The Glock 43 and Hellcat are both reigning kings in the concealed carry market but how do they stack up against each other?
Springfield left us on the edge of our seats in September 2019 before finally delivering the Hellcat to us from the heavens above. The Hellcat challenged the concealed carry market by being the second entry in a new category of micro-compact pistols with double-stack capacities.
At the time Springfield released the Hellcat, billed as the highest capacity micro-compact on the market, the Glock 43 had already gained a tight toehold at the top of the concealed carry industry. You could say the G43 had become a standard-bearer for concealed carry guns, so putting it up head-to-head against the Hellcat would only be natural.
Here’s how these two extremely popular carry guns stack up against each other!
Carryability
Is carryability a word? When I say carryability, I’m referring to the ease in which you can carry a gun which depends greatly on the gun’s size and shape. Both guns are designed to be carried, and both are small guns, but the Hellcat tends to be smaller.
The Hellcat is 6 inches long versus the Glock 43’s 6.26-inch length. The Hellcat is also shorter at 4 inches tall, and the 43 is a quarter inch taller. The Hellcat is slimmer by a mere .06 inches, but it bears mentioning. Weight wise the guns are identical when you use the Hellcat’s 11 round magazine.
The Hellcat is slightly smaller, and that typically makes the gun easier to carry.
Features Worth Noting
The Springfield Hellcat outperforms the Glock 43 when it comes to features as well. The Hellcat packs a front night sight, a high contrast rear sight, an optics ready option, an aggressive grip texture, and front and rear slide serrations.
The Glock 43 has those lame plastic sights, a decent grip texture, and that’s it. Glock often rests on their laurels, and the Glock 43 is a prime example of Glock not willing to push design forward.
Capacity Matters
Here is the real killer between these two guns. The Hellcat is smaller, and more feature-filled, and packs 11 rounds. The Glock 43 packs six rounds, and that’s it. The Glock 43 comes with two six-round magazines, and the Hellcat comes with an 11 and 13 round magazine. This gives the Hellcat nearly 50% more ammo in a flush-fitting magazine. Capacity matters in any concealed carry pistol.
The Glock 43’s Big Advantage
The Glock 43 has taken a beating this article. It’s tough to be a Glock 43 in a day and age where the P365 and Hellcat exist. The Hellcat is a class-leading concealed carry pistol. However, the Glock 43 does have the advantage of being a Glock. The gun has been around for a few years now, so it’s been tested and pushed to the breaking point, and we all collectively know that the Glock 43 kicks butt in the reliability department for long term usage.
Anything with the Glock title also has an almost immediately massive aftermarket. Glock 43 owners have a wider selection of sights, magazines, triggers, and more. The Hellcat can catch-up, but at the time of this article, the Glock 43 kicks the Hellcat’s butt aftermarket-wise.
The best news I can give you is that we can provide you top-tier holsters for either the Glock 43 or the Springfield Hellcat.
Anyone own both of these great guns?! Which do you prefer, and why?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Travis Pike is a former Marine Machine gunner who served with 2nd Bn 2nd Marines for 5 years. He deployed in 2009 to Afghanistan and again in 2011 with the 22nd MEU(SOC) during a record-setting 11 months at sea. Travis has trained with the Romanian Army, the Spanish Marines, the Emirate Marines, and the Afghan National Army.
He serves as an NRA certified pistol instructor and pursues a variety of firearms based hobbies.
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Whats the best concraled carry holster for the glock and hellcat?
I have been using a Alien Gear Shapeshift 4.0 and it’s fairly comfortable but I came here to check out cross breeds stuff
Glock has been resting on it’s laurels for a long time. Other polymer handguns have caught up with reliability and accuracy. Sure you have more options with a Glock but we are talking about concealed carry guns and many people will not enhance them much. Both the Hellcat and the Sig P365 blow the corresponding Glock out of the water. When we move on to larger handguns give me a slightly more expensive but better made H&K any day.
Correction: Using 6 rounds for the Glock & 11 for the Hellcat, math does not support the statement that the Hellcat holds, “nearly 50% more” than the Glock. The Glock holds 45% less (5/11=0.45) than the Hellcat, and the Hellcat holds 83% more (5/6=0.83) than the Glock.
I own both and I carried the 43 for a long time, for me the winner would have to be the hellcat but to be fair to glock you can’t beat it’s reliability, it is a Glock after all!
I, as most Gun enthusiasts, consider myself a connoisseur of handguns and rifles alike and have owned or shot just about every brand out there and as far as a comparison between the 6 round Glock 43 and the 11/13 round Hellcat (a Glock is a great weapon don’t get me wrong) but the hellcat in my opinion is far superior for a sub compact 9mm everyday handgun ……it is exactly that…..a “Beast straight out of hell!”
Great comparison. It helped push me toward the Hellcat. I own several Glock pistols and all are outstanding in function, reliability and accuracy. I recently moved from a very restrictive state to a state that allows me more carry choices. Glock 43 was on my list. After reading this and many other articles I chose the Hellcat as my EDC. I could not be happier. The quality of this gun is on par with any I own. It feels good in the hand is completely reliable (500 + rounds) and accurate. It also carries well. Yes it’s made in Croatia but the Hellcat checks all the boxes for me. I shoot this gun better than a P365, G43x, and Shield Plus so it worked for me.
Thanks for the blog. amazing article and love to learn more.
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I have both and I love the way the Hellcat shoots but I pocket carry mostly and I end up carrying my Glock 43 with the Mag Guts 8 round mag in it. I know dimensionally they are almost identical but somehow the glock feels thinner in a front pocket.
The glock is better contour.. doesn’t have anything to to snag on…