[BBMW]

The pocketability issue is new and interesting. It's also likely very clothing specific. I own a pair of shortstop would allow me to pocket a 5" barrel 1911, so I see how it could be viable with the right pair of pants. But this is a situation where you'd have to dress around the gun.

As far as the 43X itself, for whatever use you'd have for it, there seems to be a better alternative. If that size gun fits the bill, I'd rather have the Springfield Hellcat Pro. Its as close to exactly the same size gun as two guns that weren't intentional clones of each other are going to be. It comes with factory 15 round mags (and they have a promotion where a buyer can get 5 of them included.) It has better iron sights, and is natively optics ready. And, it's cheaper than the 43X MOS, and much cheaper if you factor in the cost of a few S15 mags and the metal mag catch.

Another alternative if you want a compact 10 round mag 9mm is, of course, the P365. That gun has been done to death, so I don't need to compare features.

Sorry, I just don't see where the 43X had any advantage that makes it worth buying.

 

[BBMW]

SIG has had some spotty models, but once it got over it's launch bugs, I've heard a lot of good things about the P365.

As far as the Springfield, before this I haven't been a huge fan. But to me the Hellcat Pro (not so much the Hellcat original) hits a real sweet spot size and capacity wise. And I've been watching. I haven't heard much if anything negative about this gun, other than it doesn't have a light target type trigger. For a carry gun, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Glocks work. I don't question that. But they haven't pushed the envelope in a long time, and are living off their reputation. If a G19 works for you, it will probably never let you down. But I see no reason why a Hellcat pro would let you down either, and it's smaller, lighter, has a better feature set for the money.

Speaking only for myself, but I’d rather have a Glock than a Springfield or 365, regardless of round count.
There may be others that think the same way.

 

[BBMW]

A bigger gun is going to be easier to shoot, but more difficult to carry. You need to decide where on that continuum you want to be, considering you want the gun to be on your body when you need it.

Saying a gun sucks doesn't mean it's not usable, and can't be shot well or accurately. It may just not be as good as the bigger gun you can't get yourself to carry all the time.

And there is now a big size range in the micro-9 category. Some of these are not so micro any more. I'm harping on the Hellcat Pro. I don't really consider this a micro-9. I consider it a compact 9 with a bit of a shrink. The Glock 19 is the standard bearer for the compact 9 class. I consider the Hellcat Pro very much a G-19 on a diet. You also bring up the G26. Whereas the Hellcat Pro has a narrower grip, the G-26 in native form only has a two finger grip. A lot of people don't like that and use pinky rest mag base plates. But then you're making the gun bigger. The HCP has a natively three finger grip. Again, pick your poison. Both are really holster guns. What's more of an issue in a holster, a slightly longer gun or a wider gun?

As far as reloads, unless your a professional shooter on a course where you know you're going to have to reload,, and are using a race rig, a half a second is a wee bit optimistic. Rounds in the gun are worth more than rounds in a spare mag.

I'll defer pistol optics discussions to other threads.

I just think the Glock is a more proven product.

But as far as the micro 9mm’s go, they all suck, except for the Walther PPS M2.
The Walther shoots like a bigger gun than it is. I own one and chose it after trying the Shield, 365, Hellcat, and the 43…..the 43 sucks too.

Maybe others are smaller and lighter, but that doesn’t translate to shootability or durability.

As far as capacity, to me, when it takes, what; half a second to drop an empty and insert a fresh magazine?
So for me that makes capacity a non issue.

But that’s my opinion on the matter. Others may want the capacity. I prefer shootability over a few more rounds.

Cuts for RDS’s and threaded barrels are features I don’t need or desire to pay for.

But, if I really wanted high capacity capability and true continuity, I’d just go with the G26; shoots smoother, much more proven track record, and can go from 10 to 33 rounds with a mag change.