The GLOCK 42 is one hell of a gun. I’m afraid it will be overshadowed by its younger brother.
Buy one: /GLOCK 42
Buy one: /GLOCK 43
Here’s the big dilemma: thousands GLOCK fans bought the GLOCK 42 because they couldn’t buy a 43. Thousands of others bought single stack 9mms from Kel-Tec, Skky, Ruger, Smith, Beretta, Bersa, Taurus, Springfield…. Some even ponied up for some ill-fated Remingtons. And now we all have to decide. Do you stick with what you have? Do you swap your old-standby for a 43?
Almost a month ago, Recoil Magazine leaked news of the GLOCK 43. Some of us in the industry knew it was coming a couple of weeks earlier, and had been preparing like mad to cover the launch of the most anticipated pistol of 2015. Anyone even remotely tuned in to the gun industry knew it was coming, and everyone else knew the single stack 9mm was inevitable. After-all, GLOCK had already had a very successful run with the GLOCK 42 (a single stack .380), and every other manufacturer had already released a single stack 9mm. Word on the street is that GLOCK waited until the pistol was perfect before releasing it.
I’m still waiting to find out. I shot the 43 at the NRA show, and one of our writers got a sneak peak at the gun at the factory. But this isn’t about the 43, really. It is in the very real sense that I now have to make a decision. The 9mm 43 and the .380 42 are so similar in size. The differences are imperceptible. As the ballistics of the 9mm smoke those of the .380, I now have to decide if I’m going to be like everyone else and pony up for a 43. And I’m not alone. As of the writing of this, there is a 43 for sale on GunsAmerica (link above).
And that has me thinking about the old GLOCK 42.
As far as I can tell, there’s only one limitation to the GLOCK 42. That is the obvious capacity issue. I’m a firm believer in capacity. Adrenaline does stupid things to smart people–and even worse things to stupid people. If a threat should present itself, would I stop at one or two shots? Would I rock through the six round mag in under a second? The later is more likely.
But the slim 9mm doesn’t offer any more rounds. Again, it comes down to ballistics. The 9mm packs a bigger punch.
While we’re talking about that punch, I’d like to mention the recoil. The 42 is a flat shooting gun. A couple of weeks ago, I was in my local gun shop eavesdropping on a woman who was buying a .380. She was tall and slim—and fit. The clerk in the shop picked up on her preference for the mouse guns, and was showing her Rugers, and Kel-Tecs, and a Taurus. The size was right—I could tell by her body language—but there was something else to consider. Those small guns, even in .380, can be a bitch to shoot. They’re not easy to manipulate, and they’re hard on the hands. Light little guns are hard to hold down.
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The Pico, a very capable .380, is easier to carry, but harder to shoot.
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The 42 has almost no muzzle rise.
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I was waiting for the clerk to show her the 42. It was there in the case. This woman (and almost everyone, for that matter) could conceal a GLOCK 42. And the gun is one of the most flat shooting pistols I own. He didn’t. She left with a much smaller, .380.
I shoot a lot, but still. I’ve watched a lot of people run the 42, and almost all of them can keep it on target. Remember that adrenaline thing I mentioned earlier? Yeah. It is back. All the rounds in the world won’t do you any good if you can’t control the gun. Put up a big silhouette target and test it. Draw and shoot from contact distances. Shoot from 10 feet. From 7 yards. Shoot fast—as fast as you can. Find ways to simulate stress. Do what you can to test your own skills and see how many of those rounds fall within a 10” circle.
With the flat shooting GLOCK 42, I can keep all of my rounds in the circle. All of them. I’m not bragging about my skills. They’re sometimes laughable. What I’m saying is that the GLOCK 42 is easy to control. Very easy.
Everyday Carry
Which is why I’ve been carrying it for a year now. I’m not one to stay loyal to carry guns. I’ve got a steady stream of pistols coming through for review, and many are designed for concealed carry. I carry them. If I’m heading out to the store, or going on what I perceive to be a relatively innocuous excursion, I will take a relatively unfamiliar gun. Otherwise, I’m going to the guns I train with—the guns I shoot every week.
