G42: Your experience

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WrongHanded

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I'm considering picking one up. I know they're a little large compared to some of the other .380 chambered pistols on the market, but I'm more concerned with how it shoots and how reliable it is. I'd appreciate any info, good or bad.
 
I picked one up out of a used gun cabinet for about $250.

It shoots great. it is quite accurate for a small pistol. The recoil is very light for a small pistol. My G42 has
fired any and all 380 I loaded into the mag.

I changed the slide release to a Vickers Tactical. This one looks like the factory release, but it sticks out a little
more at the top and it allows you to catch it easier with your thumb.

I would recommend it pistol to anyone looking for a small concealable pistol.

Hope this helps
 
Tommy Duncan pretty well covered it. I think very well of the pistol, and there is always one on me when I’m not in the workplace.

I have a range beater G42; it’s probably shot at least 2000 rounds so far without an issue of any kind. Earlier this year, I decided to start regulatly practicing with one in earnest, since it’s most likely to be the pistol in my hand should I ever need a pistol in my hand.
 
I owned one for a few hours. It was purchased to donate to a charity auction.
My friend has one with a trigger job, and upgraded sights. It is his edc, and it is a heck of a shooter. I think it is probably the most shootable, and reliable .380 out there.
All sorts of upgrades and carry holster choices available too.
 
I liked mine but it wasn't enough to hold onto for my average size hands. About the same size as the Walther PPK. Tried the 43. Again I liked it fine, but I always found myself wanting more rounds. So there you go...

Good luck

M
 
I liked mine but it wasn't enough to hold onto for my average size hands. About the same size as the Walther PPK. Tried the 43. Again I liked it fine, but I always found myself wanting more rounds. So there you go...

Good luck

M

I'm sure it really won't be large enough for my hands either. The smallest gun I carry regularly is a P224. But if I do get a G42, it will be for deep concealment, so big compromises on size and caliber need to be made.
 
I like mine. I originally bought it mostly because it IS a bit bigger than most 380s on the market. Something easy for the wife to learn to shoot. It is much milder recoiling than most other 380s I have dealt with. All but the pk380.

As time went on though it began to sit around not getting much use. Then I started eyeballing it as a replacement to the Jframe I've been carrying for years.

I liked that it has slightly better capacity, is a little lighter and flatter, and has better sights. Which I have since upgraded to tritium. It has been my daily carry for a few months now. With the pinky extension it fits my long thin hands reasonable well.

In the beginning, despite the gun being one of the later versions with updated parts, the slide would fail to lock back on occasion. But just with me shooting it, not the wife. Odd. Not even really a problem I guess, just a minor annoyance. Anyhow, after the first couple range visits the phenomenon seems to have ceased. Unless I put low powered reloads in it. This gun does not like watered down ammo.

I have never been terribly fond of Glocks, but this one fits the bill pretty well for me. However, if I were to start over, buying the gun strictly for me, I'd probably go with the 9. The better ballistics are appealing to me and I dont pocket carry. The slight size increase would not bother me much. This 380 is very easy to shoot well though. The 9mm may increase the difficulty slightly.
 
I've shot 3 of them. Two failed to feed with Freedom ammo 380 AUTO 100 GR RNFP on a regular basis. (New guns) Different ammo cured the problem. But, it tended to reinforce a feeling I have about the .380 guns; they have short and steep feed angles, and that's why I prefer the G43 in 9mm.
 
A friend has the 42 and I have a 43, both capable, but as mentioned above, not a pocket pistol ... My reason for the 43 was because its only very slightly longer but the benefit of 9mm

To make a short story shorter, because of the weight & bulk it just doesn't fit with with my dress code at work, although the under shirts with the built in holster/retainer worked but not terribly comfortably. I've tried an LCP, BodyGuard, LCP2 and a few others ... Looking for not just short, but slim as well.
Then picked up the Colt Mustang XTS ... WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!

It's a 380, and IMHO true pocket pistol. About the same size/weight as the LPC ... I can carry it in slacks, sweats, shorts; its much smoother shooting than the LCP and more accurate, at least in my hands ... A head shot (styrofoam head) at 30 yards, 6 out of 7 shots.
When I was telling my FFL about it he pulled one out of his pocket and said, "another case of You Get What You Pay For".
 
Too small a grip for a Glock, didn't feel right. But too big for a 380. Shot reliably, no malfunctions in the one I rented. I would rather shoot my G26 because it filled my hand better.

My Ruger LCP works for me better because of it has the size that disappears in a pocket, where a G42 just can't, it is just a bit too large. I do think the Glock is a better gun but it does not conceal as well as a smaller 380. To me, the always carry gun needs to be carried as effortlessly as possible. If it is not I might leave it at home because of the inconvenience. A gun at home does me no good when out and about.
 
