We put the wild speculations to rest with this in-depth comparison between the new Glock 48 and the classic Glock 19.
The internet was lit with speculation about the all-new Glock 48 and Glock 43x just prior to SHOT Show in 2019. Gun reviewers speculated for weeks on what we see from Glock – Recoil even released renderings of what they thought the pistols might look like! CrossBreed was fortunate to have the pistols the entire time, patiently watching (and laughing) at the pre-release reviews scattered across the interwebs, as we diligently built a list of holsters to accommodate them.
Glock officially released the pistols on January 2nd and was promptly met with mixed reviews, to put it nicely. “Most” Glock fans seemed pleasantly surprised that Glock was continuing to roll out more single stack sized pistols for concealed carriers. But, like most things on the internet, non-Glockaholics were “less than impressed”. Many asked why they would release pistols larger than the Sig P365 with a lower magazine capacity. Some said the 48 was simply a Kahr knock-off.
Brouch.
The biggest question surrounding the Glock 48 was “Why get a G48 when I can just get a G19?” and that got us to thinking, is the smaller size worth the lower mag capacity?
We tapped Certified Glock Armorer Kyle Brashler at The Armorers Fix for a quick comparison!
WATCH:
Here’s a quick rundown of some of the most obvious changes:
Overall Width
One of the most obvious differences between the two is the overall width. The Glock 19 has an overall width of 1.34″ while the Glock 48 has a slim overall width of only 1.10″. On paper, the width difference looks very minimal but when holding the 48 and 19 the difference is very substantial. Most of this difference is due to the 48 being a slim double stack whereas the 19 is a true double stack.
Weight
It’s pretty simple actually – smaller guns weigh less, who would’ve known! The Glock 19 Gen 5 comes in at a healthy fighting weight of 23.99 oz unloaded, and 31.04 oz loaded, vs. the featherweight division champ Glock 48 that comes in at 20.74 oz unloaded and 25.12 oz loaded.
Magazines
A standard Glock 19 magazine features a double-stack 15 round magazine, where the standard Glock 48 magazine is a “slim double stack” making it considerably slimmer… but it only holds 10 rounds. This is another point of consideration when carrying concealed, do you carry a smaller handgun that is lighter or do you go for more rounds when your life in on the line.
Slide
As we highlighted in our Glock 43x vs. Glock 43 review, the new Glock 48 features an nPVD coated slide while the 19 features a standard Glock Gen 5 nDLC coating. The slide is also 1.00″ on the 19 vs. a slim .87″ on the 48.
Thoughts
What do you think? Does the Glock 48 get your motor running or are you parked on Team Glock 19?
Sound off in the comments below, we want to hear from you!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Nathan Engelking is a husband, father, and friend who was raised to respect gun safety, grew an appreciation of conservation through hunting, and taught the importance of hard work and a healthy sense of humor.
An approachable marketing authority in the firearms industry, Nathan worked his way through training courses both on and off the range to become CrossBreed’s Executive Vice President of Marketing or BMOC as his employees refer to him.
When he’s not traveling to shows or keeping the office humming, Nathan loves traveling, spending time with family and friends, and playing with his Post Malone bobblehead.
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©MTC Holsters, LLC and CrossBreed Holsters Blog, 2019.
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Nathan Engelking and the CrossBreed Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
You can’t go wrong with ANY Glock.