[retrieverman]

I'm currently carrying a 43 and may be a little prejudiced, but I replaced a sub compact 1911 45 acp with the 43. I'll be honest that it was a hard decision due to the fact that, like the OP, I'm a huge fan of a 45, but for me, the size of the 43 is just so concealed carry friendly.

My decision may change in the not too distant future, since open carry has just this afternoon passed the House here in Texas and is guaranteed to be signed by the Governor. That being said, I may go back to larger gun in a larger caliber when I don't have to worry about concealing it.

For now, I'll take the 43 over a G30.

 

[Queen Bee]

I have shot the 43 in comparison to my 26, and a 21sf. after shooting both the 9mm's with federal HST 124gr +P i will and never would buy the 43.. the 43 with SD loads is like shooting my glock 21sf .45 with SD loads.. you get all the recoil of a .45 without the caliber or round counts. both myself and another person at the range noticed this.

i shot both the 26 and 43 back to back with HST and by far the 26 is much quicker on rapid accurate fire.

I will say though that i will be picking up the glock 42, instead of the 43

between your two choices .. pick up the 30

 

[seanmac45]

I owned the 21, 30 and 36 and sold all three. I overwhelmingly carry .45's but only in a 1911 variant. None of the Glocks in 45 tickled my fancy. Having said that, I picked up a 43 and am close to adding it to the carry rotation due to its' slim profile and excellent ergonomics. To me, it's perfect for those times when you REALLY do not want to be made or really need a light gun. And no, before anyone asks I have never been made carrying my 1911's.

 

[BWT]

I have the 30SF and the 43. I love to shoot the 30, but the 43 has become my off duty pistol. Its easy to shoot and easier to carry. The only thing I need to do is replace the standard sights with some Truglo TFO here in the near future. I am also waiting on the mag extensions for the 43.

 

[Dave T]

If you're willing to consider the 43 with its 6+1 capacity it would seem to me your answer lies in buying a Glock 36. The same slim design (not as slim but slim by Glock standards) with the same 6+1 capacity but this time they are the near half an inch 45 ACP projectiles. (smiley face goes here)

Dave

 

[TheGunPunch]

If your considering the 30 you owe it to yourself to look at the 26

 

[glide]

Go with a Glock 30 since you feel strongly about the .45 acp caliber.

 

[bac1023]

The G43 is great. 9mm is my favorite round. When it comes to 45ACP, I basically only like 1911s and close variants.

 

[bac1023]

If you're willing to consider the 43 with its 6+1 capacity it would seem to me your answer lies in buying a Glock 36. The same slim design (not as slim but slim by Glock standards) with the same 6+1 capacity but this time they are the near half an inch 45 ACP projectiles. (smiley face goes here)

Dave

G43 and G36 are certainly not the same slim design. They are quite different.

 

[4949shooter]

It sounds to me like the 43 isn't for you. I have a buddy that only buys and carries .45's.

Some people just don't like 9mm. Nothing wrong with that, we all have our own preferences.

 

[Wetrudgeon]

If you're willing to consider the 43 with its 6+1 capacity it would seem to me your answer lies in buying a Glock 36. The same slim design (not as slim but slim by Glock standards) with the same 6+1 capacity but this time they are the near half an inch 45 ACP projectiles. (smiley face goes here)

For our part, we agree with the above. It seems to us that a more direct choose between is the G43 vs. G36. We own both now, and think they are great for their intended purpose. Both are six plus one. Both hide very well, with the edge going to the G43. Of course the power edge to the G36. We mean to carry both for the foreseeable future. Never owned a G30, but no doubt it is a fine carry piece.

We trudge on.

 

[Rocky7]

I am a fan of the 26's and 30s, have three of each, for me they carry as well on my 6-4" frame. The 43 being very popular is not something I need to pursue, I feel that my choices suit myself and could others.

 

[#1 Glocker]

The dilemma begins. I've never really been a fan of the 9mm. I always felt that round is for girly, girls and sub-machine guns. All my weight has always been behind the .45 ACP. It's the real deal. Plus, looking down at the business-end of a .45 barrel is pretty intimidating.

Now the dilemma -- Is the 43 really all that it's cracked up to be? Is the design so great that the effectiveness of the .45 should be overlooked?

I've got my new GSSF certificate in my hands and it's begging to get thrown down on something really soon.

