GLOCK 42

“The Glock 42 is like your sexually conservative girlfriend unconvincingly trying to talk dirty to you for the first time. Just stick to what you know, or go big and take some pole dancing classes and really impress me with a single stack 9mm.” – Colion Noire, The GLOCK 42: The GLOCK No One Asked For [via mrcolionnoir.com] [Click here for pics of the wundergun]

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90 COMMENTS

  1. Majority of people I talk to, including me, are kinda pissed they didn’t make this in 9mm. With products like the Shield, PF9, etc a lot of people opt for the larger caliber. Even with the crazy post-Sandy Hook prices 9×19 is still cheaper than .380 as well and for many offers much more reliability.

  2. single stack 380…if it was a single stack 9mm Id be interested..this is just a tad bit smaller then my walther pps.

  3. I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop …… its not .380 ACP, its 380 GAP designed by Gaston’s new wife.

    • Have mercy! Semi-auto pistol cartridge design could have stopped in the early 1900’s with the 9mm Luger and .45 acp, for all I care.

      The world doesn’t need another hyper sonic, death ray, magic bullet design that’s does the same thing the 9 and 45 have been doing for generations.

      • Amen to that. At the risk of starting a caliber-war bicker-fest, I don’t even see the point of 40 myself. Pick a team, smaller and more or larger and less.

        And while we’re at it, we could trim some fat off rifle calibers as well. Shotguns seem to be the only subgenre that got it right with 3 primary formats in common usage and everything else laughably esoteric.

  4. Its a quick tool changeover from 380 to 9mm. Just think of this as the new Coke, preempting the next greatest ever (not) Glock.

  5. I heart my Glocks and was putting cash aside for a single stack 9mm.
    I like my TCP a lot and couldnt see myself swapping it for a bigger pocket pistol even for a Glock.

  7. I’m really amused by all the angsty comments about a possible forthcoming .380 single stack Glock.

    Given the fact that Glock customers number in the tens of millions, whatever Glock makes, will be purchased.

    Don’t want it? Don’t buy it.

    All this whining is just ridiculous.

    • All true enough.

      That being said Mr. Colion Noir makes a living (at least in part) by sharing his opinion.

      Don’t like it? Don’t read it.

    • It’s not about what they don’t want so much as what they do want. I’m no flock lover but a 9 makes more sense or a .380 in a true pocket gun, this like you suggest won’t be bought by me.

    • The fact that it’ll be purchased doesn’t keep it from being a bad idea. I rather like the 380 ACP chambering, but there are MANY smaller guns in the same caliber I’d rather own. That, and why would I want another gun chambered in a round I can barely find? What good is a self-defense gun I can’t practice enough with to become proficient?

      • The Internet is where I do the majority of my whining. I wanted a 9mm. However, this gun may be suited to the wife, who has some Glock familiarity and doesn’t like a lot of recoil.

        • “…may be suited to the wife…”

          That is most probably the manufacturers target audience and this GLOCK offering would be a good choice for many ladies because of its size and all the usual GLOCK attributes especially reliability and ease of use.

          I don’t get all the diss’ing from so many commentators in this thread; it’s like wining for the sake of wining.

        • My wife took one look at the Glock 20 I used to have and made her pronouncement: “A safety on the Trigger is the Dumbest thing I’ve ever heard of.”

          Needless to say, she refuses to own or even fire one.

    • Agree about the whining, and for this reason: The caliber and dimensions, plus the assurance that the metalwork is standard Glock, let me infer that the G42 is not about being “the tiniest for carry.” It is aimed at being the lowest-recoil easy-to-conceal carry pistol with adequate grip size.

      • This is why I’m interested in the G42 for my wife. She loved her Sig P230, but quit carrying it. If the G42 has significantly less recoil than my P3AT, it may be the answer to my wife carrying again. In my own case, I’ve wanted Glock to offer a single- stack 9mm since I got my G19 in’88.

  8. I think it’s funny so many folks are up in arms against a Glock .380, since I was considering purchasing a Bersa Thunder .380 for summer carry because my Walther PPK/S is too finicky with ammunition to rely on. A .380 beats having nothing when it’s too hot to squirrel away something else!

