I understand that it's definitely not for everyone, and fully respect those who would disagree, or decide to not personally carry. CCW requires a commitment to training, practice, and mind set, a deficit in any one of which could have disastrous results. Remember the Gunfighter's rule of 3's: Most lethal force encounters happen at a distance of about 3 yards, with 3 about rounds fired, in about 3 seconds. There is no time to think, your training must be sufficient to carry you through, because you will act as you have been trained. Stay safe my friends...
But, although Glock calls their design "Glock Perfection", perfection is somewhat subjective. There are some finer points of the design that I modified to my liking: New trigger, (adjustable and no serrations), stainless steel recoil rod, (original is plastic), polished Glock OEM firing pin safety plunger, (smooths out trigger pull without changing spring weights), and Glock OEM extended magazine catch and slide stop, (I couldn't easily reach the standard controls without changing my grip). And, speaking of grips, I also went with Hogue's new style grip sleeve. (TruGlo TFO sights were also replaced, because I moved the existing ones to the 22LR conversion kit to keep the same sight picture across platforms.) So my G19 now looks like this:

These modifications are relatively minor compared to what I've seen around. All springs remain at factory standard weights, which retains the trigger pull weight at the factory standard 5.5 lbs., and all safeties remain fully functional at factory specs. However, I did change the trigger to an "adjustable" model, and although the trigger bar, trigger spring, and connector, all remain Glock OEM parts, the ability to limit pre-travel and over-travel, means that the trigger pull could be set at an out of spec/unsafe condition. And, although the weapon is absolutely safe, and functional to factory standards, the adjustability of the trigger could prove to be a legal liability in the aftermath of a defensive shooting.
So here I sat, with a perfectly safe and functional weapon which I didn't want to carry. I could have put the factory trigger back in, but it's really comfortable to shoot, and the Lone Wolf trigger I installed cost me $85! Then it came to me like a revelation, apply some of the wonderful knowledge and logic I obtained right here, reading posts on this very forum, to my current situation: Keep it and build another! Or in this case, buy another! So here it is, my new CCW, the Glock G43X:

The frame is the same height as my G19, but shorter in length and thinner in width. The slide is the same as used on the G43 subcompact, and it boasts a capacity of 10 rounds as compared to the G43's capacity of only 6. These features, taken together, make for a very comfortable, very concealable pistol. It's actually very similar in size to my Walther PPK/S, (another hybrid design consisting of a PPK slide on a PP frame), but much lighter, with a larger capacity, and chambered for the more powerful 9mm Luger, instead of the .380ACP. And although some detractors may decry the magazine capacity being "only" 10 rounds, I live in the People's Republic of New York, which limits capacity to 10 rounds for civilian use. (Funny, on the job, to "protect the public", we carried G17's with 17 round magazines. Now, to "enhance public safety", I can only be trusted with 10. And they can say that with a straight face...)
Anyway, the only changes made to the stock configuration were the sights, (again TruGlo TFO's to keep the same sight picture across platforms, and the fact that I loath Glock factory sights), an extended slide stop, (I could barely find the original, low profile, stop with my thumb), and I sanded a rough spot off the front of trigger safety lever to allow it too sit flush with the trigger face when activated. Nothing else strikes me as needing attention. The G43X has a Gen4 trigger which is much smoother than on my Gen3 G19, the firing pin safety was redesigned, the mag catch sits closer to my hand so it is easily activated, and the recoil spring assembly is double coil making it less likely to flex/break.
I've put about 600 rounds of various manufacture's ammunition through my G43X without a hitch. (That may sound like a lot, but I personally consider 500 to be the minimum number of rounds to fire through a weapon before trusting your life to it.) It's a little snappier on the recoil, but nothing that would effect accuracy or the ability to maintain control. This is mainly due to the combination of the redesigned recoil spring assembly, and the longer grip frame. And, speaking of accuracy, even with a barrel length of only 3.41", I can still put 9 out of 10 rounds into the 10 ring at 15 yards. This can no doubt be attributed to the match grade, Glock "Marksman Barrel", which comes standard on this model.
So there you have it. Applying UW logic to CCW considerations, resulted in me buying a new carry gun. As may be obvious from the above, I'm very happy with the result. Please don't get me wrong, although I advocate for civilian CCW, I understand that it's definitely not for everyone, and fully respect those who would disagree, or decide to not personally carry. CCW requires a commitment to training, practice, and mind set, a deficit in any one of which could have disastrous results. Remember the Gunfighter's rule of 3's: Most lethal force encounters happen at a distance of about 3 yards, with 3 about rounds fired, in about 3 seconds. There is no time to think, your training must be sufficient to carry you through, because you will act as you have been trained. Stay safe my friends...