I didn't want to like the Glock 42. Now, its my favorite carry gun short of a G19

I looked at one at a gun shop and had the shop owner let me put it side by side with a Shield. There wasn't much difference in size but the Shield gives you a 9MM instead of a .380. To me, the Shield wins.

All things are relative, I guess, and it depends on how picky you are about size. The shield honestly is a little fat for a single stack 9mm, but the gun is an incredible value and if you carry it routinely easily it easy to see why you wouldn't want anything else. The slight pudge-ness of the shield I think contributes to ergonomimcs, too.

For a .380 I gotta say that the Sig 238 is really nice and shootable mouse gun. I'd take it over a Glock 42.

I will give the 238 this much... has to be the lowest recoiling .380 I've ever shot. The G42 is mild, but shooting factory 380 out of the 238 is like fluff mode.

-Mike
 
good review...thanks for sharing...i've been looking into a good summer carry gun and was between a pm9 and the p938...was leaning towards the pm9 but this review makes me want to throw the g42 into the mix with my other 2 choices
 
I looked at one at a gun shop and had the shop owner let me put it side by side with a Shield. There wasn't much difference in size but the Shield gives you a 9MM instead of a .380. To me, the Shield wins.

For a .380 I gotta say that the Sig 238 is really nice and shootable mouse gun. I'd take it over a Glock 42.

The shield is 50% heavier and is much fatter. Not a big deal unless you are pocket carrying. If you are carrying yoru shield on your belt either OWB or IWB, then I agree completely.

For me the biggest problem with the 238 is the human factor. I've seen people shooting their 238s at the range. They swipe the safety off and shoot the gun for the night. I NEVER see them doing what I call "up drills" where they draw, disengage the safety, fire one shot, then reengage the safety and carefully and slowly reholster.

The way I see people shooting 238s they are not likely to ever get to the point where sweeping the safety on and OFF is instinctive. (Is your thumb riding the safety as its coming out of the holster? If its not you're not doing as well as you could)

If all I shot competitively was a 1911, I'd probably own a 238 and come up with a way to get an ambi safety on it. It is a really extraordinary little gun. But the single action, condition 1 carry requirement kills it for me.

The thing is, I bet many 238 owners never even consider this huge gap in their skill set.
 
The shield is 50% heavier and is much fatter. Not a big deal unless you are pocket carrying. If you are carrying yoru shield on your belt either OWB or IWB, then I agree completely.
If your belt is a piece of shit though (like most of mine are, unfortunately) belt carrying a G42 is a lot easier than a shield or just about anything else. I have a better belt but I ordered the thing too small for IWB carry use. About to order up another good one..

-Mike
 
good review...thanks for sharing...i've been looking into a good summer carry gun and was between a pm9 and the p938...was leaning towards the pm9 but this review makes me want to throw the g42 into the mix with my other 2 choices

If you can pocket carry a PM9, its a great gun. I've owned one. But it was too heavy for me to pocket carry. So I carried it IWB. Once you IWB a PM9 its no longer your "always" gun. And once you put it in a holster you are better off with a P9 rather than a PM9. The P9 is one ounce heavier, holds 1 more round and has a full length grip that allows you to shoot it much faster than a PM9.

Don

- - - Updated - - -

If your belt is a piece of shit though (like most of mine are, unfortunately) belt carrying a G42 is a lot easier than a shield or just about anything else. I have a better belt but I ordered the thing too small for IWB carry use. About to order up another good one..

-Mike

I love my beltman belt for tucked in use. For $40, the wilderness systems web belt is hard to beat for untucked use.

The hanks belt is ok at $30. But the holes are too far apart.
 
His gun is broken, tell him he should send it back.

I can kinda understand the grip being too small thing, though. The rest of it sounds like a broken gun. My trigger is a tad heavy and stacks a bit, but there is no grit. And it eats everything I've fed it.

-Mike

I told him the same thing. This was the first time it was shot and he did not clean and lube it first. i also recommend he do this before sending it back.
We put a couple hundred painful rounds through it with all the feed issues.
Even with out the issues I don't like the feel of it in my hand at all but that is why they make different guns.
 
