Concealed carry with a slimline Glock: holsters and setup

The slimline Glocks exist for one job, daily concealed carry, and the pistol is the smaller part of doing that job well. The holster, the belt, the sights, the ammunition and the habits around them decide whether the pistol is carried every day or left in a drawer. This guide walks through a carry setup for a 43, 43X or 48 from the holster outward, and ends with the legal rules that apply everywhere and the ones that change by state.

The holster

A Kydex holster molded for the exact model, that covers the trigger completely, holds the pistol at the same angle every time, keeps its mouth open when the pistol is out, and clips firmly to the belt. For the 43X and 48, most makers mold one holster for both when the muzzle is open. For a MOS pistol with a dot, the holster must be cut for the optic; for a pistol with a light, it must be molded for that light. Universal nylon holsters and soft leather that collapses are not holsters for a Glock, whose trigger is its safety.

The position

• Appendix, inside the waistband: in front of the hip. The fastest draw and the best concealment for a slimline, in a holster with a claw to tuck the grip in and a wedge to tilt the muzzle out. The 43X is the natural appendix pistol.
• Strong side, inside the waistband: at three or four o'clock. Comfortable in a car and in a chair, a little slower, conceals the 48 well.
• Pocket: for the 43 in a pocket holster; the 43X and 48 are too long for most pockets.
• Ankle: for the 43 as a backup, for those who sit all day.

The belt

A slimline pistol weighs 20 ounces loaded, and a dress belt lets even that roll and sag. A gun belt, leather with a stiffener or a rigid nylon belt, sized with the holster on, is the second purchase after the holster and the one that turns a holster from a nuisance into something forgotten by noon.

Sights and dots

Replace the polymer factory sights with steel night sights or a fiber-optic front; the factory sights are hard to see and easy to break. On a MOS pistol, a micro red dot on the RMSc footprint with suppressor-height irons under it is the current standard, and the MOS guide lists what fits. A dot on a carry pistol needs a few weeks of dry practice before it is faster than irons.

Lights

The MOS pistols have a small front rail sized for the compact lights made for slimline pistols; a light on a carry gun is useful at home and a compromise on the belt, since it needs a holster molded for it and adds bulk where the slimline had none. Many owners keep a handheld light in the other pocket and leave the pistol plain.

Ammunition and magazines

A bonded or tested hollow point from a short-barrel line, shot through your pistol for at least 100 rounds before it is carried, and replaced yearly. Two magazines minimum: one in the pistol and a spare, in a pocket carrier or a belt pouch, of the same type and tested the same way. The 15-round slimline magazines for the 43X and 48 change the math on a spare; the magazine guide covers them and where they can ship.

Dress

A slimline under an untucked shirt one size up, or a light overshirt, disappears. Patterned fabrics hide printing better than plain ones. Pants sized an inch larger in the waist make an inside-the-waistband holster comfortable. Sit, bend, reach and walk in front of a mirror before you go out, and adjust the holster's ride height and cant until the grip stays in.

Habits

Holster the pistol at home, unloaded and confirmed, twenty times slowly, then loaded, and reholster looking the pistol in every time. Do not adjust the holster in public. Wipe the pistol dry every evening, check the chambered round for setback monthly, and shoot the carry load through it at the range every few months. A carry pistol that is not shot is a pistol you do not know.

The law, everywhere

Federal law bars carry in federal buildings, post offices and secure areas of airports, and federal law makes carrying a pistol into a school zone a crime unless your state's license exempts you. The pistol itself ships to a licensed dealer in your state, where you complete Form 4473 and the background check, and you must be 21 to buy it from a dealer.

The law, by state

Most states now allow permitless concealed carry for adults who may lawfully own a handgun, at 21 in most and 18 in a few. The rest issue a permit through a sheriff, a state police unit or a court, and some require training. Every state sets its own list of places where carry is barred, its own rule on carrying in bars, its own rule on signs, and its own reciprocity with other states' permits. A few cap magazine capacity at 10 or 15 rounds. The carry summary on your city page covers your state, and the issuing agency confirms it; the law changes, and a page is only as current as its date.

Choose the pistol with the slimline comparison, then build the setup: browse 43X and 48 holsters, gun belts and slimline sights; they ship to your door.

General information, not legal advice. Current as of September 2026. Laws change; check the official source before you act.