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Smith & Wesson Model 642? (.38 snubby)

smurfblue40

smurfblue40

Baconologyst
Joined
May 30, 2020
Member Number
1676
Messages
1,268
Loc
Sloughhouse Ca
The recent round of “We need common sense bla bla bla…” in the aftermath of the latest shootings has me looking to add to the collection before Sacramento pulls another stupid law out of their ass.

After I added the Mossbergs to the family, I thought I had my needs covered, I was wrong.

I really want a .38 snubby. A local shop is advertising S&W model 642s for $389.99 (plus tax, DROS, Cali because we can fees).

I have never fired a hammerless revolver. I have read the trigger pull is awful, but can be tamed. There is another shop that I want to check out their inventory before I decide (They have a lot of used guns).

Thoughts?
 
I have a 442. A spring kit, a lil stone work an some oil makes a big difference.

Shooting anything double action takes practice. And those lil snub nose guns arent the easiest to shoot to start.

I sure like mine though
 
We have one, it's very light and compact (except width of the cyl) and I like how simple it is, but it's absolutely awful to shoot. Especially back to back with a decent auto.

But, enough practice and you can probably get it down. Just don't know why you would want it over a nice compact 9mm?
 
Snub nose guns are often carried and rarely shot. DAO is half of the reason. It takes a lot of effort to pull an 8 lb trigger AND be accurate at 10 yards. If you remind yourself it’s an up close personal defense weapon not a six inch revolver you’ll be fine.

My first piece of advice would be to put 200 rounds through it the first day you can.
 
Do eet.

Revolvers are cool and underappreciated these days.

Perfectly safe.

Only one hand to fire.

S&W

That's a good price.

.38 spl is a great round.
 
I bought one for my first carry gun back in 2007. It not a tack driver by any means and the trigger is heavy as mentioned. But, in the distance I figureed to need it, it shot fine. I carried it almost daily for 10 years. It never failed to shoot. I eventually bought a M&P 340 .357 and started carrying it. If your worried about the DAO try to find a 638 with the shrouded hammer.
 
Another 442 here. Love it, simple, small, the trigger pull does take some getting used to but for me is a non-issue, I wouldn’t let the old lady use it as her carry because the pull is a little heavy for her.
 
You could look for a Rossi or Taurus, too. No negatives with either, as both would provide an equivalent amount of pain to shoot as a snubby S&W but without the embarrassingly high sticker price. And if one finds an unparalleled heavy DA trigger pull beneficial, or even advantageous, one could bob the hammer with their Harbor Freight angle grinder and not even devalue the gun....
 
FrankenToy said:
And if one finds an unparalleled heavy DA trigger pull beneficial, or even advantageous, one could bob the hammer with their Harbor Freight angle grinder and not even devalue the gun....
Click to expand...

Revolvers dont take much work to slick up
 
Taurus 605
About the same money but gives you .357. Add a pair of Hougues and rock on
 
Have a s&w 637 deep cover and a 638. DA trigger on the deep cover is pretty nice for a snubbie. They are handy to carry in a coat pocket or front jeans pocket.
 
Steve300xcw said:
To be honest, I dunno If I would want to run a 357 outta a J frame
Click to expand...
It's not about if you would, it's about you could.

I like this lil guy but it's "collectible" :shaking: and out of my reach.
image.jpg
 
I’m going to try to hit the LGS with all the used guns this weekend. I wouldn’t turn down a 637 or 638 if the price was right.
 
I bought a 642 as a summer time/t shirt carry gun. Trigger in mine is fine, it's heavy but it's not any different than any other double action I've shot. I put VZ grips on mine, it's perfectly manageable with .38+p.
 
Picked up wifey a Ruger sp101 357 snubby. Sure it can fire 357 and 38+p or +p+.
With the snubby you don't get the benefits of the pressure built with a longer barrel with the 357 or the +p rounds. 4 to 6" is where you get the benefits.
 
RUGER said:
Picked up wifey a Ruger sp101 357 snubby.
Click to expand...
I completely forgot about the SP101. I bought one for the first Mrs when we got our CCWs in Washington.

She made sure she was wearing it anytime I had to go to the house during our divorce. It was a bit of over kill (or paranoia?) since I wasn’t supposed to be within 1000 yards of her unsupervised :shaking: (she had the better lawyer)
 
RUGER said:
1000 yards. Dang dude.
Click to expand...
hand on bible

It may have actually been 100 yards , I’d have to dig up the legal docs :homer:

I never laid a hand on her, hardly raised my voice in six years of marriage. Many of her new friends towards the end were “born again” religious types. I was serving in the Infantry at the time. I can only imagine what BS filled her brain that was passed on to her lawyer :shaking:

Any way… a local Big 5 has 100 round bulk packs of .38 Special in stock :bounce2:
 
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Gun porn for inspiration.

VZ wrap grips and some sight paint, plus the aforementioned Apex spring kit and very light action work. Revolver friends seem to be impressed with the action and I dig it.

00100dPORTRAIT_00100_BURST20190821124039605_COVER.jpg
 
Yotota said:
Gun porn for inspiration.

VZ wrap grips and some sight paint, plus the aforementioned Apex spring kit and very light action work. Revolver friends seem to be impressed with the action and I dig it
Click to expand...

I need to try a set of those grips. Paint that thing black an it will look a lot better....

Forgot, I took a file to the bottom edge of the cylinder release, as it was tearing my thumb up.
Resized_20230204_112101_330819452586762.jpeg
 
Steve300xcw said:
I need to try a set of those grips. Paint that thing black an it will look a lot better....

Forgot, I took a file to the bottom edge of the cylinder release, as it was tearing my thumb up.
Resized_20230204_112101_330819452586762.jpeg
Click to expand...

I'll leave mine silver out of laziness. It also blends in better against my pasty white skin. :dustin:

The best thing about those VZ grips is that they add 1/4" or so to the length of pull. I have long fingers so I really needed it.
 
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