The GLOCK 42 quickly made it into that rotation. It helps that I often carry a GLOCK 19. But the 42 is easier to conceal. It is easier to hide when I do come across one of those locations that refuse to recognize my right to carry. And I prefer it to the mouse gun size. When the 42 is on, I know it. It is just big enough to have a physical presence. Some of the super-thin, really short .380s feel too small.
I’ve got a holster from MultiHolsters that is a perfect fit for the 42, and it makes carrying the gun even more comfortable.
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My EDC IWB from MultiHolsters.
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An OWB rig I carry in winter from RLSmith Holsters.
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The Bravo Concealment has two clips, and rides very well.
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N82 makes a comfortable rig for those who want more padding.
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But I wouldn’t carry the gun at all, if it didn’t perform well. As we have to send most of our guns back to their manufacturers, we don’t often get long term shooting reports. This one is on its way. We bought it, and have been hammering away with it ever since. I’m up over 3,000 rounds with this one. In all of that time, it has run like every other GLOCK I’ve ever shot: flawless.
Those of you out there who want to hate on the brand may have already skipped down to the comment section to itch about this being a puff-piece. To hell with that. I haven’t gotten to the section where I pick at the GLOCK’s faults. Still. The gun runs flawlessly. It eats anything. It ejects cleanly, even when dirty. And it is dead-nuts accurate. Consistently.
So what is wrong with the 42?
We discussed the capacity. But with most single stacks, you make compromises. Like most GLOCKs, the sights are the noticeable weak spot. I’m not a fan of the stock GLOCK sights. Luckily, there are numerous options. I put these TruGlos on for a review, and haven’t found a reason to take them off. They’re easy to see, and glow in low lights.
The TruGlos: /blog/truglo-glock-sights/
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TruGlo mania.
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Note to GLOCK: your sights could be so much more effective.
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On larger GLOCKs, I’m inclined to monkey with the grip texture. I’ve yet to do that to the 42, but I may. The existing texture works well enough, but…. The more I see of the custom work bing done by soldering iron wielding wizards, the more I think that’s my next mod.
In the end, my checklist of pros and cons look almost exactly the same. Now that GLOCK’s 43 is an actual thing, and not just a rumor, I’ve got to weigh the attributes and drawbacks side by side. I’m in love with the way the 42 operates. I’d trade better performance for better ballistics, everyday. Maybe it is time for some full on, side-by-side testing. When our 43 arrives for review, we’ll do it
Here are some additional links for your perusal.
Get to clicking. Read what we’ve got on the 43, and the 42. Click out to GLOCK, or to MultiHolsters (my go-to holster maker). And like us on facebook and Instagram, if you haven’t already. We’re posting new content daily, and a lot of it only exists there.
https://www.facebook.com/gunsamerica
https://instagram.com/gunsamerica_official/
https://twitter.com/GunsAmerica
GLOCK at GLOCK: https://us.glock.com/
Hands on with the 43: /blog/new-glock-9mm-single-stack-glock-43-hands-on/
If you want to see all of the coverage of the GLOCK 42 from the last year, click on this link here: /blog/?s=glock+42. There you will find the reviews of RLSmith, Bravo, N82, and much more.
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EDC sights? Every GLOCK should have them.
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Need more ammo? Bravo’s mag carrier can help.
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People think that because the 42 is larger than other .380s, it will be harder to conceal. Not so. Here it is in the Bravo Concealment.
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The 42 continues to impress me with its inherent ability to put rounds on target.
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It would be great to see an update on this article. I had the G42 pretty soon after it came out and it was a bit spotty in performance. Very finicky with ammo, as I encountered stovepipes quite a bit, although to be fair this was on reloads. But even with commercial ammo, FTF FTE much more common than with my other glocks (40 cal and 10mm). Not limp wristing, but I think if you have big hands like me, this is a tricky gun. I am wondering what mods anyone on this forum may have made to improve performance? Like swapping out the spring with a tungsten rod as sold at the glock store? I am not ready to give up this little gun yet.
