General consensus on the glock 42

I'm happy w my G42. I use a Bladetech Klipt Iwb holster, which I also use as a pocket holster since the trigger is properly enclosed. I installed Trijicon Bright and Tough NS since the rear is low profile and lines up with the sight guard on the klipt holster. Excellent in all conditions. Mine is running good with typical jhp ammo. My mags are the 02 version, I am going to update the mags to the latest 03 version soon. My example requires being racked firmly to chamber a jhp round, or locking the slide back first and then chambering the first round. No hang ups occured with ball ammo. The pistol is accurate to 40 or 50 ft. Its thin and lightweight and not snappy compared to small 9mm pistols. I have 100 rounds of Hornady xtp and 20 Hydrashocks fired with no malfunctions. I bought it because its small, light and easily concealed and easy to stash in bags, pockets etc. An excellent tool to have in your concealed carry tool box.

I actually wonder if the g42 will withstand a hotter than spec 380. you know how there are ruger only 45lc loads, I think maybe there is a place for glock only 380's. But I am not convinced of that.

My G42 has been my EDC for almost 6 months now. It's too big for any of my pockets, but I can conceal it under a T-shirt in a BladeTech Klipt IWB holster. I added Taran Tactical +1 baseplates loaded w/ Hornady Critical Defense, replaced the front sight with an XS Big Dot and the rear sight with a steel sight. The insides are all stock and I'll probably leave it that way. It has replaced a Glock 26 and Glock 19 as carry guns, and now I only carry one of the bigger Glocks when I'm hiking/hunting/fishing/camping.

My only issue if that I had to adopt a "strong-side thumb out" grip in order to not interfere with the slide lock lever so that the slide locks back on empty mags. This wasn't a problem on bigger Glocks. It was an easier transition than I expected, and now I shoot all my guns that way. That's how much I like the G42 - I changed my grip to accommodate it! And for the first time in my life, I'm not even thinking about a new carry gun.

The G42 was an answer to a question that was no longer needed when they came out with the G43. Go with the G43 or the M&P Shield in 9 MM and don't look back!

whatnickname said:

The G42 was an answer to a question that was no longer needed when they came out with the G43. Go with the G43 or the M&P Shield in 9 MM and don't look back!

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+1 Arguably, I like the longer feed body of the 9mm, and the higher potential for feed reliability. It's the 9mm in the 42 package.

whatnickname said:

The G42 was an answer to a question that was no longer needed when they came out with the G43. Go with the G43 or the M&P Shield in 9 MM and don't look back!

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Meh, I really don't think this statement holds much water and clearly doesn't address the OPs numberous declarations in this thread.

I think is is exactly the answer to the OP. I like mine just fine. WAY more than I like my p38t. That said, the p38t tends to stay closer to me because I can drop it in a pocket easily if I wanted. The 42 isn't much of a pocket gun and neither is the 43. It is far and away the best shooting 380 I've ever shot. IMO it may even be one of glock's best presentations after the origional 17/ 19 and later 26.

I quickly traded my M&P shield after I got a 42 and never looked back.

I pocket carry a g26 every day. I work construction so its carpenter pants pocket. nobody ever knows its there. a smaller gun for me isn't needed

funny thing is the gun prints far too much in a holster from reaching above my head or bending over... in the pocket for the last 3 years its never noticed.

A Glock 42 is my primary concealed carry / vehicle console carry firearm. It has been utterly dependable with everything except some lightly loaded handloads. The G42 .380 ACP recoil is surprisingly mild, it hits where I aim it out to ten yards as long as I do my part, and with a Pearce magazine extension it feels very good in my hand. Any time that someone asks my opinion, I would not hesitate to recommend a Glock 42 for purchase.

R.W.Dale said:

Except for sitting in an office environment and remaining completely concealed

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R.W.Dale said:

In fact it still fits in my cell phone case I have been using for a holster.

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If the OP had included these two criteria (especially the 2nd, that is key) it might have prevented some of the replies you didn't appreciate.

The 2nd comment has me wondering about your work.
Are guns prohibited?
Do you ever use a cell phone but not put it in the case when others are present?
Cell phone rings, R.W. removes it from his pocket, again. Why is he always wearing a phone case he doesn't use?

R.W.Dale said:

Dang it listen people. I want a smooth shooter to replace a p32 that ammunition is quickly becoming obsolete for. A gun what in any grip I can pour lead into a target rapidly. Not some one or two shot wonder with terrible recovery times and is painful to shoot to boot.

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Unabashed kahr fan boy here. Have you looked at the specs on a kahr CT380?
7+1 rounds (g 42 is 6)
5.52" long (g 42 is 5.94)
4.4" tall (g 42 is 4.13)
.75" thick (g 42 .94)
11.44 Oz empty (g 42 is 13.76)

I have a cw380 (more compact than ct380) and I find it to be very soft shooting compared to my 9MM guns, so i would think the ct380 would ge real nice. I have never shot a g42, so I'm not in a position to compare.