Mine was very ammo sensitive. It liked Remington FMJ, so thats what I stuck with. Half a dozen different commercial loads I tried would plug the lil Glock up. Never did 100% trust it. Traded it in on a 642 and never looked back. As for folks saying it isnt pocketable, thats just nonsense. I carried it in my right front pocket for a year. Now I carry a P365 in the same spot. Even the J frame Smith's are easily front pocket carried, even in my stretch jeans. I'm 6', 240 and wear normal clothes. The only person that notices a pistol printing in your pocket is yourself. No one else looks or cares.
 
I like mine. Very shootable and carries even better. I can’t decide which I like better the Sig p238 or the G42.

However, it go through a phase. It was getting light primer strikes, about one or two per hundred. It took me a little time and experimenting to get it straightened out. But its fine now. Haven’t had a light primer strike in a long time.
 
I also have one and it is a great carry pistol. I found that it had no trouble with any of my reloads and the recoil feels liter than similar loads in My Kimber Micro. The G42 is also reasonably accurate and a good gun to shoot.

I have also added the same extended slide-stop as was mentioned above. You can also see: grip tape, a Pachmyar magazine extension (no extra rounds, just a pinky grip), and Glock factory night sites (which I don't recommend). Mine was one of the ones that came, out of the box, with the very heavy trigger pull, I have fixed that. As I understand, that has been fixed and, if you get a new one, you shouldn't have that problem.
Glock_42_w_grip_tape_slide_release_sights.jpg

It has slowly been replaced, as my carry pistol, by my Kimber Micro, I just like the Kimber better. However, I would not hesitate to recommend the G42. It is a great pistol.
 
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I know they're a little large compared to some of the other .380 chambered pistols on the market, but I'm more concerned with how it shoots and how reliable it is.
My Glock 42 is perfectly reliable, and in fact it's on a 500+ round string without a bobble right now. That said, it did have issues with the premature lock-back. Glock eventually issued updated magazines that resolved it completely (marked "03").

In addition, when new, the gun did FTE on ammunition with light bullet weight, in particular Barnes. It always was reliable with shooting any factory .380 with a bullet of 90 grain or heavier. I think that as RSA settles in, the gun starts cycling ammunition with lightweight bullets, but with so many good 90 and 95 grain loads on the market, I never felt compelled to experiment.

Recoil is very light and the gun is accurate. I use Strike Industries +2 for a full grip when possible (e.g. when not in a pocket holster). Trigger is a typical Glock. Personally, I don't mind it.

I'm slightly impressed by the longevity of the springs. I have about 2000+ rounds on mine, and even magazine springs are all original. Although maybe it's how all modern pistols should run.
 
I regularly shoot 56gr bullets (composite frangible). I have no trouble with it in both factory loads and my reloads using the same bullets (no, not the same bullets as I sent down range, the same type and manufacturer).
 
Well, I bought one.

I tried a rental and shot it surprisingly well at 25yds, given the small size of the gun in my hands. I managed to get 9 or 10 rounds out of 12 into (what I think was) an 8" circle at that range, and most of those rounds were clustered quite closely. I certainly wasn't expecting that, not because I expected the gun was incapable of such, but I'm no bullseye shooter. I decided I was unlikely to shoot anything smaller any better. So I bought one with night sights.

I'll be running some defense ammo through it tomorrow to see how it functions, and try to tighten up those groups a bit more if possible. But I did find the two mags had "03" on them, so I assume this particular gun in a later version and hopefully issue free.

Thanks for all the input everyone. It's very much appreciated!
 
I have shot my daughter's. It is a great gun. It is not a pocket carry gun. She carries it every day off body. Very accurate, never jammed, utterly reliable, it's a Glock.
 
I like mine, it's small but I find it easy to shoot accurately. A good CC for summer time shorts. It is not finicky about ammunition, as long as it's not weak. I had to go to the max side of published data for my handholds.
 
My G42 is ammo sensitive as well. Not an acceptable trait in my opinion.

I have Fiocchi 95 grain JHP. It won’t feed at all
My Bersa CC and S&W Bodyguard both shoot it with no problem. Got rid of the 42
 
Mine shoots low for me, but that could be corrected with a different front sight. I added the Pearce grip extensions and I love how the gun shoots and handles. It is too big for pocket carry but still very small. On paper it is not much different than a g43, but in hand the difference is huge. That said, I think I may sell mine as soon as I shoot up all my reloads. I'm tired of loading 380 on the turret press. It's a lot easier to load 9 on the progressive. 380 is a marginal caliber, but the g42 shoots it so soft I suspect I could hot rod a 380 up to near 9mm performance with a 100grn bullet and the right powder. I haven't tried, but I bet it could be done....
 
200 rounds of Remington 88gr JHP, followed by 50 rounds of Critical Defense 90gr FTX.

One failure to eject with the Remington early on. Smooth sailing from there. Both shot a little low, but the Critical Defense more so. Not terribly noticeable until out at 25yds, so I'm going use a combat hold for these sights.
 
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