At one time I had two of them, traded off the 2nd one today. Never fit my hand quite right, didn't sit in my pocket quite right, and I continually shot them low and left no matter how I altered my grip or trigger finger position. They work well, fill a niche, but not for me. Ironically I own a Glock 42 that I shoot very accurately. Just one of those things I guess.

If you dont like it, you dont like it.

People seem to like the walther pps m2.

I tried

It didn't fit my normal pocket nearly as well as the ruger lc9s.   So i just passed on buying.
My brother has one it's a decent gun it's just to long for a pocket gun imo.

I'll trade you my Shield 9mm.  Seriously.  Same problem for me.

I carry the 43 in a holster, it's little belt gun for me.   I'm lucky, it's one of the easiest to shoot guns I've ever owned.  25 yards slow fire, it hangs with my 34!

Check out the PPS M1 or Shield it has a fuller grip that might fit you better.

ryann... did you try carrying in a cargo pocket instead of a regular pant pocket?... with a Recluse cargo holster purchased for my G42, my G43 fits even with a TT+2 without printing... with  the 8 +1 option of the  TT +2 pad I just put 200 trouble free rounds, 1/2 115fmj and 1/2 124 JHP without a problem... I did drift the rear sight all the way to the right before heading to the range... 2" groups with 115fmj at point of aim at 15yd....naturally YMMV

That was my answer, very happy now

I'm the same.  I shot the G42 waaaay better than the G43.  I still carry my G43 all the time though.

Didn't care for the G43 I tried at all. Like my M1 PPS a lot though. Very similar in size.

They're not for everybody. For me it's the best damn carry gun I've ever had. I'm thinking about picking up a second one.

aim higher and more to the right

I'm the EXACT same way. Not a fan of my G43, really like my G42, and carry a PPS M2.

Yeah to me the Glock 42 and 43 are epic fails. Love the Glock 19 and 20 though. But yeah S&W Shield 9mm FTW!! 

Mine is very shootable, everyone is different though! Mine has been a perfect summer CCW this year, a keeper for sure.

i own and shoot both very well. either are great choices depending on wardrobe.some of the 380 ammo is very impressive lately.

another comment.. shot my G43 with Speer Gold Dot 124s yesterday... 5 shots went into less than 1 1/2" at 18yd offhand... point of aim after initially drifting the rear sight all the way to the right... extremely happy with the Taran Tactical +2 mag extension... 300 rounds of 115 ball and 124 hand loads without a glitch...

I tried carrying it many ways. It just didn't work out for me

If I could have shot mine that well I'd have kept it

I don't like mine either, but I'm gonna keep it. I haven't given it a fair shake yet.

OP hit a bullseye.. when released the 42 was much maligned.. and the 43 praised.. I hear more and more people changing their opinions after experience with both.

I love the way my 42 carries and shoots.. Also love the Shield in 40s&w..

Yep, there is no doubt it is a failed effort.  You'd think they'd at least take some cues from Kahr or Bersa on appropriate sizes for round count.  That G43 is just too damned big and heavy for what it is.

I like my PPS classic. I can shoot it about as accurate as any of my full sized pistols.

And this is where gun makers rake in the cash. No one is built exactly the same. Guns of a specific make, model and caliber are (to a certain point). Buyer #1 will love it and it's perfect in every way. Buyer #2 will find something that isn't just quite right. He may go ahead and buy it hoping he can adapt, but when it doesn't work out, goes shopping again.

I don't know how many guns I've bought sold and traded over the years, but I think I'm getting there.

Im hanging on to my 42.

I did pretty much the same thing as you. After having tried a friend's G42, loving it and having bought one myself, I wanted to love the G43. I almost bought one sight unseen, which I never do. A different friend brought one to the range one day and let me try it. I'm VERY glad I didn't buy one.

With the G42, I can effectively pocket carry it. It is on the large side, but I can do it. I carry a lot of crap in my pockets, so I am picky about pants pockets and only buy pants that have roomy pockets, which helps. The G43 is just enough bigger that I can't effectively pocket carry it. It is just enough bigger than the G42 that I can't draw it very well from my pocket and it printed horribly. That wasn't the worst, though.

