Glock 42 (courtesy boomershoot.com forum)

An eagle-eyed TTAG reader spotted this image of the new GLOCK 42 .380 single stack semi-automatic posted by “Squid” at boomershooter.com‘s forum. Looks like the real deal to me. Does this signal the second (third? fourth?) incarnation of the .380 craze? Hey, don’t rule it out. Our man shootingthebull410 has plenty of good things to say about the round’s defensive capabilities. [Click here to view.] Still . . . why oh why not a compact 9mm? Make the jump for another image. [h/t BP]

G42 Copy (courtesy boomershoot.com)

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124 COMMENTS

  2. Odd. Doesn’t seem small enough for a pocket gun, yet underpowered for IWB. My P238 is smaller with the same firepower and I know the LCP is much smaller.

    Disappointed 🙁

    • My micro desert eagle is the second smallest 380 pocket dimension-wise (only the seecamp is smaller) I was hoping for a pocket single stack 9mm honestly.

    • Here is a quick size comparison with similar pistols:

      Walther PPS – 20.8 oz – 6.3″ x 4.4″ x 0.9″ – 40 S&W or 9mm
      Beretta Nano – 19.9 oz – 5.6″ x 4.2″ x 0.9″ – 9mm
      Glock 42 – 13.4 oz – 5.9″ x 4.1″ x 0.84″ – 380 Auto
      S&W B.G. – 11.9 oz – 5.3″ x x – 380 Auto
      Beretta Pico – 11.5 oz – 5.1″ x 4.0″ x 0.73″ – 380 Auto or 32 ACP

      • Just to add one more, since I’m a pretty big fan of the Taurus TCP (http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2013/05/jeremy-s/gun-review-taurus-738-tcp/). It is:

        10.2 ounces. 5.2″ long, 3.75″ tall (with 6-round mag), 0.87″ thick. Can be found for $199. I don’t think anything could make me spend more than twice the price on a Glock that’s heavier and taller but has the same capacity. Not sure if the width/thickness measurement on the Taurus includes the slide lock or not, so it’s either slight thicker or slightly skinnier than the Glock depending (both stats are in the G42 drawings at top).

        I’m hoping to get my hands on a Beretta PICO as soon as possible once they’re out. I EDC a Nano and love it. Not sure how anyone could actually improve on the exceptional Taurus TCP, but if the Pico is like my Nano then I’m expecting basically a toss-up except for price, where the Taurus will undoubtedly win.

  3. A single stack 9 would have made sense. A Glock Brand Glock .380 priced like a Glock Brand Glock is going to take a pasting from the competitors.

      • That’s one I can show some interest in. I looked at a Ruger LC9 recently. Price was right, 350ish. But it had this little afterthought of a safety on it that would have been awkward to me. Glock is sans manual safety. Which is a good thing for what these guns were designed for.

        • ehh, CM9 has issues with reliability. Forums are rife with complaints. Nutnfancy (I know, I know, but he’s pretty decent sometimes) recently did a pocket 9mm test and the CM9 had issues.

        • I looked into the lc9 for my first carry gun, but I hated the trigger so much when I had the opportunity to shoot it at the range. and yeah that safety thing.

  4. I’d have to handle it myself, but I wouldn’t rule a .380 out. I’d take a .380 I can shoot like a laser over a nasty little 9mm that’s too punishing to practice with.

    But is this just a “look at what I found” type of thing, or has Glock found a way to work around the import restrictions?

  7. Glock is has fallen behind the power curve here. There are too many small 380s on the market for this model to succeed.

  8. I’ll buy a pocket Glock any day of the week. If this is true, then you’ll see millions upon millions of pocket .380s (Kel-Tec, S&W, Ruger) showing up on GunBroker.

    That said, this one is ALMOST too big for a pocket. I think it will fit, but just barely.

    This will be the precursor to a single stack 9mm. Contrary to what people might think, this one will be one of Glock’s best sellers. I have to believe that, based on actual numbers of people carrying guns, that the .380 is the #1 caliber (again, actual people carrying every day) used by CCWers.

  10. Why? Who would use this? Tell me honestly, with all the compact 9,40 and 45’s out on the market these days, is there any reason to have a 380 anymore?

    • I’m short, and a .380 doesn’t bulge or stick out of my pocket. I prefer to carry my 9mm IWB, but there are times I just can’t do that. You make a lot of trade offs when you go to a .380, but my LCP is COMPLETELY undetectable, and sometimes that’s what’s most important.