    • I agree – I’ll make an even harder confession, I trade in my .380 Mustang in the summer for, wait for it…a Beretta 21a in .22LR! Gasp!! Because it’s for personal defense and not armed response.

      • I luvs my 21A.
        Use some super high velocity rounds and it will never fail you.
        Well almost never, it is a rim fire after all.

    • Tom, I’ve had a Bersa Thunder for like 8 years, and love it. It eats any ammo I’ve fed it. The only problem I’ve had was last year the mag disconnector spring broke, but their warranty folks were extremely helpful, so it was fixed at no cost to me.

      • Thanks for the plus feedback. Although there are smaller firearms out there, that Walther-framed footprint is the smallest I’m willing to go given my large mitts.
        If I could have a more concealable firearm without having to learn a new system, that would be a major plus! The Bersa is effectively my Walther (as are several Soviet-bloc pistols) that works. But still leaves me 2 seperate learning tracks to maintain. So for me, the new, itty-bitty Glock is a no brainer. And I already have a few boxes of .380 languishing on the shelf.

  9. I find it odd that everyone is criticizing Glock’s reaction to the hottest cartridge since Tabasco. More .380s were introduced over the past couple of SHOT shows, including a bunch from Sig Sauer, yet I don’t recall them taking any guff from the gunneratzi. Just in case nobody’s noticed, ol’ Gaston and his crew have been pretty damned smart over the years. My bet: he’s gonna rake-in a ton of cash and the gun, of course, will rock you like a hurricane. You read it here first.

    • The issue I think is that people are clamoring for a great subcompact single stack 9mm and Glock has not fulfilled that request. I see nothing wrong with a .380

    • The pocket .380 has been around for a long time, John Dillinger died with a Colt Mustang .380 in his pocket in the 30’s.

      I wouldn’t say the .380 is hotter than Tabasco, it’s just that semi auto pistol designs are becoming more popular more reliable. So, the .380 has more of a place in pocket gun market over a revolver, which was the ol’ faithful pocket gun for years.

      It also doesn’t hurt that ammo manufactures are designing pistol ammo to the meet the same standards now, the gaps between the various caliber’s effectiveness are shrinking by the day.

      • I’ve had a 10+1 9mm single stack super tiny gun for years! It’s called a Kel-Tec. But it shoots nothing like a Glock, which might bother some people. Meh. I think there’s room in their lineup for a decent .380. Women dig ’em. It might ride nicely on an ankle as a BUG.

    • While I’m not a .380 guy (My .45ACP G36 has about the same dimensions as a Walther PPK/s), I laugh sometimes: Some Green Beanies at CCN were content to carry suppressed PPK/S’s, and actually thought the things could do the job. Imagine.

    • There’s nothing wrong with .380ACP.; there’s a time and purpose for every caliber and type of handgun.
      I own a ‘75 Beretta 84 Cheetah exactly like this one; bought it new wrapped in wax paper in Beretta’s then trademark blue box with silver lettering and trim:

      http://www.hyattgunstore.com/images/P/main-12596.jpg

      This is a great little concealed carry weapon with plenty of rounds in the mag (13+1); a good choice if you can find a clean one. Fills my bigger hand without being too big for small hands. It’s beyond me why Beretta discontinued it this year.

      Wore it for plainclothes back when duty side arms were all revolvers and automatics were the rare exception; carried it in a Bianchi IWB holster with a spare mag. It’s tapered, smooth, easy to draw and re-holster, and an accurate, reliable shooter. Still wear it when light and slight is called for.

    • They are not complaining that Glock built a .380.

      They are complaining that Glock built a single stack .380 that is too big for pocket carry and is larger than 1/2 dozen 9mm pistols. If they whacked 3/4″ off the front, and 1/2″ off the bottom it would be a decent pocket pistol.

      If they chambered it in 9mm it would be a pretty nice small belt pistol to compete with the S&W Shield.

      As it is, they built a 9mm sized small belt pistol in .380. It’s a Glock, so the fanboys will buy it, but it is an odd design choice to build such a large .380.

