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Tell me about the S&W 642 38sp Airweight
#4120215
03/14/13 02:35 AM
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Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 120
mike1285
OP
Woodsman
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OP
Woodsman
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 120 |
....the good, bad and ugly.
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Re: Tell me about the S&W 642 38sp Airweight
[Re: mike1285]
#4120314
03/14/13 03:18 AM
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,644
Chris/HOU
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,644 |
I've got a 637 which is the hammered version. I love it. It's the gun I'm most likely to have on me during shorts weather. With full loads...it hurts and +P can be hand numbing. My 44mag is easier on my hand. That being said, you won't notice when your life is on the line. It's a fun little gun with wad cutters though.
I can't really think of any negatives about the gun other than limited ammo. Speed strips are a good thing to carry with it.
My friend bought one of the fancy alloy .357 models at the same time I bought mine. Our first trip to the range was an experience for both of us. I shot his twice and that was enough for me...forever. He sold it.
Last edited by Chris/HOU; 03/14/13 03:20 AM.
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Re: Tell me about the S&W 642 38sp Airweight
[Re: Chris/HOU]
#4120360
03/14/13 03:35 AM
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Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 44,585
RKHarm24
sergeant
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sergeant
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 44,585 |
Relied on a "J" frame smith, one model or another for lots of years. The 642/442 are great revolvers and will do a job you ask it to do within the 5 shot limitations. Carry Safariland speedloaders, 2 or more for reloading quickly. 38 Spec +P loads will make it bark and jump so have grips you can control the gun with. Practice with good stout loads, just not the kind that shakes them apart or breaks them.
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Re: Tell me about the S&W 642 38sp Airweight
[Re: RKHarm24]
#4120498
03/14/13 05:05 AM
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Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 647
rustytxrx
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 647 |
Chris is right these revolvers can be a handful. Four time a month I have a 14 hour day. Makes the practice you have to pit in worth the light weight. Practice reloads under the timer. Practice your draw so that your grip indexes the gun under your eye so you don't have to look for the sights. You can miss a b7 target at seven yards...it is all in your grip. I shoot 125 gr +p. I practice draw and fire with snap caps often. We have been held up 3 times in six years. Once with a pistol, once with a knife, and once with a hidden gun that may have been a bluff. I was able to keep ever thing cool and they left without harming anyone. Ya got to stay ready for the one that goes haywire. one that I was called in on I hit in the BG in the head with a claw hammer even though I had this pistol. The front end manger was engaged in hand to hand with the bad guy. Could not risk a shot. This was the fourth in six years but I was not involved at the start.
Last edited by rustytxrx; 03/14/13 05:12 AM.
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Re: Tell me about the S&W 642 38sp Airweight
[Re: rustytxrx]
#4120820
03/14/13 01:51 PM
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 4,759
ccoker
Extreme Tracker
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Extreme Tracker
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 4,759 |
I carry a 642 with the smallest Crimson Trace laser grip occasionally.
They aren't fun to shoot frankly but I trust it more than a tiny semi auto.
While you can't depend on the laser all the time or out in bright daylight they do help a ton in low light. I can dump all 5 one handed in a fist sized group very fast up close like 5 yards.
I don't use it as my primary carry gun but as a deep concealment with a belt band or in cargo shorts for.a quick run or in a coat jacket pocket.
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Re: Tell me about the S&W 642 38sp Airweight
[Re: ccoker]
#4121364
03/14/13 06:22 PM
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 217
kleinwild
Woodsman
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Woodsman
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 217 |
"2 lines you should never cross....horizontal and vertical" "bolt actions speak louder than words" "God is not on the side of battalions, but on the side that shoots best"
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Re: Tell me about the S&W 642 38sp Airweight
[Re: ccoker]
#4121433
03/14/13 06:50 PM
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 6,236
Chickenman
Extremely Right Wing
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Extremely Right Wing
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 6,236 |
I carry a 642 with the smallest Crimson Trace laser grip occasionally.
They aren't fun to shoot frankly but I trust it more than a tiny semi auto. Agreed. I took the CT grips off mine months after owned mine. It was distracting for me but...I'm easily distracted. I really like my 642 and I'll probably never sell it. Its not a fun range gun but 50-100ds in an hour is manageable IMO.
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Re: Tell me about the S&W 642 38sp Airweight
[Re: Chickenman]
#4121668
03/14/13 09:02 PM
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Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 9,273
blackcoal
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 9,273 |
I don't have these newer ones, but do have a M60 and M38, and actually like the M38 better because of the way it fits in my pocket and comes out quickly.
