UPDATE: Later in 2014, we had a chance to do a full review of the Glock 42. https://macosxramxtorrentebdinohunger.peatix.com. Details here.
Glock 42 Review: A Look At The Baby Glock While not your average CCW pistol, the.380 ACP Glock 42 is a very slim subcompact carry option. While some argue.380 ACP isn’t an ideal carry caliber that’s not to say it can’t be effective. Looking for the best sights for your GLOCK 42 firearm? We have the best GLOCK parts at the best prices you'll find online. Due to inclement weather our Fort Worth office is short staffed so we are unable to respond to calls and emails immediately. The G42 is a 6-shot.380 caliber slimline subcompact pistol that is perfect for concealed carry and self-defense. It is the smallest, lightest Glock handgun available! Firearms must be shipped via FedEx.
The biggest problem with the Glock 42 is that it’s not a 9mm, but it turns out that’s not such a bad thing.
Weeks before SHOT Show, rumors started flying about two new Glock pistols. The first was revealed to be the Glock 41, a long slide .45 ACP model geared toward competition. But there was a lot more buzz over the 42, which many hoped and speculated would be a single stack compact 9mm to compete with pistols like the S&W Shield and Kahr PM9. When the 42 turned out to be a .380 ACP instead, the initial reaction from the gun community seemed to be disappointment. Demand for pocket-sized .380s spiked a couple of years ago, but has declined with the introduction of the aforementioned ultra-compact 9mm carry pistols. Drawing further criticism was the fact that the Glock 42 is not quite as compact as many of the other .380s, especially the ubiquitous Ruger LCP.
But despite all of that, the Glock 42 may be just what the .380 market is missing. You can read more about why I think that is below, but first, here’s a quick snippet of our interview with Josh Smithers from Glock. We asked him to make the case for the Glock 42 and why we should consider it over similar carry guns out there.
Why You Should Buy the Glock 42 in 30 Seconds
Glock 42 30-second interviewThe big announcement from Glock this year was the introduction of their new single-stack .380 carry pistol, the Glock 42. Despite the declining popularity of pocket-sized .380s, there has been a lot of interest in this little gun. We stopped by the Glock booth at SHOT Show to find out why they think it stands above the competition. Getting right to the point, we through out this scenario. The Ruger LCP set the standard for pocket-sized .380s. But it’s pretty snappy and difficult to shoot. But now Ruger has the LC380, which is a little larger but still concealable and much more shootable. Ruger’s got a lot of experience in this category now. So what would you say in 30 seconds to convince someone to try the Glock 42 instead? Well, obviously, you have the reliability of the Glock pistol. It comes with the Glock brand. All of our pistols have an excellent reputation. So you have a functioning Glock pistol, just like all the other pistols you’re used to. So if you carry a 19 pistol, or you use a 17, it’s going to work, and function, and operate the same exact way. You don’t have to worry about, I carry a Glock, and now I have to use a different type of weapons system and get used to a different trigger. The way the bell works and everything– the way the recoil system works– it functions exactly like the same Glock pistol. So you’re not having that recoil, like you do on a lot of other manufacturers. So there you have it. According to Glock, the 42 addresses the two biggest complaints of almost all the current popular .380s– the trigger pull and excessive recoil. For more on the Glock 42, including our first impressions from the range, check out the rest of the post below this video.
You can read our full Q&A with Josh below the first impressions section.
Glock 42 Quick Overview
Dimensions
- Overall Length: 5.94″
- Height: 4.13″
- Width: .94″
- Weight: 13.76 oz
- Barrel Length: 3.25″
Other Stats
- Caliber: .380 ACP
- Capacity: 6+1
- MSRP: $475
External Links
Opinion and First Impressions
Anyone who’s fired one of the .380 pocket guns knows that they’re no pleasure to shoot. Most of them have long double action trigger pulls, followed by very snappy recoil that, in some cases, is downright painful after a couple of magazines. They are thought of as “last ditch” carry guns that will rarely see much range time.
As an alternative, Ruger has offered the LC380, which is essentially their LC9 compact 9mm rechambered in .380. The recoil is much easier to deal with on the LC380, but it still has the long trigger pull to overcome. It seems Glock decided to skip the “itty bitty” LCP-sized phase and go right to the “still small but a lot more shootable” category with the 42. At the same time, they’ve addressed the trigger issue. The Glock 42 has the same type of trigger as any other Glock; nothing amazing, but certainly usable right out of the box, and much easier to use than most any double action.
