Glock 42 or other smaller .380 auto users out there?

[rawkguitarist]

This is my NPE option. My G42 with a Holosun 507k.

With modern modern ammo choices like loads using the Hornady 90gn XTP bullet, .380 is now able to get darn close to 9mm performance. Any other Glock 42 users out there? Or similar .380 platforms?

[4RNR]

I'm not seeing how Hornady 380 is getting close to 9mm.

And with that setup I may as well carry a 9. My 380 is throw it in the pocket to run outside. If I gotta holster, rds and extended mag then it's just 9mm

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[Thy.Will.Be.Done]

I'm looking at .380 but it's purely for a super lightweight/light recoil and pocketable option.

I do agree to some extent about .380 being close to 9mm penetration depending on the load, I'd lean towards the Honey Badger from Black Hills myself in this caliber.

To say it's EQUAL, not so much because it's got less mass and velocity than 9mm which matters in some ways.

[rawkguitarist]

I'm not seeing how Hornady 380 is getting close to 9mm.

And with that setup I may as well carry a 9. My 380 is throw it in the pocket to run outside. If I gotta holster, rds and extended mag then it's just 9mm

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Have you by chance looked at ballistics testing on the Hornady 90 XTP or just speculating? Its testing well within the 12 - 18in ballistics gelatin in bare and denim. It doesn't expand great - about .40. But as I said "darn close" which isn't that accurate of a measurement.

The pic kinda distorts it, but this pistol is still actually pretty small and thin being Glock's smallest pistol. Or I wouldn't be carrying it NPE. Also, depending on the shirt I'm wearing I'll sometimes use the 6 round mag.

[TheNewbie]

I wish the G42 worked for me. It just didn’t, think it was that my grip and the gun didn’t mesh.


In theory a Glock 42x would be awesome. If it worked for me, which it wouldn’t.

[Totem Polar]

I’ve been doing a lot of trail hiking/biking with a G42 of late, because, light and lazy. I also have a new shooter friend who chose one for herself, so that played a roll in my getting back into the 42. Plus, I had a gadget for it; cognoscenti know that spare gadgets drive the Glock buy train.


I don’t harbor any illusions that it’s the equal to a 9mm. What it is is a very light, reasonably compact, and incredibly easy shooting little piece. I like the G42, myself.

[4RNR]

Have you by chance looked at ballistics testing on the Hornady 90 XTP or just speculating? Its testing well within the 12 - 18in ballistics gelatin in bare and denim. It doesn't expand great - about .40. But as I said "darn close".

The pic kinda distorts it, but this pistol is still actually pretty small and thin being Glock's smallest pistol. Or I wouldn't be carrying it NPE. Also, depending on the shirt I'm wearing I'll sometimes use the 6 round mag.

I don't know what NPE means

If it doesn't expand great why am I paying the premium? With 380 I stick to fmj for penetration.

For me this is the purpose of a 380. Small, light and can be carried for quick trips without a holster. Walk the dog, run to the store, answer the door... Anything else is 9mm with an actual grip for adult hands.



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[rawkguitarist]

I don't know what NPE means

If it doesn't expand great why am I paying the premium? With 380 I stick to fmj for penetration.

For me this is the purpose of a 380. Small, light and can be carried for quick trips without a holster. Walk the dog, run to the store, answer the door... Anything else is 9mm with an actual grip for adult hands.



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NPE = Non-permissive environment.

.50 being the standard, .40 is still expansion. And again the XTP meets FBI protocols for penetration. I didn’t intend to get in a cartridge debate.

I carry a Glock 19 most of the time. But I have to carry discreetly often so I chose the smallest pistol I could get that still shoots well. So I really dig the 42. I have an LCP too and I’d expect that to come into this thread conversation. A really good pocket pistol.

[BillSWPA]

NPE = non-permissive environment. This is often used to mean carrying in a location where carrying is legal, but where it can result in loss of one's job. Given the consequences of getting caught, the acceptable risk of getting caught is significantly below 1%, although absolute zero risk is never possible to achieve. Keep in mind that when spending 40-60 hours/week around the same people, anything out of place will be noticed, particularly by the women, who will gossip about it until they figure out why it is out of place.

The absolute smallest and lightest reasonable gun is usually the correct choice for this type of carry. It must be carried in a manner that keeps it hidden perfectly regardless of the activities or position of the wearer.

With the above in mind, I do not see a .380 with a huge extended magazine and red dot carried in a standard IWB holster as a good choice. The first time the wearer sits, stands, or bends the wrong way, and the cover garment raises up or prints at the wrong time, the wearer is busted. Or, the first time the wearer is bumped by a co-worker in the wrong place, the wearer is busted. I would prefer a Ruger LCP or Kel-Tec P3AT or P-32 for this role, with a different carry method.

[TheNewbie]

NPE = non-permissive environment. This is often used to mean carrying in a location where carrying is legal, but where it can result in loss of one's job. Given the consequences of getting caught, the acceptable risk of getting caught is significantly below 1%, although absolute zero risk is never possible to achieve. Keep in mind that when spending 40-60 hours/week around the same people, anything out of place will be noticed, particularly by the women, who will gossip about it until they figure out why it is out of place.

The absolute smallest and lightest reasonable gun is usually the correct choice for this type of carry. It must be carried in a manner that keeps it hidden perfectly regardless of the activities or position of the wearer.

With the above in mind, I do not see a .380 with a huge extended magazine and red dot carried in a standard IWB holster as a good choice. The first time the wearer sits, stands, or bends the wrong way, and the cover garment raises up or prints at the wrong time, the wearer is busted. Or, the first time the wearer is bumped by a co-worker in the wrong place, the wearer is busted. I would prefer a Ruger LCP or Kel-Tec P3AT or P-32 for this role, with a different carry method.

KEL TEC has my P32. It was bought used so I’m not surprised it needed a trip to them.


It really is a great option for a small gun that doesn’t hurt to shoot.