  10. ***Shakes Head***

    As someone who hauls around a 1911,let me say that I REALLY don’t get why people are bent out of shape about the G42 being , possibly, .380 .

    Lets reason this out people.When the average person shoots a tiny gun with massive recoil, they put it on the shelf and never touch or shoot it again.That’s a problem, not just because that means people won’t bother to become proficient, but it turns them off from anything gun related in the future.

    Another point-stopping power is a myth.If Jim Cirillo of NYPD stakeout squad fame shot two guys with 00 buck who stayed on their feet, nothing we put in our pants is going to hit “like a plate glass window”.

    Three, ordinary people will buy this in droves.Unlike gun nerds, they buy products which are practical for their daily needs.Since the odds of being hit by a car are signifigantly higher then having to shoot someone dead in a DGU, ol’ Sally Pursecarry with her .380 is much more realisitic about her risk assessment then Mr Tactical Nerd with his SOG belt and Kydex holstered G17 with a plus two mag and $200 worth of frame and trigger mods.

    As such, I reserve the right to laugh my ass off if a major organization adopts this pistol and gun nerds start hyping it like sliced bread 2.0.

    • My concern isn’t stopping power; it’s ammo cost/availability. .380 ACP is a lot pricier than 9mm around here AND harder to find.

      • .380 is more expensive, to be sure, almost double the price in many places. Still, I doubt many .380 carriers are going to be heavy range shooters to begin with. (And who would want to be with a .380 mouse gun nearly popping out of your hand every round, anyway?) They’re more likely to blow through a box or two of FMJ for initial proficiency, get their carry license, then grab a 20 ct. box of hollow points. Price may not be much of a factor for such people, at least not outweighing the convenience of this type of handgun. Availability may be an issue in some places, perhaps; but I routinely see .380 FMJ and HP at Walmart and Academy, plus it’s available online at natchezss that I know of.

        So I see your points and they’re not wrong. They just are what they are and probably aren’t deal breakers, given such a handgun’s other benefits.

        • “… with a .380 mouse gun nearly popping out of your hand every round, anyway?”

          How many pocket-sized .380s have you shot? Because I’ve shot a bunch, and your description applied to a couple of the very lightest ones. Most of them shoot just fine, and several are downright comfortable.

        • I’ve only personal experience with three .380 models, perhaps not as many as you: Taurus TCP (which I own and shoot regularly), Ruger LCP (borrowed many times from a friend) and a Diamondback 380 (formerly owned.) These weigh in at 10.2, 9.4 and 8.8 ounces, respectively. Those do come in on the lighter half of the range, below the median, but I wouldn’t agree with the phrasing “very lightest”, which suggests they’re far out in the extremes relative to the average. After all, these three average 9.5 ounces, while the common Kel-Tec P3AT is just 8.3 oz. There are others on the heavier side, to be sure. The Kahr P380 (9.97), Beretta PICO (11.5) and Colt Mustang (11.8) average out to 11.09 oz. The heavier group’s average is barely and ounce and a half more than the average of those in my experience. That difference is less than the weight of an old CD. Hardly the game changer you describe when managing over 200 ft. lbs. of muzzle energy! These are all 6+1’s, so we’re comparing similar sized frames, too.

          With a subcompact 9mm, the knock against them is that you can’t get your pinky on the grip. Well, on .380’s, my knock against them is that I can’t get my pinky or ring finger on the grip. So I’m holding it with basically just two fingers from the strong hand, as the index/trigger finger doesn’t provide much support. Secondary support from my weak hand isn’t nonexistent, but is limited just the same. So the overall grip on the firearm is reduced relative to a larger firearm. Factor in some fairly strong recoil from +P ammunition, and you have a firearm that bounces around in the hands upon firing, especially double tap.

          The real issue is the size of these small guns and the grip you get. Perhaps the Walther, weighing in at a plump 19 ounces with an 8+1 capacity would provide the comfortable experience you describe? Although that would be atypical. Or perhaps you have particularly petite hands and can get a lot of skin on the gun? I don’t know, but my experience and the facts presented are sufficient to support my view and aren’t relegated to only the “very lightest” of .380’s. Interesting feedback, though, Matt. Thanks.

