This thread, and a sudden need to carry a smaller gun prompted me to get to the range. I did several quick side by side comparisons of my 442 and LCP. Left target is with my 442 and a cylinder each left hand and right hand at 7yds. Right target is with my LCP, 5 shots each hand. My confidence in both ticked up, even though I strongly prefer the 442, the LCP is still viable to me.
Taking a break from social media.
I do not expect any bullet to cause a human adversary to explode. (Perhaps that is part of why I tend to step from the car with a shotgun so much of the time, riding night-shift patrol.) I am wanting the bullet to make a hole.Originally Posted by searcher
Having worked big-city police patrol for 33 years, I know a .380 will make a hole. The hole will not be as spectacular as the hole made by a 125-grain .357 Magnum, but it will be a hole. (There is a myth that all handgun bullet entrance wounds look the same. Most do, but not all.) Sometimes, these holes stop the person receiving the bullet, and, sometimes not.
I have been following the .380-v.-.38 debate since the early Eighties, and briefly carried Colt Mustangs during some very special-concealment-need situations. I have a very nice German-made PPK/s, which may, someday, be promoted from hobbyist shooter to secondary/tertiary carry status, but it is the G42 that now has more of my attention, as I near retirement from LEO-ing, and am seeking something flatter than my G26 for a deep-concealment gun that will normally be a secondary/tertiary weapon.
I am grateful for the on-topic information posted here.
Last edited by Rex G; 06-14-2017 at 07:36 PM.
So it seems you agree, some 9mm (0.356 inch) holes are more spectacular than others.
This thread is about the 380 in a g42 vs. the 38 in a J frame.
Your posts are not helpful.
Sorry. I was responding with agreement to your initial statement, "I have always despised the .380.....but"
I know I'll probably be reprimanded for being off topic but my preference for a backup gun is a stainless steel J frame loaded with 9mm 147 grain Winchester Ranger SXTs (talons).
Last edited by searcher; 06-14-2017 at 09:24 PM.
As a data point: two G42s, 2000 rounds each, all sorts of ammo. One with zero malfunctions and one with a couple that were clearly ammo related.
They are my most reliable Glocks.
For me it boils down to similar reasoning to why we so often carry and recommend 9mm's over 45's and 10mm's
In something like a G42 the 380 is a lot easier for me to shoot and get good hits with, while holding more beans, and in this case allowing a faster reload than a J frame. For the small difference in on target effect, especially comparing a non expanding wadcutter to a barely expanding XTP or Hyrdashock the benefits outweigh the loss in my mind.
Welcome to Africa, bring a hardhat.
It's hard not to like little .380s, despite the marginal caliber. The G42 is the most shootable of them all, for many people.
This thread has just about covered it all—I'll only add that, on the occasions when word-of-mouth has brought new/curious shooters to me asking for instruction/help, an afternoon at the range with numerous exemplars of acceptable modern handguns has seen *every* shooter pick my wife's G42. I've sold maybe a half-dozen of them since they came out, and I'm well aware of the limitations and have passed that info on. It's just a great shooting little gun, especially for petite people with small hands. While I prefer either my 43 or 26, I'm old enough to remember when guns in the 42's size/weight class mainly consisted of things like Walther TPHs, Beretta 21s and Taurus PT-22/25s, so it really is a step up in that regard. JMO
I'm sneaking out to the range this morning for a quickie; I'll be bringing the 42 and the 43. The 43 has eclipsed my J-frames, simply because I can shoot the tiny Glocks so much better. If S&W brings out an airweight with Ameriglo UC sights on it, an upgraded trigger, and a 6th round, I'll happily change my mind... but looking at Kimber and Colt's efforts, I won't be holding my breath.
I carry a 42 in a Galco Ankle Glove at work and sometimes as a BUG off duty to either my G17 or 19. Ankle carry I have had no issues.
Pocket carry with a cheapie pocket holster that doesn't cover the mag release? Well, I have had the magazine come unseated juuuuust enough to prevent that second round from being picked up. I assume that I bump that left leg/pocket on something from time to time and it hits it just right to unseat it.
My quick cure for it (since funds won't allow a decent pocket holster that covers that release) is to switch the release over to southpaw since I am drawing it with my left hand anyway. It seems to "cure" the issue.
But my 442 doesn't have this issue and I find that I prefer it for pocket carry. Its profile makes it slip out of a pocket at greater speeds than the 42/43. At least in my pockets I find that to be true.
I have a Magguts kit in my 42 and so far, it has been drama free. Gives me 8 rounds of .380 Gold Dots to ward off evilness should it come to that. Last ditch insurance as my primary (at work and off duty) should save me bacon but it seems that every Simunition class I am in my hands and primary weapon get shot to pieces. So I figure toting toting the 42 along can't hurt.
Regards.
Guys, whether you like/dislike the 380 or 38, keep in mind that incoming bullets have the right away. Meaning, getting good hits on the target keeps your "bad guy" from putting good hits on you. If you are a good shooter with your J frame and can reload fairly quick and stay in the fight, then so be it. If it is easier to accomplish this same task with the 42 with faster reload capability, then so be it. I see the advantages to both guns and we all know that picking one weapons platform, there is always a trade off in anything you do. Nothing is perfect....
I have had multiple J frames in the past and though I really like the nostalgia of the guns and ease of operation, it seems that the current production 42,s are working for me, the wife and son the best... each weapons platform does serve a purpose, the J frame is a great coat pocket gun and we all know why...
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