  11. Oh look, an ugly black pistol made by The Ugly Black Pistol Co., that’s twice as thick as it’s competitors, and late as hell to market. Please excuse me, I have to go sh*t in my pants I’m so excited.

    • I’m glad someone else thinks so too. I have not magnified the images looking for artifacts, but a few things just seem wrong: the design of the ad (if it is an ad) is off from guidelines (and really really bad), the use of photos instead of technical drawings for the dimensions, and the complete lack of attribution — which publication is this? Is that an ad or a cover story? This is all before you consider the gun’s design. Even for Glock, there’s just something off about the gun. Which means if it’s not a hoax, it’s a really ugly POS.

      • Not to mention the absence of a 3rd pin, the nose is not tapered like the other sub-comps, the grips are all wrong, and there are 6 vertical grip slots on the rear of the slide. ALL GLOCKS have 7 slots.

  14. Who cares except the glocktards who will buy anything they put out.

    Too little too late to the party Glock.

  16. Glock has always been a company that seems built on practicality. This seems foolish and kinda dumb. My wife is very petite and carries her Glock 26 iwb or a belly band when she’s wearing dress/skirts and has no issues.
    Why make a gun in a weaker caliber that cost more? Its a solution to a problem that isn’t there.

  17. Putting that next to my P238 is like putting a late middle-aged housewife next to Heidi Klum.

    Or like putting me next to Shemar Moore, for you ladies.

    No attraction whatsoever for me.

  19. I’m still holding out hope for a single stack in 9mm. I’ll stick with my super reliable LCP in 380.

  20. I’m surprised Glock does not have a .380(In the US)! MY first feeling “It’s about time!”

    However you cannot “Pry MY Old Dead Fingers” from my BG380!

    S@W made it but by God Galloway perfected it!

    • I own a S&W BG380.

      I love everything about it, except for that awful trigger. My hands are XL sized, and that trigger pull is insane. I have to make a tight clenched fist, or so it seems, to actuate the trigger.

      Give me a nice single-stack pocket Glock .380, and I am all over that.

  21. I don’t like breathless hype on product reveals, but this might be the best Glock they’ve ever made.

    Sacre Bleu! A puny .380, the best Glock design? Wash my mouth out with soap!

    Before I chug the Palmolive bottle, let me make the case for it.The G17,G19,and bigger caliber guns have one problem -they’re chambered for bigger calibers.As countless after action reports of real world self defense incidents prove, a citizen doesn’t need 15 rounds of ammo and a spare mag to defend thensleves.Setting aside Law Enforcement and military , the majority of defensive encounters end with a bad guy soiling his underpants and running into the weeds at the sight of their targets gun.

    For the few who do have to shoot , six shots get the point across to Mr. Thug that he’d better be somewhere else-if the rounds don’t put him down right there.So, we can dispense with the nonsense that a CCW permit holder is required to haul around a double stack handgun chambered in an “Approved by the Tactical Politburo” caliber like 9mm or larger.

    On that point, I’ve seen lot of knashing of teeth that it should be a 9mm.I disagree strenuously..380 ACP is plenty capable of killing someone -just ask a big city homicide cop if you disagree.It’s also much more shootable for normal people.You know, folks who dont hang out on gun forums, and want to exercise their right to carry but are unwilling or unable to spend $150 on a gunbelt and IWB Kydex holster, and $1500 worth of class time , travel, and ammo to shoot a bigger gun competently.We need as many people as possible to start exercising their right to carry if we intend the 2nd Amendment to not get voted out of existence via a gun hating electorate, and telling people to “man up and buy a real gun in 9mm/10mm/45 ACP/.40 S&W ” ain’t the answer to spreading the RKBA gospel.I’d rather see Glock put thousands of .380s in the hands of casual shooters and CCW permit holders then for them to sell a select number of 9mm to a closed off cadre of gun nuts.

    Three, most of us are in greater mortal danger driving to a place then being robbed or shot at our destination.As such, a single stack .380 is more then capable of taking care of business.I’m not surprised the Tactical Politburo hates this gun,because they’d have to re draft their tactical curriculum to dispense with the bull that you’re just a failure at life unless you’re carrying a Special Ops approved gun.

