Rubber LCP vs Glock 42

[Kennydale]

Jan 01 2015 I won a G42 in a raffle. The firearm was an early production of that model and suffered from severe FAILURE TO FEED. Glock took the gun back (Their Shipping Cost) and made 3 upgrades. Slide Stop, Magazines (They came back with 02 stamped on them, I think they've changed the magazine design again and they now have an 03 stamped on them). The Third upgrade i forget. I still had numerous FAILURE TO FEED and called them thinking it was either me or the ammo. They advised me to use American Eagle, Blazer Brass and Hornady Critical Duty. I ran about 300 rounds of American Eagle and the G42 started to break in 100%. I also had a Ruger LCP that I pocket carry as a BUG. I sold the G42 (Which was now working 100%) to a young lady, that wanted to compete with it in GIRL AND A GUN LEAGUE competitions. (I sold it at a fair price of $360) With the Ruger LCP I could pocket carry it. and really did not need a second .380 Semi. My LCP has been 100% reliable from day 1. If I was going to use it as a Primary EDC then i would have sold the LCP.

[ST911]

I see the G42 vs LCP (and others) comparison at a number of ladies events. The LCP is more likely to have been bought by a significant other than the G42. When choosing, the ladies preferred the G42. Good grip is important. XTPs and Critical Defense feed well.

[Kennydale]

Concealability vs shootability, IMHO. Echoing what others have said, the LCP is great for what it is: a tiny, 11-oz deep concealment piece. Not easy or fun to shoot. If I were to buy another one now, I'd also opt for the one with the upgraded trigger and sights. When the LCP came out, it basically removed most excuses for not carrying.

The 42, on the other hand, is a pussycat to shoot, and it performs well--even better with a set of the many decent aftermarket sights currently available for it installed. It's considerably bigger, but not any bigger overall than, say, a Walther PPK; a gun that was once the mutt's nuts for backup and hideout duty. It may be a porker by today's mini-me .380 standards, but it's, what, maybe 17 oz fully loaded?

I don't have an LCP or a Sig P238 anymore, but I'm about to buy another G42, now that my wife has (finally!) taken her own interest in such things and run off with my original G42. It's a hard gun not to like if one is down with .380s.

Once they switched to the second gen slide lock lever and trigger housing (and ostensibly, the newer rounded mags, though mine, er...my wife's, uses old mags just fine) they reportedly became more Glock-like in their reliability.

Tangentially, when I gave my wife her pick from the safe, preparing the range outing looked a bit like that scene from the first Matrix: "We'll need guns. Lots of guns." Sort of. I let her try a representative of everything I had that was remotely shooter-friendly (I admit to holding my breath when she tried my Denny Reichard-tuned NY-1 K-frame) so she could choose. The 42 was the clear winner. Fine by me.

I agree. The G42 was a very iffy firearm for some (Early Production). I wouldn't mind a Ruger UPDATE to the Newer LCP Custom, or to look to a G42 again or G43 sometime in the future.

[41magfan]

I think she'll find the standard model LCP to be easier and more comfortable to carry deeply concealed, but a tad harder to shoot. The flipside is that the Glock shoots and handles better, but doesn't conceal or carry close to the body as well. The longer trigger on the LCP offers a modicum of additional safety should that be an issue based on the way she intends to carry the gun, as well.

Personally, the Glock might get the nod for waistband carry in a traditional holster and the LCP for pocket carry and deeper concealment applications. Handling and test-firing will determine whether those two subjective issues are relevant to her and her method of carry.

Regarding reliability, I've shot 2,300+ rounds through a handful of LCP's without a single malfunction. Feed them good ammo, stay with factory magazines, and the little gun just works. As noted, the Glock 42 has a little bit of history regarding reliability so I'd vet it well before carrying it. If money is a consideration, the LCP is about half the price of the Glock so the two gun option ("shoot one - carry one") is there for the very same expenditure.

As you have already noted, the important thing is that she be armed, able and willing. People usually become victims because they have NO gun, not the WRONG gun.

