by Miko Tempski | SAF General Counsel
Let’s start this out by getting straight to the point. The Glock 42 is exactly what it purports to be. It is a reliable, stealthily small, and lightweight defensive handgun. For those who need deep concealment or those generally willing to carry a .380 ACP as a primary defensive handgun, this is likely the perfect package. If you are considering a back-up gun, same answer. Either way, whoever you are, you are not likely to be disappointed in the Glock 42. It is a shooter’s .380.
Before we go too far into my experiences with the Glock 42 and my strong recommendation for it, I should introduce myself. I have never published a column or gun review in TheGunMag, so you may be asking what my perspective on this is and why I am here telling you about this gun. As you probably know, TheGunMag is published by the Second Amendment Foundation, the nation’s premier firearms civil rights organization. I am the Foundation’s general counsel; its main in-house lawyer. Most recently before coming to this job, I represented and advised my state’s largest law enforcement agency.
Years ago, before law school, I served as a police officer. I continue to serve today, on a part-time basis, with a local police agency. Perhaps more importantly, I have been carrying a firearm for self-defense purposes since I got my concealed pistol license at 21. In short, I would argue I am very familiar with use of force and the considerations that are important in choosing a good carry gun.
I have been an enthusiastic shooter since I first held a gun at a cub scouting event. Over the years I have also tried my hand at various handgun shooting competitions, including some local International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA)-style events and a recent Glock Sport Shooting Foundation (GSSF) match. Finally, I must admit that I like Glocks. I like them enough that I went out and became a factory certified armorer for fun a few years ago. With that in mind, you can take this review with a grain of salt if you like. As you will read below I took this pistol out shooting with a couple of friends, one of whom generally dislikes Glocks. As a Glock fan, I can tell you I love this gun. I was happy to hear my anti-Glock friend tell me he liked it too.
When I first heard Glock was coming out with a slim line .380 ultra-compact pistol, I rolled my eyes. Did we really need another copy of the same thing every other company had put out over the past few years? The resurgence of .380 ACP as a carry caliber has met a lot of resistance in my house. When the ultra-subcompact .380 craze started to blow up a few years ago, I did jump on the bandwagon, briefly.
After a few misfeeds at the range and a sore hand, I put that gun away. In the 5 or 6 years since, I have put a number of .380 pistols through their paces at the range, but none really grabbed my attention and most were unpleasant to shoot. A gun that is unpleasant to shoot is unlikely to get fired enough to really allow the shooter to develop the necessary muscle memory to make it a great defensive option. As a result, I have not carried anything less than a 9mm since. The announcement by Glock made me think back to those lackluster experiences, and I really hoped that Glock would be able to overcome the prejudice I had developed. I am glad they succeeded.
I briefly handled the Glock 42 at the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show in Las Vegas this January. I was pleasantly surprised by how it felt in the hand and managed to convince the fine folks at Glock to lend me one for this review. A few weeks ago, I walked into my favorite neighborhood gun shop and found a surprise transfer waiting.
When you first pick up the standard Glock clamshell case with the Glock 42 in it, it almost feels too light. You start to wonder, is it empty? Did they forget to send the actual gun? Luckily they did not. The Glock 42 looks small in the clamshell. It actually comes wrapped in a layer of additional foam which I suspect was there to keep it from shifting around since it is so much thinner than other Glocks which share the same case. Of course, the case comes equipped with the usual accoutrements: two magazines, a nylon cleaning brush, a manual, spent shell casing and a gun lock.
The Glock 42 looks sleek, like the slimmer, sexier version of its bigger cousins. It has the same texture on the grip and larger magazine release as the fourth generation pistols that Glock has released over the past couple of years.
It lacks the interchangeable back straps and accessory rail you would see on other models, but this is hardly surprising considering that this is an ultra-subcompact carry pistol. Another notable observation made during the initial inspection is the small outline of the State of Georgia on the slide and frame and the conspicuous notation “MADE IN USA.” This has to do with some legal restrictions on the import of smaller caliber pistols, but now that Glock has a factory here, expect more and more American Glocks. Other than the marking on this gun, there is no visible difference in machining, fit or finish between this Glock and the many Austrian counterparts I already own.
