It’s time for Episode 2 of the “3 Drills” series! In this series, I take a gun that I’m testing, and run it through its paces with 3 shooting drills. For this episode, I’m covering the Glock 43x. This is a hot carry gun, but also a gun that I’ve been personally shooting a ton. Lets cover what I’ve done to the gun, and then get into the drills!
The Glock 43x & Shooting Gear
The Glock 43x that I’m using is one that I’ve done a lot of work to. That work includes:
- Modifying the MOS cut to directly allow use of a Holosun-K footprint optic (both a Holosun 407k and Osight SE were on the gun for specific drills here)
- Stippling the frame to make the frame grippier in the hand
- Stoning & polishing parts of the trigger bar and striker to remove MIM-manufacturing defects ($.25 trigger job)
- Swapping to a lighter firing pin block spring & connector for a slightly lighter & smoother trigger press
- Installed Langdon SCD (does not impact trigger press, is merely an additional passive safety)
- Converting the gun to use Shield Arms S15 magazines
- Installing a Shield Arms Magwell
- Installing an RGW barrel and compensator to the gun
The works was done to make the gun flatter shooting, have a better trigger press, hold more rounds, and to be grippier in the hand. Lots of elbow grease, but it certainly feels worthwhile.
For my holster, I’m using the JMCK AIWB Wing Claw 2.5. It’s a fantastic holster, not much to say there. The mag carrier I used is an old PHLster one that our Daniel Reedy gave me, and my shot timer is the classic Competition Electronics Pocket Pro 2.
Let’s hop right into the drills!
The Drills
The three drills are classics, and ones that we’ve covered here at Primer Peak.
- The Vickers Test
- The Low-High Reload
- The Bill Drill
The Vickers Test uses a (printable) B8 target, while the latter two use USPSA torsos.
Link to the printable B8 (make sure to set printer scaling to 100%, not “fit to page”).
I shot all of these drills from the holster, but you can modify them to be shot from low ready. If you are able (and comfortable) to shoot them from the holster, I would recommend it.
How about that first drill?
The Vickers Test
The Vickers Test is the drill that I think I’ve shot the most in my life. It’s simple, it stresses some good skills, and is pretty easy to shoot at a wide variety of shooting ranges. It’s also easy to setup to shoot with basically any gun, whether it be a 5 shot J-frame, or the Glock 43x.
The Test Instructions (Designed by Larry Vickers, modified scoring variant done by Ken Hackathorn)
- Necessary Gear: Quality handgun, with a holster being optional.
- Target: NRA B8 repair center
- Distance: 10 yards.
- Par Time: 10 second par time. Alternatively, if shooter is using a firearm with a capacity less than 10 rounds, par time is equal to capacity of the gun.
- Start Position: Shooter begins with gun loaded with 10 rounds (or max capacity of firearm), positioned at low ready.
- Round Count: 10 rounds, or if the firearm is under 10 rounds, maximum capacity of firearm.
- Course of Fire: On beep, shooter raises their firearm, and shoots 10 rounds into the B8 target. If their gun has a capacity of less than 10 rounds, they shoot that amount of rounds.
- Scoring: Scoring can be done via two ways, either with a passing score of 90 points or higher, or a pass being that all rounds land in the black of the B8. Par time cannot be exceeded to pass either.
- Advanced Version: Shooter begins with their gun loaded, and holstered. The drill is the same, except shooter must draw and engage B8 now. Par time and scoring conditions are unchanged.
How was my run of The Test?
Post-Drill Thoughts
I spend a lot of time with the 43x and 48, and as such, I feel very confident with it on a drill like The Test. Between the comp reducing recoil, the grip being grippy, and the optic being visible, this was an easy drill for me to run. I would have preferred a 100/100, but I’ll take a 99/100 and a fast time. Shooting this drill did cue me in to needing to fine-tune the zero on the Osight, so I do appreciate that too.
How about the next drill?
The Low-High Reload
The Low-High Reload was a recent DOTM over at Range Rival, and I really liked it. It’s a drill kind of similar to a FAST, but with a higher accuracy standard for the smaller of the two target areas, and a big focus on the speed of the reload. Setting it up is pretty easy too.
Low-High Reload
- Necessary Gear: Quality handgun, holster, shot timer, and a way to keep a reload on your person.
- Target: USPSA Target, using the A-zone torso and A-zone eyebox as scoring areas.
- Distance: 7 Yards
- Start position: Shooter begins with gun loaded with 2 rounds, and holstered. Shooter needs to have a spare magazine or speed loader with at least 2 rounds on their person.
- Round Count: 4 rounds total.
- Course of fire: On beep, shooter draws their handgun, and fires 2 rounds into the A-zone torso. Shooter then performs a slide-lock reload (or an empty reload with a revolver), and loads at least 2 more rounds into the gun. Shooter then fires 2 more rounds into the A-zone eyebox.
