.380 pocket bugs

[TGS]

All the G42 alternatives discussed here recoil abruptly compared to the 42. The LCP slaps my trigger finger, the Kahr has to be held correctly or it cuts the web of my hand. Other than a 42, I wouldn’t plan to shoot any of them a lot, beyond initial vetting and a few rounds now and again to make sure they are still running.

I was in a local shooting class that some of my coworkers were taking and we had a 60-ish year old lady there. She went about 250rds with the rental 42 and said multiple times how she was surprised at how it didn't bother her. Says a lot to me.

Wow, that's impressive.

Any idea on how comparable the recoil of the Glock 42 is to a SIG P250 .380?

[TGS]

Maybe @Tamara can answer that. I believe she did a review of the .380 P250.

I'm really interested. My wife loves and shoots her P226 accurately, but not quickly.....and she has trouble manipulating the slide. She can do it, but a tap-rack isn't a quick thing for her, and locking a slide back is very difficult.

The P250 380 and Shield EZ have become very attractive for that reason (she's given initial approval on both) but now I'm wondering whether the G42 should be a contender too.

[Totem Polar]

My G42 shoots so softly, it makes a G19 feel abrupt.

Agreed. The G42 is surprisingly mellow. (As an aside, I’ve owned PPK, 232, P238, and Beretta blowbacks, and shot Kahr P380, LCP, multiple Bersa and some others I’ve forgotten, and the G42 is the softest shooting to me. As to size, it wasn’t that long ago that the PPK reigned supreme for deep carry, and the G42 ain’t any harder to hide than that. JMO.)

[warpedcamshaft]

My G42 shoots so softly, it makes a G19 feel abrupt.

I'm not some fancy Tier-1 high dollar instructor... but I've instructed many arthritic senior women who were new to shooting.

The Glock 42 was a godsent for me among senior arthritic women. These are the individuals the gun community doesn't regard, but they were my bread and butter from an instruction standpoint (often after listening to Claude Werner's "negative outcomes" audio recording). (Guess how they vote after getting a gun.)

I had a 68 year old with severe (Rheumatoid) arthritis firing 75+ rounds per session with no complaints.... and she was very lethal at 15 yards with the G42.


My favorites were when a rural woman's husband fell ill, and she felt a responsibility to educate herself about firearms so she could defend the homestead... you wouldn't believe how tough some of these older ladies are mentally.

Women that tough are few and far between in my generation. Anyways... The G42 is great.

[Tamara]

Maybe @Tamara can answer that. I believe she did a review of the .380 P250.

The .380 P250 is available in the Subcompact and Compact configurations of the P250/320 line of pistols, so size-wise it's more of a G26/G19 alternative than G42. They're very soft-shooting, thanks to their size. They're super easy to manipulate, with a slide that's as easy to function as the one on the M&P22C.

[GJM]

Seems like the 250 and 42 are different approaches to .380. The 250, more or less, a service sized pistol in .380, where the 42 is a moderately small concealment pistol in .380.

[LtDave]

Another load worth trying is the Federal Hydra Shok. Most accurate factory JHP in my G42, a P230 and my S&W BG380. I don't expect much expansion. I really like the G42 for shooting, like others have mentioned it is extremely soft shooting and mine is extraordinarily accurate. My BG380 also shoots very well, but is more ammo sensitive accuracy wise. BG380 has run 100%, the G42 is an early one that went back to the factory for the updates. Has run 100% since then.

[41magfan]

Turned a cardboard IPSC target edgewise and took a poke at it with my LCP at 3 yds. I hedged my bet just a little by using the Winchester 95 gr flat nose FMJ. My first shot left a faint, partial skid-mark but the second shot was almost a clean split.

[OlongJohnson]

Turned a cardboard IPSC target edgewise and took a poke at it with my LCP at 3 yds. I hedged my bet just a little by using the Winchester 95 gr flat nose FMJ. My first shot left a faint, partial skid-mark but the second shot was almost a clean split.

Like all WWB, I've been seriously frustrated by the irregularity of that 95gr FN FMJ. Bullet forms cluster around two modes, but are significantly variable and random within each cluster. No apparent way to predict which cluster you'll get by SKU (including Browning-branded product), so you have to buy brick and mortar and physically inspect each box. That makes it $0.40/rd FMJ, and also leads to becoming disgusted with the variation you see in a box.

[TheNewbie]

What do you all like for OWB and IWB Glock 42 holsters?