Glock 42 Sight Adjustment

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  • Mark K

    Active Member
    Sep 29, 2013
    280
    Colorado Springs, CO
    My wife's got a new Glock 42.

    With the non-availability of .380 ACP ammunition, my first challenge was to work up a hand load that would cycle the gun reliably. Turned out it needs to be a pretty-hot load, near the top end of the recommendations. (For reference, 3.3 grains of HP-38 with a 100-gn FMJ bullet.)

    Next challenge was, at 5 yards she was consistently hitting about 3" left and about an inch low. "OK, dear,", I said, "you're obviously pushing the trigger to the left and anticipating the recoil." So I tried it, and was hitting ... 3" left and an inch low.

    "OK, I'm obviously pushing the trigger left and anticipating." So I tried it sitting supported on a shooting table, paying close attention to my trigger pull. Same thing.

    So I got an inexpensive sight tool that would work with the G42 (an NcStar VISM -- works real well). In order to hit centered for windage, I had to push the rear sight this far to the right:

    dYr2i3G.jpg


    That's at the very edge of the dovetail. I've never had to adjust a handgun sight this far, and it just looks...weird. Is this cause for concern? Or could something else be out-of-whack with the gun?

    I'm getting really good groups otherwise.

    Not sure what I can do about the elevation error, but we can live with that...

    *edit* Looking through some YouTube videos, I'm seeing some Glock rear sight pushed this far or more. Here's a Glock 36 that's a "tack driver" now:

    hIw4QFY.jpg


    And here's a Glock that has the rear sight pushed even farther to the left, a bit beyond the dovetail -- I assume adjusted that way:

    iVyYmLn.jpg


    So maybe this isn't that unusual...?
     

    Blaster229

    God loves you, I don't.
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 14, 2010
    46,410
    Glen Burnie
    People are too quick to adjust sights.
    The first step to troubleshoot bad groups is to troubleshoot your grip.
    No one looks at their grip. Just because it feels right, doesn't mean it is.

    When someone wants to adjust their sights, I ask them if they have their grip perfected.

    All that said, why are you trying perfect groups with a small pistol meant for center mass shots?

    You want to make many different holes instead of trying to make one larger hole. The first bullet to enter causes the most damage. Every shot landed should be "the first bullet".
     

    Blaster229

    God loves you, I don't.
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 14, 2010
    46,410
    Glen Burnie
    OK. Thanks. It's just...weird. Wanted to make sure I wasn't missing any possibility...keeping trigger pull in mind...

    Someone needs to simply just shoot the pistol, without aiming, to get used to recoil. Once that hurdle is out of the way, attention can be paid to other things, grip, sight alignment, etc...

    Don't read those stupid shot charts.
     

    Mark K

    Active Member
    Sep 29, 2013
    280
    Colorado Springs, CO
    People are too quick to adjust sights.
    The first step to troubleshoot bad groups is to troubleshoot your grip.
    No one looks at their grip.

    Yup, I'm aware of possible grip issues with a small, narrow frame/grip like the G42's. It is narrow, but I'm used to that with other single-stack guns. Besides, the solid careful supported shooting I was doing should have taken care of that...

    All that said, why are you trying perfect groups with a small pistol meant for center mass shots?

    Good point. But are you saying a group that's consistently 4" off-center at 5 yards is OK? I just think a spread should be centered on point-of-aim, at least as far as windage. If point-of-impact averages 4" to the side, then some shots in a series under stress are that much more likely to miss completely...
     

    Blaster229

    God loves you, I don't.
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 14, 2010
    46,410
    Glen Burnie
    Yup, I'm aware of possible grip issues with a small, narrow frame/grip like the G42's. It is narrow, but I'm used to that with other single-stack guns. Besides, the solid careful supported shooting I was doing should have taken care of that...



    Good point. But are you saying a group that's consistently 4" off-center at 5 yards is OK? I just think a spread should be centered on point-of-aim, at least as far as windage. If point-of-impact averages 4" to the side, then some shots in a series under stress are that much more likely to miss completely...

