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  4. Unexpected Performer: Glock 48 Aimpoint COA Review

Glock released the slimline G48 a few years back, and I kind of passed on it. Now, equipped with the new Aimpoint COA series enclosed red dot, it has changed my mind. 

Full review, below. 

Table of Contents

Overview
The Specs
Features
Trigger
Reliability
Accuracy
Pros & Cons
Conclusion
 

Overview

 

Glock debuted the original Gen 5 G48 at SHOT Show 2019 alongside the new and improved G43X, with both guns sharing the same frame. 
 

Glock 43X and Glock 48
The original G48 (right) and G43X at SHOT'19. (All photos unless noted: Chris Eger/Guns.com)


A svelte (just 0.87 inches across the slide) sub-compact with a 10+1 shot magazine, it proved popular to many for everyday carry use, especially when the optics-ready MOS version was introduced in August 2020. 

At the time, I preferred the slightly larger and double-stack Gen3 G19 and continued to carry that gun for years, content to let the G48 slide on by. 

Now, paired with a new optics footprint that allows direct mounting (no plates to work loose) and the purpose-made Aimpoint COA enclosed red dot, the new G48 has my full attention. 
 

Glock 48 with Aimpoint COA red dot
The Gen 5 Glock 48 A-Cut with a factory-installed Aimpoint COA. With a 4.17-inch barrel and correspondingly longer slide, it has the same frame as a G43X while offering a bit more sight radius. 
Glock 48 with Aimpoint COA red dot
Weight on this slim little fella, with the optic, is a hair over 20 ounces. 
Glock 48 with Aimpoint COA red dot
The G48 COA compared to my preferred EDC for the past couple of years, the Springfield Armory Hellcat Pro. Both guns are roughly the same weight, height (over slide), and width, with the G48 being about a half-inch longer. The Hellcat runs a 15+1 mag, while the G48 has a 10+1-- which we'll talk about. 


For full disclosure, Glock sent Guns.com this handgun for review purposes. All testing was done on this one pistol, which has been under evaluation since January.

 

The Specs

 

  • Overall length: 7.28 inches
  • Barrel length: 4.17 inches 
  • Sight radius: 5.94 inches
  • Overall width: 1.1 inches at the widest point over controls, slide is 0.87 inches.
  • Overall height: 5.04 ­inches to top of slide, 5.84 inches to top of optic
  • Magazine capacity: 10+1 single-stack OEM (ships with two steel polymer-bodied mags)
  • Trigger pull: 5.4 pounds (10-pull average)
  • Weight, with empty OEM magazine and optic: 20.22 ounces
  • Weight, loaded/equipped: 28.7 ounces (with 17+1 rounds of Federal 9mm 135-grain Hydra-Shok Deep JHP in Shield Arms S15+2 mag, Aimpoint COA mounted)
  • MRD Optic Footprint: Glock proprietary A Cut for Aimpoint COA

 

Features

 

Right off the bat, let us cover the Aimpoint COA and how it interfaces with the Glock A cut. 

The pistol maker debuted the concept earlier this year, with G48, G43X, G19 Gen5, G45, and G47 models available. The COA, in turn, mounts into the Glock A-Cut via a wedge system that helps eliminate movement. The two companies developed the system jointly, and the pistol maker says it holds up to its 40,000-round endurance standard. 

 

Glock 48 with Aimpoint COA red dot
Glock contends the A-Cut allows the COA optic to be mounted deeper into the slide, increasing stability. Note how the mount provides an iron sight index for the optic. (Photos: Glock/Aimpoint)
Glock 48 with Aimpoint COA red dot
Note the side-accessible compartment for a single standard CR2032 3-volt battery, with a 50,000-hour advertised lifespan. (Photos: Glock/Aimpoint)


The result is an ultra-compact red dot package that sits lower than even the ACRO with a direct-cut slide – a standard Glock combination extremely popular on the LE sales market. Plus, the optic deck on the COA is low enough that standard-height sights co-witness in the lower third. 
 

