Everyone knows about Glock and their reputation. They are some of the most popular pistols available on the market, for reasons that we will get into.

However, with the somewhat recent introduction of the Glock 43, everyone can agree about how difficult it is to select just one weapon for concealed carry!

In this article, we will talk about the primary similarities and differences when looking at the Glock 26 vs the Glock 43.

Continue reading to see a breakdown of each one, and then our buying recommendations towards the end.

Glock: A Brief History

We are sure that you’ve heard of Glock. They probably have the best name recognition in the entire firearms industry. However, how much do you actually know about the history of the company?

Glock is an Austrian company, and were originally started just outside of Vienna.

The original founder of the company, Gaston Glock, was nothing more than an engineer when he started designing firearms. He had a ton of experience working with polymers, but wasn’t actually involved in the firearms market previously.

In the 1980s, the Austrian Army set out to replace their World War II era pistols, and they set out a list of requirements. Some of the most familiar requirements that are now always associated with Glocks were that all parts had to be interchangeable, disassembly had to be extremely easy, the weapon had to be very safe and reliable, and maintenance had to be easy for anyone to do.

I’m sure some of those requirements made you think about the current state of Glocks.

Anyway, Gaston Glock heard about these requirements for a new service pistol, and coupled his engineering and polymer knowledge with advice from handgun experts throughout Europe to create the Glock 17.

The weapon went on to win the bid from the Austrian Army, which lead to the weapon somewhat blowing up internationally. Countless other militaries and police departments became interested, and Glock weapons spread far and fast.

Why are Glocks so Popular?

Now that you understand where Glocks came from, we will briefly discuss why they are so popular today. Keep in mind that this is just a start, but this list represents some of the biggest reasons that Glocks are so popular.

Glocks are very reliable and durable. They have a very simple external design that many people find to be somewhat sleek. They are probably the easiest weapon on the market to take down, and they have VERY few internal parts. For this reason, they are very easy to modify, customize, and improve.

They are very lightweight, thanks to Gaston Glock’s use of polymer. The grip angle is nearly perfect; the weapons are very ergonomic. As a result, most people shoot very accurately with them.

These features are to be expected in every Glock pistol. Part of the allure of the Glock line is that all of the weapons are nearly identical. As a result, you can really expect a quality product that will act the exact same as the other Glocks, every single time.

Glock 26

The Glock 26 is a 9mm subcompact weapon that is meant primarily for concealed carry. It was the first “baby Glock” introduced, and has been around since 1994.

The Glock 26 measures 6.41 inches long, 4.17 inches tall, and 1.18 inches wide. The barrel is 3.42 inches long, and the weapon weighs in at 21.71 ounces unloaded. The weapon has a 10+1 magazine capacity.

One of the better features of the weapon is that it has Glock’s Modular Back Strap design. This will allow you change the grip to fit your hand as best as possible.

Glock 43

The Glock 43 is another subcompact 9mm weapon for concealed carry. This weapon was one of Glock’s first single stack weapons, and the release was pretty built up.

The weapon measures 6.26 inches long, 4.25 inches tall, and 1.02 inches wide. The barrel is 3.39 inches long, and the weight of the weapon is 17.95 ounces unloaded. The magazine capacity is 6+1.

This mini-Glock has all of the features you love about most Glocks, just packed into a smaller design.

Differences

As you can see, these two pistols are extremely similar. Obviously, they are both striker-fired 9mm pistols meant for concealed carry, but given the features associated with every Glock, there really is almost no difference between the two.

The primary difference is that the Glock 43 is a single stack, while the Glock 26 is not. This simple difference will also explain a few other features.

For example, the Glock 43 is taller, because it has to fit that sixth round in there somehow. The Glock 26 is wider, because it has a double stack magazine. As such, the Glock 26 has a much higher magazine capacity. The only other really noticeable difference is the magazine capacity, where the Glock 26 is 10+1 and the Glock 43 is 6+1.

In terms of ergonomics, neither weapon is particularly comfortable to shoot, due to how short they are. As such, some shooters find them to be less accurate. Essentially, because they have smaller grips, there’s a chance that the recoil will be more difficult to manage if you’ve got bigger hands. However, you are able to get extended magazines that will slightly increase your grip. The modular backstraps of the Glock 26 will also help. The weapon itself is accurate, it’s just a matter of getting used to the size or making changes to improve your grip.

Buying Recommendation

In nearly every application, we would recommend buying the Glock 26 over the Glock 43. While the Glock 43 is certainly an excellent firearm, there are a few key factors that we really like.

First and foremost, the additional magazine capacity is a huge plus for the Glock 26. In a concealed carry situation, additional rounds are always welcome.

In the Glock 26, you are able to get extended mags for additional capacity. Since the Glock 43 is single stack, these extended mags are not commonly available, so you are pretty much stuck with that 6+1 magazine capacity. While we always recommend carrying extra mags, regardless of magazine size, with the Glock 43’s magazine capacity, it absolutely necessitates this.

There are a few measurement differences, but for the most part, they are barely noticeable. The one major measurement difference is the weight, where the Glock 43 is significantly lighter. If this is your primary concern, you should check out the Glock 43. For all others, we would recommend the Glock 26.

Conclusion

These are both high quality weapons, which is to be expected of a Glock firearm. Concealed carrying a Glock is certainly not the worst thing that you could do, and these firearms make that more than possible.

The differences between the two are mostly very minor, but there are a couple. There are some measurement differences, but the biggest difference is the double stack magazine of the Glock 26. This allows for a wider frame that is more comfortable to grip, and for additional magazine capacity.

While we prefer the Glock 26, you certainly can’t go wrong with either weapon!