- Pass Conditions: Shooter completes the drill clean. There is no set par time, but we want to try to be as quick as possible while maintaining the accuracy standard.
How was my shooting skill on the Low-High Reload?
Post-Drill Thoughts
I really like the Low-High Reload, and like my performance with the G43x too. It’s a drill that asks a lot of the shooter, and is a quick drill. A good draw is needed, and those first two rounds need to leave the gun fast. The reload needs to be quick too, which is easier said than done when doing the reload concealed. I like the need for deliberate shots for the eyebox here too, which also really highlights the benefit of the precision of the red dot, even at 7 yards.
This ain’t an easy drill, but I’d recommend it. In my practice runs, I was actually faster than with my Glock 45 (which may be showing up in the future).
Let’s move on to the last drill.
The Bill Drill
The Bill Drill is one of the oldest shooting drills that you still see commonly at events, online competitions, and just in classes. It’s a creation of Bill Wilson (from the 1970s), and asks the shooter to perform two tasks: Draw your gun, and shoot 6 rounds as fast and accurately as you can.
For my run, I shot it on the USPSA Torso target, but you can realistically shoot this on anything that is medium sized. The IDPA -0 is a good target, as is something like a 6-8″ pie pan.
The Bill Drill (Designed by Bill Wilson)
- Necessary Gear: Quality handgun, holster, shot timer.
- Target: USPSA Target (A-zone), IDPA Target (-0 zone)
- Distance: 7 yards.
- Start Position: Shooter begins with gun loaded with at least 6 rounds, and with the gun holstered.
- Round Count: 6 rounds.
- Course of Fire: On beep, shooter draws their handgun, and fires 6 rounds as fast as possible into the A-zone of the USPSA torso, or -0 of the IDPA Target.
- Pass conditions: All rounds land in the correct scoring zone. There is no par time, but we’re trying to go as fast as possible while shooting clean.
Did I please Bill, or will he be disappointed?
Post-Drill Thoughts
I don’t shoot many Bill Drills, but I try to do them once or twice a year. The G43x is a very flat shooting gun, so that made it pretty simple to dump my rounds in the time that I did. The thin profile may be a hinderance for some longer distance shooting (where grip imbalance can play a part), but for this type of shooting, I can crush the crap out of the gun, and keep it level and in the A-zone. I like the Bill Drill, but due to how easy it is to dump a lot of ammo running them, I wouldn’t recommend doing it too often.
I’m quite happy with how my performance was on these drills. The slimline guns are what I carry, and as such, I do prioritize shooting trips with them. What are my complete Drill Thoughts?
G43x Drill Thoughts
Back in 2024, I wrote a review of the Glock 48. My opinions of the G43x are very similar to that of the G48, but a little different.
With how I have the 43x set up, it is a gun that is faster to shoot, and flatter shooting than the G48 that I reviewed. It’s “snappy”, but snappy means that the overall time back into action is shorter. For using the 43x in these drills, I felt a lot quicker than with the 48. The overall length of the gun being shorter helped to clear the holster faster too.
During my drills, I incurred no malfunctions, and had no issues with the gun. My 43x has been more reliable than the G48, but both were exceptional. The aftermarket components did not fail nor come loose either.
For my optics, both the Holosun and Osight served me well. I shot the Low-High reload with the 6MOA 407k, and the Test & Bill with the SE set to the 32 MOA circle and 2 MOA dot. Part of my testing of the G43x was to use it as a platform for trying out different optics, and drills like this are a great exercise for that.
As expected the JMCK holster was great, and the PHLster mag carrier was good. No complaints there.
Short and sweet, but the G43x is a gun that I really like shooting, and running it through drills inspires a lot of confidence.
The Verdict
I think that the slimline Glocks are really good. This isn’t really a “hot take”, but I think a lot of folks underestimate them. In my hands, I’ve performed better with this G43x (and the G48) than I have with much larger & more expensive guns. I really, really like these thin Glocks.
While this is the end of my “3 Drills” installment on the G43x, I can assure you that I’ll certainly be putting more rounds through this gun.
Video Work
The “3 Drills” series originally started on my YT channel, but I wanted to share it in written form too. If you want to check out the full channel, click this link!
Additional Reading & Patreon Link, & Thanks
When talking about Glocks, it’s hard to not also mention upgrades you can do to the gun. Check out the following reviews from us here at Primer Peak:
- OT Defense Stippling Kit [2025]
- Glock OEM Magwell [2022]
- Shield Arms Magwell [2025]
- Forward Controls Design RMR MOS Plate [2023]
If you’d like to support me on Patreon, I’ve got the link for that here. Nearly everything that I do on Primer Peak is paid for out of my own pocket, and my content is not shilled or driven by manufacturers or companies. If you decide to donate, I’d really appreciate it, as it would allow for me to continue to bring you quality work.
I’d like to thank my YouTube channel members, channel donors, and Patrons too. Your support allows me to make more works, and to do it without the hand of a company pushing me!
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