You use the word "smooth" to describe what you are looking for. I consider kahr to have an exceptionally smooth trigger action. Will the recovery times differ? Maybe. I'd give the glock trigger a *Slight* edge in speed based on my experience with my g19.

Buds has em for $227 right now, so it's not a huge outlay to try it (g42 is $406)

R.W.Dale said:

I swear I've not been avidly posting here for the past few years and it seems like now this board is riddled with the Facebook group ADHD now.

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You have a way with words, R.W.

Not being afflicted Facebook group ADHD myself, I am interested in hearing about your continuing experience with the G42's reliability after that first failure to clear the ejection port (stovepipe) with 50 'trouble-free' rounds after that. As you are doubtless aware, the G42 is reputed to have reliability issues and since I, too, am considering one, I am looking forward to hearing how it goes for you.

Fist off, I'm not a Glock fan.
That said, I had a chance to shoot a G42 another shooter had. I hate mouse guns, not interested in pocket carry, but was looking for a possible ankle set up as a back up. After shooting the G42, I found the smallest gun I could shoot worth a darn. Light recoil, sights my old eyes could see, and something I could hold on to.
I was quite surprised how well it did at 50 ft. I have no doubt the gun is accurate, I just didn't expect to be able to shoot small groups with it. The small grip makes it work real well in a ankle holster. Trigger on it is pretty heavy but not really an issue IMO. Crisp clean break, which is what I like in a gun.
I really like the gun.
My wife keeps it in her night stand drawer. Even she can shoot it. She's 5 ft 1in and 90 lbs soaking wet. 68 years old to boot!
Still not a Glock guy, but I like the 42. Yes you can buy a 9mm the same size, I have one, but the 42 just works.

Why do I have two G42 pistols? Because I liked the first one so much I had to have another.

By the way I have these plus one magazine kits installed in some of my magazines. It leaves you with a flush fitting magazine and has been flawless.


https://www.magguts.com/products/glock-42

Tony k said:

Unabashed kahr fan boy here. Have you looked at the specs on a kahr CT380?
7+1 rounds (g 42 is 6)
5.52" long (g 42 is 5.94)
4.4" tall (g 42 is 4.13)
.75" thick (g 42 .94)
11.44 Oz empty (g 42 is 13.76)

I have a cw380 (more compact than ct380) and I find it to be very soft shooting compared to my 9MM guns, so i would think the ct380 would ge real nice. I have never shot a g42, so I'm not in a position to compare.

You use the word "smooth" to describe what you are looking for. I consider kahr to have an exceptionally smooth trigger action. Will the recovery times differ? Maybe. I'd give the glock trigger a *Slight* edge in speed based on my experience with my g19.

Buds has em for $227 right now, so it's not a huge outlay to try it (g42 is $406)

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Recovery is going to be a lot quicker with a G42 than G19. The gun just never moves off target for me. With a 9mm it always has to come back down a little.

I have the G42 and really like mine. I bought it to shoot in GSSF but admit I do carry it some. I use a handload of 3.0gr Titegroup with a 90gr plated bullet. No problem knocking plates over in GSSF.

I went through different small carry guns about every 5 or 6 months. Tried Keltec, Taurus 738, Ruger LC9, LC380, LCP and a Glock 19. Even ran a couple of P238's and a P290 Sig. I have had a G42 for a year and a half now and have no gripes. I could live with a G 43, but my 42 works just fine.

greyling22 said:

I actually wonder if the g42 will withstand a hotter than spec 380. you know how there are ruger only 45lc loads, I think maybe there is a place for glock only 380's. But I am not convinced of that.

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There is no place for such load because Glock makes songle stack gun for cartridge case 2mm longer that can push 95gr bullet at least 300fps faster than typical .380 load.

kokapelli said:

Why do I have two G42 pistols? Because I liked the first one so much I had to have another.

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The essential point is that even with pistol one can deploy second loaded gun faster than reloading one gun. Needless to say poor revolver guys need two guns just to match one pistol. I feel bad for them, but saying that on revolver sub-forum will make many angry and l don't want to do that.

R.W.Dale said:

Lol no the cell phone is always in a cargo pocket. I've never actually used this case for a phone because my 6s plus is too large for it.

At my employer CCW is a don't ask don't tell thing. View attachment 761967

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Problemo is this setup makes for slow gun presentation making carrying gun kind of pointless. Made for gun plastic holster with friction retention is much faster that is why that is what I prefer. I use DeSantis. .

My Daughter has carried her G42 for several years and loves it. She shoots it very well (but is better with her 1911). She can conceal the G42 easily, it never jams, and recoil is manageable.

My fiancé is a new shooter and has very tiny hands and short fingers, small enough that she has to H grip my 43. Because of this 42 is on our shopping list.

With the advances in ammunition I have no issue with her carrying a .380 if that is what she chooses.