          • My hands are average, I’d say. I found the Kel-tec to not be great, the Bodyguard to be pretty horribad, and the Kahr and PICO to be pretty good shooting. Those are the ones I can recall off the top of my head. I guess it is somewhat telling that I bought a P238, which SIG says is 15.2 w/ mag. I think that’s an unloaded weight.

  11. Looks like I’ll be sticking with my Bodyguard. It is the only .380 that is fun to shoot and can be concealed in any outfit I wear. Unless Glock makes a better trigger, and moves away from having to pull the trigger to disassemble the pistol, they will remain dead to me.

    • The Bodyguard .380 was by far the least comfortable to shoot of the dozen or so I tried when I was shopping for a .380. It wouldn’t even move the needle on my fun-to-shoot meter.

  12. I’d like to point out that a Zippo lighter is not the only thing smaller than the 5.9″ GLOCK 42 that fires every time.

  13. Seems to make sense in .380 as they don’t currently offer that caliber to the public. They have missed out huge on the pocket pistol mania. I’m sure they will sell like crazy because they are cute.

  14. Dear Glock,

    This “Go smaller, Get Slimmer” is getting ridiculous. Can you please start going the other direction? You know… BIgger is better. Here are a few potential product ideas for the US market. I’d like a Glock in .454 Casull.

    But if you insist in going small, FN is having too much fun with the 5.7x28mm. You could cut in on that action too. Maybe even have a 20 round magazine.

  15. I have a zippo….it certainly does not fire every time and is a total pain in the ass to maintain compared to my $0.99 bic.

      • +1 for the Four Rooms reference.

        I have a Zippo that was passed down to me from my Grandfather who acquired it in 1946. I carry it with me every day. The thing still works, the only time it doesn’t light is when it needs a new flint or more Zippo juice. Hard to maintain? I think not. Easier than field stripping a 1911 or changing the oil in any vehicle made post 2000 in any case.

  16. I’ll stick with my PPK/S if it’s just going to be .380. It works with everything but the PPU imported stuff, which is fine with me.

    May just have to give up and look at a Shield if I want a 9mm.

  17. While I agree this rumor real or not about a single stack .380 or 9mm is meaningless to most as we already have the glocks we want and no real man or woman carries a .380 for protection, I could really care less what Colion Noire has to say.

    • “no real man or woman carries a .380 for protection”

      This I will have to disagree with you on. A 90gr HP moving at 1000fps will stop an attacker as well as a 230gr HP moving at 850fps. The difference is that the .380 won’t punish you for having a pistol with lighter build. If your concealed piece beats you up when you have to fire it, you are more likely to “pull” the shot and fail to stop the threat.

      The caliber war has taught us one valuable lesson. It doesn’t matter what cartridge you prefer, shot placement is everything.

      • The .45 slug has more mass, energy, momentum, and frontal area than the .380. That means a greater amount of tissue disruption, penetration, and blood loss. If you like pocket pistols, that’s fine, but you don’t get to re-write the laws of physics.

        • I am not trying to rewrite the laws of physics, just merely pointing out that even with the added mass and area of effect, if you don’t put your shot within an inch or two of a vital organ/artery/nerve cluster, it will not stop a determined attacker. Correct me if I’m wrong, but hydrostatic shock really doesn’t come into play until you hit rifle projectile speeds. At that point, the tissue area affected increases dramatically.

          I prefer .45 to all other calibers, so I am not hating on it. The reason I like the .380 for CC now is twofold. First, the majority of pistols in .380 can be kept in my pocket, and no one short of a well trained LEO will spot it. Second, summertime carry in the south doesn’t allow someone of my stature to easily and comfortably carry concealed with a t-shirt and shorts.

    • Guess I’m not a real man then, at least in your eyes.

      Good thing your opinion has an impact on my life akin to a fart in a hurricane.

    • Well, dammit!

      You mean all I had to do was buy a certain caliber of gun to be a real man?