I have been carrying a S&W 442 revolver and found I shoot well with it but found it uncomfortable to carry. Purchased the Glock 42 outfitted with an arthritis extension on the slide and the pinky extension on the mag. It is now my favorite carry conceal and very accurate to shoot. My husband has the Glock 42 also. WE LOVE THEM.
G43 is similar to Ruger LC9S or M&P shield but Glock has legendary reliability and accuracy. So, it is difficult to decide which one to choose. It is good idea to test all of them on a shooting range before buying.
Its October 2016, I bought the G42 for myself last year. I admit, I like small guns, always have. My idea was a BUG or a pocket gun when carrying my G26 is not possible. While the G42 performs as is was intended, and perfectly, it is not a pocket gun. It is just too big. The G42 is now my Wife’s primary CCW, and my pocket gun, after some tinkering, installing a better firing pin, and finding the ammo it likes, is now a Kahr CW380 with a Mag Guts insert giving 8 shots chambered of .380. While mechanically inferior to the G42, the CW380 is super accurate, easy to shoot, and disappears in a pocket.
Umm… you do realize that Sccy doesnt make a single stack right? the CPX1 and CPX2 are both double stack.
I own a 42, and mostly like it except for two things:
1. The first ammo I used had 188 ft pounds of torque and it wasn’t enough. It consistently failed to eject the casings. I had to upgrade to 205 torque.
2. Critical defense rounds jam frequently. I can only use round nosed hollow points. Anything starred or black talon like will jam.
I purchased a g42 in July 2016 for my wife. It jams on her every clip. Suggestions?
shes limp wristing it. look it up….with those small guns you really have to muscle your wrist to have your gun stay on target. when you have larger caliber guns, you can kinda get away with limp wristing as there is much more of a kick when you shoot. since .380s don’t have that much of a kick, you need to let the slide to the work. when you fail to hold the gun properly and let that barrel fly back after every shot, you take away from the slide fully extending/cycling. tell her to grip the gun harder and keep her wrists from flying back.
I carry 42 glock sometimes. Its very accurate, but does not eject Hornady criical defense always.to me that makes it worthless. one misfire ever is too much. Either I find effective ammo that works or I am getting rid of it. My Glock 19 and 23 eat anything.
I carry my 42 regularly but never with personal defense ammo in it!! It has never shot 3 shots with PD ammo without a malfunction! I thought it was me till I saw your post!!
I have a lipsey’s G42 in fde. I’ve put amerglo ns on and 3.5trigger bar. Shoots great at 7 yds 1″ 10yds 1″ 20yds 3″. My edc is G19. I’m going to get g43 just to keep it in the family
Reading some of these arguments against plastic guns and against the .380 are individual biases. I use to never really care for plastic weapons simply because I did not own one. In about 2003 I purchased the Keltec .380 as a my backup. I have put many rounds through it and my wife and daughter have used it at the range and we have never had an issue with failures or control, and that is in a $200 ultra light plastic gun. Both my daughter and wife put rounds on target at 7 yds and never complain about recoil. Yes, we all love the feel of the heavier all steel guns but for concealment purposes and everyday carry it has been the Keltec .380. I just purchased a 42 and 43. The guns just fit my ladies like a glove. My wife who is petite loves the 42 and my daughter who is tall with larger hands loves the 43. I really like them both. I am personally thinking about retiring my Keltec .380 and purchasing a 42 for myself. My night stand home protection weapon is a Sig 229 but for EDC it is just too large for me the way I like to dress. I want a gun I can grab and go without printing and that is soon to be the G-42. As far as a .380 vs a 9mm, it is personal preference. I am not going into combat with a .380, but in a self defense situation I will take .380. The majority of would be thugs are not that motivated. I train for up close and personal and at 7 yds in me and my ladies will put all 6 rnds center mass. Train with what works, what your comfortable with, train what you will carry, then carry it.
