Glock’s Model 42, their new .380 pistol.

Okay, the cat is out of the bag on Glock’s new Model 42 pistol.  It’s a sub-compact, single stacked .380 Auto, according to TFB.  Check the link for the apparent specs.
Now, a lot of people have expressed disappointment over this pistol, even though it’s not been released yet.  I’ve even muttered that Glock is about 4 years late on the .380 Craze Wave.  Colion Noir has even said that “It’s the gun no one has asked for“.

You know what though?  I think it’s brilliant.  Look at what this little Mini-Glock is going to be and compare it to what’s already on the market.   What is it going to compare with?    Ruger LCP, KT P3AT, S&W Bodyguard, the Kahr something or other… I think Glock is just Depth Charged everyone else in the Little .380 Market.  What’s one thing none of the other .380’s have?  A decent trigger.  Is a decent trigger important on a little gun?  Sure as hell it is.  Even more so.  Try to shoot a Mouse Gun accurately.  It’s damn near impossible.   So if Glock rolls out the 42 with their stock 5.5 pound pull, and if it has a decent barrel in it… the 42 will have instantly blown everything else out of the water in that market segment.  And if we have easy to swap sights like normal Glocks… fantastic.

Pocket Pistols remain a popular choice for Concealed Carry.  .380 isn’t the New Hotness anymore… That was taken by .410 Shotshell firing revolvers and then by 9mm Sub Compacts… but .380 Auto remains popular.  Glock took their time engineering it.  So what?  SIG took 2 years to roll out a .40 cal pistol, and they did that with the 229.  This was back when SIG took time to do actual engineering, sure, but see, Glock is even more careful.  We’ve not seen Glock’s Pistol Caliber Carbine yet, have we?  And that’s been rumored since before there was an Internet.  I think I first heard about it on my Dial Up Prodigy account.

I’m not saying I’m going to rush out and get a 42.  But I can see it banging the gong for a lot of folks who want something as concealable as possible, yet still want to be able to shoot it. I think the 42 will be a real winner.

25 thoughts on “Glock’s Model 42, their new .380 pistol.”

  1. The Taurus and Ruger .380s are an awful shoot, the Keltec is fragile, and the S&W Bodyguard has a light primer strike issue.

    If GLOCK does it right this time around, these will sell.

  2. But unless I’m wrong on the size specs, these are larger fame pistols than LCP’s and other popular 380’s. It’s more in line with size of 9mm sub compacts. May as well run a 9mm in something else over this.

  3. 6+1 .380 is still a bit “mousy” to me and the size of the Glock IMO should be a 9mm and would make better sense. I also think that the popularity has to do with the cheap price of the current offerings and if the Glock street price is comparable then they might have a winner on their hands…but I don’t believe that this is still a true “pocket pistol” though.

  4. Tough call… specs seem like it’s a little full bodied for a .380. Something that size in a 9 or .40 would be a home run. My first reaction would be to opt for the single stack .45 they already offer. Now what would be amazing would be if they took that single stack .45 and offer it in 10mm….. but I suspect I will be retired by they offered that.

  5. It has one other thing the other don’t, Glock stamped on the slide. While the enthusiast echo chamber is largely meh on the 42, we are not the majority. Commercial success? Yes. D’uh.

    1. The story of the Glock is a little humorous. They were the first company to come out with polymer parts and frame of a gun, making it light. Now , the other companies have followed and gone even further. A Glock model 19 is a compact, the model 36 is a subcompact, for the name they are huge and by todays standards, a tank. I got to handle a G42 today and with a regular old glock trigger, it has all the other .380’s beat. The others have the long double action pull and the glock is the glock. The trigger snaps and fires, rather than the long drag of most 380’s I have owned. G36 is a sub compact, what is this, A Glock micro gun?

  6. You don’t think the Walther PPK has a decent trigger? Huh. I even liked my Bursa 380 – before I dropped it in the salt water. (It was never the same after that.)

  7. I am a .380 collector so I will buy one. For those who don’t like it, nobody says you have to buy one.

  8. I think like a lot of .380 and .38 pistols they will get bought and left in a sock drawer for “just in case”. In most cases to be found by heirs cleaning up after the owners demise…

  9. I’ll buy the 9mm version when it arrives. If this pistol accommodates .380, it is adaptable to 9mm.

    1. Adaptable to be a 9mm? The 9mm round will not fit the handle or magazine . It is a longer round. You need a larger magazine, and enlarged handle to accomodate the magazine. The barrel would have to be ramped a larger chamber machined in and strengthen the firing pin and springs. Then, what did they build the barrel for ? as far as pressures? So, it could require a heavier barrel also for the increased pressure. Let me know how that turns out.

  10. I suspect some customer requests have actually influenced Glock. Ruger turned their pocket 9mm into a .380 because folks wanted something more controllable. I fear too many folks are carrying small pistols they cannot control. Geoff Who is one of those wimpy folks who needs a full hand on a 9×19 to control it. Kahr 9094N.

  11. Too heck with Glock/.380! Check out the new Remington 51, 9mm single stack, single action, grip safety update of the .380 WWII M51 pistol! Thefirearmsblog.com

    1. Yes, we’ve seen the new Remington R-51 and are blown away by the resurrection of the strange design from 1917 that was then a commercial failure but will now be a dramatic renaissance of last century’s concepts.

  12. The gun that noone asked for, ive been pissed that Glock did not have a smaller pice. Dont get me wrong, i love my G27 but there are some times when i just wanted something a tad smaller. I tried Keltec hated it. Dont like S&W and Sig is too expencive for a pee shooter.
    So will i buy one you ask yes. Im a Glock owner, and im proud to be.

    1. F*ckin A! I’m going to get one too. I dont like my P3ATs trigger. But its my edc for now due to the fact its highly concealable

  13. So cars made with current tech that build on and use “wonky” tech invented in the 1800’s is also suspect? Or electrical devices or ….oh never mind.
    Just asking

  14. The auto carburetor was invented using “tech” from a perfume bottle atomizer. It’s in your da*(* truck og. My point was and is that all devices we currently use are built with tech that is slowly improved on and brought up to date with current understanding of the art. So with the Rem 51 that is all. I think it will leave the Glock .380 in the dust.

    Don’t insult my horse.

  15. I opted for a Model 19 rather than a 31 but this Model 42 seems even smaller. And .380 is now available in +P which Glock should handle without problems. Yes, I’m interested because I like Glocks and I know there is a niche for .380 pistols. Can’t wait to see one to see if I’ll buy. Night sights would be a plus 🙂 !

  16. Yep. The 42 should be one of a very few .380s to have a decent trigger and barrel.. One other thing it’ll have in its corner is Glock’s reputation for reliability and durability.

    1. The trigger is just like a big Glcoks. It has the glock snap and release rather than a 1 1/2″ pull and pull and pull more of other .380’s I’ve handled,

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