Hopefully it means that at some point in the future I can get an invite to the American factory and write it up for TheGunMag.
Getting the Glock 42 back to the office, I was able to handle it some more. It feels good in the hand.
Despite its small size, my grip on it feels secure. This is aided by the textured frame and the elongated beavertail shape on the small frame. A quick dry fire reveals a trigger that feels a bit heavier than other Glocks, but which shares the characteristically clean breaking point and short reset.
It is field stripped like any other Glock. Internally, the 42 looks like a miniaturized version of its cousins.
Nearly everything from the locking block to the connector to the firing pin looks the same, just smaller. The 42 has a double recoil spring like the other fourth generation Glocks.
I grabbed my friend and coworker Thomas and we took it out to the range.
There we ran it through various courses of fire, burning a couple hundred rounds of Federal’s “Range-Target-Practice” ammunition. It was a blast. Yes, that’s right, I said we fired off hundreds of rounds from a .380 and it was fun.
Despite its small size and light weight, the Glock 42 was pleasant to shoot and handled the recoil well. It is the first .380 I have actually enjoyed shooting.
We did some slow aimed firing at distance and the 42 performed surprisingly well. Even well past 50 feet, all of the rounds were hitting the target. At closer ranges, with both slow and fast shooting, all of our rounds were true. At a “typical” combat distance of 21 feet, even fast shooting groups could be covered with one’s hand. They were all “kill” shots. Talking about this, we attributed it to the Glock 42’s impressive recoil handling. It was always easy to find the front sight quickly and the shooter’s grip was not interrupted when shooting.
Having burned through the target ammunition, we switched gears and ran a box of 90-grain jacketed hollowpoints through the Glock. We were shocked to experience a few malfunctions. Concerned that something might be wrong with the gun, we gathered up a variety of other .380 cartridges and torture tested the gun. We tried Magtech FMC, American Eagle FMJ and Remington UMC Leadless Flatnose and experienced no problems. We pushed ahead, trying Winchester 85-grain Silvertips, Magtech Guardian Gold 85-grain +P, Hornady Critical Defense 90-grain FTX and Fiocchi 90-grain XTPHP. Each of these functioned beautifully and even the +P was pleasant to shoot. We decided to investigate the issue further and my friend chronographed a few of the different rounds we were testing.
While the numbers ranged somewhat, the round that had malfunctioned was noticeably slower than the competition, even the target rounds. Perhaps we got a bad batch. With every other type of ammunition firing without malfunction for hundreds of rounds, we were comfortable concluding that it was an ammunition-caused failure.
I also passed the Glock 42 off to my friend, GunMag’s Senior Editor Dave Workman. He ran it through its paces at the range and reported back positively on his views of the new Glock 42. This was a pleasant surprise as he is usually not a fan of striker-fired pistols.
After concluding the 42 was reliable and accurate, my colleagues and I made some attempts at carrying it around the office. It fit nicely into various pockets and was concealable. It was definitely a bit larger than some of its competition, like the Ruger LCP, but still very concealable. It being a new model, holster availability is not yet as broad as I would prefer, but as the popularity of this little gun spreads, more and more designs will be available.
When I purchase my own Glock 42 in the future, I will likely carry it inside the waistband in a tuckable holster like Dave Workman’s original Undershirt or something like the M.T.A.C. or Crossbreed. I find that method to be preferable to pocket carry, but I appreciate that both are valid options for this tiny pistol.
All in all, we found the Glock 42 to be a very pleasant shooting, easy to handle and reliable pistol. I would not hesitate to recommend it to my friends, colleagues at SAF, or to law enforcement professionals.
Combined with the new .45 ACP Glock 41, which is also being reviewed for TheGunMag, they might make the perfect primary and back-up gun pairing. As I mentioned at the start of this piece, the Glock 42’s utility was a surprise to me. While Glock may have joined the pocket .380 crowd a bit late, its entry into the market stands above and would make a great choice for anyone considering a .380 pistol.