The worst part was the way the gun recoiled in my hand. The butt slammed into the thumb knuckle in the web of my hand and it physically hurt for me to shoot it. I shot 2 magazines and my hand hurt for 2 days after. Not bad, but I could feel it. Not a gun problem but a problem with the way the gun fit my hand. If it had been small enough to pocket carry, I would have bought one anyway and sucked up the pain, but if I couldn't pocket carry it, I wasn't interested since I already have a 9mm Shield that I love for IWB carry. I thought this was weird because, while the G43 did recoil more and have more muzzle flip than my Shield, I didn't think the recoil was out of line for how much smaller the G43 was than my Shield and the fact that my pinky dangles on the G43.

To be fair to the G43, it was VERY accurate, more accurate than a small carry gun has a right to be. The trigger was VERY good, very crisp for a Glock, if a little heavier than the bigger Glocks. I was very impressed with the way it shot, but not impressed enough to buy one with the other issues I had with it. Several guys at the PD I work for have them and love them. They all have proven accurate and reliable, so as I said, it's not a problem with the gun, it's a problem with the way the gun fit me. I'll just stick with the G42 for the rare times that I have to pocket carry and my Shield (or G19 for when I can wear more than a t-shirt) for when I can carry IWB.

Bub75

Everyone is different and I'm thankful that we live in kind of a "golden age" of handgun availability. Plenty of makers, action types and models. If a person doesn't like the G43 they should get rid of it and use something they do like. Never accept the horribly bad advice that some people have whenever the question of a good gun comes up. Their worn out answer  is often  "The answer is always a Glock 19". Well no it ain't. There is never only one answer.

I personally like the G43. It replaced my Kahr P9 as my hot weather carry single stack 9mm and I didn't think that would ever happen. Just a personal preference.

Use what you like with no apologies to anyone.

Just my opinion.

I have seen a lot of threads where people just couldn't shoot the tiny 42 or 43 very well and already had a 26.  This made me question my plan to get one.  I just scrapped it all together and bought a Sig P320 compact.  Eventually I will have a sub compact to go with it. 

I have had problems with a P228 and a 3913 with too short of a length of pull and it was tough for me to shoot them accurately. 

The 42 is easy to shoot fast. The 43 is snappy and a little top heavy. It's just as easy to shoot accurately for slow fire but for faster shooting and double taps it's just hard without a lot of practice imo. I don't enjoy shooting a 43, but I do the 42.

The G43 and I didn't like each other either. It shot pretty well but I couldn't hold onto the damned thing.  Grip was just too short and too thin.  I've moved onto a .45 Shield and absolutely love it.

They never blew my skirt up either.  I like the G42, but never did warm up to the G43 due to the larger size.

I still prefer a J-frame for a minimalist carry gun.

I agree, my 442 rides well and is easily pulled from my pocket

I tried too, but the gun simply doesn't fit into my hand well. Under recoil, the gun would pivot up just enough to where the magazine release would slide up under my thumb, and the mag would either come unlatched, ~50% of the time. Other than that it was ok, but not the greatness that I had hoped it would be.
Oh well; traded it off on something or other.

Are you all shooting it with a mag extension like the Pearce or the stock one. Makes worlds of difference. I can't stand shooting guns with a floating pinky, and the mag extension makes it fit perfect for me. Love my g43. But I feel the need for a pocket of mags when I carry it.

I like my G42 better as well. Sold my G43. I just carry my G19 when I feel the need for a 9mm.

Mag extensions defeat the purpose of a pocket gun. In my case I didn't shoot any better with one.

It is until you need more than five rounds.  Speed loaders are pretty bulky in the pocket.  Speed strips load two at a time.  I watched one of our guys try to qual with one.....he pulled out his holster on the draw and failed that stage.  Reloading was fun to see what it was like in the olden days.  

Big hands?  

That is why I decided not to buy one.  The 26 is the smallest I really need.  

I'm kinda there too, I bought a 43 and it carries great. But, because I have big hands, I'm slower on it in drills than with a 26 or 19.

Watched a guy do something like that.  He was in the middle of a (long) reload when the RO said 'OOOOOOOO-K, you're dead, get off my line with that thing.   NEXT!'

I've owned and shot many glocks. The 43 was the only one to ever pinch my trigger finger between the trigger and trigger guard. Ran a couple mags through it and tried a few different things. I could never shoot it comfortably.  I have a 26 that I love and carry often. It works for me, the 43 did not.

I had no confidence shooting my 43 until I slapped a Hogue HandAll on it. Like most of y'all, I found that the grip is just too thin, and there's not enough surface area to fill your hand with. It makes it feel more like my 26. Now, you may be asking why I don't just carry the 26 if that's the case. The only answer I can give is the thinner slide of the 43 is noticeable to me compared to the 26, especially during these hot Texas summers.