Finding the perfect waist-pack handgun.

ravenswood

I'm considering taking up concealed carry for a waistpack and I have in mind Glock 42 .380 ACP or a new-model Colt Cobra in .38 Spc. + P. I don't like the looks of anything by Smith & Wesson in this class and not even the Shield 40 or Bodyguard 380.

It seems like .380 ACP is the "thirty-eight special" of autoloading handguns. Tame enough yet man-stopping enough and concealable enough to boot. The old-fashioned Colt Mustang looks too big, clunky and not comfy in the hands.

I saw a video demo on the Glock 42 and it looks very comfy to shoot and controls well under fast fire. It looks damn accurate in the hands of the world's best shots!

https://youtu.be/1xUM2MT6d9s

Is a genuine Glock as reliable as any revolver? Is it as safe as any revolver against accidental discharge as from dropping? How does trigger sensitivity in a Glock compare with a D/A revolver? Which has a heavier pull, a Glock or a D/A revolver in S/A mode? How does .380 recoil compare with 9mm Parabellum or Luger in a modern concealable pistol?

Oh, PS - Which factory ammo does this Glock 42 like the best as a defense carry load? "Liking" means being consistently accurate enough and cycling reliably enough for life-or-death situations. This being a compact pistol, I can hardly expect rifle accuracy at 50-yards and no serious concealed carry gun needs that much tack-driving talent to its credit. The biggest concern for many over the years with semi's has been jamming/misfeeds/other malfunctions that brass-chuckers have been damned for decades by many a gun writer. Glock has a highly-touted reputation though like Volvos and Toyotas  

earlyagain

I think Glock offers a 9mm model in the same size??? Maybe worth checking.

The Colt offers some resistance to unintentional trigger pull on draw, maybe at the expense of additional weight with less capacity?

ravenswood

earlyagain said:

I think Glock offers a 9mm model in the same size??? Maybe worth checking.

The Colt offers some resistance to unintentional trigger pull on draw, maybe at the expense of additional weight with less capacity?

Do you prefer 9mm over .380 for defense/concealed carry? Is the .380 a heavier kicker but more potent manstopper? I know Glock has their exclusive Safe-Action trigger. It seems as revolvers are about 12 pounds for D/A pull and about 5-6 pounds for S/A pull.  I understand a trigger too heavy might be hard to shoot fast and stay on target but too light a trigger is sensitive and might be dangerous for those not trained as professional users as police or military: Joe Q. Public who carries for security.  For years gun writers have recommended snubby revolvers for lay people.  I've fired Colt Government Model 45's and their triggers are much too sensitive for my liking. I've had them go off by surprise at the range while I was aiming and my trigger finger twitched. I've also fired medium frame 4"-barrel Smith and Wesson .38 special revolvers and found them highly controllable in both double and single action modes. I could hit the target a lot better with the Smith than I could with the 45 without any surprise discharges in my hand. 

earlyagain

Im not familiar with carry packs. The trigger issue may not exist if the gun can be easily grasped in the traditional trigger finger along the frame above the guard method.

I prefer the 9mm to the 380 if both guns being considered are identical in size and weight.

bullsi1911

Ravenswood/bobbert/johnathanbailey/ etc.... etc....  Can you explain to me what your problem is with our board, and why repeated banning does not get the point across?

Please engage us in a real conversation, or we will just keep banning you.

ravenswood

I found this article with a handgun recoil chart:

https://www.durysguns.com/news/how-much-does-that-handgun-kick#:~:text=For%20example%2C%20a%2038%20Special,a%2032%20oz%2038%20Special.

HOW MUCH DOES THAT HANDGUN KICK?

This is a common question and there are many misconceptions floating around. Following is a short list of recoil energies from common handguns, all taken from 40 oz guns. Lighter guns will kick more, heavier guns will kick less.  Cut the weight of the gun in half and the recoil energies felt would be doubled. Recoil energies also differ within caliber when different bullet weights are used but the following examples will give a representative comparison.
 

·         22 LR                      .36 ft pds

·         380ACP                 1.39 ft pds

·         38 Special            2.94 ft pds

·         9MM                      3.85 ft pds

·         357 mag               8.40 ft pds

·         40 S&W                 5.85 ft pds

·         45 ACP                  6.90 ft pds

·         44 mag                  21.95 ft pds

·         500 S&W              96.60 ft pds

If you have shot any one caliber listed, you can estimate the comparative recoil from the other guns based on the figures given. For example, a 38 Special has roughly twice the recoil of a 380 ACP i.e. 1.39 X 2 = 2.78. Again this assumes guns of equal weight at 40 ounces.  Obviously more math is needed when comparing an 11 oz 380ACP with a 32 oz 38 Special. 

POSTED IN: INDUSTRY AND PRODUCT NEWS, REPORTS FROM THE RANGE AND FIELD

Linefinder

We can play whack a mole all day long.

Mike

2Aman

Mods, thanks for bouncing that clown👍

earlyagain

Finding the perfect gunboard identity???

Justsomedude

Is Ernie a mod? Doesnt say so under his name.

Linefinder

Yes, Ernie is a mod.  He should have the title under his name, but since we are currently lacking an administrator, it's one of those things that "fell through the cracks", and we can't fix it ourselves.

Mike

Justsomedude

Hmm, I didn't know that until now. As for the OP, if that was indeed Bobert yet again, that has to be a record lol.

Spk

With all the calculators available online and free to use, that chart was the best he could do?!?

What our resident troll is doing right this minute.

Linefinder

He's no longer a resident. And never will be.

Mike