    No. But I am going with that most likely your reloads are the issue.
    When it comes to these things, I also think loading 1 round at a time is essential to diagnostics. People tend to shoot too fast with full mags.
    But I also can't believe that sights coming from the factory are that way off. My 43x shot a little left, but when I changed the sights, it's fine. I didn't even bother with trying to adjust the factory sights. Too much wasted work.

    I've had crappy wolf stuff waaay off at 7 yards. Crazy.
     

    Mark K

    Active Member
    Sep 29, 2013
    280
    Colorado Springs, CO
    No. But I am going with that most likely your reloads are the issue.

    If my reloads were the problem, then I'd be having wild shot groups. My reloads were grouping very well. Five-round two-inch groups at five yards supported.

    When it comes to these things, I also think loading 1 round at a time is essential to diagnostics. People tend to shoot too fast with full mags.

    Hard to do shot groups with one round in the magazine... And I was making very slow, deliberate supported shots, paying close attention to trigger pull -- taking up the slack first.

    But I also can't believe that sights coming from the factory are that way off.

    I agree. That would be a lot of offset, barrel axis vs. slide.

    My 43x shot a little left, but when I changed the sights, it's fine. I didn't even bother with trying to adjust the factory sights. Too much wasted work.

    Again, I agree the stock Glock plastic sights are crap, though they shouldn't be that much off. But I've got a set of Truglo TFO sights coming tomorrow.[/QUOTE]

    I've had crappy wolf stuff waaay off at 7 yards. Crazy.

    Well, the only thing Wolf or Tulammo touches is my SKS. :)
     

    AliasNeo07

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 12, 2009
    6,548
    MD
    I have owned 8 Glocks over the years and I have never had to do that.

    Normally people just aren't shooting properly and every Glock I've ever owned has been capable of stacking them in a hole at 25 ft or headshots at 25 yards. But like Blaster said that shouldn't necessarily be the goal. It means your fundamentals are good but as far as practical shooting that isn't really necessary.

    That's kind of been my problem. I've put many many thousands of rounds through my handguns over the years but 85 to 90% of them have been on the flat static range. It's better than nothing but getting out somewhere where you can do holster work, shoot steel, shoot and move, etc, is great. I've started to go to Delmarva more and do that and fix some of the bad habits I learned on a flat range.

    A lot of times shooters that say, "Hey guys I can shoot 1 hole at 25 feet with my Glock 19 but with my glock 43 I can't. I'm used to shooting Glocks so it must be the sights." No, the grip on a g19 is way different than a g43. That's an adjustment even if you are used to shooting Glocks.

    Maybe try again on a different day, with different ammo, and maybe let a different shooter try. It is possible the factory sights could be that far off but it's unlikely.
     

    outrider58

    Eats Bacon Raw
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 29, 2014
    49,818
    I have owned 8 Glocks over the years and I have never had to do that.

    Normally people just aren't shooting properly and every Glock I've ever owned has been capable of stacking them in a hole at 25 ft or headshots at 25 yards. But like Blaster said that shouldn't necessarily be the goal. It means your fundamentals are good but as far as practical shooting that isn't really necessary.

    That's kind of been my problem. I've put many many thousands of rounds through my handguns over the years but 85 to 90% of them have been on the flat static range. It's better than nothing but getting out somewhere where you can do holster work, shoot steel, shoot and move, etc, is great. I've started to go to Delmarva more and do that and fix some of the bad habits I learned on a flat range.

    A lot of times shooters that say, "Hey guys I can shoot 1 hole at 25 feet with my Glock 19 but with my glock 43 I can't. I'm used to shooting Glocks so it must be the sights." No, the grip on a g19 is way different than a g43. That's an adjustment even if you are used to shooting Glocks.

    Maybe try again on a different day, with different ammo, and maybe let a different shooter try. It is possible the factory sights could be that far off but it's unlikely.

    I have a p80 g32 that was hitting low and left. Even after jacking the rear sight all the way over to the right, I still couldn't hit point of aim.
    I later asked Blaster to try it. It was dead on, with the rear sight still jacked way over to the right.
    Every gun is different. I only carry that gun as bear protection. I know I can hit something chewing on me.
     

