The Loadout Blog

Firearms|Handguns

Welcome To 100 Rounds In

Hello, everyone and welcome to my first post of 100 rounds in. This is where I give you my first impressions of a new firearm before I give a lengthy review. My goal is to give you a quick background of the weapon, how it feels design wise, and how I feel it shoots within the first hundred rounds. I personally feel you can’t get a solid impression of a gun just firing a magazine through it and calling it a day. With a hundred rounds you get a real feel of the weapon and how it feels. Even, then that assessment is still a very rudimentary one at that. At, least with a hundred rounds versus a magazine or two allows for a better first impression analysis. First, on my slate is the Glock 48.

New Kid On The Block

The Glock 48 was revealed at Shot Show 2019 as a part of Glock’s new slimline series that they are introducing to the market. The Glock 48 is a slimmer and sexier Glock 19. Glock took comparable slide length and height of the G19 and slimmed it down. By doing so increased the concealability of the handgun for CCW. Decreased the magazine size from 15 rounds to a 10 round single stack magazine. Changing from single to double allowed Glock to streamline the width of the gun. For some extra manipulation of the slide front serrations where added to the front. What Glock was able to do was to bridge the gap for people who enjoy the length and fit to hand of a G19 with the concealability of the G43. Also, with the comparable slide length and height of the G19 the G48 decreases the snappiness that the G43 is known for. This is one of its main drawbacks in a lot of consumers minds. (Yes, I know a G43 is a subcompact and that snappiness is part of the deal doesn’t mean it’s not a negative aspect for many consumers. It is one of the few that the Glock 43 has.)

Design

Aesthetically, the Glock 48 is a good-looking gun. It has a little flash and dash with the silver slide and black frame. It’s definitely a Mike Lowery special from the Bad Boys movies. Taking us back in time with that two-tone style. (Personally, I am not too much of a fan of it. I’m a simple man. I like that black on black look. Just my personal style choice but still a good-looking handgun). It feels great in your hand. Able to get a nice high purchase on the frame of the handgun. I also like the addition of the small beavertail for those people with meaty hands to protect from slide bite. If we take a look inside it is a Gen 5 Glock with the same plunger, trigger bar, and connecter from the Gen 5 models. That was a quick rundown on the design of this G48 now let’s put some rounds down range and see how she handles.

Range Time

First Magazine

First off, I enjoy the way the G48 feels in my hand. I am able to get a high purchase on frame of the handgun. Second, I have a good sight radius down the length of the slide. Everything is so far so good with the G48. I insert my first magazine and rack the slide and take my first shot and I’m quite surprised on how the trigger feels. Even with the G48 sporting Glock Gen 5 internals it feels a lot like a Gen 4 trigger. So, I take my time to really assess the trigger on the G48. Shot after shot it reminds me of a Gen 4 Glock trigger. The target is telling me that as well. I had the target at 15 yards and my grouping was in the red but, to the left. For some reason I have a tendency to pull Gen 4 triggers slightly left. So, with my first magazine through the weapon. I am enjoyed the ergonomics of the weapon. The fit and feel are awesome to me. Recoil and recoil management isn’t crazy. You would think it would have some snap to it because of the slimming down of the pistol but, it doesn’t. My main concern through the first magazine was the stiffness and clunky feel of that trigger in the G48.

Beyond the First Magazine

As, I continued my time with the G48 it left a good impression. The ergonomics remained solid and recoil and recoil management also held true. How the G48 handle recoil was a big question of mine before shooting. During my time with the G48 it has proven not to be a non-factor. The only drawback and looming question is the G48 trigger. My experience with it so far has it has a stiff and clunky feel as you pull the trigger. When I pulled the trigger I was expecting a clean and crisp trigger pull that comes with the Gen 5 experience. Overtime and rounds down range that stiffness will be levitated and smooth out.

My initial impression is the G48 is a worthy answer to the detractors of the G43. The G48 answers G43 limited grip capability on the frame of the handgun, snappiness on recoil and the management of that recoil, and its reduced magazine capacity. With those elements in mind the G48 is a wonderful addition to the marketplace to give CCW owners another option. From people who desire a little more grip, better recoil management, and greater capacity. The only thing holding this weapon back in my opinion is the trigger. Other than that G48 has a solid foundation.

Final Impressions

My first 100 rounds with the G48 I believe that Glock has built another solid firearm. Glock has been able to bridge the gap between the subcompact and compact with the G48. You are getting a slide length and height of a G19 just trimming away at the access to slim it down to near a G43 width. Reducing magazine capacity from 15 to 10 to create a single stack option and reducing the overall size of the frame. Finally, Glock added some sexy slide serrations in front for increased slide manipulation. The G48 also gets some style points with throwing in Mike Lowery special aka two-tone.

Overall my experience with the G48 has been a positive one and a welcome addition to the fold. The only question that begs to be answered in my opinion is how the trigger will stack up against other Glock triggers in the end. We will see how it all stacks up when I give my review down the road.

Thanks For Reading

What do you think of Glock 48? Do you have an interest in buying one? Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this rant, hit that subscribe button, and tag a friend. If you have any suggestions, ideas, or comments. Please feel free to drop a comment. Be Humble. Be Savage.