Glock 48 with Aimpoint COA red dot
Check out that fitment. For reference, the ski-boot style rear sight wedge is steel. Compared to the (1.9-inch L x 1.3-inch W x 1.2-inch H) ACRO P2, the aluminum-bodied COA is less chunky (at 1.8-inch x 1.1-inch x 1.2-inch). The optic is fully enclosed and is listed as being submersible to 82 feet. 
Glock 48 with Aimpoint COA red dot
The A-Cut G48 with the COA installed gives a low deck that allows the standard sights to easily co-witness. Note the size of that window showing the wide field of view while not drastically overlapping the slim pistol. 
Glock 48 with Aimpoint COA red dot
When it comes to controls on the optic, on the left you have the elevation adjustment, which takes a T10 Torx wrench, and the up and down 12 setting (1-4 for NV, 5-12 for daylight) intensity buttons. The right side of the COA has the Torx-secured battery tray along with the windage adjustment. You can feel and hear the adjustment clicks. The top has no controls or adjustments. 
Glock 48 with Aimpoint COA red dot
For sure, the A-Cut COA is a huge improvement over running a plate-based enclosed emitter optic on another Glock. For example, compare the G48 COA to the Gen 5 G21 in my stable, which carries a Steiner MPS on a CHPWS plate, to see how much lower the optic sits. 


To assess the durability of the optic, we cycled the slide on a table edge several hundred times by its housing and found no wiggle afterward. Further, we put over 800 rounds through the G48 COA, typically racking the slide for each mag via pushing the optic off the barricade before and after. Throughout the evaluation, we observed little to no shift in POA/POI, and the optic remained right on target. Nor did we see any flickering or find any cracks, chips, or deformation in the glass. 
 

Glock 48 with Aimpoint COA red dot
Moving on to the rest of the gun, nothing obvious has changed when it comes to the internals of the G48, which carries all the standard features of the Gen 5 series. 
Glock 48 with Aimpoint COA red dot
The front sight is steel and is blacked out. 
Glock 48 with Aimpoint COA red dot
Surface controls are standard with a swappable magazine release and a left-side slide catch. Note how sharp the tab in the trigger shoe is.
Glock 48 with Aimpoint COA red dot
The grip texture is, in my opinion, a downgrade from the old RTF2 of the Gen 4s, but that's just my input. It can easily be tweaked to be tackier through the use of hockey tape or products like Talon grips. 
Glock 48 with Aimpoint COA red dot
The G48 has Glock's one-slot accessory rail. While it isn't very long, it does accept small WMLs, such as the Streamlight TLR-7 X-Sub.
Glock 48 with Aimpoint COA red dot
We found the G48 COA to fit easily in factory holsters, including Galco’s Concealable 2.0, a butt-forward OWB molded belt holster crafted of steerhide. 
Glock 48 with Aimpoint COA red dot
It also worked well in the Galco Triton 3.0, a slender Kydex IWB holster with an integral sweat guard and a removable claw-type stabilizer. 

Trigger

 

The trigger on the current G48 is Glock's standard fifth-generation pack. We found it to have a minimal take-up to the wall, breaking at 5.3 pounds on average out of the box. It has a short (about 0.26-inch) reset that is both tactile and audible, and it felt like the same trigger pull every time. We evaluated it again after 500 rounds, and it ran 5.3 pounds on average, which tracks. The only aggravating factor about it is that the tab in the trigger shoe seems very sharp compared to previous Glocks. You notice it.

Below is a video of the average trigger pull, seen in a strong hand-only grip. 
 

 

Reliability

 

We dumped over 800 rounds through the G48 COA platform with only two reportable issues. One was either a light primer strike or a hard primer when using bulk pack Remington 115-grain FMJ Range ammo (the round fired when cycled a second time). The second issue was a FTF with the second round of 150-grain action pistol loads in a Shield S15 magazine while using the factory mag catch. 
 

