By R, K. Campbell | Contributing Editor
Glock 48 Specifications
Length 7.3 inches
Height 5.04 inches
Width 1.1 inches
Weight 19 ounces
Magazine capacity 10 rounds
Caliber 9mm Luger
Many young shooters do not realize the impact that Glock firearms have had on the firearms market. The polymer-frame striker-fired revolution has had a tremendous effect on the handgun market. Glock led the way and now dominates the market. Arguably Glock remains first with the most. I should note that I am not the greatest Glock fan but I am not a Glock basher.
The Glock is in my opinion the baseline gun for personal defense and a great choice for many shooters. The Glock is as reliable as a handgun may be, easy enough to use well, and chambers popular cartridges. If you spend less money than the Glock then you should look hard at the pistol in question and determine what corners have been cut. If you pay more than the affordable price of the Glock you should be certain of the advantage. If you choose a more expensive handgun with a different trigger action or manual safety then be certain you are willing to master the handgun. When you take a hard look at the alternatives, the Glock looks good.
The author has fired and regained control of the Glock 48 with the sights re-aligned and a spent case in the air.
One of the new introductions is the Glock 48 9mm. I do not form an opinion of any handgun until I have handled the piece and fired it for myself. As an example I was interested to see the introduction of the Glock 19X, which some felt was not a good idea. I liked the 19X but I find the Glock 45 9mm a better fit for my preferences. When you fire the piece and work it out on the range the differences in handguns become more apparent. For some it may be the reliable and fast handling Glock 19, others may prefer the longer Glock 17. All are good handguns. The larger Glock pistols are service guns while the Glock 48 is for concealed carry.
Speed loads are not difficult with the Glock 48. Note ejected magazine near loaded magazine in author’s hand.
When testing the Glock 48 I expected certain things regarding reliability, trigger action and accuracy from any Glock but other than that I kept an open mind. I do not have to be asked twice to go to the range. Some of you probably shoot better than I because you have a handgun that you stick to and learn to shoot it to the best of your ability. That is as it should be. Sometimes a certain handgun is worth moving up to or in some ways moving down to, if it is a compact version of a popular handgun.
The Glock 48 is perhaps two ounces lighter than the Glock 19 9mm and otherwise similar in dimension save for the thinner grip frame and slide. The pistol appears to have a stainless slide. The actual material is silver nPVD coating. The two tone finish allows the Glock 48 to stand out in the showcase among the all black guns. The sights are the standard plastic Glock sight with white outline. These sights work well for personal defense shooting at ranges of 5 to 15 yards and are useful for those that practice at longer range.
The Glock 48, top, and the Glock 43X, lower, are the newest Glock pistols. The Glock 48 has pleasing, clean lines.
The grip has an excellent feel to it. My hands are smaller than average but I have never had a problem handling and controlling the Glock 17, 19, 22 and 23 and similar frames. (The Glock 21 is too much of a stretch.) That said I do feel more in control with the Glock 48. The grip frame is nicely pebbled and offers both abrasion and adhesion when firing.
These are not Generation 5 guns with ambidextrous controls and the other Generation 5 improvements but rather they are straightforward modifications on the Generation 4 type pistol. Trigger action is standard Glock Safe Action. My Glock 48 breaks at 5.7 pounds. The Glock 48 balances well and offers a good hand fit. The pistol features forward cocking serrations. The barrel features a nicely countersunk barrel crown. The interested shooter will find many good features on the Glock 48. The slim line grip holds a relatively thin 10-round magazine.
We used the Black Hills Honey Badger extensively during testing.
The question was how does it handle in combat drills and in firing for accuracy. To date I have fired almost 800 cartridges in the Glock 48 9mm with excellent results. In this evaluation I am reporting on a handgun that has never failed to feed, chamber, fire or eject and which came out of the box running. For this Gun Mag evaluation I fired one hundred rounds of the Black Hills Ammunition 115-grain FMJ. Firing at 5, 7 and 10 yards I was able to place hits in the X-ring on demand. I fired quickly but recovered the sights for each shot, focusing on the front sight. The pistol isn’t difficult to use well. Recoil with the 9mm isn’t sharp but must be controlled. I also fired at steel reaction targets at 25 yards. The Glock 48 is a pleasant and capable handgun to use and fire.
