I don’t find the G43 to be too hard on my hands, after shooting a G27. My old hands don’t like the small .40, anymore. My hands tend to get beat up, as well. I have started wearing a shooting glove on my dominant hand at the range, and it really helps.
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@Clinton For self defense it is perfect. I love my 43. It is my absolute favorite firearm. It’s always with me. I trust it with my life. Do I want to plink with it for an hour? Absolutely not.
BTW… P365? Excellent choice for a firearm. I recomend it to people all the time as one of the top self defense weapons.
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I’m probably the only person on this forum who has never shot a Glock. David … do you recommend?
All my guns, I shoot every two weeks. I’m a simple guy, and for me, it just took practice … lots of it … to get respectable groupings. I’ve put 3,500+ rounds downrange the past few years. The first pistol I ever owned, or shot, 4 years ago, was a DAO semi-auto with a 9 lb trigger pull and a 3.1" barrel. A tough gun to learn on and become proficient with. I had to develop good discipline and habits to make it work. Fortunately those good habits have helped me on the rest of my firearms. Best of luck David!
Hey Paul,
I am not educated about guns to recommend anything unfortunately, I have never own a gun until recently, There are a lot of great people on USCCA that can provide better educated response - I do appreciate the inquiry - I started this as a hobby - I continue as a hobbyist (Did I spell that right ?), I am learning everyday and within the past few weeks I learned alot from this group
I Like my Glock 43 its just right and manageable - I am 6’0 202lb COVID-19 weight, and 62 years old I am a little late to the game of guns
the Glock is Easy to take apart / clean, for me - Again please note that I never own a gun so I dont know how easy or similar other pistols match.
I shot around 100 shots the other day and was a little disappointed with my results, I dont think it was bad but it just seem allover the place, I could not hit that bulls-eye
Out of the Hundred shots I fired I maybe got close 2X , I think I need to shoot at your volume,
Now the Glock 43 has some kick to it too, I swear I had that bullseye on site - 
I like this gun more if I could CC, In my state it is a open carry law and to get a CC its almost impossible, If I am going to walk around with a gun I would want to be able to CC - I think its safer for me and for people around me that may not be comfortable with it - So I am limited to going to the range and practice. and protecting my family at home (which I hope I never have to do )
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Hey Texas thats a real nice looking gun
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Kindred souls we are. I picked up my first pistol when I was 49, took me a while to become good at it, but stick with it, you’ll be shooting tight groups in no time. My EDC kicks like a mule, however you’ll learn to manage it. Fortunately I can CC, and do so whenever I have clothing on.
You won’t find a finer group of people than those on this forum. I learn from them every time I log in.
I applaud you for taking the responsibility to protect yourself and your family. Best of luck!
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Thank you @DavidM58. The 17 and 43 are set up the EXACT same. Just a thing of mine. They are both 9mm, same Tritium Pro sites, same Lasermax guide rod lasers, same triggers, same Talon textured grips, same custom Texas butt plates, and… they are both the same black color. Lol. The only difference is that the G43 does not fit into my CAA MCK. I have to use the G17.
My MCK… Fun + Functional. Great for longer shots with pinpoint accuracy.
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The knuckles was me 
Use it as a data point, but unless your hands are the same size/shape as mine it likely wont affect you, at least not in the same way. The way I grip the handgun the ring on my ring finger is right on the knuckle of my other hand. So after a few dozen rounds it starts feeling bruised, and if i continue for too long I will definitely have a bruise that hurts on every shot taken. I have tried moving my fingers around a bit so it doesnt quite rest on that spot, but that tends to compromise the grip.
Now this is only a problem at the range where I might shoot 50, or 100 rounds, or more in one sitting. There is no conceivable situation I can think of where I would be shooting 100 rounds from my conceal carry handgun even if you put in hypothetical alien invasion, zombie hordes, invasion by foreign country, ISIS, etc.