      Shit, here I’ve been a idiot the whole time, working my butt off, paying my bills, taking care of my kids and raising them right, being honest and of my word, and treating my woman right, all because I thought is what made me a real man.

      Who knew I’ve been doing wrong the whole time, all I had to do was throw down a few hundred bucks to purchase a certain type of gun.

      Well, come on man, do tell, which gun will assist my transition from sheepish, mere boy to burly, rugged, manly man?

      Manhood, here I come!

    • I carry a .380 for self-defense. I carry it in an Uncle George’s back pocket wallet holster, for if I’m demanded by a robber to produce my wallet. With zero warning, I probably couldn’t get to my Glock 26 IWB when I’m already staring down an armed robber, possibly while seated. So I keep the little Taurus TCP in .380 for that not at all uncommon (in Houston, anyway) scenario. I also keep it as a general back-up gun for myself and as a second gun should I need to arm a companion in a pinch. In suit pants or shorts, I’ll typically carry just that, as even the G26 is a little chunky for that attire.

      All these years I’ve just laughed off the anti’s charge that firearm owners consider their firearms as measures or even drivers of their manhood. I just use the right tool for the job, from mouse gun to shot gun, and shrug off what scoffers might think. Apparently for some, however, there may actually be some truth to that charge. Who knew?

      • I keep my iwb cco sized 1911 closer to my back at around 8 o clock (lefty) so it sits flatter. I don’t have much front to back space to hide a gun at 9, it prints too much. The draw is almost exactly the same as grabbing my wallet from a sitting position. Slight lean forward, sweep clear shirt, grip and draw.

    • How special.

      It so happens that during jacket/coat season, I have no problems concealing a full size, outside the waistband. (I just make sure to buy jackets that are long.) In summer I will often open carry. So my interest in micro 380s is pretty close to nil. Sometimes, though, something smaller IS called for I’ve had bad experiences with *every* 9mm compact I’ve ever tried, include the one I bought (Beretta Nano) so my interest in so-called “mouse guns” in general is pretty scant (maybe I will go back to the Makarov).

      But that is me, it certainly ain’t thee, or any other person reading my words. The best gun to carry is one that you can and will carry, and to impugn the manliness of people who cannot carry YOUR favorite round or gun because of their situation (body size, climate, the consequences of flashing or printing where they are at) is just absolutely fucking absurd.

  18. How about this? Glock spends a few dollars, and alot of its clout, to get U.S. import laws slightly modified so it can ship the .380’s it already makes into the country. Or – they could just let a “few fall of the truck” and amp up the demand (and normalcy) of pocket guns without safeties so we can get these restrictions lifted.

  19. I own a hand gun in just about every defensive handgun cartridge caliber there is.
    What I don’t own is a 9mm. Never had a need for it.
    But I was looking forward to buying a 9mm in the near future.
    A single stack 9 and hopping this would be my 1st Glock.
    Guess that’s not to be.

  20. I’m probably in the minority here, but I think this is a great idea, especially for someone like my wife. I bought her a Ruger LCR .38 Special, and she really hated it. The kick was too much for her, and the double-action was too intimidating. Yes, lots of practice could have improved her confidence, but with the cost of ammo….

    Anyway, I bought her a SIG P238 HD, and she absolutely loves it. In fact she carries all the time now. Had a compact Glock .380 been available, we might have gone that route instead.

    • Yep, the G42 seems clearly to be aimed at lower recoil in a reliable pistol. We have enough tiny pistols already, don’t we? But many tiny pistols in larger calibers are unpleasant for some to practice with. Without practice, little pistols remain little inaccurate pistols.

  21. I personally wanted this gun to be a 9mm, and who knows, it still may be (the leaked ad has “Tennifer” listed as the finish, which Glock no longer uses).

    The idea of it being a 380 may be “OK”. My LCP is a 380, and it’s great because it’s pocketable. However, my LCP is horrible to shoot. A couple times a year I take it out to maintain proficiency. I’m due to repeat it here soon and I dread #1 spending the money on 380 and #2 how lousy an experience it is. If Glock can make a 380 that is more comfortable to fire than an LCP/BG, and can be pocketable in most high drag/low speed pants then they may be on to something. I’ll reserve judgement until it comes out.