The Greatest Enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.--Stephen Hawking
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Re: Tell me about the S&W 642 38sp Airweight
[Re: blackcoal]
#4122106
03/15/13 01:00 AM
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Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 647
rustytxrx
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 647 |
Let me mention reasons to carry these particular revolvers. If in retail things are going to be close. You do not want the bad guy to know you are armed. You can hide them well. Since things will be close, I may want to to shoot thru a lab jacket. Revolver is the first choice in that situation.
Our goal is to get the BG out of the store. We are not protecting money or stock. A win for us is to all be safe at the end. Only under the most dire circumstance would a gun come into play. So it is of the upmost importance that the revolver not print. For me these guns hide best. If you have to bend over and open a safe, where you carry can be a problem. The bad guys can be looking for a pistol print
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Re: Tell me about the S&W 642 38sp Airweight
[Re: rustytxrx]
#4124623
03/16/13 12:50 PM
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 5,275
jeepercreeper
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 5,275 |
Chris is right these revolvers can be a handful. Four time a month I have a 14 hour day. Makes the practice you have to pit in worth the light weight. Practice reloads under the timer. Practice your draw so that your grip indexes the gun under your eye so you don't have to look for the sights. You can miss a b7 target at seven yards...it is all in your grip. I shoot 125 gr +p. I practice draw and fire with snap caps often. We have been held up 3 times in six years. Once with a pistol, once with a knife, and once with a hidden gun that may have been a bluff. I was able to keep ever thing cool and they left without harming anyone. Ya got to stay ready for the one that goes haywire. one that I was called in on I hit in the BG in the head with a claw hammer even though I had this pistol. The front end manger was engaged in hand to hand with the bad guy. Could not risk a shot. This was the fourth in six years but I was not involved at the start. Dang where on earth do you live?
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Re: Tell me about the S&W 642 38sp Airweight
[Re: jeepercreeper]
#4124633
03/16/13 12:56 PM
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 5,275
jeepercreeper
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 5,275 |
They make the 642 without an internal lock. I dont know if it will ever really make a difference but its nice to know there is no lock to accidentally engage when you need the gun the most. Oh mine as CT laser grips too. I really like setup.
Wish I had funds for a 340PD though. Lighter weight, fiber optic sight, and can shoot 357. Not fun to shoot though
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Re: Tell me about the S&W 642 38sp Airweight
[Re: jeepercreeper]
#4124908
03/16/13 04:09 PM
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 545
Loaded
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 545 |
I have a 642 no lock. The factory trigger pull was a horrendous 12 lbs. While I understand that a carry gun shouldn't have too light of a trigger, that's a bit much. I put an S&J Tactical 8 lb spring kit in it and polished everything up while I had it apart and it is much nicer to shoot now. It's actually fairly accurate for having a 1-7/8" barrel if you practice with it and I find that even with +P loads recoil is pretty manageable. The factory rubber boot grips give a pretty solid hold on it. I have Altamont checkered wood boot grips on mine and i like them. I don't care for rubber grips on a carry gun as they sometimes hang up when you are drawing. The checkering on the Altamonts is very grippy and they're nice looking too. It looks like the prices have gone up on them some since I got mine a little over a year ago. I paid $330 from CTD (although I won't do business with them anymore after the price raping they've been giving people).
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Re: Tell me about the S&W 642 38sp Airweight
[Re: Loaded]
#4134061
03/20/13 09:57 PM
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 182
rsalaud
Woodsman
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Woodsman
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 182 |
Have a 642 with the CT grips. I don't understand the "not a fun range gun" comments. Maybe with quick-draw grips and +p ammo it's a wrist-killer? I could shoot 38 spl FMJ all day with mine.
The trigger pull is very heavy so you will need lots of practice to be able to hit the broad side of a barn, but I feel more comfortable with a wheel gun with a heavy pull since it has no safety. Also, with some practice and a solid grip position, you'll have no problem at close ranges. No slide or hammer to get hung up on stuff if you shoot from a purse or coat, and it always goes bang. Best summer CCW/BUG ever!
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Re: Tell me about the S&W 642 38sp Airweight
[Re: rsalaud]
#4134138
03/20/13 10:38 PM
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 5,275
jeepercreeper
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 5,275 |
I don't understand the "not a fun range gun" comments. Probably because of the heavy trigger pull, terrible sights, and lack of tacticoolness. I just dont shoot mine much because I much more fun choices to take to the range.
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