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Read all of the above….Which is why I still trust my faithful original Colt Mustang Pocketlite, bought used 25 yrs ago. Carrys easily with xtra mags, Silvertips or Hornady ammo, summer in pants pocket, winter in a jacket. Does it all in spite of the lousy sights…
Like to keep my bases covered. Wife carries a Sig 238 because its the only semi she can cycle the slide on due to her RA (of course she had to get the fancy sparkly one $$$). I carry a Sig 938 off duty/CC (’cause she has a Sig, I had to have one of course). Duty rig is a Gen 2 Glock 22 with upgrades and a G42 backup. It all works for me.
There was a time I would agree with you and Sig. I just had a terrible experience with Sig and will never buy another. Slide catch lever failed. I called Sig and for $55 I could send it to them and they would send it to their custom shop to see if it could be repaired. I ended up sending it to a gun smith who made the repairs. As soon as I pick it up I’m selling it and will never buy another Sig.
Personally have the sig P938. I sold a P238 to a lady at work when the 9mm came out. I love that little guy. Never had a problem one, even through 500 rounds of break in shooting. Yea it kicks a little but not much more than the .380 version. I’m actually impressed that it kicks less than some other 9mm mid sized pistols I have and shoot. I’m a strange nut with very different tastes and have found a love for a ‘crappy’ Taurus PT24/7 Pro Compact 9mm with a ‘ribber’ grip. I know the love-hate relationship the public has with Taurus and don’t even want to get into that but I can only attest to the fact that I’ve NEVER had a FTF, stovepipe, FTE, etc. a 13 round mag, & 17 round mag in a very compact and concealable size. And it is about as flat shooting as the Glock 42. Amazingly flat for a 4 year old ‘crappy’ pistol. Lastly, I want to give kudo’s to the Ruger LC9 I got my wife for it’s EXTREME SVELTNESS and being incredibly light. I’ve heard about issues with cracks and yes the trigger absolutely SUCKS in stock form. I’ve modified it to reduce travel but the DAO is a pain, especially for my novice wifey. I think Ruger did a good thing with the newer LC9s and LC9s Pro. I think striker fire is far safer for ‘under duress’ situations and for less experience CCL’ers. No thinking involved or necessary in a stressful situation. Draw-point-pull trigger. Yes, the reaaaaalllyyy long trigger they still have even with the modifications. I’ll still take that trade to be able to conceal comfortably all day and hardly notice it. After all, it’s not a IDPA rig…
Personally have the sig P938. I sold a P238 to a lady at work when the 9mm came out. I love that little guy. Never had a problem one, even through 500 rounds of break in shooting. Yea it kicks a little but not much more than the .380 version. I’m actually impressed that it kicks less than some other 9mm mid sized pistols I have and shoot. I’m a strange nut with very different tastes and have found a love for a ‘crappy’ Taurus PT24/7 Pro Compact 9mm with a ‘ribber’ grip. I know the love-hate relationship the public has with Taurus and don’t even want to get into that but I can only attest to the fact that I’ve NEVER had a FTF, stovepipe, FTE, etc. a 13 round mag, & 17 round mag in a very compact and concealable size. And it is about as flat shooting as the Glock 42. Amazingly flat for a 4 year old ‘crappy’ pistol. Lastly, I want to give kudo’s to the Ruger LC9 I got my wife for it’s EXTREME SVELTNESS and being incredibly light. I’ve heard about issues with cracks and yes the trigger absolutely SUCKS in stock form. I’ve modified it to reduce travel but the DAO is a pain, especially for my novice wifey. I think Ruger did a good thing with the newer LC9s and LC9s Pro. I think striker fire is far safer for ‘under duress’ situations and for less experience CCL’ers. No thinking involved or necessary in a stressful situation. Draw-point-pull trigger. Yes, the reaaaaalllyyy long trigger they still have even with the modifications. I’ll still take that trade to be able to conceal comfortably all day and hardly notice it. After all, it’s not a IDPA rig…
Already bought my single stack 9mm. Glock waited way to long to produce a product. I carry the Ruger LC9s which cost a lot less then the MSRP of the G43. Glock wants to much for this compared to other single stack 9mm. The S&W Shield is a better
deal. I own many Glocks because of their quality & reliability. But I’m not paying that high price for a single stack 9mm just because it has the Glock name on it. The Ruger LC9s is less than $400 and is a great carry 9mm. I have the G42 and like it very much.