I had a chance to fire a few rounds out of a 42 at SHOT show, and I was pretty impressed with it. It felt a little smaller in my hands than a S&W Shield, but there was still plenty to hold on to, and recoil was minimal. I shot Ruger’s LC380 just a few minutes later, and while recoil was similar, the trigger on the Glock was much easier to manipulate. The Glock will not be nearly as cheap as the Rugers, but the $475 MSRP is still not bad, and I think it’ll be an attractive option for folks who think they can’t carry anything larger than a .380, but don’t like getting beat up by snappy recoil.
Q&A with Josh Smithers from Glock
Lucky Gunner: If you had to pick one attribute of this gun to talk about as the highlight, what would it be?
Josh Smithers: The biggest highlight of the gun is that it’s the smallest pistol we’ve ever built. This pistol is basically designed around the US concealed carry market. We wanted to build the smallest pistol we could that would be the most reliable pistol and still be in a caliber that would be a defensive carry round, so the .380 is what we decided to go with. You have a standard full-size magazine catch, full-size slide stop lever, abd slightly deeper tang. No finger grooves, but it does have that Gen 4 type texture on it, so it’s still aggressive and you can hold on to it really well. The trigger works exactly like a full size Glock would if you’re already used to that. The take down is also just like the Glocks you’re used to.
LG: Are you guys gonna have any grip extension or extended magazine in case you wanted the grip to be slightly longer?
JS: At this time I don’t know of anything. It just comes with the two flush fit magazines.
LG: It doesn’t look like it has the interchangeable backstraps.
JS: No backstraps, it’s not a Gen 4. We wanted to make this pistol as small as we could. That’s why we cut the tang a little deeper so you don’t have to worry about over-gripping the gun.
LG: I got to fire it a little at the range, and it shoots really nice for its size, but I know some people are talking about how it’s a little bigger than some of the other .380s out there, so how are you guys answering that if they claim it’s too big for a .380?
JS: It’s the the smallest Glock we’ve built, it’s slightly less than an inch wide… and it has a very low height over bore. We kept it almost a square slide so you get a very deep grip. Other manufacturers .380s might be a little smaller but you still have the high height over bore so as far as the recoil and everything it doesn’t control well. You might sacrifice a little in size, but the quality and reliability were the first things we wanted to go into the gun so that was the smallest we could make it and make it reliable and still get the same quality you expect out of a Glock pistol.
LG: Okay, so the big question that you’re probably sick of hearing but everyone is asking. Is the 42 a precursor to a single stack 9mm from Glock?
JS: Let’s hope so.
LG: That’s all you can say for now?
JS: Yep, that’s it.
When Glock finally introduced their ultra-light, ultra-compact, ultra-portable Glock 42 after years of endless speculation, one would have expected Glock lovers to rejoice – finally a true Glock alternative to the Ruger LCP and Kahr PM9.
But nay… To my great surprise, this announcement was met with a chorus of disappointment, whining, and general complaining from the vast vocal majority of Glock consumers. Which frankly left me puzzled.
Why The Disappointment?
Well, the Glock 42 is chambered in .380, NOT the ubiquitous, almighty 9mm.
Come on, folks… it’s not all about caliber. The right gun, the right holster, the right tool or weapon is dependent entirely on the job and the circumstances.
And let’s be honest… Ballistics tests don’t show much difference between the various small caliber handgun loads. Unless you’re comparing 9mm / .380 to 7.62 or .50 cal, the difference will be minimal.
Sure, the .380 round is more expensive and harder to find than 9mm, and arguably has a little less punch. But Glock had some compromises to make given today’s materials technology limitations. And I believe they chose correctly.
They produced a gun that is far more easy to shoot [accurately] than the popular micro guns on the market today.
Glock produced a miniaturized version of their standard platform, i.e. a tiny Glock 19. It handles the same, feels the same, and even breaks down the same. This is a Glock, just smaller.
What’s So Great About The Glock 42?
- It’s light! Almost half the weight of the trusty Glock 19.
- It’s thin! Half the thickness of the trusty Glock 19.
- It’s highly pocketable. In cargo shorts/pants, you’ve got yourself a great Back Up Gun or everyday hot weather carry.
