Glock 48 MOS Review (With Pictures)

Glock 48 MOS Review

The Glock 48 was an excellent idea. The Glock 19 has been the standard-bearer for the Glock series pistols for decades now. While it’s the perfect height and length for many, the gun found itself to be a chubby little fella. The Glock 48 was the skinnier variant. The Glock 48 is essentially a single stack Glock 19 that matches that near-perfect height and length with a significant width reduction. In fact, we’ve written an excellent Glock 48 vs Glock 19 article, if you’re interested.

The Glock 48 shares a typical ten-round magazine with the Glock 43X, and the barrel is just slightly longer, and that extra barrel length adds bullet velocity. Read on for the best Glock 48 MOS review you’ll find. P.S. If you’re interested in the little brother to this pistol, we have an in-depth Glock 43X MOS review as well.

The Glock 48 was a sweet pistol, but Glock is now making it a bit better by giving it the MOS treatment. The Glock 48 MOS variant now incorporates built-in optics modularity. The slide is cut for the micro red dot Shield RMSc. The Glock 48 has a very thin slide, so it cannot accommodate most red dot sights. The good news is red dots are getting smaller and we now have the Shield RMSc, Swampfox Sentinel, Holosun 507K, and SIG Romeo Zero readily available.

Also Checkout our Glock 48 holster.

The Glock 48 MOS and its optics enhancement are a welcome addition to the Glock 48 pistol. That’s not the only change Glock made to the 48 series pistols, and today we will explore all of the significant changes and see where the Glock 48 MOS stacks up with modern carry pistols.

Fit and Finish

The Glock 48 premiered initially in a slick, sleek, and attractive silver stainless steel finish. This was a great choice, in my opinion, and gave the new slimline pistols a distinct appearance. The Glock 48 MOS went to a more discrete and less reflective black finish. This was probably a good idea on a gun designed for optics enhancement. Reducing reflections everywhere possible is a good idea on an optically enhanced gun.

The Glock 48 MOS uses an nDLC finish. This is a diamond-like coating that is extremely hard and tough. It has a high hardness of 3000 HV. The older tennifer finish on Glocks was only about half that. This is the same finish that protects Glocks on duty around the country and the world, so it’s well-proven and dependable. The gap created by the removable MOS Plate is hardly noticeable and fits cleanly and near perfectly with the slide when not running an optic.

The black frame is a timeless and straightforward Glock design. The good news is that it works, looks professional, and far from low grade. You’ll see a lot of lower-end brands have huge markings where the polymer molds meet, but that’s not present with the Glock series of pistols. The Glock 48 MOS gives a pleasant and professional black on black appearance. Also, we have the perfect, professional concealed carry Glock 48 MOS holster for you to carry this Glock in.

Specs

As I mentioned before, the Glock 48 MOS is essentially a Glock 19 on a diet. This slim and sleek pistol is 0.16 inches thinner than the Glock 19 with an overall width of 1.10 inches. The Glock 48 is a little shorter than the 19 at 7.28 inches but manages to pack a slightly longer barrel at 4.17 inches. This somewhat longer barrel allows the gun to be sold in Canada with no modification. Previously Glock 19s had their barrels slightly extended to be sold in Canada.

The Glock 48 MOS holds ten rounds of 9mm, and the Glock 48 MOS is compatible with the new magazine from Shield Arms. Shield Arms makes a metal magazine with the ability to hold 15 rounds in its flush-fitting design. This gives the Glock 48 a dose of Glock 19 firepower. Although these are an aftermarket magazine and I have no means to testify to their reliability.

The Glock 48 MOS weighs 24.97 ounces fully loaded, which is about 5 ounces lighter than a loaded Glock 19. The Glock 48 MOS is 5.04 inches tall, and that height will increase depending on the optic chosen.

Ergonomics

There is a lot of good in the ergonomics department of the G48, but there is a little bad too. Let’s start with the bad. The slide lock sucks. All Glock slide locks do, in my opinion, and the issue is their placement and design. They are too far rearward and get effectively pinned down by my thumbs with a thumbs forward grip. The Glock 48 and G48 MOS are no different, and the slide lock is virtually useless in my hands. We will cover all the ergonomics in this Glock 48 MOS review.

The excellent news is Glock redesigned the rear of the pistol to incorporate a small beavertail into the gun’s grip design. This protects your hands from slide bite and allows you to have a high and comfortable grip on the weapon. This makes a huge difference in the design of the gun and makes it way more comfortable, at least to me.

The Glock 48 MOS is a slimline pistol, but I’m not sure if I would describe it as a subcompact. I think Glock calling it a slimline pistol is perfect. It’s more of a compact in size, and as a compact handgun, it’s quite controllable and very comfortable to shoot. The slim design makes it perfect for shooters with small hands and allows them to maximize their control over the weapon. I do enjoy the lack of finger grooves on the gun and find the stippling to be quite lovely. I prefer the more aggressive setup for enhanced control.