    • ^ I will second this motion, especially the “more good people packing (even a .380)” sentiment. I would hope it is a locked breech design, unlike the LEO only blowback brethren that Glock has already. If it shoots like a Kahr P380, as far as the recoil is concerned, it will be a popular pistol for Glock.

    • The case for this gun is not the trash posted immediately above. (Killing? Seriously? A .22 can *kill*. I want to *stop* someone.)

      The case is that it’s a much more concealable pistol than even a Glock 26, and it has the same trigger pull as every other Glock. So if you like Glocks, but need a *more* concealable gun (pocketable, though not a true pocket gun) and/or if you want something with *less* recoil than a 9mm Luger, this could be an option.

      This also might be a popular item for women, who would otherwise find a double-stack Glock difficult to carry IWB.

      • There is no such thing as handgun stopping power.A .380 to the big toe won’t stop a threat.Neither will a 10mm to the same place.

    • Good post! I have a G21 and if I only had ONE handgun? YEP! However the key IS to be armed in the first place! Not everyone can carry a full size Combat handgun and conceal it in a variety of situations and clothing.

      Special Ops is defined as going somewhere you should not with the Untied States of America having your back! Sadly this is not always the case under Obama, but as for you and I? Live or Die is the only concern in the proper use of a firearm in public.

      In that case we are not always able to bring maximum firepower to bare…..come on Glock!

    • I think I qualify as a serious shooter, and if this does come in at $400 street I’ll be getting one. As will a whole lot of people.

  22. Its larger and heavier than its competitors, more expensive than most and its trigger will either be slightly better or significantly worse. The 380 Glock was designed for countries where military calibers were banned, not for any inherent advantage the caliber or gun offered. This gun slightly reduces the width and the round count as the only significant change in a market already swamped with smaller, better pocket guns. Taking all this into account I can’t imagine this is anything more than a hoax.

  23. This looks sketchy, I don’t buy it.

    My hopes are still with the slim 9mm, come on Glock, daddy needs a new pistol.

      • The G36 didn’t “fail miserably.” It certainly wasn’t meant for wide popularity. I believe you quoted the G30 width. Memory says the G36 is 1.18 inches wide. The G36 SLIDE, though, is extremely popular. Try and buy a G30S. If you find one in stock, you’re lucky. It’s just a G36 slide on a G30SF frame. I’ve been carrying a G36 slide/G30SF for three years (when I don’t feel the need for the even lighter slimmer G36).

        What difference 2/10ths of an inch makes for carry is beyond me. The G30S with the much lighter thinner slide can take a G21 13 round magazine as backup (or, hell, a 30-round Kriss magazine. The G30S weighs about the same as the G36 unloaded. It’s light. Neither gun kicks much, it seems to me.

        • The difference 2/10ths of an inch makes is very significant. Especially if the gun is shaped properly. With typical Glock clunkiness, even same dimensions makes the Glock “bigger” and printing badly… I never, ever CC any Glock; because I can’t… But some guns that weight a little more, or are even slightly bigger, are very concealable because of their shape. I also don’t have America’s most common body type… There aren’t a lot of places for me to hide stuff. Consider the growing market of Ladies CCing, they tend to have similar concealment concerns, so this thing Glock has is just plain wrong direction in every way. Buy a Taurus PT738 or a PT709 and don’t look back. Sometimes I carry both just cuz.

  27. Maybe I’m a bit of a looney but is anyone EVER going to make a pocket gun in .357 sig?

    I know, I know it may not be necessary or “the best” but I still want one.

    Gaston… I double dog dare you to build one…..

    • The pressures involved pretty much make a .357 Sig an impossible caliber for a pocket pistol. They barely manage a 9mm.

      • “The pressures involved pretty much make a .357 Sig an impossible caliber for a pocket pistol.”

        I had guessed that was the main reason. In my mind it ranks up there with an Obrev. It may not be useful or even sane but DAMN I WANT ONE if nothing else for the funtime fireball it makes.

        As for the aftermarket barrel for the .40, I’ve been advised NEVER to go from 40 to .357 sig unless the pistol was designed for it. I’ve seen multiple posts on the net saying why it’s better to go the other way… Does anyone know how valid this is(dyspeptic?)?