Just a heads up on the MagGuts if anyone is looking to buy them. There are two variations for the G42 mags. For the newer magazines you want the "02" revision. To find out which one you read this.
http://magguts.com/shop/glock-42
 
I've been checking out the magguts. Have you found any reliability issues with them?
Nope. When they're run as designed, using their spring & follower, I've had zero issues. And they're guaranteed.
I did run into a couple hiccups when I combined the MagGuts follower with the Ghost +2 extensions & spring. I guess I was being greedy and trying to get nine rounds into the mag. I'm now using everything as designed.
I've got 3 mags w/ the MagGuts (7rds). 3 w/ the Ghost +2 extensions (8rds). And 1 stock 6 rounder. All functioned flawless through a couple hundred rounds of Critical Duty & UMC 95gr.
 
I've done testing trying to improve objectivity still keeping in mind other factors such reliability, comfort, recoil and these the order I think are best in the 380acp. 1, best to 10 worst.
1-4 is like a dream come true, the "WOW"
5-6 feel great but it missing that "IT" that makes it WOW.
7-8 sure why not, they are pretty.
8-9 oh hell
10 Jaky crapy

1. Kimber Micro Raptor Stainless
2. Colt mustang xsp polymer
3. Colt mustang stainless pocketlite
4. Db380. (Manuc after May 2014 Gen 2)
5. Glock G42, MR Micro Eagle
6. Kahr cw380, Kahr CT380, RUGER LCR, KelTec a3T
7. Sig p238
8. Kahr P380 polygonal barrel kills the accuracy
9. SW BG. Who cares...
10. Who cares...
Everything else is better to use a knife...


Reds


"Exclusivity is for everyone. Try us! You'll find us refreshing."
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]*** REDS FIREARMS***[/COLOR][COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]
[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]
 
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On another note, I read somewhere that you modified 19 round magazines to hold 10 rounds because you didn't have 10 round magazines to go with the gun. Just a little FYI, that is still a felony to be in possession of those magazines. The fact that they now hold 10 rounds is irrelevant, they are still high-capacity magazines and you're going to get someone thrown in jail on felony charges. Do your homework and learn about guns and MA LAW before you spew this nonsense any longer!![/COLOR]

No, its not. Or at least there isn't any case law saying so. There are plenty of people in MA with "home neutered" magazines. If you have issues with a dealer take it up offline, or constrain this crap to gun shop reviews, etc. Don't crap up an otherwise good thread with it.

-Mike
 
Do your homework and learn about guns and MA LAW before you spew this nonsense any longer!!

Disagree w you here. The only thing worse than a moonbat or a fudd is a gun owner in MA publicly levelling ridiculous accusations at another gun owner (let alone dealer).

Reds was giving his opinion, I am pretty sure thats the purpose of a forum such as NES. If you have personal grievances there are better avenues to pursue than here on an interwebs forum.

this also has nothing to do w the glock 42 which is the basis of this thread.
 
No mention on here of intermittent slide stop engagements? Are you guys not having these issues?

Picked up the gun this wkd, and finally got it to MRA last night, to run some ammo through it.

Slide stop issues all over the place. Outside of that, its an accurate little shooter, can't wait to carry it once I get the slide issues figured out.

Shot off an email to Glock last night....
 
No mention on here of intermittent slide stop engagements? Are you guys not having these issues?

I do not have a G42 but I held one and to me it seemed way too small for me. I have followed some threads online about experiences with this pistol and it seems that there may be a (small?) problem with slide stop engagement with some shooters.

http://www.glockforum.com/forum/f8/tested-our-42-a-41553/

However it does seem that most shooters like them and at least are not reporting any problems.
 
No mention on here of intermittent slide stop engagements? Are you guys not having these issues?

Picked up the gun this wkd, and finally got it to MRA last night, to run some ammo through it.

Slide stop issues all over the place. Outside of that, its an accurate little shooter, can't wait to carry it once I get the slide issues figured out.

