The highly anticipated Glock 42 in .380 caliber hit the market in February 2014, and became an instant success for Glock. The size and caliber selection of the 42 left many Glock fans a bit confused as the 42 was slightly larger than most other ultra compact .380 models.
However, the 42 was designed as a sub-compact .380 handgun that could both be concealed and a pleasure to shoot. It’s interesting to note that most Glock aficionados were hoping for a single stack sub-compact 9mm, and then were slightly disappointed when Glock brought out the Glock 42 instead. However, those same fans were happy again the following year, when Glock introduced the Glock 43 model in 2015.
Since the pistol has been released, there have been 4 concerns that seem to swirl around the G42:
Outside of these few knocks, the Glock 42 has proven to be a outstanding 380 option for concealment. The size of most smaller 380 options makes them somewhat unpleasant to shoot. The G42 is actually very comfortable to shoot and offers typical Glock out of the box accuracy.
Now the Glock 42 did hit a few bumps in the road to success. The early versions that were first released had reports of failure to feed (FTF) and failure to eject (FTE) issues, along with complaints about the G42 being ammo picky. However, Glock was quick to address these issues, and later versions had no issues at all.
As the Glock 42 has grown in popularity, like most Glock models, an entire group of aftermarket options is/are now available. Now there are a plethora of aftermarket sights, trigger packages, magazine options, and slide options (including various non-factory colors) that are available for the Glock 42.
There are several different holsters for your Glock 42 available on the market. These include OWB or belt holsters, IWB or inside the waistband holsters, pocket holster options, and paddle holsters
The most popular leather holster style for the G42 are inside waistband holsters. This concealed carry holster style mounts to the belt using a belt clip or leather straps. ITP (inside the pants) holsters are designed to be carried on the strong side, appendix, or behind the hip. Many holsters designed for inside waist carry also feature a sweat guard or body shield.
Belt holsters (also called outside waistband holsters) are designed to be worn on the belt strongside, crossdraw, behind the hip, or small of the back position.Available to fit a 1.25 and 1.5 inch belt, our leather OWB holsters are molded for the Glock 42, and built for every day concealed carry.
The paddle holster design is easier to put on or take off compared to a belt holster. Our top selling paddle model for the Glock G42 is the MTR Custom Paddle.
Unfortunately, the unique frame size of the Glock 42 pistol requires it’s own unique fit. Holsters for any other Glock model will be too big for the G42.
While Don Hume offers a number of gun holster models in their line for the Glock 42, they don’t offer it for every holster in their line.
One of our most popular sellers is the Don Hume JIT slide, which can be seen here.
Yes, we carry holsters to fit the G42 with either a red or green CT laser, and those can be seen here.
Most any MTR Custom holster listed below is available in a version made to fit a Glock 42 with a Streamlight TL-6 mounted to it.
Unfortunately, not in leather. You might be able to find a solution in a one size fits all type of nylon holster, but in terms of a leather holster, the Glock 42 is too small to fit in a holster made for the Glock 43, and the Glock 43 is too large to fit in a Glock 43 holster. Your best bet will be to purchase one holster for the Glock 42 and another specifically for the Glock larger Glock 43.
If you are shopping for a Glock 43 here, try here: Glock 43 holsters.
We sure do. Most any MTR Custom holster listed below is available in a version made for a Glock 42 with a Viridian R-5R (Red), R-5 (Green), or RTL laser attached to it.
Like we usually tell customers over the phone, "best" is a descriptive word based on opinion. And, since most people don't have the same opinion, one person's opinion of the best Glock 42 holster will probably be different from another person's opinion of the best holster for the G42.
Our advice is to give some thought to how you want to carry the G42 and then plan from there. If you are planning to carry for CCW, then certain holster styles will work better than others. If you only want a G42 holster for the range, then there will be holster options that are designed for that specific activity as well.
A number of the staff here at Gunner's Alley owns a Glock 42, and the opinions are somewhat split on the G42 pocket carry. About half have the opinion that the G42 is a bit on the big side for pocket carry, while the other half seem to make G42 pocket carry work for them.
Our top selling G42 pocket holster models are as follows:
Don Hume 001 Front Pocket Holster
The holsters pictured below are just sample models so you can get an idea of what the holster looks like. The weapons shown in the holsters below are for demonstration purposes only. The holster models listed on this page are made to fit the Glock 42 even though a Glock 42 is not pictured in the holster. Although we try to photograph as many gun/holster combinations as possible, however we do not own every single handgun model on the market. As a result, we are not able to show every possible combination.
Holsters listed on this page are available in a version to fit the Glock 42 model pistol in right-handed and left-handed configurations..