      • Interesting. Taurus managed similar case dimensions in the PT740 Slim… I personally don’t consider that a pocket gun, but some people do. Apparently Glock thinks that is a pocket gun form factor, so who am I to argue? I could see a PT7357 working out for them… Not just because of the case dimensions, but because I think the gun can handle it (don’t want to get into details right here). They probably don’t see a reason to make it tho…

    • Kahr makes the CM and PM40 guess the nice stainless MK40 is about the same size. Not .357 Sig but still chambered in .40 S&W. Never had a chance to shoot one sure its a handful. If it will handle the .40 don’t see why you couldn’t get a .357 Sig barrel if somebody makes aftermarket ones for Kahr pistols. The MK40 probably wouldn’t be to bad being full stainless. I should have bought one a while back local shop had somebody sell one, and his subcompact 2 tone XD, 2 tone compact HK USP all .40 and none looked like they had really even been fired. I really wanted that H&K and MK40 could have probably had both for $900 think they wanted $500 for the MK40 and $550 for the USP.

  29. Don’t think I’ll go for a .380. A tiney niney maybe. A reliable .22 pistol, sure.
    A practical/tactical type .45 sounds good, too.

  30. If I didn’t live in CA, I’d at least rent one to give it a try. I’m pretty happy with my G26; but I sometimes carry a 5-shot .38 Special revolver if the 26 seems too bulky/heavy. I am not enthusiastic about .380, generally, but I know there are a lot of people who carry an LCP pretty happily, and any gun I’ve actually got with me is better than a great gun that I left at home.

  31. Front profile of slide is not melted like all Glock subcompacts. Front strap does not extend down over mag baseplate like all Glock subcompacts. Haters gonna hate. And haters love Photoshop.

  32. What ever it turns out to be.
    For someone like myself.
    Living here in the land of the t-shirt as you basic cover. Ok for some(ALOT) a golf shirt for cover.
    A 380 makes the most sense for me with almost any 380 round except ball.
    Not much to worry about plugging here so the better hollow points should all do well.
    My P238 doesn’t leave me feeling unarmed.
    Easy to IWB around the store or on the motorcycle.
    Mini 9s?? not so much, lousy triggers bigger guns, t-shirts??
    OK maybe a Sig P938 would be nicer.
    But a Glock??
    A day late and a few dollars short for me here.

  35. As one of the happy weirdos that actually loves the Glock trigger and grip angle, I might get this if it’s significantly slimmer than my G26.

    *Edit* just read the dimensions. Man that’s skinny. So getting it.

  36. I hope it has good reviews when released as I want to sell my wife’s Ruger LC380. Can’t hit shit more than five feet away with it plus its safety, both of them, are impractical for a SD pistol.

  37. About the same size and just a couple of ounces lighter than my ultra reliable and quite accurate Bersa Thunder 380CC, and the Bersa carries 8+1 rounds, and is very economically priced. So, what’s the big deal here?

  39. The single stack 380 Glock is for real
    It will make its debut at Shot Show in January. See it in Vegas!

  40. I will LOL so hard if they seriously went this route (a 380, this size at that) in stead of a 9 to compete with the Shield.
    A 380 wouldnt be the smartest but if this is real, a 380 at this size will be hilarious.
    Not that it matters, all the Glock fanboys will rush to buy it anyway. Glock could market a pile of dog shit with their logo and the fanboys would still line up to buy it

      • When I found out for sure it was a micro single stack, I for sure assumed 9, and even though I really dont like Glocks, I thought wow, a micro 9 Glock will absolutely crush the market.
        They screwed up.
        A 380 will still sell but look at how the Shield sold, marked up to 600+ and huge waiting lists. A Glock micro 9 would literally just dominate the market.
        Im shocked they didnt do that (if this is true, which it appears to be)
        It shows they really dont listen to their consumers and arent in touch.
        A big ass (comparitively) 380? Just L-O-L

  41. Single stack .380 that is larger and heavier than a Kel-tec PF-9. The PF-9 is just a hair too large for easy pocket carry and this is even bigger?

    I fail to see the point.

    Make it in 9mm and it competes favorably with the Shield as a small belt gun. The Fanboys will buy it anyway…

  42. Does not seem like it, but bought my Bersa Thunder .380 5 years ago for $250, new. From what I have seen so far from other makes, it was a good deal. A little more pricy now. Price is in the wallet of the wanna be holding it tho. Having choices is wonderful.

  43. While this is nice, I rather have it in 9mm or 40 SW, so I am going to pass on this Glock. Because there are smaller and cheaper .380s out there right now.