The Glock 48 MOS is perfectly suitable for combat use and features a straightforward internal safety system. There is no need to ever think about disabling a safety; it’s automatically disabled when you pull the trigger. The simple design of Glock pistols also makes them very easy to customize, and you can make the gun your own. Dropping in a new trigger, sights, extended magazine releases, and other upgrades are relatively easy and can be done at home.

Features

The Modular Optics System is the most noticeable design change to the Glock 48 MOS. Many may not understand why a red dot on a handgun is such a big deal. That’s understandable, and it’s not necessarily a must-have. However, shooters with optically enhanced firearms have proven to be faster, more accurate, and more capable in low light situations. A Red Dot Optic on a handgun does not require you to align sights, so the dot is easier and faster than irons. New shooters can even benefit from a red dot handgun. All they have to do is put the red dot on the target and pull the trigger. Dive into find all the special features in this Glock 48 MOS review.

Admittedly for those of us who have dedicated a lot of time to iron sights, the transition to a red dot takes time, practice, and lots of ammo. However, it’s a transition worth making, and the red dot adds a lot of potential to a shooter, including long-range shooting.

Another new feature worth noting is the attachment of a short Picatinny rail to the G48 MOS. This small section of rail allows you to outfit your weapon with ultra-small weapon lights, lasers, and training devices. Surefire offers subcompact weapon light, which is perfect for the Glock 48 MOS. They aren’t the only microlight maker on the market, and that seems to be another growing trend. The rail should have premiered with the original Glock 48, but I guess its better late than never.

The Glock 48 MOS has the same high visibility follower found in Gen 5 guns. We also get the finger-groove-free grip, reversible magazine release, plus front and rear serrations. The front serrations ensure the slide is easy to work when the gun is equipped with a red dot sight. Glock seemingly thought this pistol out very well and designed it to be a functional and competent combat handgun.

Shooting Characteristics

The Glock 48 handles almost identically to a Glock 19. The thinner grip is more comfortable to me, and likely to most people. The grip still fills the hand and provides an ultra-comfortable option for a concealed carry pistol. I hate a hanging pinky, and the G48 and G48 MOS pistols allow for an easy and sure grip on the gun. This keeps the gun on target, especially when being fired rapidly. The addition of the small beavertail allows you to get a nice high grip on the gun without slide bite. This Glock 48 MOS review covers all the characteristics.

The Glock 48 is a very easy shooting handgun than handles like a larger weapon. It displaces recoil well and without pain. Even more potent and powerful loads tailored for self-defense handle easily out of the Glock 48 MOS. The MOS is an important part of this gun, and the gun works best with an optic. The optic disregards sight radius and makes the gun just as accurate as something like a larger Glock 34. The Glock 48 does come with the awful sights Glock is known for. These plastic sights should be the first thing replaced.

A Glock is a Glock, and that means you get all the good parts of a Glock and all the bad parts. This includes the meh trigger, crummy sights, and brick-like grip. The good news is the brick is a good bit thinner with the 48’s single stack grip. More good news is that the Glock 48 MOS is an incredibly reliable weapon, and its simple design ensures the gun remains reliable and dependable. Adding an optics cut and light rail isn’t going to impact a gun’s reliability.

The Glock 48 MOS is quite accurate and will get you on target and keep you there as long as you do your part from trigger control and grip. The Glock 48 is a very easy handling weapon and is more than accurate enough for self-defense.

Concealment

The Glock 48 is not the easiest gun to conceal, but it is one of the most comfortable. The gun is Glock 19-sized basically, but much thinner, and that results in a more comfortable carry piece. The Glock 48 can be carried, but proper holster selection is key to the gun’s success. Here at Clinger holsters, we can most certainly help you with proper holster selection. We offer many G48 MOS holsters including Inside and Outside the Waistband.

This Glock 48 MOS Review covers all the concealment related topics for the Glock 48 MOS.

The Glock 48 MOS gains a little height with an optic, but it’s hardly noticeable, and the optic is well worth the price of a little extra room

The Glock 48 is the perfect candidate for a good strong side IWB holster or a rock-solid AIWB rig. Either one will make the bigger gun disappear on the body. You can carry a light and optically enhanced firearm with minimal fuss. The Glock 48’s lightweight and thin design ensure you don’t get poked and prodded during the day.

The New Standard

The Glock 48 MOS is really the perfect size for a capable combat handgun. It’s big enough to be easily controllable but thin enough for easy concealment. The addition of an optic cut and light rail make it capable of keeping up with the big boys. The design is outright genius from a carry perspective.
The Glock 48 MOS is a game-changer, and while it’s hard to get excited about just another Glock, I feel the Glock 48 MOS is far from just another Glock. It’s the right combination of size and features for a concealed carry, combat-ready handgun. It might shake me from carrying my P365. The Glock 48 MOS has made its European debut paired with the RMSc optic. No word on if that same package will be offered here, but we’ll keep an eye out.