    My prediction is that it may not be a hit with the existing Glock fan base, but it may lure new shooters into the fold (esp. Women).

    • Glock doesnt use Tennifer (nitride) anymore?
      Since when, as far as I know its the best treatment for slides, which is why everyone uses it, they just name it something else

  22. Even introducing a new 22LR pistol would’ve made more sense than this!! They got every aspect right but the caliber. A company like Glock should know better.

  23. I’m curious as to the action if this new GLOCK brand GLOCK. I’d heard that .380s need to use a blowback design and thus can kick even more than a 9mm with the dropping breech thingie… Technical term escapes me. Can anybody enlighten me?

      • The BG does indeed. I have not fired a LCP or any of the other .380s recently produced, but those that I let fire my BG at the range who have, constantly comment on how comfortable the recoil is.

      • The Sig P238, Kel Tec P3AT, and Kahr CW/P380 all use locked breeches. Walther PPK is probably blowback along with Hi points.

  27. I personally am looking forward to the 42. When it comes to pocket guns, sometimes 9mm are to much. They maybe also looking for a pistol aimed to market at the women/novice shooter demographic.

  28. About an inch shorter and 0.264″ slimmer than my G36. Is this enough of an incentive to go from 6 rounds of .45 ACP to .380 ACP? Not for me. Maybe the weight differential will ultimately be it’s selling point, 9oz lighter unloaded. But I still think they missed the curve and are lying in the ditch on this one.

    • The G36 width is “28.00 mm / 1.10 in.,” from their web site. Are you saying the G42 is 0.84 inches wide?

      The G36 is quite slim. I find it easy to pocket, behind a print-preventer. It’s light, as well.

      • I agree. The G36 is a nicely sized package. Conceals well, shoots well. I don’t see why Glock doesn’t run a bit further with the idea in .40 or 9mm.

  29. as i said on another thread, someone i know in the industry said everything he could (without violating his NDA) implying that it would be a 9mm. Its possible i misread him, but until this is officially unveiled by glock as being a .380, i will assume its going to be a 9mm. It just makes more sense (to me, anyways)

    maybe glock is intentionally fanning the .380 flames..then when it debuts what is actually a 9mm, people will be like “oh alright it IS a 9mm! gimme gimmee!” Sort of like the “New Coke” theory with only the threat of the change instead of actually bringing it online.

  30. Who is bothered by Glock bringing out yet more models/calibers of Glock? Who loses? What other company produces reliable, easy-to-clean, relatively inexpensive, identical-in-function pistols in so many calibers and sizes? No other company.

  31. Given that the majority of DGU’s don’t involve discharging the firearm, caliber almost becomes moot, anyway. I know, I know, “But what if you *do* have to fire?!” Well, then you may want a larger caliber. Or not. Make your own decisions, but try to include as many of the relevant facts as you can and not limit yourself to a single specific scary scenario. After all, DGU for any given individual is fairly rare to begin with. The subset of actually discharging is rarer still.

    It’s funny when people will make an argument and then sit simultaneously defiant and triumphant, as though the validity of their single point is the be all end all of the discussion. It’s all about trade-offs, costs, risk assessment, my friends, and balancing numerous valid and competing points. Not all of which may even apply to your situations. Really, roving bands of marauders are possible and has happened out there, but I’m not outfitting the Honda with a turret and .50 cal. and cruising the subdivision “just in case.” Or I might, if I weren’t so sure it would void the warranty and violate HOA deed restrictions.

    • Use whatever caliber you will hit with. That of course logically presupposes you’ve carried the gun in the first place. The point being, to carry. The worst carry gun is one you won’t.

  33. I’d like to make a comment about the perception that .380 (9mm Kurtz) is a “nice cartridge for women:”

    In my experience of teaching women to shoot, women can handle most anything a guy can in a handgun (until we get into the hand cannons in the .454 and up range) as long as their hands get an authoritative grip on the gun.

