Newest Glock

Anyone who doesn't believe that the .380 isn't the hottest cartridge out there only has to look at the newest Glock presented. It is the Glock 42, and it is touted as the smallest Glock built. It is smaller, thinner, lighter, etc - and it is in .380 ACP.

But that's only part of the news. As most of you know, .380's generally are blowback designs, wherein the recoil of the slide immediately begins the extraction of the spent case. To aid in controlling some of the gases, usually the springs are "stout". However, now we see the advent of numerous examples of .380 +P+ offerings. These puppies run 85-95 gr and >1,000 fps. Nothing shabby about that.

However, blowback now will require even stouter springing to insure that the gases don't blow up in the shooter's face. THAT might cause some tendency for malfxn with lighter loads.

Enter the Glock 42. To date, only Ruger & Walther (I think) made locked breech weapons in .380. Such a design allowed for higher pressures while having lighter recoil springing. That means that smaller shooters would find a decent cartridge for SD while having relatively light slide pull-back forces. Now the Glock 42 joins this group.

My sense is that we will be seeing more of this kind of weapon. It will be driven by the lighter pull of the slide and the higher power of the newer cartridges.

The .380 ACP has arrived!

Kewl! Looking forward to the range report.

How are you planning to carry it?

You make the assumption that I have one. They are flying off the shelves at Whittaker's so fast they can't keep any in stock. I have looked at the website, and a break-down of the parts, but have as yet to actually SEE one.

But one of my cop friends in E-ville is planning on getting one as a back-up, so I will hopefully get to see it this coming weekend. I look forward to that. I may even try to get some pics.

So I go to my gunshop to pick up my Luger and LO! There is a GLOCK 42 being raffled. $15 per chance, 2 for $20, total of 54 being sold. Not a bad return for the owner.

Anyway, I got to handle it. SMALL! Like REALLY small. AND locked breech, as I said. I am not sure a guy with my size paws will be able to shoot this well. But the women will like it. So will anyone who wants to conceal well.

Seen the Rem 51 in the wild, Dev? Or is it just one more instance of Remington vaporware? The G42 is cool, but a 9mm in the same size pistol would be REALLY cool.

BTW: What is the punch line on your avatar? I can't read the second line with these old eyes. But I CAN see the GAU-8. A-10s forever!

VENGENCE IS MINE, SAITH THE LORD

But He subcontracts

No Remi 51's that I have seen - anywhere.

Devereaux wrote:VENGENCE IS MINE, SAITH THE LORD

But He subcontracts

OUTSTANDING!

That IS good.

I've not seen the Rem 51 yet, either. I have high hopes for it, though. I've often thought how cool it would be of Colt issued a modernized 1903, which will never happen, but a modern Remington 51 has a lot of potential..

Old guns have a nostalgic value, but I'm not sure whether there is economic sense in bringing them out again. The market for such would be pretty small, and the guns would have to be done [i]well[i] because those who might be interested would most likely be discerning types vis a vis weaponry.

Yeah, I know you're right about this. I don't like it, but it is true.

That's an issue I've been wrestling with lately: nostalgia vs efficiency/effectiveness.

That is NOT to say I'm gonna stop occasionally carrying a Ruger Blackhawk, or shooting a magnum wheelgun at IDPA. However, I might...MIGHT...recognize that, notwithstanding my yearning for old guns, there might...MIGHT...be a design or two out there at least as effective as something that Bill Jordan carried on the Border Patrol.

Depending on the circumstances, old guns can be fun. To shoot, to carry, at a barbeque. I have long wanted to buy a Shofield and take it to a SASS shoot - one gun. Reload on the clock with that bad puppy. I think it would be a hoot! Yes, I wouldn't "win" anything, but the concept of shooting an old cowboy gun the way most cowboys would have had them is fun. Even as it is, I often shoot my USFA .45 Colts with full power .45 Colt rounds. The other guys sort of chuckle, but I figure that the old west didn't have "gamer" guys.

And wheel guns aren't dead. It's just that in most situations a more modern weapon is a better choice. I even understand all the question of carrying a 1911. It isn't the most forgiving thing if you don't pay attention to the little stuff (like extractor tension).

If I get lucky enough to win another Glock at GSSF This year I am deciding between either a Gen 4 Glock 19 to round out my 9mm collection of Glocks or else a G42 to have something smaller than my G26.

Hask - ?you collect Glocks. ?What all do you have.

