Posted: 1/21/2017 6:11:25 PM EDT
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Well, I finally got to take the new G43 out today. I was looking for something I would trust a little more than my Kahr CM9 (which has been fine after a small modification). It didn't go as well as I had hoped.
I shot 100 rounds of American Eagle 115 grain ball which it handled just fine. Then I switched to my favorite carry ammo which I have in good supply: Speer Gold Dot 124 grain +P Short Barrel Hollow Point. Twice in 40 rounds it failed to feed the last round. That's all the Speer I had brought with me. I think it was the same magazine both times. After the second failure I loaded all the remaining ammo 3 rounds at a time to see if it would repeat. Now, my recoil management is probably not the best. I'm not sure what "limp wristing" is, but I was using a two hand grip. Regardless, this has not happened with my other guns, and I was just hoping to go out and prove this gun before carrying it. Now I need to figure out what to do about this. 
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| I'm no expert on ammunition, but it could have something to do with the +P ammo, maybe cycling the slide faster or with greater force that it causing it to misfeed. I'd recommend trying it with 147 gr Gold Dots (my preferred round). I've seen discussion of G43 range testing that worked fine with that round, and it has very good ballistic performance, so I don't think you're sacrificing anything if you have to switch to that ammo for your G43. I'm hoping to pick up a G43 for myself in the next couple months, and that's what I'm planning to carry. Sorry I can't offer any firsthand experience yet. |
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Quoted:
Try using standard pressure ammo and report back. +P is overrated and can actually change to performance of a round. +P in a short barrel is pointless anyways. You may well be right. I'm no expert. But if +P in a short barrel is pointless, why would they have a load formulated and labeled for short barrel use which is +P? As long as I can get the desired terminal ballistics, I definitely think a less hot load would be good. It seems the problem is likely related to the recoil. It would help my accuracy as well, especially out of such a small gun. What hollow points do you guys use in your 43? |
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Quoted:
I use 147 gr. HST, same as my other 9mm carry/defensive guns. I use 147 HST in my 43s too. Runs fine. +p can induce issues due to the stiffer recoil and faster slide speed. Last round FTF is a pretty good indication of weak mags springs, and/or excessive slide speed. These little guns are going to be more sensitive to ammo and handling than the bigger ones. |
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147 HST or 147 Win Defend is what I use.
The 147 standard pressure tends to preform better in ballistic test than the +P with better penetration and expansion. Also the 147 standard pressure has less felt recoil, is quieter since it is sub-sonic(not dramatically but you can tell a little difference), and I feel I can shoot it faster than even plinking 115gr loads. Yes they do make +P loads tailored to shorter barrels but in my experience even these loads I get flashes out the end of the barrel something I do not get with standard pressure 147 loads. Even Federal has a 150gr load tailored for shorter barrels. |
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What mags are you using?
In my G19, I've mostly used HST 124 +P as a defense round with great results as far as feed/eject and accuracy. I've only shot a couple of mag fulls of the +P in my G43 using the standard Glock Mags which functioned fine but I found accuracy lacking which I think is due to the heavy recoil. However, with the Pierce +1 floor plate I did have some feed issues on the last round. This was with various ammo. I think that's because the spring is extended and might not have enough power to feed that last round. I've settled on 124 gr non +P which, after 100~ has functioned perfectly in the 6 round mags. I've pretty much abandoned the Pierce +1 mags but might revisit them down the line. |
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Quoted:
What mags are you using? In my G19, I've mostly used HST 124 +P as a defense round with great results as far as feed/eject and accuracy. I've only shot a couple of mag fulls of the +P in my G43 using the standard Glock Mags which functioned fine but I found accuracy lacking which I think is due to the heavy recoil. However, with the Pierce +1 floor plate I did have some feed issues on the last round. This was with various ammo. I think that's because the spring is extended and might not have enough power to feed that last round. I've settled on 124 gr non +P which, after 100~ has functioned perfectly in the 6 round mags. I've pretty much abandoned the Pierce +1 mags but might revisit them down the line. I have had great luck with the Pearce +1 mag extensions so far. |
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I took my new G 43 to the range for the first time Saturday. I too am replacing a Khar CM40 I didn't quite have complete confidence in. I shoot the 43 by far better than any of my other mico sized carry guns. I put 225 rounds of mostly American Eagle 124 grn through it with 0 issues. In the end I ran 3 mags worth of HST 147 grn + p though it with no issues; however, I felt the +p was a bit too hot for the 43 so right now I've got the standard pressure 147 HST in the gun.