    The #1 problem for gun companies to solve for females is not the power of the round, it is the fit of the gun. That is applicable across all types of guns – pistols, revolvers, rifles and shotguns. In long guns, gun companies have studiously ignored the needs of women for a century. I can’t begin to tell you how much different the issue of gun fit is for women on shotguns than for men. Fastest way to turn off a gal from shooting trap/skeet/clays? Hand her an average shotgun, sized for the average 5’9″ to 5’10” man and let her shoot two rounds of trap or skeet (i.e., 50 total rounds of ammo). She’ll likely never shoot anything again after she sees the bruise form on her right breast – a situation that could be avoided with some toe-out and change in pitch on the heel of the stock.

    In handguns, the revolver companies and the old-school semi-autos used to provide options for women that allowed them to get a good grip on the gun. There’s a reason why so many women like J-frames – the grips allow them to get real control of the gun. Women with larger than average (for women) hands handle a 1911 just fine. I’ve met several women who can make a 1911 sing on a range just fine. They tend to be in the 5’7″ and up height range, but I’ve met a couple of gals in the 5’4″ height range that drove a 1911 just fine.

    But when we start talking about women from 5’0″ to 5’4″, now we’re typically seeing women who have a lot of problems getting a good grip on a modern double-stack pistol grip and maybe even a 1911 single-stack. The obsession with round count has made this problem more severe. My grip is such that I can’t hold a Glock 21 with the authority I want. Does that mean the 10mm is “too much” for me? Heck no. In a Delta Elite, I can drive a 10mm all day with ease.

    Gun companies should start thinking about grip size as the big-big feature for women instead of injecting pink/”raspberry”/purple coloring into their cheez-whiz on an under-powered semi auto and calling that a “woman’s gun.”

    If I were in the business of marketing cheez-whiz to shooters, I’d go get me a bunch of gals who don’t shoot, but were open to the idea or interested in learning. And I’d get a bunch of experienced female instructors. I’d make myself scarce, being a man.

    Then I’d lay out a bunch of single-stack pistols, ask the instructors to shoot them, train the marketing feedback group of ladies to shoot them, then ask for feedback – again, using only the female instructors. And I’d listen remotely. Then I’d make the changes the gals indicated they wanted…. and I’d clean up. The thing I notice about gals is how much word-of-mouth product recommendation counts to them. Direct advertising to women? Yea, that sometimes works. A gal who hears about a product from a gal-pal who loved said product? That’s a nearly certain sale right there.

    I’ll bet my hangie-down parts right here and now that pastel colors wouldn’t be on the list of changes the ladies would want on guns. Changes in grip size? Very high on the list. Changes in the grip shape, so as to spread the recoil better into slimmer, less-muscled hands? Also very high on the list. Changes in how high a woman could get her hand to the axis of recoil? Also likely high on the list. Changes in controls so that they won’t snag on clothing, or chip nails/manicures? Also likely high on the list.

    Bubble-gum pink plastic .380’s? Probably not anywhere on the list.

    • Actually I know a number of women who just find colored guns to be darling. But that invalidates none of your other suggestions as to what manufacturers ought to do.

  34. Lots of people saying the micro 9s are uncontrollable and/or rough to shoot….
    Have you actually shot any? The P290RS, P938, Shield, etc are very soft shooting, almost like a fullsize. They are not bucking broncos like older small guns. The small 380s tend to be way snappier, yes they are smaller but my point is anyone can shoot the modern micro 9s. My 100lb wife has no issue.
    Glock choosing to do a 380 the size of other 9s, when everyone has wanted a single stack 9 just shows how out of touch they are.
    Regardless itll sell like hotcakes because its a Glock brand Glock

  35. The issues to address here are ease of use (recoil, racking the slide), comfort and fit (grip size and angle), and effectiveness. The .380 ACP cartridge will get the job done against one or two attackers, if fired accurately. Ruger’s LC380 gets good reports on its comfort and ease of use, the trigger being a notable weak point.

    The Glock 42 should fix this issue, and be concealable enough, yet also be able to grip quickly in the draw. Provided no stuff ups occur, this should be a good light weight defense choice.

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