HELP!!!

Go for the 30, that's what I would do anyway. I've got a .380 acp and I'm not overly impressed with
the round. It's a Kel-Tec P3AT, I know it's not a 43, I only carry it in my pocket when nothing else will work. 99 percent of the time my Glock 26 works just fine.
I love the .45 acp round a lot, I've had the Glock 36 and the Glock 21and LOVED them. I miss them on a daily basis. I have always wanted a Glock 30. The only .45 acp I own now is the Springfield XD compact tactical in dark earth, I have the 10 round mags and the full size 13 rd. mags with the mag spacers to make it full size. I've been thinking about getting rid of the XD to help fund and Glock 30.
Good luck on your decision.

 

[seanmac45]

The G43 is great. 9mm is my favorite round. When it comes to 45ACP, I basically only like 1911s and close variants.

I'm pretty close to full agreement with Brian on this with the exception that I prefer 45 ACP. Having said that, I have tried all of the Glock 45's and had a brief affair with the HK 45C. None of them possessed the outstanding ergonomics nor the slim and comfortable to carry profile of the 1911. The best lesson i took away from all of that experimentation was the fact that for me, the 1911 and variants (Commander and CCO styles) are the perfect answer to the question of what to carry in 45 ACP.

The best runner up are the 9mm Glocks. The 19 and 26 served me well in narcotics and I still own them. I do not carry them due to their girth and the commensurate difficulty in concealment.

With the arrival of the 43 I finally have a 9mm that exhibits the reliability and slim profile which makes it almost as good a carry piece as my 1911's.The only benefit it has over my 45's is the extreme light weight of the pistol. As I age a lighter carry pistol is becoming a bit more of a consideration. Thus, for me, the 43 will become my dedicated 9mm carry pistol.

 

[SargeMO]

The dilemma begins. I've never really been a fan of the 9mm. I always felt that round is for girly, girls and sub-machine guns. All my weight has always been behind the .45 ACP. It's the real deal. Plus, looking down at the business-end of a .45 barrel is pretty intimidating.

Now the dilemma -- Is the 43 really all that it's cracked up to be? Is the design so great that the effectiveness of the .45 should be overlooked?

I've got my new GSSF certificate in my hands and it's begging to get thrown down on something really soon.

HELP!!!

I've got a dehorned G30 and a LCP, both of which fill their respective roles perfectly. The 30 serves as a duty gun, carry gun and a field/woods gun. The LCP has its place, as a second gun or when a small, light gun is all you can carry. But the 30 gets carried almost continuously.

The 9mm is not a bad cartridge. It offers lots of capacity and is cheap to shoot. In its better loadings, it falls between the 38 +P and a watered-down 357 Mag. If you're happy with that, it makes perfect sense. But the current notion that it somehow got an 'S' stamped on its chest is just absurd.

 

[Colt M4 Carbine]

So, if I choose the 30, which variant?

 

[ras47]

That's a tough choice! I have shot and adore the G43. My only reservation is the magazine capacity. I'm slowly warming to the idea of 9mm being as effective as .45 in self defense situations as accuracy and improved ammo technology trumps a bigger hunk of metal hurtling towards your target, but it's tough. As a non-LE person living in the Beautiful People's Republic of New Jersey, concealed carry is simply not an option for me. I don't have any practical experience with concealed carry - just envy. My gut tells me the G30 with 10/13 rounds of .45 ACP is worth the extra size and weight, but anybody debating this choice really should hit a gun store and check these out side by side. My LGS doesn't have the G30 in stock but they do have the G26. Aside from a little weight difference I think you can compare the 26 and 43 to get an idea of the pros/cons one vs. the other.

 

[ras47]

So, if I choose the 30, which variant?

Meaty paws? Gen 4 G30.
Normal or smaller hands? G30 SF.

That's how I'd roll anyway. YMMV.

 

[SargeMO]

So, if I choose the 30, which variant?

It really depends on what you intend to do with it. I've got the Gen 3 G30 and my youngest son has a new 30S.

I chose the standard 30 because I handgun hunt and I wanted the option of running 45 Super or 460 Rowland in it. I also shoot a lot and I thought the original version might be more durable.

But after carrying both in the same holster and shooting them side by side with the same ammo, I believe the 30S carries a lot nicer. You'd have to be awfully recoil sensitive to notice any difference between them.