The European market has had the opportunity to own a Glock in .380 Auto caliber for a couple of years. Now, I’m happy to announce that it finally made its way to our shores. I am a huge Glock fan, so let’s get that out of the way, right now, but my brand loyalty comes from first hand experience and Glock is unquestionably the “AK47” of the pistol market with regards to reliability and value. Over the years Glocks have gone through very few changes, some cosmetic, some mechanical, but overall remaining a very stable platform. When properly loaded, it goes bang each and every time you pull the trigger; there is no better pistol for home defense, or self defense, than a Glock in any condition, except for nuclear holocausts where SIG and HK reign supreme. I know I risk alienating several manufacturers but facts are facts, and I’m not suggesting that others are inferior.
The new Glock 42 has an unloaded weight of 13.76 oz, 7 round capacity (6 in the magazine + 1 in the pipe), a width of 0.94 inches and overall length of 5.94 inches., so it’s extremely compact; making it an ideal conceal carry pistol especially for the ladies with their smaller hands.
The naysayers are quick to jump all over the .380 Auto caliber calling it inadequate for self defense. So, let me say this to you. The .380 Auto, a.k.a 9mm Kurz, was developed by John Browning in the United States. During WWII German officers carried the famous Walther PPK chambered in 9mm Kurz, and I can assure you that many men and women have fallen to this wimpy round. Furthermore, it is true that other calibers have superior stopping power but self defense is all about shot placement and limiting penetration so that you don’t injure innocent bystanders, like a spouse or kids. A bad shot with a .45ACP or .40 S&W, which have greater stopping power will not stop an assailant. What a .380 Auto gives you is lower recoil for greater weapon control, especially important to the non-professional or casual shooter. Second, the risk of over penetrating your target and striking an unintended target is diminished.
So, if you’ve been thinking about a home protection or conceal carry pistol but have yet to decide be sure to check out the Glock 42. You may also want to get your order in now, because every indication is that they’ll be hard to keep in stock.
FOG HORN 
As much as I love Glock and I love Glock pistols trust me I do…but to bring this out in 380 is behind the power curve to me. 380 is so a few years back. I disagree with the low recoil comment 380 is a snappy cartridge in a small polymer frame pistol and to put this in a non shooters or novice shooters hand they will shoot it once or twice and call it a day.
How many people have been wanting this pistol in a single stack 9mm. I bought the M&P shield for my wife it’s in 9mm it’s very controllable for her to shoot and she hardly ever shoots. It’s just disappointing to me (maybe cuz I’m one of the ones who wanted a Glock single stack 9 ) stick with my G19.
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Personal preference plays a major role and ultimately you should always buy what works for you. The Euros that I’ve talked to describe the recoil as very mild. I’ll be looking for it at the range to take it for a spin.
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The German army used the Walther in .32 acp and mostly for shooting defenceless civilians in the back of the head.
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Mark, I can’t confirm or deny your statement because I was not there. However, the .380 Auto has been used successfully extensively in military and law enforcement applications across Europe. The .380 Auto has a bullet diameter of 9mm and in the 90 grain variant it leaves the muzzle at 1000 fps. That gives you a kinetic energy at the muzzle of about 199.6 ft. pounds. The 115 grain 9 mm Parabellum has a muzzle velocity of 1200 fps to 1480 fps for the +P variants and delivers a kinetic energy of 367 ft. lbs to 400 + ft. lbs. However, the wound channels are fairly similar with defensive loads available today. The overwhelming majority of individual self-defense scenarios are within 7 yards and you won’t be engaging a target through a hard barrier, which is why you need a high degree of penetration – for example in the case of law enforcement. I always like to tell people to be cognizant of what is around and behind your target because once you send one you can’t take it back. That’s why I like the .380 auto; I would much prefer a couple of followup shots to injuring an innocent bystander. My two cents worth.
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This to me seems to be a swing and a miss. Glock is late in the .380 game with the Ruger, Diamond Back and S&W Bodyguard 380 already filling the need, the G42 looks to be over sized and about two years too late. Glock fans have been asking for single stack 9mm for what, 15 years now? The S&W Shield is the gun Glock should have produced 10-15 years ago. I love my Glocks but I love my Shield and my BG380. This thing better be unicorns and rainbows this late in the game…
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LOL unicorns and rainbows. GOOD ONE
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Exactly
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