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millsan1

G42 vs PPK/S review

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The GF has been looking for a pocket carry gun (we live in PA now).  She has shot a bunch of different guns (LCP, LC9, Kimber Solo, Bodyguard, shield and a few others.)

 

Wednesday night, there was a show on the PPK.

 

Thursday I got a bonus at work.

 

Needless to say, Friday, we headed to Cabelas.

 

She looked at both the PPK/S and a G42.  Also looked at the Bersa, but the quality difference between the Walther and the Bersa was noticeable.

 

She was leaning towards the PPK, but handling both of them, I felt the G42 would be a better choice.  But being a wise man, I did not insist, I merely suggested.  Which of course, fell on deaf ears and she chose the PPK.  Being a wise and generous man, I suggested she get both, which she graciously did.

 

The G42 is one of the new generation, as you can tell by the "-1" on the Slide Stop.

 

We picked up a bunch of Herters brass 380 FMJ at a good price (17.99 per box) and 3 boxes of critical defense.

 

While we were there, I picked up a 30 Rd PMAG, 17 round G17 mag and a 17 round M&P mag, just because.

 

Anyway, when we got home, it was time to take the little guys for a ride.  Luckily, we have enough land and lack of neighbors that the test drive was conducted in the back yard, off the deck.

 

Obviously, the PPK is a little bigger and a good bit heavier.

 

The sight picture on the PPK leaves a bit to be desired.  It is a notch and post deal, but the notch only has 1 dot, under the notch instead of the normal two dots.

 

The Glock sight picture is very good for a small gun.  Looks just like my G34, just shorter.

 

Now for the shooting.

 

Being 380s, the recoil on both is negligible.  I was semi expecting the G42 to kick a bit, or be snappy, but no such thing.  Both very easy shooters.

 

Both were equally accurate, and the oddness of the sight picture on the PPK went away after a few rounds.  Both pointed neutrally and naturally.  We were shooting at 1 gallon paint cans at about 15 yards and were both producing consistent hits on target at that range.

 

The Glock fits my hands amazingly well.  I have large hands, and my favorite gun is my Beretta 92 with Hogue grips.  I only get two fingers on the G42 grip, but that hold is very secure and comfortable for me.  I was immediately at home with the gun and shooting accurately.   My GF was not as comfortable with it.  She could get 2 fingers on the grip, but barely 3.  With 2 fingers, she did not have a real firm grip, and with 3 her hands were crowded.  So she had to decide between less control or a crowded hold.

 

When I shot the PPK, it fit in my hand well, and again, was a soft shooter.  I was accurate with it, but something was amiss.  I could not put my finger on it initially, but then I figured it out.  The spur was hurting my hand.  My GF had no such problem.   We compared, and the difference is that when holding the gun, the end of the spur is touching my hand, and when I shoot, the recoil digs the spur into my hand.  Her hand was completely under the spur, so when the gun recoiled, it did not come in contact with her hand.

 

We came to different conclusions as to which gun we preferred.  She liked the PPK more and I love the G42.

 

She liked the heft of the PPK and the slightly milder recoil.  She also had a comfortable 3 finger grip on the gun.

 

My only complaint about either gun is the spur on the PPK beating my hand up. 

 

We each shot about 100 rounds of FMJ through each gun.  We then went through a mag of Critical Defense.

 

The G42 ran like a champ, with no issues at all.

 

The PPK was a different story.  When racking the slide back, there is what I can only describe as a soft stop and a hard stop, about 1/16 of an inch further back.  If you do not pull the slide all the way back to the hard stop, the first round will not load properly.  It consistently got hung up on the feed ramp if you only pulled back to te soft stop.

 

Besides that, the PPK ran very well. 

 

Overall, two very good guns.  The PPK is just beautiful and shoots well.  With my larger hands, the spur was hitting my hands and making it uncomfortable to shoot after a bit.  With my GF smaller hands, the PPK fit well, she could get a full grip, and shot very accurately.

 

The G42 is a Glock.  Shoots well, is accurate, is simple and fits like a glove in my hands. 

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Personally - I would choose the PPK/S over the Glock - jmo

Personally for defense not aesthetics I would go GLOCK.

Modern design, internal safeties, Run over with a truck ruggedness.

The problem that I've always had with the PPK family was the action bar that runs under the right grip.

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Personally for defense not aesthetics I would go GLOCK.

Modern design, internal safeties, Run over with a truck ruggedness.

The problem that I've always had with the PPK family was the action bar that runs under the right grip.

What issue do you have with the trigger bar? Just about every manufacturer of DA autos has copied Walther's design at one time or another.

 

I've carried PP, PPK, and PPK/Ss in 22,32, & 380 on a regular basis for about 40 years. That should be testimony to how I feel about their reliability. Yes, the hammer spur will bite unless you have small hands. I have a S&W Bodyguard 380 I find myself carrying more often over the past year.

 

I haven't handled or shot a G42. I am a Glock fan. Buying one will be influenced by the same factors I used selecting a 36 over a 30. When comparing the 30 to the 36 it wasn't that much smaller and the 30 gave me a few more rounds. If I don't feel the 42 is significantly smaller than a 26 I won't buy.

 

I have no doubts about the 42s reliability or durability because after all it is a Glock.

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I am not a block fanboy. I am a Beretta fanboy but I own several makes and 1 block. The G42 really just hits the mark for me though. It went right into my hand and felt and shot great from round #1. Unfortunately it I hers, so I will have to go get myself 1. Darn.

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While I've put a couple hundred rounds through a rental G42, I've put thousands through my PPK.

 

First things first, if the PPK/S spur is your only complaint... there's a fix for that... LOTS of shooting! I've got a callus built up where the spur touches my hand. Yeah, it can be a little tender after about 200 rounds in an hour at the range, but it's not drawing blood like the first time I took it to the range and put 250 rounds through targets. 

 

If you find a PPK or PPK/S made by S&W that shoots reliably, keep it. I found one that'll eat anything without any problems... anything except aluminum cased ammo. I love my PPK and when I move to PA, I think it will be my carry gun.

 

That being said, the G42 is the only Glock I've ever enjoyed shooting, and will probably pick one up in the next couple of months if the improvements prove reliable. I've found that I'm becoming a big fan of the .380 cartridge, and now that I'm reloading, I can do it for about $0.14 every time I pull the trigger!

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