Description
The Glock 42 380 ACP Gray Frame is the smallest pistol Glock makes, here with a gray frame instead of the usual black. At 5.94 inches long, 4.13 inches tall and just over twelve ounces empty, it occupies the pocket carry category rather than the belt carry one.
Glock 42 380 ACP Gray Frame Size and Concealment
The .380 Auto chambering is what allows the gun to be this small. A locked breech 9mm needs a heavier slide and stronger springs, which sets a floor on size and on how hard the slide is to rack. The 42 is deliberately easier to operate: the recoil spring is light enough that shooters who struggle to cycle a 9mm subcompact can usually work this one without difficulty, and recoil is mild despite the low weight.
Size and Trade Offs
Everything about the 42 is a consequence of its size. Six rounds in the magazine is fewer than any other Glock, the sight radius is the shortest in the line, and .380 Auto carries less energy than 9mm. Those are real limitations and worth weighing honestly. What the pistol offers in exchange is that it can be carried in circumstances where a larger gun simply would not be, and Glock reliability in a class where that is not a given. The grip has a built in beavertail and the magazine catch is reversible.
The barrel is a Glock Marksman Barrel, using the enhanced polygonal rifling profile and tighter crown Glock introduced with Gen5. On a short barrelled carry pistol that matters more than it might seem, because there is less sight radius to work with and less room for error in the bore.
Safe Action and Handling
The Safe Action system is unchanged from the rest of the line: three passive, independently operating mechanical safeties that disengage in sequence as the trigger is pressed and reset automatically when it is released. There is no manual safety lever to find under stress and no decocker. Trigger pull is around 5.4 pounds, slightly lighter than the standard duty guns, which suits a pistol meant to be fired quickly at close range.
Ammunition and Practice
One practical note on feeding a .380 this small. Modern defensive .380 loads vary considerably in how they perform from a barrel of this length, and hollow points designed around longer test barrels do not always behave the same way out of 3.25 inches. It is worth testing whichever defensive load you settle on through this specific pistol rather than assuming published figures transfer. Practice ammunition is also generally dearer per round than 9mm, which is a genuine consideration for anyone planning high volume training.
Specifications
- Model: G42
- Caliber: 380 Auto
- Capacity: 6+1
- Barrel: 3.25 in., Glock Marksman Barrel
- Action: Striker fired, Safe Action
- Overall length: 5.94 in.
- Height with magazine: 4.13 in.
- Width: 0.98 in.
- Weight without magazine: 12.17 oz
- Trigger pull: approximately 5.4 lbs
- Sights: Fixed
- UPC: 764503914102
Why Buyers Choose the Glock 42 380 ACP Gray Frame
The honest case for a .380 this size is that it gets carried. A pistol left at home because it is uncomfortable protects nobody, and the 42 fits in places a G43 or 43X does not, including a jacket pocket or an ankle rig. Glock also brought its reliability standards to a size class where cheap, unreliable pistols have historically been common.
The platform argument applies here as much as anywhere. Holsters, sights, magazines and parts for Glock slimline pistols are stocked everywhere, and the manual of arms is identical to every other Glock, so a carry gun and a range gun can share the same habits.
Who Should Buy It
The Glock 42 380 ACP Gray Frame suits the pocket carrier who needs the smallest workable option, the shooter with reduced hand strength who finds 9mm subcompact slides difficult to rack, and the buyer looking for a backup gun that disappears completely.
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