  45. A buddy of mine in business all but flat old told me they are releasing a single stack 9mm (he is bound by an NDA).

    I know..hardly concrete but until the 42 is out for sure and its something else, i am expecting a 9mm

  46. Lc9 for me, thanks. Saftey doesn’t bother me since it’s second nature on ANY firearm I handle to click the saftey off. Call it the thousands of rounds of duck, pheasant, trap, skeet,
    Sporting or goose shooting .

  49. If it had those dimensions and weight and it was in 9mm I would sell my Kahr CW9 for the Glock in a heartbeat but in .380 I just don’t care.

  50. If this is what Glock is unveiling at SHOT they’re in trouble. NOBODY wants a XDs / Shield sized .380.

      • They use a very similar finish that uses a plasma bath now instead of the salt bath. It is similar to the finish melonite. Tenifer is the trade name for the salt bath method.

  52. I hope this is a well made hoax, I really do.

    I think it is a hoax because the gun shown has dimensions similar, and not much smaller than a G26. The gun is larger than a Kahr P380 in every dimension, including being over an inch longer, which takes it out of the “Pocket Gun” category, in my opinion.
    The gun shown could easily accommodate a 9mm Luger cartridge, why make it so big and chamber it in .380?
    I am looking for a pistol in 9mm or .380 that fits a niche. That niche is one where I have no carry options and need to drop a small gun, (with holster) into my pocket. If Glock is going to sell me here, they had better be able to compete with the likes of the P380.

    I will wait until the official release at SHOT before I cry to much. The business model in this already saturated pocket gun market, says that Glock will have to make a tiny gun, or revolutionize with something that competes better than the likes of what is shown here.

    I would be shocked if Glock could be this stupid, especially since the market is an old market with many companies vying for consumer dollars. It is not a mystery market here, Glock does not have to guess what it takes to win it. I smell hoax.

  54. Some people go and by the latest Nike shoe whether they will wear them are not.
    Glocksters may feel a need to round out their stable so that they HAVE it..

  55. Just a thought.
    How many Glock fanboy men are there?
    How many have wives or (and) girlfriends?
    Are women a growing SD gun market?
    Have all the above commenters put these elements into their market demand analysis?

  56. Taurus already beat glock with the PT709, PT740, PT732, and PT738. These guns are sexy, and only an ass can complain about them. Polymer, safe action, striker fired, much sexier, and made in a shape that conceals better, while costing a lot less. The only reason to buy this is that you are a Glock Fanboy. Which is not necessarrily a bad thing, Glocks are good guns. It’s just sad, like so many other “new things” in the gun industry; this isn’t filling a hole. We’ve already got better. I’m considering a G21SF cuz it’s a double stack and conversion barrels for sexy things like .357sig, 10mm, 40cal all in oine gun… That’s a fairly unique trait, and the only reason I’m buying.

    Thank God for Kel Tec. You may not like them, but they’re the reason this, and every other pocket gun, exists. At least SOMEBODY still innovates while the copycats all act like they did something cool… Glock was the innovator. Now they’ve just made a copycat pocket gun that’s less concealable than the superior choices already on the market due to their tradmark clunky desgin accents. Yippie… Johnny-Come-Lately to the pocket gun game, get it wrong, and the only reason to buy it is because it says Gucci Glock on it. Why not invest time in doing something great instead?

  60. 380 is no smaller or bigger than a 9mm so what’s the big deal for Glock to quit procrastinating and just put out a USA made 380 pistol that is not imported problem solved

  61. I’m always amazed by the people who seem to hate Glocks so much as to the amount of time they spend posting about it.

  62. I had experience with Glocks a lot when I was a young rangemaster at an outdoor range in California. It was a large public rifle/pistol range that was very busy. I had the opportunity to shoot most everything. While I was not a fan, and primarily into 1911 bull’s eye shooting, there were two things I noticed while working there. AK clone rifles and Glock pistols always worked. As a rangemaster on the line, I was never called to handle any problems with either.

    Admittedly, It took me almost two decades to warm up to the Glocks. After spending time with a G19 received at work, I became a fan. I carry Glock almost exclusively these days. easy to carry, light, accurate and reliable. I am partial to the 9mm offerings.

  63. *Face palm while shaking my head* to me this gun is a fail! Now, if they could make it a single stack 9mm with the same dimensions they have now…. Then it would be something special!

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