The Walther PPK and PPK/S and the Beretta 84/85 models will run circles around other .380s. The Beretta is without a doubt the best 380 out there including the Glock, no matter what your unit of measure. The CZ can’t compete with either as far as reliability, aesthetics and resale. The Sig is a wanna be Colt Mustang and is simpy too small. Glocks are nice, but over-hyped combat tupperware. If you disagree, then you’ve never shot one. I’ve shot them all. For easy summer carry go with the Walther PPK. For any other reason the Beretta.
I dont see glock goofs posting much on storys aimed at sig slobs but when a story comes out for glock goofs its like smelling red meat for the h8ers
Ppk over glock.hmm.
Think ill run right out and sell my 30sf and get me a james bond gat in 32acp.NOT
Sig 238 are way better in finish and better sights. PPK while nice but too heavy and that safety gotta go!
Lmao the weather ppk/ppks over the G42?!? Not in a million lifetimes chief. The ppk is like 3-4 times heavier than the g42 and it’s recoil is snappier than a motherf*#ker due to the blowback action. A locked breech .380 is where it’s at and the g42 does it oh so well. Recoil is negligeable and it’s extremwly accurate esp if you swap out a better connector and/or do a little trigger job, but I’ve found simply swapping the stock connector for a better one lightens the trigger pull by at least 1.5-2lbs. I’ve never had any FTF or FTE issues either and it eats every type of ammo I’ve ever put through it including Hornady Critical Defense, which ppl are saying they’ve had trouble with?? Not I, the g42 has fed and ate anything and everything 100% reliably and it virtually disappears in a iwb rig. I am in agreeable with the author here in that manufacturers are making .380s wayyy too small, when that is not necessary. The g42 isn’t too big in the slightest in my opinion. I haven’t had any issues with mine whatsoever and thoroughly enjoy shooting it, probably more than any of my other handguns as well, the recoil is just so little it’s a blast to shoot.
Some people see the G42 as a primary CCW. Fine. I see it as a back up gun (BUG) first then as a Primary CCW when conditions mandate require it. My current BUG is 25 years old and alot of rounds through it. I shoot it every time I’m at the range. BUGS have to work everytime just like your primary CCW. My BUG is a IAI 380 Backup (post AMT). Much smaller then the G42 and twice the weight. Bad sights, heel mag release, grip safety and safety lever: all things I hate. BUT it fires every time. I put it in a sandwich baggy and cargo pocket and swim with it. You carry all the time right? I need to put in my LE order for a G42 soon and retire the other. The G43 is almost G26/27 size, why give up so much for a very very minor reduction in size?
EVERY DAY CARRY is what it says. When I leave the house there is always something in my pocket.
Either a Seecamp -.32, Beretta Mod21A- .22lr or NAA -.22MAG Black Widow. They have been reliable
and my hand is always on the grip while in my pocket. My “real” CCW is a S&W 649-.357 or Glock Mod36-.45.
but not always carried.
I too like so many others hesitated purchasing a G42 because of the rumors about the single stack Glock 9mm (the G43). Yesterday I was notified by our local firearms shop of the arrival of two G43s and so made my way there to look at it and compare it to the Ruger LC9S, a pistol my wife wanted. Both of these pistols are similar in size and weight. However, the trigger pull on the Ruger is substantially smoother than the G43’s. Ultimately though, we decided to purchase the G43 because of our familiarity with Glocks (we own several models), a potential trigger job availability in order to smooth out the Glock’s terrible trigger, and the easier breakdown of the Glock for cleaning, plus our experience with Glock’s reliability and accuracy (and our disdain for Ruger’s past approach to large capacity magazines, etc.) . $499 plus tax, out the door. Hopefully the G43 will live up to our expectations.
