Over the next few months, we’ll be starting a new series of articles dedicated to upgrades for your firearms. This one will look at the iconic Glock 43, one of the most popular concealable subcompact pistols.

Upgrade #1: Mag Capacity

The Glock 43 is chambered in 9mm. Its overall length is 6.26 inch and has an overall height of 4.25 inches. With subcompact pistols, it’s a “win some, lose some” situation. What you gain in conceal-ability you lose in mag capacity. The standard mag for the Glock 43 holds 6 rounds+1 in the chamber. For some this is enough with an extra magazine holding another 6 shots.

For those of us who want to keep things minimal, carrying only 1 magazine, or have as many shots as possible, there are base plate magazine extensions for the Glock 43 adding up to 3 extra rounds per magazine. It’s not magic, so you do add length to the gun. The base plates connect directly to the magazine base, and with one youtube video tutorial you can add it in 30 minutes or less. The base plate extension we like is from Taran Tactical Innovations. They carry base plates for Glock, CZ, M&P, Sig and XD model pistols. Their base plates come in a variety of colors and ammo addition variations.

Upgrade #2: Sights

Glock in its simplicity comes with great sights, and when you train to learn where bullet impact happens with those sights, you’ll be on your way. BUT if you want to upgrade, most people go with Night Sights. These are pistol sights that have a “glowing” front or rear sight to help with target acquisition in low light environments. There are a few different brands out there and you can choose from orange, red, or green “glowing” night sights for your Glock 43. Two trustworthy companies for night sights are Trijicon and TruGlo. If you’re trying to be cost-aware, take a look at the TruGlo night sights.

Upgrade #3: Trigger

The Glock 43 comes with a stock 5.5lb trigger weight. This means that it takes 5.5lb’s of pull pressure for the trigger to go “bang” this is a good weight, as it’s heavy enough that pulling the trigger must be intentional for it to break and fire a round. But if you want a lighter trigger that takes less pull weight to fire or you just want a “better feeling” trigger, there are a few trusted companies to look at. One of our favorite Glock 43 trigger replacements comes from Overwatch Precision. They have the “TAC” and the “DAT” triggers that are from milled aluminum. They have a slightly lighter and smoother, yet crisp break.

Upgrade #4: Weapons Light

If you’re going to conceal carry, it's never a bad option to have a light on your firearm. Lights are used in the obvious way to illuminate an unknown area as well as to temporarily blind an assailant. There are a couple options for the Glock 43, we recommend the Streamlight TLR-6. It comes with a 100 lumen light and a laser option for target acquisition. As a side note, we recommend only using your firearm light when in a self defense situation or when you are possibly intending to fire your weapon. Don’t use it as a general flashlight - remember, it's connected to a killing tool.

Upgrade #5: Barrel Upgrade

You’re about to ask, “what’s wrong with the barrel on the Glock 43?”. Nothing! Nothing at all. BUT if you get a lot of use out of your Glock 43, or any firearm, eventually the barrel’s rifling will wear down and you’ll need to replace it to keep consistent accuracy. Realistically, you’ll have to put thousands of rounds through your Glock 43 before you need to replace the barrel. Other reasons you may want to get a different barrel is if you’re looking for a “marine” rated one that does better in wet environments, a milled barrel that weighs less, a higher quality barrel that will have a longer life, or a threaded barrel if you plan on using a suppressor on your firearm. Faxon and Killer Innovations both make great barrel alternatives for your Glock 43 if any of these reasons for replacing apply to you.