- It has almost no recoil to speak of. This gun requires less hand/arm strength than any gun I’ve ever shot.
Seriously, this is easily the most underrated Glock of all time.
Sure, if you actually NEED a firearm in a life or death situation, you’d probably much rather be holding a Glock 19 with its standard 15 round magazine of 9mm. https://cooljfil856.weebly.com/casino-bonus-no-deposit.html. Extra mag, that’s another 15 rounds.
The Glock 19 may well be the perfect 9mm firearm. It feels great in the hand, it shoots damn well, it breaks down effortlessly, it will eat whatever you feed it ammo-wise, it will run with very little oil, it will go and go and to even with a terrible (rare) cleaning regimen. It may well be the AK of the handgun world… it. just. works.
The Glock 19 is a great everyday carry option. That’s the firearm that should always be at hand when wardrobe and environment permits.
But that’s a large 2 pounds of gun to have in your pants, and wardrobe / situations don’t always suit such a noticeable firearm.
So for those times when the Glock 19 can’t make the trip… we finally have a viable option that JUST WORKS. Firefox 72 64 bit.
The Glock 42 is a REAL gun, it FEELS real, it handles like a real Glock. Yet it’s small and light enough to be far more portable than your other Glocks.
Going running?
The Glock 42 is small and light enough to come along effortlessly and stay with you for the run… and still small enough to keep out of sight. Belly band holster FTW!
It’s also durable enough to withstand the sweat it’s going to be exposed to daily, which is more than can be said for many other carry guns. Pro tip: Clean / Oil Your Carry Gun Often (At Least Weekly)
Need a reliable, small backup gun or a pocket gun?
Glock 42 Models
No problem – The Glock 42 fits neatly in cargo pant pockets. Mosaic 1 0 5 – professional level window management.
For smaller pockets / tighter places, check out the Ruger LCP as a smaller option. It may not shoot nearly the same, but it will fit in places the Glock 42 can’t.
Need a gun light enough to tuck into the elastic band of your Under Armour workout shorts?
Yep, Glock 42 got you covered (with the ever handy DeSantis Nemesis tacky holster).
Are There Comparable Firearms?
Sure…
- Sig P938 – This would be the closest contender. Chambered in 9mm, the P938 is literally the same physical size as the Glock 42. But that 9mm round kicks a lot more in the same size frame. The P938 is also noticeably heavier, and nearly twice the price ($800 street vs $400 street for the Glock 42).
- Sig P238 – Chambered in .380, slightly smaller than the Sig P938, but still considerably heavier than the Glock 42.
- Kahr PM9 – Chambered in 9mm, the Karh PM9 is also the same physical size as the Glock 42. It’s a good gun, I just don’t care for the feel… the balance is somehow barrel heavy compared to the Glock. Also perhaps 50% more expensive and significantly higher recoil. Also far, far more cumbersome to break down.
- Kahr CW9 – Kahr also makes a lower cost version of the PM9 (the CW9), which is functionally identical but lower cost materials and finish. Same comparison points as above.
At this point, none of the above are options we would recommend over the Glock 42.
And there are smaller firearms, most well known and widely used perhaps being the smaller still Ruger LCP, also chambered in .380. Then others like the Beretta Nano, Kahr P380 (and the lower cost CW390), offerings from Kahr, even Seecamp and North American Arms on the super tiny side.
Thes smaller options are more concealable but are not nearly as easy to shoot or break down as the Glock 42.
Pro Tips
“Never go anywhere without a knife.”
If you carry a gun, you’re likely familiar with that concept. If you’re not, then take it to heart. The knife is one of man’s oldest and most useful tools. Always carry a knife. Ideally two.
The Glock 42 pairs nicely with a Spyderco Pacific Salt Serrated. At just 2.8 oz, this is a damn well made, solid 4″ pocket chainsaw. Highly recommended. Be warned, you’ll end up buying more than one.
Conclusion and Summary Recommendations
Glock 42 Extended Magazines
Please, folks… drop the caliber envy and look at the Glock 42 for what it is… an excellent, ultra portable, pocketable Glock.
It’s an excellent back-up gun to a larger firearm like the Glock 19, and is reliable enough to be primary carry for situations where wardrobe won’t permit something as large and heavy as a Glock 19.
The right gun amounts to the right tool for the job, whatever the job may be. Choose wisely.
Glock 380
Carry on, friends… carry on.