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G42, the most reliable 380

14K views 111 replies 58 participants last post by  mc1911 
#1 ·
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Not mine, just nice images. I've posted enough of mine. Amazing how the G42 consumes pretty much anything you feed it. Perfect size for pocket carry. Comparing it to other 380's is like comparing a Porsche to a Mustang! :)
 
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#88 ·
If by LCPc you mean the LCP Custom with the red skeleton trigger, that has been the best 380 I've owned yet. I had the original LCP for years and could't shoot it at all--no sights--terrible trigger. The LCP Custom is a shooter for such a comfortable pocket gun--good sights and good trigger.

I have a NIB G42 that was a trade I made only to get rid of something else. I can't decide whether to even shoot it or trade it. I have the G43 and the LCP Custom. Where does the G42 fit in there? It is sort of in between.
 
#89 ·
If by LCPc you mean the LCP Custom with the red skeleton trigger, that has been the best 380 I've owned yet. I had the original LCP for years and could't shoot it at all--no sights--terrible trigger. The LCP Custom is a shooter for such a comfortable pocket gun--good sights and good trigger.

I have a NIB G42 that was a trade I made only to get rid of something else. I can't decide whether to even shoot it or trade it. I have the G43 and the LCP Custom. Where does the G42 fit in there? It is sort of in between.
If you want t get rid of it to make room, etc., don't shoot it. If you shoot it, you likely won't be parting with it. It is a completely different deal to any of the guns you have listed.
 
#98 ·
The most unreliable .380 I ever had was the Kahr P380.
It couldn't have been tested in the factory, no sane person would have allowed such a monstrosity to be sold. I got close to flattening it with a hammer, it would have been an improvement. I kept trying to shoot it and a few hundred rounds later it actually became reliable and except for some ammo feeding preferences, it works great.
The most reliable .380 was an old Bersa, unbelievably reliable, it would feed fired unsized cases more than 50% of the time and resized cases most of the time. Loved it, unfortunately the metal used on the slide was a bit soft and it got peened a lot, gave it to a friend who didn't shoot it much. I hope the newer Bersas are as reliable and more durable.
 
#100 ·
I haven't crushed a gun, but I did take a few apart into little bits and cut up the receivers, all to be dumped off the Golden Gate Bridge in a mock burial ceremony. I wasn't about to sell any of them to some unsuspecting buyer and they were of no use to me. I probably broke a bunch of laws with those actions. :)

My P380 has been a little workhorse. Even when I beat it to crap with over pressure ammo and battered the frame all up, after I cut and ground the mushroomed parts off, it returned to being 100%. I wonder if they maybe along the way they finally got them dialed?
 
#101 · (Edited)
My .380 experience is limited to the Glock 42, the Sig-Sauer P230, the Beretta 1934, the Walther PP, PPK and PPK/S (the PPK/S being a licensed copy made by Ranger, in the US, in the 1980s, the others being post WWII “German” Walther, meaning manufactured in France by Manhurin and then proofed by Walther in Germany).

The PPK/S was problematic until a gunsmith worked it over. It’s a good shooter now. No problems with the other Walthers. But, as these are truly vintage “fun guns”, I did not use hollow point ammo (which I’d be leery of anyway, given the poor penetration of many .380 JHPs).

The Walthers all tend to hammer bite, and I don’t have large, meaty hands.

The Beretta runs like a charm. That open slide design, I suspect, helps. Still no JHPs tried. It’s single action and I wouldn’t care to carry it cocked and locked, given the design of the safety. But, it’s a damn reliable gun and handles well.

The Sig was reliable, and with that one, I did shoot JHP as well as ball. No problems. Lightweight. Great balance and pointing characteristics. A bit large, though, given some of the options today in sub compact 9mm pistols. Like the Walthers, it has an elegance about it.

The Glock runs fine with ball, both before and after a parts upgrade by Glock. Not so with Remington Golden Saber, even after that upgrade. Will have to try another bullet design. Maybe I’ll try Hornady next. The Golden Saber performed very poorly in FBI tests, so I would never use it anyway, as a defensive load. Ball penetrates, but, of course, doesn’t expand and so the wound track is small.

The 42 is easy to shoot rapidly and accurately and, being striker fired, doesn’t bite! Recoil seems mild, too. And, I like that I can add night sights. A airweight J frame Smith isn’t much bigger, or heavier, and a good .38 Special is always better than a .380, provided one can shoot it accurately and quickly...and reload quickly. Hits with a .380 are better then misses with a .38, if you’re fighting for your life. J frames are difficult to master, but, they WORK.

With the best available load that works reliably, I think a .380 pistol like the 42 has a limited place as a carry option, when nothing larger is truly feasible, and preferably when you really don’t think you’ll need it, but want, well, SOMETHING, in case your threat assessment was wrong. The 42 is light, flat and handy...and the sights are usable.

However, one must understand the very real shortcomings of the cartridge and not minimize them to rationalize convenience.

Even with good shot placement, .380 rounds simply may not be able to perform in a way that would maximize their potential to force incapacitation on an attacker as rapidly as possible. They may take effect eventually, but eventually can be a lifetime in a gunfight for real.

In short, the 42, like the other pistols I’ve mentioned, is a decent “better than nothing” gun. Its limitations are a function of the cartridge’s terminal ballistics issues. As a pistol, the 42 a nifty little shooter, and I’m glad to have mine.
 
#102 ·
I'm with BAC and quite a few others on the reliability issue in the title. I have a couple of Sig P238s that have been 100%, but there are enough reports of problems that I won't consider it to be overall the most reliable .380 out there, either. They fit my pocket considerably better than the G42 though, and are great shooters. I have a Beretta 84 that I picked up used, and it has been 100% as well. It is probably a better candidate for The Most Reliable. Others have been forward some good title contenders, as well. I note that the most reliable ones are the bigger ones. Probably not a coincidence.
 
#104 ·
I love my 42. I have every current upgrade available, and stippled. I conceal carry it everyday, and it is super concealable and comfortable. The accuracy is off the charts for what it is. I shoot this gun at 25yds all the time with a consistent 4" group sometimes a little less. I'm not sure there is any other gun this small of this caliber than can perform like that!
 
#105 ·
My G42 has been flawless, as have my Walter PPK's, PPK/s's, PP's, Sig P238, etc. I don't think I've ever had a 380 that did not function well.

The one thing I do note is that the G42 is very susceptible to change in ammunition, not for functioning, but as far as changes in point of impact. Far more so than my other 380's.
 
#111 ·
Haven’t shot it a while because of the crazy ammo price, but I really like my G42. It’s such a soft shooter that is also very reliable and accurate. I normally carry it IWB or AIWB, but this is the only Glock that I also pocket carry occasionally.
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