The Tuk It Kydex IWB holster worked well with the Glock 48. This holster features a good balance of speed and retention. (South Carolina Gun Company 864 334 5151)
I moved to personal defense loads and tested three offerings from Black Hills Ammunition. The 100-grain Honey Badger isn’t a hollow point bullet but a machined all brass projectile. This load relies on fluid dynamics as the turning, cutting bullet with flutes in the nose creates a storm in ballistic material. I also tested the Black Hills Ammunition 124-grain JHP. This is a pleasant load to fire that offers penetration and expansion but favors penetration. For personal defense I prefer the Black Hills Ammunition 115-grain Extra Power load. The EXP breaks 1,200 fps average in the Glock 48 without resorting to +P velocity. This load expands well and offers excellent wound potential. Sight regulation is good with this load. I would never choose a caliber smaller than the 9mm for personal defense. These loads offer good wound potential.
The Glock 48 field strips as easily as any Glock. Maintenance is simple.
Recoil is greater with 9mm personal defense loads but the pistol remains controllable and, overall, pleasant to fire. The Glock 48 will exhibit the same velocity as the Glock 19, Glock 19X and Glock 45, but it feels like a smaller handgun in the hand, is easier to conceal, and yet recoil is manageable. The pistol fired over 300 cartridges in the first range outing without complaint or sore wrists, spaced over a little more than an hour and a half. With the present log of Black Hills loads recently fired I am well over a thousand rounds fired. Some may find the thinner grip makes for a heavier push in the palm than the Glock 19 class, but I have not stopped and rubbed my wrists as I may when firing goodly amounts of .45 ACP loads. In my opinion the lighter Glock 43 9mm is a sweet shooting handgun for its size and the Glock 48 handles a bit easier. The longer grip frame allows a faster grip acquisition on the draw.
While slim the Glock 48 9mm magazine holds ten rounds.
As for absolute accuracy the personal defense loads averaged five shot groups of three inches at 15 yards firing from the standing barricade. The Glock 48 is as inherently accurate as any Glock 9mm pistol. Where does the Glock 48 stand in the scheme of things? The Glock 17 is a holster pistol that a few dedicated shooters wear concealed. The Glock 19 is easier to conceal- and not a bad service and duty gun at all.
The Glock 48 is a superior concealed carry handgun. I think that many shooters may find the Glock 19 a stretch for their hand size. I do not, but the Glock 48 may feel better for some shooters. Yet, you do not give up much in capacity; the pistol is a ten shooter. You do give up the ability to mount a combat light so consider how important this is to you. You do not need grip inserts as the small grips fit most hands well. The Glock 48 is fast, very fast, and offers a good chance at a rapid first shot hit. I find the Glock 48 a neat, attractive and useful handgun. It may be the best Glock for concealed carry yet manufactured.
Pachmayr offers ‘Gripper’ slip-on grip
Pachmayr has introduced the Gripper Slip-on handgun grip that slides over the actual grip of a semi-auto pistol to enhance a shooter’s ability to hold the handgun, while providing some recoil dampening effect.
The Gripper is made from a tough rubber compound, according to Pachmayr literature, and it is impervious to changes in weather conditions. It also is not affected by perspiration, solvents or gun oils.
It has a textured surface that enhances the grip, and it may even be trimmed to adapt to a specific pistol. The Gripper also has palm swells for right- or left-hand shooters.
The Gripper will fit a wide range of handguns including several Glock models, various Smith & Wesson pistols, some Sig Sauer full and compact models, the Ruger SR9 and 22/45, Beretta Models 92 and 96, the CZ75 and P-07, the Walther