Others have already corrected the spelling for the SCCY, but I’ll add that it’s not a single-stack. The magazines are double-stack, 10-round capacity.
Versatility and functionality trump loyalty. Basketball shorts gotta go with my Taurus 738 in the pocket. Belted pants get IWB SCCY 9. Coat or dinner jacket I do prefer my favorite carry option , shoulder rig with the Glock 17. Would love to carry that way all the time, but it really freaks people out if you’re not displaying a badge.
Why would they freak out? It’s not like they should be seeing it…
I’ll be keeping my 42 – I take it almost everywhere. I like the idea of the 9mm but it isn’t made in the USA like the 42.
the 42 is a great pistol…..works exactly as intended. so is a 250 dollar CZ 83…..a wonderful shooting ,extremly reliable weapon.
I’ve sold many many Glock 42’s and others this year…..The Glocks with the 3 safeties is a very safe weapon…. The six rounds
is plenty..Most gun fights are less than 6 seconds and average 2 shots less than 10 feet…practice practice practice…… Just got
the 43’s in and sold out in 2 hours…
It’s SCCY, not SKKY…….jeesh. And the SCCY compact nine is a great, affordable, very accurate little gun. Lightweight but easy to hold and shoot, 10 shots, comes with two mags, and shoots spot on. And, you can get them for under or about $300, with or without the additional external safety. I’m not against Glocks, had an old Mod 17 and loved it. My little SCCY is my concealed carry choice tho.
Bought the SCCY, sold the SCCY….didn’t care for the loooong trigger pull.
It hurt the web of my son-in-laws hand. After 50 rounds the slide had a fair amount of wiggle.
It functioned OK; two FTE in 50 rounds. I would likely opt for the Ruger LC9S, if I were to go “discount” again.
I just can not understand the fascination with wasting your money on a plastic gun. Sig Sauer’s P238 in 380 and 938 in 9mm has set the bar far above what you are waiting in line to get. It just does not make sense to me. In a year, you’ll still have a plastic gun in single stack. With a Sig, in a year, you’ll be glad you do not have a plastic gun.
Amen, I have shot my daughters P238 and it is a great pistol. I carry a Sig P239 myself, but would rather have the Sig Sauer than the Glock.
Here Here! Love my Sig!
Me too -but I still sold my Sig P220 and bought TWO Glocks with the proceeds, a 20 and a 29SF. And with over 10,000 rounds fired between the two not even a single hiccup. That’s reliability!
For you guys that don’t want a 43 … I’ll take it!
I traded my Sig P238 for the Glock G42. The P238 is easy to shoot, but the ejecting problems were annoying, and not reliable for EDC. My EDC’s are Sig P239’s in 9mm and 40s&w, even though I also have the G19 and G26.
I’m trading in my P238 for a G42 as well for the exact reasons. Had a G26 for a long time and it NEVER jammed, but it didn’t fit in the pocket well, so I sold it. I love the look of my P238, but it has frustrated me greatly, hence, going back to an old reliable Glock.
$700 for a polymer framed pistol. At $560 it’s laughable.
I know this will sounds silly to those in love with plastic framed pistols. I’m not sold as I occasionally “google” Polymer gun blowups. Lots of hand damaging stuff here. Not all “junk pistols” either. Lots of H&K’s, Glocks and FN 5.7’s. Yes, reloads are blamed for several failures but not all. Firing out of battery is nearly the equal.
Here comes some laughs for you. About a year ago a Zastava M88A compact, single stack pistol came in for sale. It was unfired. The owner said guys laughed @ his all steel “old school” pistol. We took it to our range and ran 300 rds. of various 9mm ammo without a hiccup. Since then we’ve bought, sold and carried several of these concealable pistols. We’ve fired hundreds of rounds without a single failure. We’ve modified our M88A’s to drop free mags and lightened the trigger pulls to 4.5Lbs. Thank you YouTube guys!
