One of the highlights of this year’s IWA Outdoor Classics (IWA) show in Nuremburg, Germany, was the pistol/optic partnership between Glock and Aimpoint, and particularly Aimpoint’s COA optic on Glock pistols.
IWA took place February 27-March 2, 2025, and immediately thereafter Breitbart News acquired a Glock 43X with an Aimpoint COA optic for testing.
Glock has a reputation for durability and flawless function and Aimpoint’s reputation is also one of reliability, ease of use, and product longevity. With these things considered, we went into testing and review thinking the 43X and COA would be a great combo, and they proved to be just that.
The 43X is a single-stack Glock 9mm pistol which ships with 10-round magazines, resulting in a capacity of 10+1 defensive rounds.
The COA is Aimpoint’s follow-up to the wildly popular ACRO red dot optic series. As such, it gives the consumer all the things they came to love in the ACRO, but does so in a smaller, more compact unit. The reduced size makes the COA a great option for concealed carry pistols. (And, it should be noted, the COA is also being tested by various agencies around the world for adoption in law enforcement services.)
To give some idea of the COA’s compact nature, below is a photo with a COA optic on left and an ACRO on right:
Pistols with COA optic on the left, ACRO on the right (AWR Hawkins/Breitbart News)
Glock is already a go-to firearm for law enforcement around the world and now many of their pistols can be ordered with an Aimpoint COA pre-affixed.
The specific benefits of a COA include simple operation, with minimalistic controls designed to deliver ease of adjustment even while wearing gloves. The optic’s emitter is fully enclosed to remove any chance that inclement weather or other outdoor elements might reduce performance, and COA is designed to deliver 5 years of constant-on use.
Moreover, when it does come time to change the battery, the COA has a quick access battery tray, which means the user can switch batteries without being forced to remove the optic from the slide.
Also the windage and elevation adjustments actually click when you turn them, like a traditional riflescope, contributing to precision in zeroing.
We shot a variety of ammunition on the range, including DoubleTap Ammunition hollow points, Hornady Critical Duty +P, and MAGTECH FMJ range rounds. Through it all the Glock 43X/COA combo came on target with ease and delivered impressive accuracy. The combo was particularly impressive in second and third shot acquisition, both of which are crucial in the event the firearm is needed while under duress.
VERDICT: The Glock 43X/Aimpoint COA combo is getting a lot of fanfare, and it should. After all, two proven manufacturers–Glock and Aimpoint–have now teamed up to deliver a concealed carry package that lives up to the promises.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio, a member of Gun Owners of America, a Pulsar Night Vision pro-staffer, and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and has a Ph.D. in Military History. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly:
