Unveiled and released at the 2019 SHOT Show, the Glock 48 was the answer to twenty years of begging from the American gun buyer. “I like my G19, I just wish Glock would come out with a slim, single stack version.” That sentiment was echoed for better than a decade.

Patience being a virtue and all that jazz, GLOCK, Inc. finally gave the people that for which they had been asking. The first G48 to be promoted was a model one with a brushed silver/stainless steel slide. This was naturally done to make it stand out in a crowd of all black guns. A more traditional Tenifer finish slide was also released six months later. The black slide version is the one I have had in my hands for not quite a year now.

The GLOCK 48, 9x19mm pistol must might be Goldilock Perfection.

What is the GLOCK 48?

The Glock 48, 9x19mm pistol, or simply Glock 48, is very similar in size to the venerable G19, but there are noticeable differences. You might be wondering, what is the “Generation” of the Glock 48? According to the maker, the 48 does not fall under their normal Generation category, but the “Slimline” column. From a technical aspect, GLOCK states that both Gen4 and Gen5 technology went into the development of this pistol.

Let’s get the specs out of the way. The slide width is 1.10 inches and slide length is 6.85 inches. The gun has an empty weight of 18.5 ounces and the magazine holds 10 rounds with each gun shipping with 2 mags. Barrel length is 4.17 inches and a dual-captive recoil spring mechanism is used. In order to keep the frame slim, Glock passed on the universal light/laser mount that is found on the frames of their standard duty pistols.

Regarding the trigger press weight, Glock’s website liste it as “24N”. The “N” stands for “newtons”. Yes, the Austrian engineers decided to list the trigger spring weight in newtons, not pounds. A quick conversion shows that 24 Newtons translates to 5.4 pounds.

The Crossbreed Reckoning holster allows for easy EDC of the G48.

Crossbreed Holsters: Carrying the G48.

Coinciding with the purchase of my Glock 48, I ordered a dedicated holster for the gun from Crossbreed Holsters. The model I ordered was their relatively new, Reckoning. The Reckoning is modular, allowing it to be configured as an Inside-the-Waistband (IWB) or an Outside-the-Waistband (OWB).

Where I live, both open and concealed carry are Constitutionally sanctified, therefore I don’t need to “deep conceal” my EDC pistol. For that reason, I chose to configure my Reckoning for the OWB set up. Most days I just drape a T-shirt over the gun. There is a “bump” under the shirt, but no one here cares or pees down their legs. Just a perk of living where I live, I suppose.

While I have larger, duty-sized pistols, the Glock 48 is my standard everyday/all the time sidearm. Ninety-nine times out of one-hundred, if I have pants on, I am wearing my G48 in the Crossbreed Holster.

The Night Fision Accur8™ sights are a perfect fit on the G48.

What Sights will fit the Glock 48?

The G48, being a “slimline” gun, has an ever so slightly different sight cut on the slide than the larger G17/G19 guns. The standard fixed, factory sights are the plastic variety; white dot up front, white “U” in the rear. While those sights are functional, they are also a cost saving option to keep the price of the guns down. There are much better sights out there, particularly for someone who is using their gun for concealed carry as a self-defense tool. The sight cut on the Glock 48 is the same as the previous G42 and G43 models. Essentially, any sight made for the G42/43 will fit on the newer G48.

Night Fision is a full-service Tritium sight manufacturer whose parent company has been building the Tritium compasses for the US Military for over 30 years. They know Tritium. Full disclosure, I worked with Night Fision to develop a set of sights for the Glock 19 and then subsequently the G43/G48. These sights are listed in their “Accur8” line. The Glock 48 sights are specifically designed to offer point of aim/point of impact using 9mm defensive ammunition from 5 yards to 50 feet.

The Accur8™ sights I installed on my Glock 48 have a dayglow/safety green polymer dot surrounding the Tritium front sight vial. The rear sight is rugged steel with a subdued Tritium vial. There is no confusion when you present the pistol as to which green dot is front and which is the rear. The front sight jumps out in your vision, as it should. Night Fision is the manufacturer, not a third party, so they can offer their super-bright Tritium sights and very attractive prices. These are my go-to sights, because I helped create them.

Range Time with the Glock 48.

As mentioned at the outset, I have had the Glock 48 in my possession for a while. This time has given me ample opportunity to shoot the gun at both indoor and outdoor ranges. Both on paper, and on steel. To be honest, I never shot the G48 with the plastic factory sight. Instead, I installed the Night Fision Accur8 sights shortly after getting the gun. The stock sights are fine if that’s all you’ve got. I just personally do not like them.

During my first range session with the Glock 48 and Accur8 sight combination, I had no trouble clustering a full magazine into one big ragged hole from ten yards. Seasoned shooters will not be shocked to hear that a thousand or so rounds into my G48 experience, I have experienced no problems with function or operation and the accuracy is superb. That is the hallmark of Glock; monotonous reliability. That will probably never change.

The author fired this ten round group from 10 yards with Black Hills ammunition.

Goldilocks Perfection.

GLOCK, Inc. has been using the tag “Perfection” for quite sometime now. What I believe they have accomplished with the Glock 48 is to create a kind of Goldilocks Perfection. The G48 pistol is not too big. But, it is also not too small. As a good friend of mine likes to say, “It is compact enough to carry all the time, but it’s big enough to fight with.”

Whether you are searching for your first concealed carry pistol or you already own several, the Glock 48, 9x19mm pistol has much to recommend it. The gun is slim, but not too slim. It is big enough to be a serious fighting tool, but not so large as to be cumbersome for every day carry. Basically, it’s in the Goldilocks zone of perfection. That’s just the reality of it.

Where to Buy a Glock 48.

If you are interested in the Glock 48, there are several online firearms retailers who can ship one directly to your local FFL dealer. Check out Brownells, Guns.com, and Gunbroker.com.

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Professor Paul Markel

Founder & CEO at Student of the Gun

Paul G. Markel has worn many hats during his lifetime. He has been a U.S. Marine, Police Officer, Professional Bodyguard, and Small Arms and Tactics Instructor. Mr. Markel has been writing professionally for law enforcement and firearms periodicals for nearly twenty years with hundreds and hundreds of articles in print. Paul is a regular guest on nationally syndicated radio talk shows and subject matter expert in firearms training and use of force. Mr. Markel has been teaching safe and effective firearms handling to students young and old for decades and has worked actively with the 4-H Shooting Sports program. Paul holds numerous instructor certifications in multiple disciplines and a Bachelor’s degree in conflict resolution; nonetheless, he is and will remain a dedicated Student of the Gun.

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