At a street price of $225-$250 these fabulous all steel 9’s are very accurate and dead nuts reliable. More importantly I don’t worry about damage to my shooting hand, eyes or worse. Carry on.
I just don’t understand the sudden fascination with these mini sized .380s AFTER the really nice same sized 9mms hit the market? Yeah, yeah, I know. That uncontrollable muzzle rise. Come on! The difference between a .380 and a 9mm is minuscule. If you practice just enough to maintain your proficiency with either gun, you shouldn’t have any problems, and the 9mm hits significantly harder. If you aren’t practicing that much anyway, you shouldn’t be carrying a gun that difficult to control, if any gun at all. And no, I’m not an internet warrior. I’m a police firearms instructor with street experience.
I don’t necessarily disagree with the points you make, but there is a real place for the mini 380s, and I think it explains (at least partially, anyway) the “sudden fascination” you describe. Maybe not so much when you get to the Glock-sized 380, but the true minis, like the Ruger LCP or Smith Bodyguard. The point I’m making is this: the true minis are concealable without entirely changing your wardrobe. In addition, they are very light weight, relatively. We all know the best carry gun is the one that you actually carry, and many people simply just won’t carry larger firearms for a variety of reasons.
Consider a Kahr .I got a Kahr CM9 wrapped with talon grips .This gun is fantastic ,so small to be a 9mm yet so easy to handle. I personally don’t have to have a Glock in every thing I carry . So if your still looking take a look at Kahr CM9.
I liked my first so well and so did my Wife that we bought one for her .Also if anyone is reading this and decides to get a Kahr let me give you a helpful tip .Once you get the gun, rack it and leave the slide open all night (the guide rod spring is a bear).Next morning knock the slide lock pin out for a quick disassemble and put a few drops of oil the gun as you would any ,The break in is a suggested 200 rounds .One other I would only use the 6 round mags with the gun .There are mixed reviews about 7 round and so on .Ive used only the 6 without issue .I hope this has been of service to you.
I get the appeal of the 43, but having bought the 42 at intro and carrying every day (in a very comfortable Crossbreed Supertuck) I’m happy with it. It performs very well (accuracy still surprises me) and conceals well. I wouldn’t mind the extra punch of the 9mm, and would appreciate the more affordable ammo, but not enough to make me give up what has turned out to be a great little gun.
Glock has been passed by everyone ! No grip safety ! No double stack 380 ! 6 shot auto ? why not just carry a 38+P
hammerless revolver and shot through your pocket ! NEXT they will MAKE AN AR15 ! LOL
I don’t care much about the grip safety you mention. But I tend to agree that once you get to the size of these mini Glocks, you better be getting some more capacity. I know they are more shoot-able than other mini 380s, but isn’t the main benefit of a 6 shot 380 concealability? Haha, I bet they will make an AR15 with a glock-specific mag that only holds 10 rounds, just for funzies.
660 – 750 for a 43 is insane!! If I’m paying over 700 for a gun, it’s going to be an H&K. If they hope to get people to buy it like the 42 they need to drop the price about 200 dollars to start. There is no way I would ever pay over 500 for ANY Glock. Lots of other choices out there that are just as capable and far less money. Not thanks for me.
That $700 price is dealers just raping people, retail is about $560. Let it settle down and the price will come back down to earth.
I don’t know of anyone that carries a h&k, Glocks are the most accurate and dependable weapons on the market today
I disagree about your statement of Glock being most reliable, I have seen them jam, as for Sig Sauer, they will feed anything you stick in them. Not saying Glocks are bad, but they are not perfect.
Why then did Glock have a recall on them ?
I used to think Sig Sauer was the most reliable until I had failure at the shooting range. The slide catch lever on my p232 snapped in two. Everyone there told be it would be a nonissue and most likely Sigarms would send me a replacement part at no cost to me. I called Sigarms the next day. The first rep told me parts were not being shipped and had no idea when they would get parts. On the second call I was told my pistol was discontinued and for $55 I could ship it to them and they would send it to their customer shop and maybe it could be repaired. Bottom line, I’m selling out with Sig. Don’t know where I’ll go, but no more Sigs for me.
