[Review] Glock 48 – A Slimmer Single Stack Glock 19

For years, people have been asking Glock to release a handgun that is in between the Glock 19 and the Glock 43. As a result, the Glock 48 exists. If you think that the Glock 19 is too big for your every day carry needs, but the Glock 43 is too small, the Glock 48 just might be what you’re looking for.

Here’s our complete review of this single-stacked 9mm Goldilocks handgun from the legendary firearms manufacturing company known as Glock.

Believe it or not, we were actually pretty surprised by this thing. It only took two after-market upgrades to make the gun perfect for us.

Why choose Glock?

Glock 48 Table

There are tons of internet debates that you can look up on Glock vs X. Forums and content creators alike love to debate the Glock versus other handguns that exist in the wild. There’s a reason for that.

Glocks are outstanding products all the way around. Some people may not like their boxy shape, or the way that they feel in their hands. Regardless, these people still can’t point to any functional problems with the weapon system because quite frankly, there aren’t many. The one gripe that comes up the most in association with Glocks are the stock iron sights. We agree, they do leave a lot to be desired and it is always one of the first upgrades that we make.

Other than that one small complaint however, Glocks are all solidly built with an equally as solid reputation to back them. Did they win two World Wars back to back? No, but they have been involved countless law enforcement and self-defense situations across the world, and continue to live up to and exceed an extremely high standard. A standard that exists when lives are on the line.

If you’re looking for an all around solid firearm that has an equally solid reputation, you buy a Glock.

Meet the Glock 48.

The Glock 48 is a Slimline framed Glock handgun built with every day carry in mind. It sports a ten round single-stacked magazine in a compact package that makes it appealing to a variety of different users.

Without a shadow of doubt, this is a newer generation Glock handgun. Everything about the design proves it. It sports a built-in beaver-tail to maximize comfort and minimize any slide bite users with larger hands would experience. Also, it comes with many of the standard Glock features, such as the reversible magazine catch and the well known Glock Marksman Barrel (GMB).

Here’s a great review and introduction to the Glock 48 from Iraqveteran8888. If you don’t feel up to reading this entire post, you can stop here. Watch this video and you’ll get a great review in video form. Some people just don’t like reading, and we get that. We won’t hold it against you, promise.

Specifications.

  • Caliber: 9x19mm
  • Safety System: Safe Action®
  • Mag. Capacity: Standard: 10 Optional: 10
  • Barrel Length: 106 mm | 4.17 inch
  • Weight without magazine: 524 g | 18.48 oz
  • Weight with loaded magazine: 712 g | 25.12 oz
  • Trigger Pull: 24 N
  • Length (Overall): 185 mm | 7.28 inch
  • The Glock 48 on The Range and Carried.

    Glock 48 Frame

    Once again, we find ourselves talking about a Glock handgun. Out on the range, this thing takes no prisoners. The G48 responded in the fashion any Glock does when you feed it ammunition. It ran smooth, and flawlessly with our only malfunction being the result of a faulty reload. We experienced zero malfunctions that were the result of the weapon system, and the recoil was extremely light.

    When it comes to comfort and general use however, there are two things that require change in my opinion. As with all Glocks, the stock sights need replacing at the earliest opportunity. The Night Fision Student Of The Gun Accur8™ Sights are a solid replacement optic, and are the go-to for our Glocks. On top of this, we also felt that the stock grip on the G48 was a little bit too smooth. This is an easy fix. We went with Talon Grips because of their ease of use, but you could just as easily go with another stippling or grip product to improve it. Honestly, the grips are a user preference thing, so we don’t know if we can count that against the G48.

    All in all, the extra rounds in the magazine make a surprising difference to your up-time versus the Glock 43. The gun is a little bit larger as well, which does make it a bit harder to conceal, but on my large frame the weapon was a pretty awesome carry gun. In the two weeks that I substituted this handgun into my EDC, I had no complaints.

    G48 vs G19 vs G43.

    When it comes to carry guns, the Glock 19 is pretty much the gold standard other firearms are compared to. It’s a reliable firearm that is widely carried by many people in our community. For some people though, even the compact G19 is too big for them to consider carrying it on an every day basis. Either the weapon is too bulky because they are a smaller person, or they are looking for something that is even more compact that they can truly carry everywhere they go.

    The Glock 43 was an initial answer to this problem. This sub-compact pistol fits into the micro-compact category and easily will go into anyone’s pocket or purse regardless of size. While the G43 still meets all the standards of Glock firearms, it is lacking in one area specifically. Carry capacity. You only get 7 rounds with the Glock 43, and for some people that is simply not enough.

    Enter the Glock 48. The Glock 48 is the near perfect love-child of the Glock 19 and the Glock 43. It’s a slimmed down version with a 10+1 single-stack magazine that is also super easy to conceal. It also maintains all of the exact same high standards that Glock applies to all of their firearms before they ship out to the general population. So, if you’re looking for the happy medium between the G43 and the G19, the G48 is where you should stop.

    Saved Rounds on the Glock 48.

    G48 Range

    The Glock 48 is a solid handgun straight out of the box that will perform for you. Our only real gripes were, of course, the standard Glock irons that come on each of their firearms, and the grip. The fact that this Glock comes with forward slide serrations is a huge bonus for us, and we love the fact that the weapon is an almost perfect marriage between the G43 and the G19.

    If you’re looking for something that’s not too big, not too small, but juuuust right, then we suggest getting your hands on a Glock 48 for a test drive.

    That’s just our opinion from our own independent testing however. Let us know down in the comments if you’ve had any major issues or gripes with the Glock 48 that we didn’t experience. In the event that we see a trend, we may revisit this firearm to see if we can replicate the issue you all had. Thanks again for taking the time to give us a visit.

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