I wouldn't call myself a collector, but I seem to be adding to my pile of Glocks. I have Gen4 17, 26, and 34 right now. Which allows me to shoot 3 divisions in GSSF this year. I have shot the 17 the most with probably about 3,000 rounds through it as it was my first one and I Got it just after the Gen4's came out. (It has the upgraded ejector and latest recoil spring, though I ran the original recoil spring for about 2,000 rounds without issue after the first 100 rounds). I think I have 600 rounds through the 26. And the 34 I won last year in GSSF (I ordered it in June and it showed up in December). I have 100 rounds through the 34 and really like the - connector in it. So to complete the series of 9's I need a 19 and we need to repeal Hughes so I can get the 18 as well. Other notable 9's I would be missing would be a 17L. If they ever do one of those in Gen 4, I should probably try to get it just to keep the complete Gen 4 9 set going.

?So do you have any other pistols or are Glocks it.

I have a diamondback DB9. This year I am planning on adding a ruger SR-22 to the lineup.

No wheelguns, Hask! You are missing out on one of the joys of handguns. "Nothing in this world like a blue-eyed -- Single Action Army Colt". (You can take the "blue-eyed" to mean a blue job by Turnbull.)

I don't enjoy wheel guns. When I did my NRA basic pistol class before I bought my first Glock we shot both a wheel gun and a semi-auto .22 as part of the range time. I didn't really enjoy the wheel gun it wasn't my thing.

Interesting. Wheel guns shoot differently. The grip historically is wrong, although it does have certain benefits. So, eg., the SSA has a grip that allows the weapon to kind of spin in your hand upwards. That allows you ease of cocking the next shot. The later DA's had a similar grip, with the bottom being wider than the top. Make for the gun sliding upwards.

But modern grips can change that. Bill Jordan designed a grip for S&W's that made the gun feel differently, much better IMO. I once had a set of those, but don't rightly know where they went. And that's too bad because I have a Model 19 that could use them.

Wheel guns that have been breathed on are also different. A nice trigger on a worked Smith, or even a target trigger on that, are really nice - in the realm of a 1911 trigger.

Can't call myself a Glock collector - I've just got a bunch of them.

Bought the first one in '86, then more as different sizes and calibers became available. Each one purchased to fill a perceived need in my self defense suite. There's a significant advantage in the commonalty between pistols: controls are in the exact same place, full size magazines fit all the other sizes, triggers feel the same, and they all largely shoot alike. Any downrange practice round is directly applicable to all the other pistols.

I've watch some guys with a SIG for this, an XD for that, and a 1911 for the udder thing, fumble some simple task because of confused monkey memory. I wish I could claim foresight for the commonality advantage, but no - it just happened.

That's a long way to say that even though I'm locked into the semi-auto Glocks, and I own and favor other semi-autos, I still like shooting the wheelies, too. Single Actions, Double Actions, Break-Tops... They all go bang.   

Me too. With only a couple of exceptions, the only semi-auto handguns I have are Glocks. Everything else is a wheelgun. Tried plenty of others, they just didn't work as well for me as the Glocks. Not to mention, the price is right and repairs (if ever REALLY needed) can be done myself.

Tennessee Jed wrote:Me too.  With only a couple of exceptions, the only semi-auto handguns I have are Glocks.  Everything else is a wheelgun.  Tried plenty of others, they just didn't work as well for me as the Glocks.  Not to mention, the price is right and repairs (if ever REALLY needed) can be done myself.

Ah, yout.

Tried a 1911? A good one? I bought my SW1911 right before BHO won his ignoble Nobel. All I was able to say was "John Moses Browning, where have you been all my life." However, I still use the Glocks for SD.

I did try 1911's. Specifically, I tried a Springfield Armory Milspec model many years ago. I liked it. The only problem though is that I've got meaty hands, and after about 50 rounds always had an open wound on the web of my shooting hand. I considered getting a beavertail and Commander hammer, maybe some better sights, etc.

And then I decided "heck with it", and traded the SA Milspec in on the purchase of a pair of Ruger Vaqueros in 44 magnum. Had a lot more fun with the Vaqueros.

The modern touches of the beavertail, good sights and trigger can make all the difference. My personal poison, a SW1911, has all the good stuff, as well as an external extractor.

However - a pair of Old Model Vaqueros in .44 Mag... Too cool! I've got a pair of SS 5.5" .357 Bisley OMVs for SASS. Lub 'em to death.

Man, I can't shoot those .44 Mag Vaqueros. I had one and only fired five mag rounds through it. Mashed the heck out of my middle finger knuckle! Shot a box of .44 Specials and it was fine, but I still sold the gun.