Shot off an email to Glock last night....

Not having any such issues. Ran another fifty rounds through it this past weekend.

Only problem I have with it is that it stings my hand a bit because it has a small grip and I have permanent damage to my right thumb from a motorcycle accident. My other .380s do the same thing.
 
No mention on here of intermittent slide stop engagements? Are you guys not having these issues?

Picked up the gun this wkd, and finally got it to MRA last night, to run some ammo through it.

Slide stop issues all over the place. Outside of that, its an accurate little shooter, can't wait to carry it once I get the slide issues figured out.

Shot off an email to Glock last night....

I've never had issues with mine engaging when it's not supposed to. I have read that in some cases it is ammunition related depending on the shape of the bullets, etc. I have had minor issues with the slide staying closed on the last round, but that mainly happened when I first shot the gun and the last couple outings it didnt happen at all.

I did have an issue with the trigger not resetting properly during dry fire, and I brought it to someone who has a glock rep that shows up occasionally, the guy said some spring was installed improperly and he replaced the whole mechanism and the gun has been great ever since.

-Mike
 
Not having any such issues. Ran another fifty rounds through it this past weekend.

Only problem I have with it is that it stings my hand a bit because it has a small grip and I have permanent damage to my right thumb from a motorcycle accident. My other .380s do the same thing.

Do you have numbness in the right hand, is that why it stings?

Just asking cause I have numbness in some fingers, luckily my non-shooting hand.
 
Do you have numbness in the right hand, is that why it stings?

Just asking cause I have numbness in some fingers, luckily my non-shooting hand.

Nope. I broke/smashed my right thumb at the second joint when I wrecked my bike and it wasn't discovered for several weeks. Corrective surgery and time haven't helped, it's still shaped oddly and is easily hurt. I've gotten rid of a couple of guns because they were too painful to shoot for any extended period of time. The .380s are compromises, they sting, but I don't tend to run massive quantities of ammo through them, and they're only .380s.

I've got a couple other handguns that I've put Hogue grips on with really good results. The first time I shot my Ruger Blackhawk with full load .44 mag and stock wooden grips was the last time I shot it with those grips. ;)
 
Nope. I broke/smashed my right thumb at the second joint when I wrecked my bike and it wasn't discovered for several weeks. Corrective surgery and time haven't helped, it's still shaped oddly and is easily hurt. I've gotten rid of a couple of guns because they were too painful to shoot for any extended period of time. The .380s are compromises, they sting, but I don't tend to run massive quantities of ammo through them, and they're only .380s.

I've got a couple other handguns that I've put Hogue grips on with really good results. The first time I shot my Ruger Blackhawk with full load .44 mag and stock wooden grips was the last time I shot it with those grips. ;)

Sorry to hear that! Sounds like a good excuse to buy a PPQ M2 in .22. :)
 
I've never had issues with mine engaging when it's not supposed to. I have read that in some cases it is ammunition related depending on the shape of the bullets, etc. I have had minor issues with the slide staying closed on the last round, but that mainly happened when I first shot the gun and the last couple outings it didnt happen at all.

I did have an issue with the trigger not resetting properly during dry fire, and I brought it to someone who has a glock rep that shows up occasionally, the guy said some spring was installed improperly and he replaced the whole mechanism and the gun has been great ever since.

-Mike

Picked up a couple boxes of brass to see if maybe my Winchester White Box was causing the issue. No such luck.

Stovepipe on the first shot, ran about 18 rounds through it, with about 85% success rate.

Tried the other ammo, first three rounds no problems, then slide lock every couple rounds.... GRRRRR

IMG_0367_zpsgg3p5ghf.jpg


IMG_0368_zpspwqmviki.jpg
 
Have you shot it offhand to see if its your thumb hitting it somehow? My guess is you already tried this, though. Might be worth sending it back or letting an armorer look at
it. A normal G42 will work with lots of ammo. Compared to a typical .380 it is a lot less finicky than most. I ran 3 different kinds of FMJ through it, and a few brands of JHP trying different things, no problem.

-Mike
 
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