A late, expensive entry into a market segment dominated by products
designed to appeal to quality-insensitive cheapskates? Good luck, Glock;
thanks for the look at your marketing department's clay feet.
Did anybody think to call Kahr to ask what their P380 sales figures looked like?
Fearless Prediction: Like Colt's Mustang reissue, this is destined to appeal only to loyal brand fanbois; it will sell well mostly among people looking for the next thing to match their "G"-logo tattoo. They'll be filling orders out of NOS by 2015. (When I was still working retail and ordered a 10mm or "C" model gun in with my annual Stocking Dealer order, it wasn't unusual for it to be a year, two, or more older than all the nines and .40s in the box.)
( H/T to Unc.)
.
Fanbois is right, but you're wrong on NOS.
ReplyDeleteThey'll sell like hotcakes.
Fanbois outnumber educated by a huge margin.
You see Under Armour and North Face logos EVERYWHERE, simply because of the name.
Almost none of what you see on rear shoulders is actually expedition-quality North Face, cheapening the brand solely for marketing and sales.
Carhartt, a once proud name that stood for rugged workwear, moved production out of the US and cheapened things up for mass market.
Gerber
Kershaw
Buck
Then we have SIG which to the US in order to get the price down heh ?
ReplyDeleteTam, I think I like this G42 more than you do, and I think the CCW market is getting bigger and their is room for more players.
ReplyDeleteI see two problems. First, this is quite a bit bigger than a Ruger LCP. And second, I would rather have a double action trigger or manual safety on a pistol of this type.
But I own a Colt Mustang, so what do I know :)
Rob
Actually?
ReplyDeleteI'm not a Glock Fanboi, and I'm not disinterested.
Jeesh. Just noted the weight. 13.4 oz? They couldn't drop below that? That's about what a J Frame Airweight Chief weighs.
ReplyDeleteIf that's the same size as a G26, I can think of one reason why it will sell quite well to a certain market. When I was able to finger a .380 SIG sub-compact P250 I noticed something about the operation that made me exclaim, "That's going to be very popular with the elderly or anyone who doesn't have the hand strength to pull the slide on something bigger."
ReplyDeleteIf the G42 has a very light slide spring - which it could if it's a .380 with a locked-breech modified Browning design like the SIG .380 P250 - then it will be very popular with those who have not much strength in their hands.
Fans of Glock will certainly buy one, and yes the sales may be slow, but there will be a niche market for those who would like a quality arm that they can actually manipulate well.
Oh so close Glock but you couldn't just give the people what they want. This would have sold very well, 5 YEARS AGO!
ReplyDeleteThe only reason I'm not interested is I don't like .380. Not because I don't like the caliber, but because I'm ready invested in others. I don't need yet another caliber to reload.
ReplyDeleteHuh... I have a Glock 21, and no hats, tee shirts or tats. Guess I could get the knife or e-tool for street cred.
ReplyDeleteI have a Glock 19. Got some various paraphernalia around here someplace, too. No tatts, tho'...
ReplyDeleteBut, but, Glock tats are cool!
ReplyDeleteIt does seem a bit of an answer in search of a question.
ReplyDeleteUnless you're already invested in .380 and moving up from the various blow-back pistols, it's a bit of a step down from their caliber offerings.
Now, if the G43 is a single stack 9 and the G44 a single 40 they may be on to something in a line-up for those looking for slimmer Glocks.
Thanks...but I'll stick to my Colt Govt. 380 Auto Stainless Pocketlite...(how do you get all those nifty 'copyright' and 'trademark' type symbols to show up?)
ReplyDeleteIn the era of single stack subcompact 9mm, .40SW and sometimes .45 acp WHY? I mean ok, the 40/45 adds a bit of bulk but a subcompact nine has damn near the same physical stats and more power QED. Also it's easier to find (especially under panic conditions like this year), often cheaper as a milsurp, and more manufacturers make it.
ReplyDeletei may need this to maintain my gun hipster creds.
ReplyDeleteI'll wait for it to come out in 32acp, even narrower & lighter.
ReplyDeleteAnd with ergonomics designed for human hands.
How will a smaller .380 not run into the same problem that left the G25 & 28 declared by the ATF as not sporting enough to import? Or are we not the targer market here?
ReplyDeleteNice gun... for 2007.
ReplyDeleteRemember when Glock was ahead of the market and doing things like coming out with guns that led, and not followed, the market?
The problem with calling your products "Perfection" is that you really can't use 'Better than perfect" with "Perfection... Only Better!" as a tagline and/or product philosophy.
Time for Glock to take some cash cows out behind the barn and turn them into ground round....
Remember when Glock led the handgun market and came out with real cool stuff, sometimes with stuff that scooped other manufacturers?
ReplyDeleteGood times, good times.
The problem with using "Perfection" as a marketing tagline/product philosophy is that you can't really go beyond that. "Perfection...only better!" just doesn't cut it.
Glock needs to take some cash cows out behind the brand and turn them into ground round...
Maybe Glock thinks waiting for Beretta's Pico is a good plan.
ReplyDelete@Ancient Woodsman:
ReplyDeleteThat would be fine, except that the G25 and G28 are both straight blowback, and I'd be surprised to see them go with a different action on this one. I hope you're right, though.
Dave, I imagine that they'd just manufacture them by Glock Inc, here in the USA.
Dave, Glock now has a full factory in the USA (Georgia), so if the pistol is entirely produced here, import point problems are no longer a factor.
ReplyDeleteGlock is making a Diamondback .380?
ReplyDeleteNah, it's making a Shield, but in .380. ;)
ReplyDelete