The short barrel GD has a pretty wide mouth from what I remember. Try something like the standard pressure regular GD or the HST. HST feeds better than Gold Dot IMO. |
| I just got a 43. I put about 300 rounds through it, several brands of HP's and FMJ's all 115 grain (no +P). The only malfunctions I had was with the Pierce extension. The mag popped out twice, once on the second shot, and once on the 4th shot. I have since gone back to the flat floor plate on that mag and have not had any problems. |
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I had the exact same issue with the same ammo, in fact 124gr +p GDHP and the SB variant. This is with 2 G43s and several different mags.
I have had 0 failures with HST 124, 124+P, 147, 147+P, and GDHP 147. I have noted that the GDHP 124+P are a little bit longer than all of the others - so they are only used in my bigger Glocks (w/o issue). |
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Quoted:
I had the exact same issue with the same ammo, in fact 124gr +p GDHP and the SB variant. This is with 2 G43s and several different mags. I have had 0 failures with HST 124, 124+P, 147, 147+P, and GDHP 147. I have noted that the GDHP 124+P are a little bit longer than all of the others - so they are only used in my bigger Glocks (w/o issue). This is very good to know. Thank you. |
| I see a fair number of reports of issues with using the Pierce +1 floor plates for the G43. I really like the concept, giving me an extra round and a little longer grip, but I'm concerned about these feeing issues. Has anyone tried using a longer spring to see if it improves performance? I was thinking about trying the Tango Down / Vickers +2 spring, maybe with one coil cut off. I don't have a G43 yet but was considering picking one up with my tax return and would like to look at this issue. Thanks! |
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Quoted:
I see a fair number of reports of issues with using the Pierce +1 floor plates for the G43. I really like the concept, giving me an extra round and a little longer grip, but I'm concerned about these feeing issues. Has anyone tried using a longer spring to see if it improves performance? I was thinking about trying the Tango Down / Vickers +2 spring, maybe with one coil cut off. I don't have a G43 yet but was considering picking one up with my tax return and would like to look at this issue. Thanks! I have been using the extensions on my G43 no issues. Granted I am only about 250-300 rounds into shooting my G43 with them currently. Used perfecta, federal brass & Al, WWB, fed HST 147, Win Defend & PDX1 147. My only issue is my thumb riding the slide stop currently. |
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Quoted:
I have been using the extensions on my G43 no issues. Granted I am only about 250-300 rounds into shooting my G43 with them currently. Used perfecta, federal brass & Al, WWB, fed HST 147, Win Defend & PDX1 147. My only issue is my thumb riding the slide stop currently. I'm also having trouble riding the slide stop on the 43 due to my large hands. |
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Quoted:
I have been using the extensions on my G43 no issues. Granted I am only about 250-300 rounds into shooting my G43 with them currently. Used perfecta, federal brass & Al, WWB, fed HST 147, Win Defend & PDX1 147. My only issue is my thumb riding the slide stop currently. Quoted:
I have been using the extensions on my G43 no issues. Granted I am only about 250-300 rounds into shooting my G43 with them currently. Used perfecta, federal brass & Al, WWB, fed HST 147, Win Defend & PDX1 147. My only issue is my thumb riding the slide stop currently. Quoted:
Try a +10% recoil spring with the Pierce extensions. Thanks for the feedback. I bought a magazine and Pearce +1 baseplate to try out. I'm going to the range this weekend to rent a G43 and wanted to see how the extension feels. I loaded the mag up and noticed that the spring tension (compression?) definitely feels a lot weaker than a new standard magazine due to the extra space at the bottom. It was pretty easy to load the 7 rounds in it. I could see how the reduced pressure could cause the magazine to feed the last round slower / weakly and result in a misfeed. |