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The old setup was a Kahr PM9, Glock 26, and a Glock 19.
I have moved to a Glock 43, Glock 43X mos cut down to accept the 10rnd Shield mags, and a Glock 48mos. It is pretty much the same as before but slimline. I will be adding a Holosun to the cut down 43X, but I am unsure about the weapon light. The 43 will remain no optic no light. I carry the 48 3 seasons of the year. The cut down 43X will be carried during the summer while wearing lighter clothes, and the 43 is my BBQ in Bermuda shorts gun.
I modified the shield grip extension to fit a Palmetto 15. I plan to swap slides after adding the second optic and would like to see if the respective slides hold zero when swapped between 43X and 48. If it all works as I hope I will have an extremely versatile setup with several permutations to fit my needs. If not I have three very effective guns for the task a hand.
I hope to add the optic to the 43X this weekend but don't know when I will get to shoot it and try swapping slides. I have family descending
next week and will be otherwise occupied with them and getting ready.
I went through something similar a couple of years ago and ended up with a 4 gun lineup. A Kahr PM9 for pocket carry, a 43 because I already have it but I like the Kahr better), a 43X which I like MUCH better than the 43 and my 48 MOS with a Holosun EPS as my true EDC. Both the 43X and 48 MOS share the same 15 round Shield mags that I've been running for years now, all of them are carried AIWB in Kydex holsters
Over the last year I've found that the 48MOS carried AIWB with the Holosun EPS sight works for everything I wear in all temperatures/seasons including down to shorts and a light T-Shirt, so the 43X, 43 and Kahr PM9 basically sit on my night stand and almost never make it to my belt. SOMETIMES I put the PM9 in my pocket to go get the mail.... But when I've tried (forced myself) to try to go out with a smaller gun with lower capacity and regular sights I now feel..... "undergunned", like I'm handicapping myself for NO reason and gaining nothing, so I end up pulling the smaller gun out and grabbing the 48 again before I walk out the door.
Right now the only thing I wish is that I had bought a 43X MOS instead of the 48 because the extra sight plane advantage of the 48 is lost when you put an RDS on it so I plan to dump all of them (except the PM9, why? I don't know) and swap them all out for s 43X MOS with an EPS on it and call it DONE.
It'll be like going back to blue pinstripe suits and white dress shirts every day for work. I'll never have to think what I'm wearing ever again.
Funny how people have different tastes. I hate the Kahr. I bought two when they were about all there was in the single stack nine market. I look forward to never shooting them again.
The 48 is great most most of the time. It prints too much with a lightweight shirt. The grip has always been the hardest part to conceal. The beauty of the cut down 43X is 13 rounds with a 15 round backup with a much shorter grip, especially the heel which is the trouble spot. There is no need to feel undergunned. I ofter carried My 26 for just this reason. 13 rounds with a 17 mag as a backup.
I loved the feel of my Kahr. However it did NOT jive with me for whatever reason. I couldn’t hit a bull in the ass with a bass fiddle with that gun. I had FAR better luck with the Ruger ec9
“The shepherd slaughters more of the flock than the wolf ever will.”
I think you did well.
I have a G43, G43X, and then in same caliber, I bump up to a G19 MOS.
I bought the G43 before I was issued the G43X. I carried the G43 with or without an extended magazine for short trips or outside the house. Now, I prefer the G43X as my light gun or when wearing Spy Cloths at the shoe store.
I could now do without the G43. And I do wish the G43X was MOS (they say we will possibly get them in the future) but it would need a very small RDS to maintain the compactness. I find the irons of the G43X impact about 8” high at 25 yrds with my 147gr GD-G2 ammo and then gets closer to POA as I get closer. That kinda pisses me off. A RDS could fix that.
Regardless, I think you did well. I don’t need the G43 anymore and rarely use it. For yard work, I often carry a S&W Airweight in .357 for snakes and people. Outside of that, it’s the G43X or G19 w/ACRO. When I’m not hiding it, I carry a G47 w/ACRO.
At the Ranch, I still carry a .357 Mag For snakes and two legged.
Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.
Zsarvashere wrote: ↑Fri Aug 01, 2025 12:43 am
Funny how people have different tastes. I hate the Kahr. I bought two when they were about all there was in the single stack nine market. I look forward to never shooting them again.
The 48 is great most most of the time. It prints too much with a lightweight shirt. The grip has always been the hardest part to conceal. The beauty of the cut down 43X is 13 rounds with a 15 round backup with a much shorter grip, especially the heel which is the trouble spot. There is no need to feel undergunned. I ofter carried My 26 for just this reason. 13 rounds with a 17 mag as a backup.
I dislike the Kahr as well. No love what so ever.
Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.
I can shoot the Kahrs well but why would I want to. The trigger is like pulling your finger through a semisolid dog turd with no break point. I think double action revolver guys might like it but not me. I can't say I enjoy shooting the 26/27 class with a flush fit mag, but I almost always carried with a Pearce +2 so I had the real estate I needed to shoot well.
As an example, I carried the G43X appendix today in spy cloths on my body with a mag in my pocket for out and about. I also had the G19 w/ACRO in my Man Sack in the vehicle with two additional mags. Along with an M4 and hard armor w/mags…….just in case.
Never know what’s going to happen at the shoe store.
Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.
Zee wrote: ↑Fri Aug 01, 2025 2:05 am
I think you did well.
I have a G43, G43X, and then in same caliber, I bump up to a G19 MOS.
I bought the G43 before I was issued the G43X. I carried the G43 with or without an extended magazine for short trips or outside the house. Now, I prefer the G43X as my light gun or when wearing Spy Cloths at the shoe store.
I could now do without the G43. And I do wish the G43X was MOS (they say we will possibly get them in the future) but it would need a very small RDS to maintain the compactness. I find the irons of the G43X impact about 8” high at 25 yrds with my 147gr GD-G2 ammo and then gets closer to POA as I get closer. That kinda pisses me off. A RDS could fix that.
Regardless, I think you did well. I don’t need the G43 anymore and rarely use it. For yard work, I often carry a S&W Airweight in .357 for snakes and people. Outside of that, it’s the G43X or G19 w/ACRO. When I’m not hiding it, I carry a G47 w/ACRO.
At the Ranch, I still carry a .357 Mag For snakes and two legged.
I certainly see the 43 as the least used of the bunch. But when you want to kick back and enjoy your evening at the grill a single stacked lightweight Pistol in e remora holster is hard to beat. I must confess I have not shot it past ten yards yet. I will have to do so to see if mine suffers from the same point of aim issue. I have not even shot the cut down 43x yet. I just did the mods today.
I’ve got a 43 because it was $300. Sore pecker deal. While I don’t carry it, except occasionally on the motorcycle, it’s staying around. If nothing else it’s my shop gun
“The shepherd slaughters more of the flock than the wolf ever will.”
I got the rds added and the grip tape. She is ready for a spin. All you 26 haters eat your heart out. 12+1 or 15+1. I think I am going to keep it without the light. It will be a summer gun and I am almost never out past dark and have a flashlight anyway.
"Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it." - Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain)
Size maybe. Sometimes it's the little changes that make all the difference. That part of the grip the heel if you were is what makes the difference. Now I can wear a light t and carry all day. Before I printed like a newspaper. It is also a 43x frame so noticeably thinner than a 19.
Wambli Ska wrote: ↑Thu Jul 31, 2025 11:28 pm
Right now the only thing I wish is that I had bought a 43X MOS instead of the 48 because the extra sight plane advantage of the 48 is lost when you put an RDS on it so I plan to dump all of them (except the PM9, why? I don't know) and swap them all out for s 43X MOS with an EPS on it and call it DONE.
The advantage I see with the 48 MOS is that if you mount a Streamlight TLR-7 sub on it as a permanent addition (holsters made for it), the light bezel comes flush with the muzzle - on the 43X, it sticks out beyond into the "Carboned flashlight lens" zone. The overall package length ends up being the same, so take the sight radius and the extra 25 fps of muzzle velocity.
I picked up a factory 43X MOS slide and Frankengunned it and a Holoson EPS Carry onto my 43 with it's cheesy, but adequate clamshell TLR-6. It won't work with skinny jeans, (which I don't have, much less wear), but it has pretty much taken the place of my J-frame for pocket holster carry. With a 6-round mag in the gun and a 9-round Shield Arms mag for the reload, it seems to be turning into the daily driver.
WWJMBD?
I believe we should stand on Ceremony. . . while our friends handcuff the sanctimonious little prick and take him away.
Zsarvashere wrote: ↑Fri Aug 01, 2025 12:43 am
Funny how people have different tastes. I hate the Kahr. I bought two when they were about all there was in the single stack nine market. I look forward to never shooting them again.
The 48 is great most most of the time. It prints too much with a lightweight shirt. The grip has always been the hardest part to conceal. The beauty of the cut down 43X is 13 rounds with a 15 round backup with a much shorter grip, especially the heel which is the trouble spot. There is no need to feel undergunned. I ofter carried My 26 for just this reason. 13 rounds with a 17 mag as a backup.
I dislike the Kahr as well. No love what so ever.
Not my favorite gun in the world by any means but I see it as a very viable alternative to a 5 shot revolver. Easy to carry/conceal and faster reloads than a J frame with a better trigger than most DA revolvers. But again it's only my walk to the mailbox in my sweatpants pocket gun almost exclusively.
This is an interesting read. With my gorilla mitts I have not found anything anywhere compact i can shoot. Ive tried several at the local range. Maybe i just need to improve my technique?
I have some big bits myself. I have been able to palm a basketball since I was 11. Shooting tiny guns has never been fun. I sometimes think it makes me a better shooter as I concentrate on grip more. Go figure.
I finally got out to the back yard and did some shooting. The 43x cut down functioned flawlessly with the flush 10 rounders the +2 extensions, and the 15 rounders. I have it sighted in now, and have function tested it. I am on my weekly trip and carrying it for the first time. I likey.
Interestingly Zee. My 43 did indeed shoot high about 6 to 8 inches on average at 25yds. I was shooting 115gr Remington fmjs. I am not certain whether it was the gun or me though. I did shoot it rested to try and remove me as a variable as much as I could, but it has been a bit since I shot past 10 to 15yds with a handgun. The 48 and the 43xc both shot poa with the RDSs. I will need to stretch my practice distance and see if it is me before I can be sure. The overall group was bigger than I like anyway.
