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Glock 42 ammo

9K views 26 replies 22 participants last post by  alou 
#1 ·
I just purchased a Glock 42 from GT Distributors. I need to buy a case of .380 fmj ammo. I know people have complained about reliability (due to ammo?) with this gun. Is there a general consensus as to what ammo is DEFINITELY good to go and equally as important, what ammo one should DEFINITELY stay away from? Thanks.
 
#2 ·
I shot maybe the first 500 rounds through mine with various value brands, PMC, American Eagle, Remington, Fiochhi, Blazer Brass (I think), all functioned without fail. Subsequently I have loaded my own over 1500, mild to wild and had no failures outside some loads obviously waaaay too light (like 90grs going under 750fps). I also have shot hundreds of Underwood +p version of the Lehigh XP bullet and my simulated reloads of that round, zero stoppages. Sorry for the lack of consensus other than mine works flawlessly.
 
#3 ·
Mine has been flawless just like WeeWilly with all sorts of ammo both FMJ and JHP along with Underwood Xtreme Penetrator. (which is my carry round)
 
#5 ·
I use Winchester and Magtech for practice and competition. I do notice one thing with the 42 and that is POI can be significantly different between different brands of ammo. I've noticed that the elevation can be 2 to 3" different higher or lower.
 
#6 ·
Most of the ammo I shoot is Winchester white box. I have also shot American Eagle, Remington, Federal HST, Critical Defense and Speer Gold Dots. I'm starting to lose count, but I have about 1600 rounds or so through my G42 without a single failure of any kind. Congrats on your new purchase.
 
#7 ·
Thanks guys. I was getting a little anxious trying to pick a round. Geco has the best pricing but not sure about that round. I think I shot some in .45 and wasn't wowed. Worked though. Blazer brass is the next best priced and I was leaning towards that.
 
#8 ·
It has been a long time since I shot any Geco, it was all 9mm Luger. I remember it being quality ammo, a little hotter than standard run of the mill 9mm fodder. One thing that stands out was the bullets were steel with a gilding metal plating. Big sparks when it hit a trap.
 
#12 ·
Mine have run 100% on 95 gr fmj/895fps reloads, and Gold Dots.
Personal impression is that they aren't ammo finicky, but to hedge a bet, try a particular brand before committing to 500.
Moon
 
#13 ·
I'd agree with -JNC-, getting my thumb on that slide stop lever has caused the most malfunctions on my G42. That's completely an operator malfunction and understandable on a pistol that small.

I've mainly shot American Eagle and Speer Lawman through my G42 with no other issues with those brands. I've shot some Perfecta brass through it with a few FTEs but that could have been operator error as well.
 
#16 ·
For carry ammo, it's hard for a hollowpoint to expand at .380 velocities and then if they do expand, they don't penetrate. Your best bet is FMJ's, for best performance and best reliability both..

The 90 grain Lehigh "Phillips Head" projectiles are also good especially the Underwood version.
 
#17 ·
For carry ammo, it's hard for a hollowpoint to expand at .380 velocities and then if they do expand, they don't penetrate. Your best bet is FMJ's, for best performance and best reliability both.
There are a few JHP .380 loads that consistently expand AND penetrate to FBI standards.

The loads utilizing the Hornady XTP bullet perform very well in .380.

Most [including me] would NOT recommend FMJ for defensive purposes. At this point, there are far better options available.

https://www.youtube.com/user/ShootingTheBull410/search?query=.380
 
#18 ·
The Gold Dots have a decent reputation for penetration and some expansion. They are also reputedly used by law enforcement in larger calibers; FWIW, Ayoob counsels to use what law enforcement uses.
Since they run just fine in the 42 and an LCP, it's what I carry. YMMV.
Moon
 
#19 ·
Win white box, Blazer Brass, Geco, all work in mine, as a matter of fact it will be my G-42, and a box of Geco in my range bag today for my bi-weekly range trip and Glock rotation. I do not carry it, but its fun to shoot and reliable if I ever had to use it.
 
#20 ·
Hornady Critical Defense 90 gr. FTX is normal carry. No problems whatever with Winchester White Box, Gold Dot, Precision Ammunition 90 gr. Operate well, and go where they are pointed. The 42 is a fun shooter. As personal preference I use Pearce grip extensions on all my 380 mags.
 
#21 ·
When we first picked up my wife's G42, we ran mostly Blazer Brass 95gr FMJ through the gun while she got comfortable with it. After that ammo was depleted, it's been reloads ever since: Xtreme 100gr over Unique.

For carry, she likes the Hornady American 90gr XTP the best.
 
#24 ·
I have a .380 but not a 42. Freedom Munitions has good prices at .22 per round for new and .19 for once fired brass with free shipping for first order. They often have free shipping for orders over $199 or flat rate shipping at $7.50. The bullet weight is 100gr. I asked them how well their .380 functioned in the Glock 42 and they said they did a lot of testing with the 42 to insure their .380 would function well in the Glock. FM works great in my LCP. it may be a dog in a 42. Maybe others on the forum have had experience with FM .380 in a 42. A similar company is LAX and you may want to check out their prices and shipping cost.
 
#26 ·
The Freedom Munitions reloads I bought (500 rds) function perfectly in all four of the G42's I've owned, but they are too hot (100 gr at 960 fps avg) for me to use except to make the power factor in IDPA Backup Gun category.

Other posters here have complained about different lots of the same ammo being too weak to reliably cycle their G42.

I am not a fan of commercial reloads.
 
#27 ·
I settled on Fiocchi for practice ammo and Sig V-Crown for carry. The Sig V-Crown performed very well in Luckygunner's tests. The only other round that did better was the Hornady FTX Critical Defense (given both expansion and penetration criteria). However, the Hornady was twice the price of the Sig and I already spent a fortune on the mouse gun and it's food so......
And as an added bonus, Luckygunner's .380 ballistics test was performed out of a Glock 42!

http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-defense-ammo-ballistic-tests/
 
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