For quite a few years, I considered the Glock 19 to be the gold standard by which all concealed carry handguns should be measured. I carried the G19 almost exclusively – first a Gen 2 model, then I later updated to a Gen 4. Anytime I tried a different handgun, the question I always came back to was, “Taking all factors into consideration, from shootability and reliability to concealability and capacity, along with every other facet of everyday carry, would I rather use this gun than my G19?” While I tried out some excellent pistols, many of which were highly capable of sufficiently fulfilling that concealed carry weapon role, time after time I returned to my trusty Glock 19. After swapping out the sights for a set of Hackathorn-style aftermarket upgrades and housing the gun in a quality Kydex IWB holster, I called it good and never left home without it. Before the advent of the slim-frame revolution with models like the G43X and G48, along with other manufacturers’ takes on skinnier carry guns, this double-stack 15+1 9mm setup served me exceedingly well in a gamut of training classes and my everyday life.

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Then frames began to trim down on width. After considering and ultimately rejecting some of the up-and-coming svelte competition, finally SIG SAUER’s P365 series caught my attention, specifically the P365XL version. I liked how it shot, how it felt, how it wore, and I especially liked that I could retain that nice 15+1 capacity in a thinner form factor. As one of the best instructors I’ve ever trained with once put it when championing 9mm in the great caliber debate, “Think of shot placement as king, capacity as queen, and caliber as the lowly jester”. The SIG carried just as many rounds as my beloved G19 but was actually a bit more concealable and less prone to printing, due to its slimness’ ability to snug up closer to the body. Before long I found myself carrying the P365XL more than the Glock, and then doing so exclusively. Particularly when suitably-sized red dots became available and Holosun evolved their operations to become sufficiently high-quality and reliable, I put a 507k on the P365XL and this became my new standard. Clearly, I wasn’t alone in thinking this, as the 365 variants became some of the top-selling guns in America starting in 2018, shortly after SIG brought them to market. It was only a matter of time before Glock hit back with new slim-frame versions of their own. While they already had the original G43, its exceptionally diminutive dimensions and the limitation of its 6-round capacity placed it more in the “pocket pistol” class and thus outside of my personal consideration set.

Then in 2019, Glock updated their slime-frame offerings with the 43X and 48. They ticked all the typical Glock boxes for quality and reliability and appeared to be solid options for the concealed carry market. Fast forward to the current Gen 5 update, and today’s Glock 48 MOS brings a strong value proposition on paper. The OEM optics-ready slide is an excellent addition to the 48’s slimness for concealability, 10-round capacity, and Glock’s definitive reliability. I’ve been fully on board with pistol red dots for several years already, so the MOS modernization to the 48 was exactly what it needed, in my opinion. When Glock recently reached out to TFB to ask if we would like to review several of their most current lineup, and I was assigned to evaluate the newest G48 MOS model, I was happy to oblige. The G48 soon arrived in the quintessential round-cornered black plastic Glock case, factory-equipped with its two 10-round magazines and a set of Ameriglo night sights.

Upon unboxing, fit and finish were fully up to par for Glock’s high standards, as expected. I observed no defects, blemishes, or problems of any kind. The action was smooth, tolerances were tight, and all seemed to be in order. I utilized the MOS function by easily removing the slide plate and installing a 507k, inserted the gun into a PHLster IWB holster I’d purchased for it, and looked forward to live testing. When the day came for a planned range trip with my dad, I loaded a smorgasbord of 9mm ammo varieties into the truck along with several steel and paper target options. It should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with Glock handguns that the G48 MOS proved perfectly reliable for me, and is a superb shooter. It chewed through several differing grain weights of Federal, Winchester, Stand 1 Armory Chubbies, Blazer, PMC, Remington, and more, mostly ball but with a smattering of hollow point defense loads as well. In all, we put nearly 250 rounds through it, with zero failures or hiccups of any kind. Accuracy was solid all around, with the satisfying ring of hits on steel easy to achieve and repeat. My dad and I both thoroughly enjoyed shooting the G48 and were duly impressed with its performance.

With all the functionality boxes ticked as expected, the big question for me came down to concealability. How would it wear compared to my old gold standard, its big brother the G19, my more recent P365XL choice, or other options in the concealed space? To answer this question, let’s take a look at some of the 48s stats. It measures 7.28” long overall, with a 6.85” slide. Height including mag and excluding any red dot option comes to 5.04”. Width is a scant 1.1” – exactly the same as the P365 and approximately a quarter-inch skinnier than the G19. While the P365XL does squeeze two more rounds into a slightly shorter height with flush-fit mags, thanks primarily to the wall thickness required by the Glock mags’ polymer compared to SIG’s metal mags, for me it comes down to splitting hairs between the two. I have loved my 365, and I also love the G48. They both conceal phenomenally and shoot exquisitely. The only thing I can think of that might be considered a slight downside with the Glock is those 10-round factory mags. Although that’s better capacity than some competitor options, it still isn’t quite class-leading. That said, thankfully we are not constrained solely to 10 rounds. The aftermarket has provided an outstanding solution to this in the form of the Shield Arms S15 mags. Were I limited to OEM equipment only, I might have opted to stick with my old SIG. Since I’m not under that restriction, my test of the G48 MOS has since led me to purchase one, along with a pack of Shield 15-rounders and even a few +5 extensions. For me, that added capacity over factory tips the scales, and serves as the deal-maker on this gun when added to its inherent top-shelf value proposition.

G48 MOS Conclusions

For several months the Shield Arms-equipped G48 has been my new EDC gun, living in that same PHLster AIWB holster and returning me to my old habits of a 15+1 Glock – but now in a more comfortable and concealment-friendly form factor than when I employed the prior gold standard G19. This is an excellent handgun in every way. I can confidently recommend the Glock 48 MOS to anyone who might be interested, and have done so with several friends who have also now become G48 owners. To me, this gun strikes the ideal sweet spot – small enough to conceal like a dream and disappear under virtually anything you want to wear over it, but not so undersized as to become snappy to shoot or uncomfortable in the hand, as some smaller pocket pistols are. It feels spectacular to operate, it’s accurate and reliable, easy to wear, it does everything I need with essentially no downsides, and it brings that illustrious Glock dependability back to my EDC plan once again. My only regret with this gun is that I didn’t get one sooner, after the MOS version initially released in 2020. I absolutely anticipate carrying my new Glock 48 MOS every day for years to come. See you at the range!

Images courtesy of Glock and the author.

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