I have other firearms I shoot for fun. The G43 has a specific purpose for me (small, discreet carry) so I shoot/train with it accordingly. And it’s not that its “unpleasant” all the time, only once the round count starts climbing in one session.
Having said all that… If I were to buy one today, I would most certainly be looking at the Sig P365 or even the new Springfield Hellcat which were not available when I bought the G43. I do not know if they would have the same ring/knuckle issue because their grips are probably pretty similar in diameter. But then again maybe just a few mm in any direction would be enough to help.
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@DavidM58, I probably missed it, but:
- Are you right or left handed?
- If you shoot 100 rounds into 1 target, what section is blown out?
- Do you dry fire this gun daily observing any movement of the front sight?
Hi Gary
I am Left Handed but I do everything Right Handed, I only Write lefty, weird I know, anyway,
I used two targets (Silhouette) 6-7 Yards (45Ft) roughly
So It does not sound good but I aimed at the Head Bulls-eye, I would say 80 % on both targets was to the torso left and lower,
The first 50 shots was just getting a feeling how the gun handled- I think I hit the target almost all the time just not where I was aiming
The second 50 Shots I really focused on my breathing, grip and aim, I think the results were the same,
Since I bought the gun use it everyday to make sure I am aware of everything -
I practice safety Checks / Safety Storage
Dry Shoot
Take Apart
Test Trigger
I cleaned it for the first time after my range time
Is My Distance to far for a beginner ?
I don’t feel any flinching,
I think I place my finger properly on the trigger
the line of site seems clear,
I own one as well and just replaced the factory plastic sights to Tru-Glo fiber optics. I have a much better sight picture and I feel confident shooting it. I must have about 500 rounds through it and my initial shots always fall low left. As I go along with practicing, it does improve and despite it’s snappy nature, it’s a good shooting 9.
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Here is an article with a chart laid out for right handed shooters:
There are similar charts for left handed, but basically just swap the right and left sides of the chart if you choose to ever shoot left handed.
Your trigger finger hand fundamentally has one job to do - move the trigger straight back - one RO told me to think of it like a mouse click. The support hand provides the majority of the stable grip.
45 Ft is 15 yards. That is a pretty long shot for a subcompact sight radius.
Starting out at about 15 Ft/5 yards is probably more appropriate.
I am not 100% sure, but I think the Glock is set up for a “Combat” sight picture. If you are not used to covering your target with the sights, then your shots will tend to be low.
Maybe some of this helps, and if anything I said is wrong or incomplete, I am sure others will chime in and help out 
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Gary I really appreciate this info -
This is very informative - I am going to work on it - looks like I am flinching
I also agree with you regarding the distance to start off with - I will get back to you on how I do
Thanks again friend
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Ok After doing more reading the info you sent me and looking at my target sheet A little bit of flinching but looks mostly like tightening of the fingers …hmmmmm
also it says Jerking Slapping fingers - this one I am not so sure of but I will be more conscious
this is very interesting data thanks again will follow-up
OK I went to the Range today - I practice what I read and advice from the group / Gary thank you for the chart - At 25FT, 50 Rounds my grouping improved dramatically, I would say 15% of the shots still low to the left - But improvements, will continue to practice my technique- thanks everybody for the input
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@DavidM58,
Don’t forget about SnapCap Drill - this is the best way to learn how to NOT SHOOT LEFT AND LOW 
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@DavidM58 Have you tried the pinky extension or a +1 mag? It made a huge improvement in my accuracy and had a zero effect on concealment.
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@DavidM58 Here is a visual difference of my grip on my G43 between not having a magazine extension vs. with a pinky grip extension.
Without the extension… a two finger grip, with my pinky finger resting under the magazine.
With the extension… a three finger grip, with my pinky finger on the grip.
That extra finger will give you a much better grip that will result in greater accuracy.
Another option is an aftermarket 7 round magazine. It will give you that extra grip as well. Hope this helps.
Note: Pay no attention to my thumb position. I was having difficulties doing two things at once. 
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Thanks jerzy will do