[LSP552]

I've been very pleased with my little G42. I've put just North of 1,000 rounds through it without a single issue. The little pistol has no recoil, is accurate and very easy to carry. Having said that, it's a speciality lounge around gun for me, not something I carry much in public.

[Drew78]

I have an early, post recall, Gen 1 LCP with CT laser on it. If guess about 1300 rounds through it with out any breakage. I've had maybe 3 ftf's with jhp ammo during ammo vetting, but 100% with fmj. I have a stainless guide Rod and 13lb recoil sorting in it. I can "mag dump" 6-7 round com very quickly out to air 20' or so with excellent groups and accuracy. I just bought a second lcp, a gen 2 and the trigger is much better. This is the only gun where I use a laser on it, but it's very effective for me. Use our as a deep deep cover or a laid back around the house gun if I'm feeling torched from aiwb my primary glock from the day. Never run a 42 so I can't compare much.

[fatdog]

Hitting an old post here to pose a question. I am not a .380 fan at all. It would never become my primary under any circumstance that I can imagine, but I have become a fan of the bug bite holsters since they work very well to hold a bug gun in my 11" boots at the right height and location because of the calf placement.

Those boots have become integral to all my after work and day off, weekend standard garb due to the ankle support they provide and comfort. My airweight J frames have simply proven to be too wide (cylinder) and put too much pressure on my calf all day long in this configuration with the boots, so I am going to try out a gun adjustment for something flatter, but not radically heavier in this bug location.

Today I run a 2.5" NAA in .22 Magnum with gold dots in this location, but in spite of my comfort level with shooting a SA revolver, this little gun is not a decent performer (accuracy) at 5-7 yards and I am confident a .380 is a better bug choice than this.

The compact tiny 9's like Shield, PPS, P290, P938 (all of which I have tried) are also just too large and just too heavy for my taste in this location, so I am thinking I might accept a .380 bug in this location. I don't even own a .380 today (but have owned a dozen variants over the last 35 years...)

So my question to the folks who have owned and run the LCP and the Glock, which 380 would you choose and why? I am going to run the Black Hills Honey Badger Lehigh ammo in this little thing. I accept it is a "10 yards gun or less" as a bug and not my primary. I am quite comfortable with either gun, LCP or Glock, from a shooting/trigger management perspective.

It is interesting that multiple sources are selling the LCP for under $200 right now, and I am comfortable with a DAO hammer fired gun, believing this is not a huge issue because my primary is an HK LEM.

Interested to hear your opinions based on first hand ownership (those just speculating please spare me your opinion) and use of these two platforms for the .380 cartridge.

[TheNewbie]

I have had two Ruger LCPs. They are the only reliable .380s I've ever had.

My two P232s had issues, an EZ Shield had issues, and my grip induced malfunctions on the 42 because I pushed the slide out of battery during recoil.


For a deep concealment pocket gun, I personally find the LCP hard to beat for what it is. Plus the trigger would pair better with the LEM.

[LockedBreech]

I'm a diehard LCP guy and I think it occupies a unique niche that no other gun replaces, including the G42. I own three LCPs, my original was a gift from my dad and the frame was starting to wear (they're low round count guns) so now I have a pair (training and carry) because they're super cheap.

Almost every gun shoots better, but in my experience zero guns, zero aside from tiny .22 derringers, conceal as well. In strict NPE, which I encounter fairly frequently, the LCP is invaluable. Almost useless at any real distance, it is nonetheless quite a powerful point blank deter-and-flee gun, and in my experience has been 100% reliable with standard pressure loads of any make or weight.

[41magfan]

As some have previously noted, I don't think the G42 and LCP is a good apples to apples comparison if we're talking pocket carry or a BUG. The G42 is more comparable to the small 9mm sized guns we have now and the competition in that category is pretty stiff. But having just said that, I almost always recommend the G42 for those that are recoil sensitive but still have some need for a small auto .... it's a very pleasant gun to shoot for its size.

Personally, I don't view the LCP as a "face gun" by any stretch. Here's 50 rds fired on a typical LE qualification COF; standing, kneeling and prone from 3 to 25 yards. While I managed to yank one outside the scoring rings at the 25 yd line (standing/unsupported) the other 49 were reasonable hits.