Testing continues with the Glock 43 pistol. During this range trip I used HPR 9mm 115gr TMJ ammo.
Out of the 50 rounds fired, I did encounter 1 failure to eject. However, I have no reason to believe that this was related to the ammo. In fact, I am confident that the malfunction was a direct result of me “limp wristing” the pistol.
Limp wristing is scenario encountered by semiautomatic pistol shooters in which the shooter’s grip is not firm enough and the wrist is not held firm/straight enough to keep the frame of the firearm from traveling rearward while the bolt or slide of the pistol cycles.This condition can result in a failure to complete the operating cycle.
The error occurred about midway through the 50 rounds. It was an extremely hot day, and sweating hands were causing my grip to be less than perfect. As soon as this round fired, I could feel the Glock slip in my hands. So technically, I guess this isn’t exactly the same as limp wristing. But, the results were similar. At this point I wiped the sweat from my hands and had no further issues. I should note that I was not using the Glock 43 magazine with finger extension, which does improve grip surface.
As I said, I am confident that I know what caused the malfunction. Using the magazine with finger extension would probably reduce the chances of it happening again. Despite that, I don’t think I’m ready to give in to using that magazine. The Glock 43 is extremely concealable and comfortable to carry. Would using the magazine extension change that? No, not at all. But, it would make the pistol slightly less concealable. And keep in mind that the magazine with extension does not increase capacity. At this point, I think I just need some more training time with the G43 using the standard magazine.
With regard to my accuracy for the day… It was fair. As you can see from the target below, the top left and bottom left groups are definitely the best. I was using the Compact Shooting Rest from CTK Precision during both of these groups, which eliminates a lot of shooter error. For the other groups I was firing from a standing position.
| Cumulative Range/Function Test Results – Glock 43 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Test # | Ammunition | # Rounds | Results |
| 1 | Winchester 9mm 115gr FMJ | 50 | No Issues |
| 2 | HPR 9mm 115gr TMJ | 50 | 1 Failure to Eject – Shooter Error |
Glock 43 Specs:
- Caliber: 9×19
- System: Safe Action
- Length: 159 mm / 6.26 in
- Width: 26 mm / 1.02 in
- Length Between Sights: 132 mm / 5.20 in
- Height: 108 mm / 4.25 in
- Barrel Height: n/a
- Barrel Length: 86 mm / 3.39 in
- Weight:
- Unloaded: 509 g / 17.95 oz
- Loaded: 634 g / 22.36 oz
- Trigger Pull: ~25 N / ~5.5 lbs
- Trigger Travel: ~12.5 mm / ~0.49 in
- Barrel Rifling: right hand, octagonal
- Length of Twist: 250 mm / 9.84 in
- Magazine Capacity:
- Standard: 6
- More Info: Glock
HPR 9mm 115gr TMJ Ammo Specs:
- Part Number: 9115TMJ
- Projectile: TMJ
- Weight (Grains): 115
- Casing: New HPR Brass
- Muzzle Velocity (FPS): 1128
- 50Yd Velocity (FPS): 1073
- Muzzle Energy (FT/LBS): 325
- 50Yd Energy (FT/LBS): 294
- Rounds/Box: 50
- More Info: HPR Ammunition
Image Notes (Top Image):