    Mark K

    Active Member
    Sep 29, 2013
    280
    Colorado Springs, CO
    I've tried to eliminate every possible cause/variable variable you guys have brought up.

    Grip (and my first assumption of bad trigger pull): Deliberate supported shooting should have eliminated that.

    Ammunition: Good shot groups indicate the ammo isn't at fault.

    Different day: The G42 was shooting left and low on three different days.

    Different shooter: My wife (admittedly not the most experienced shooter) and I (certainly not a novice) had the same result.

    I have a p80 g32 that was hitting low and left. Even after jacking the rear sight all the way over to the right, I still couldn't hit point of aim.
    I later asked Blaster to try it. It was dead on, with the rear sight still jacked way over to the right.

    Pushing the rear sight on the G42 all the way to the right seemed to fix the problem, both standing unsupported and sitting supported -- at least for me. Next steps: I do want to find one of the experts at the gun club to shoot this gun. And I intend to put the Truglo sights on.
     

    GuitarmanNick

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 9, 2017
    2,221
    Laurel
    I have several pistols that required sights be drifted to one side or the other to hit POA. I always check a new acquisition using a rest.

    One 1911 pistol in particular has both sights off to one side. This requires the rear sight to be quite far from the center mark on the slide. Even so, the gun is very accurate and does hit on POA!

    As for elevation on Glocks, selecting a different rear sight height may be needed. One of mine required a taller rear sight to bring the POI up to the POA. There is also an adjustable rear sight which works well and is inexpensive.
     

    Mark K

    Active Member
    Sep 29, 2013
    280
    Colorado Springs, CO
    Just a pointless, not very accurate pistol that really did nothing for me.

    Honest, not trying to bust your chops, but you did write earlier that it's "a small pistol meant for center mass shots." Yeah. Doesn't have to be match-accurate at 7 meters or less. I just want it to average center-of-mass if that's where its aimed.

    I assume you've got nothing particularly against .380 ACP, since you bought a G42 in the first place?

    The intent is for my petite wife to be able to concealed-carry it if necessary.

    Anyway, I e-mailed Glock customer service, and they recommended I call and talk with a technician. Before I do that, I'll make sure I see how it does with some of my precious little remaining commercial ammo, so they don't voild my warranty because of reloads...
     

    Blaster229

    God loves you, I don't.
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 14, 2010
    46,410
    Glen Burnie
    Yeah. I think accuracy of whatever I said was the word I was thinking of at the time. I had a Ruger LCP and it was lousy as well.
     

    Mark K

    Active Member
    Sep 29, 2013
    280
    Colorado Springs, CO
    Well, problem solved, I think.

    My wife and I took the G42 to the gun club today, and had one of their experts shoot it. (Qualifications? He's a USPSA Grand Master, and helped evaluate the G42 for the NRA when it first came out -- so he's very familiar with the gun.)

    He was hitting groups with it, and my reloads, at 3 to 5 yards with holes touching each other, center-of-aim.

    So turns out it wasn't the ammo. It was us, but not our grip in general.

    It was how far the trigger finger wraps around the trigger.

    I was always taught to have the trigger under the pad of my finger, or under the first joint. That works for most guns, but apparently not with how small the grip is on the G42.

    He said to push the trigger finger in as far as it will go around the trigger, trying to have the palm pad at the base of the trigger finger tight against the frame.

    He was doing that. And it worked for me. And for my wife. In fact, she couldn't get over how much better she was shooting.

    I might add that I also fired 50 rounds (reloads) from my 9mm Sig Sauer P290RS my "old way" (first joint on the trigger), and didn't have any issues...except for that long hard DAO trigger pull. The guy said his trigger finger position wasn't necessary with other guns, but it doesn't hurt to be consistent. So I'm going to have to try it with my other guns...

    By the way, I had the new TruGlo TPO tritium/fiber optic sights on, centered in the dovetail. Nice sights.
     

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