Glock 48 9mm pistol with Aimpoint COA red dot
The bulk of the ammo used was a 500-round bulk pack of Remington's Range. Using 115-grain FMJ bullets and brass cases, it has a velocity of 1145 fps and went 499:500 with one light primer strike/hard primer observed. 
Glock 48 9mm pistol with Aimpoint COA red dot
The rest of the ammo included a variety of loads supplied by Federal, including 150-grain Syntech Action Match, 124-grain Syntech Training Match, 115-grain Train & Protect JHPs, 115-grain Blazer Brass FMJ, 147-grain Syntech Training Match, 147-grain HST JHPs, and 135-grain Hydra-Shok Deep JHPs. 
Glock 48 9mm pistol with Aimpoint COA red dot
Shield Arms sent us a trio of third-generation steel-bodied S15 mags, including one with a +2 base pad. They also sent a steel replacement mag catch, which is an easy upgrade. 
Glock 48 9mm pistol with Aimpoint COA red dot
About 300 rounds were fired through the OEM 10-round mags, with the rest (500+) being fired through the S15s, which had zero issues once the mag catch was swapped out. 
Glock 48 9mm pistol with Aimpoint COA red dot
The great thing about the S15s is that they give the user a 15+1 flush-fit magazine capacity (seen at the top) in the same profile as the standard 10+1 G48 mag (bottom). For most users, it is the grip of the gun and the length of its magazine that proves the toughest part of the pistol to conceal, especially IWB. 
Glock 48 9mm pistol with Aimpoint COA red dot
When using the 17+1 S15, the G48 COA has an all-up weight of 28.7 ounces, fully loaded. For reference, the shorter Hellcat Pro, with 15+1 rounds of the same ammo and no optic, runs an almost identical 27.7 ounces. 

 

Running the S15s fast or slow, they kept on ticking. 

 

 

Accuracy

 

The G48 gives the user the same practical sight radius as the vaunted G19 (5.94 vs 6.02 inches) while the COA, with a 3.5-MOA red dot, adds to quick acquisition. A Gen 5 gun, the G48 also has Glock's Marksman Barrel, which the company advertises as "match." The trigger could be better, but it still works for practical purposes. 

 

We found the G48 COA platform to be on target once zeroed. 

 

Pros & Cons


Pros

  • Reliable pistol
  • Enclosed optic that has a crisp dot, big window, and easy adjustments 
  • Optic sits low enough for standard sights to co-witness
  • Has steel sights
  • Direct cut optic mount that held up in testing
  • Common mags with easy upgrades available
  • Accurate
  • Holsters readily available
  • High value

Cons

  • Could have a better trigger
  • No other options for the A-Cut footprint 
  • Grip texture is understated

 

Conclusion


In all honesty, the G48 was a snoozer for me when it first came out. Don't get me wrong, I had a chance to shoot one on several occasions, but never had a spark. However, being optic-ready with decent steel sights, and sold with an installed American Aimpoint enclosed red dot on an interesting direct-cut footprint, I felt the spark. Plus, the price point balances out to less than a G48 MOS with an aftermarket Chinese Holosun that uses a plate. 

The COA has a wide field of view and an exceptionally low deck that proves quick to "scoop in" the dot. The A-cut is simple in execution, with fewer things to break than in other mounting systems. 

The fact that adding Gen 3 S15 mags and a mag release gives you the bump in capacity without losing reliability is a win. We recently visited Shield in Montana and were impressed with their whole program. 

When it comes to throwing rocks, the worst thing I can point out on the G48 COA combo is that the footprint and sights are limited to what you get in the box. Currently, there is no other optic that uses the A-cut footprint, and you cannot change out the rear sight for anything else. That may change, but for right now, you are painted into a corner. 

Going past that, I think I may have a new EDC. Let me run some more rounds through it and circle back to you on that. Yup. Feeling that spark. 

 

Glock 48 9mm pistol with Aimpoint COA red dot
The Glock 48 COA.

 

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