I Carry a H&K and would put it up against any Glock! Period… That being said, I can only cary it in the winter as it gets over 130 degrees in the shade here July-August, And it’s too big to fit in my pants pocket… I’m now looking at the Springfield XD-Mod-2 which is the same size as the Glock-42 but has almost double the rounds and is 9mm not .380 Better all around…(It also comes in .40&.45 as well!!) I think one of the ranges is getting in the Mod-2 to rent, so as soon as I’m healed from this accident, I will go down and try it… Then I will have a good Pocket pistol for Summer!! I’ve shot Glock’s and I’m not impressed, They are as good or better for a lot less money!!
Yes the internet prices are crazy. My local dealer has the 43 @ 529. Yes it is list but not a rape. BTW they have the 42 for 399
The G43 is only $450, idk where you got 600-700?!? That’s about the price of a new sig p238 not the g43
I’ve compared to G43 specs and I’m sticking with my M&P shield w Apex trigger and 1 or 2 extra rounds, depending on mag choice. The weight, balance, grip height make a comfortable 9mm for me.
I just bought the Glock 42, under $400, as something smaller, and may add a Ghost 2rd extension to one mag and a pinky finger ext to the other.
I came very close to buying the G-42 when it came out. I REALLY liked the way it shot. I’m a Glock guy, they just fit me and I’m very comfortable and proficient with them. My EDC is my G-19, but living here in the Desert South West can make concealing it a challenge as it tends to “print” unless you wear very loose fitting shirts. They’re fine for days off work, but a little impractical for work. The 42 was the answer, very easy to conceal! That being said, I also like keeping things simple. The ONLY reason I didn’t purchase the 42, is I didn’t want to start stocking another caliber of ammo. I’m SOO glad I waited! I’ve put a deposit on the 43 at my local gun store…any day now my patience will be rewarded!
I too live in the desert SW. My every day Carry is a keltec p32. I have about a thousand rounds through it. It is accurate and with Fmj rounds I know it will penetrate 13 inches or more. Very easy to conceal and fully loaded weighs less than a can of beer. I carry Glocks on duty 19, 21sf, and now a 22. Still have a 26 for the night stand. But I will carry the keltec and extra mag all the time when off. Runs without fail every time. When people make fun of the .32 acp I ask them if they wouldn’t mind me shooting them if it’s so inadequate. So far no takers.
I have several more 1911’s than Glock’s (4). I also really like my 1911’s but when the walls fall in I will go with what is dependable, the Glock. I bought a 42 a few months ago and I have only had a chance to run it once. I think it’s by far the best .380 on the market but I have had my wife and several friends shoot it more than me. They have bought themselves 42’s. Our Agencies duty weapon is the Glock 21sf so I carry that all the time but for really great concealment its the 42. I’m not a 9mm fan and I have the Glock 19c only for use when the UN (United Nuts) show up and they will have all the 9mm ammo I will need. I have always preferred the 45acp in a semi auto but I much prefer my 44 magnums. Have any of you tried getting a holster for a revolver lately?
Anyway The point is the 42 is one of the flattest and best shooting in the .380 style of pocket guns.
Be safe
Tj
My wife likes her 42. It is easy to shoot. Easy to maintain. Easy to conceal. She has a 26 w/adapter for 15 Rd mags. It goes to the range but the 42 goes with her every where. I like it too.
Adapter? Any higher capacity 9mm Glock mag should slide right in and function.
I too went to the NRA show and there wasn’t one place to shoot or try a gun there. The venders allowed you to molest them but that was pretty much it.
i just got rid of my glock 380, bring on the 9mm!!! it will be the last personal carry i buy if it works like the 380.
Couldn’t agree more! The 42 is as accurate as the day is long! Just bought a 43, and Holding the 43 next to it there is a noticeable difference in size. The 43 is almost the same size as my 26, just a bit thinner. I made my decision without out even shooting it, the 43 is for sale. If I want the ballistics of a 9mm, I’ll carry my 26!