Author Topic: s&w 642 (Read 2135 times)

GRIMJIM · « **on:** August 31, 2010, 05:44:52 AM »

I've been looking for a ccw handgun. I'm thinking about ordering a 642 in 38 special. Found one online for a good price (brand new for $399) and they have a $50 rebate going on.

Any pros or cons that could help me decide for sure would be appreciated.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #1 on:** August 31, 2010, 06:51:21 AM »

you can get those with or with out the trigger lock. The enclosed hammer gives a higher grip whih is a good thing. No dirt or lint can get in the non existing hammer opening. It can be shot from inside a pocket , there is no hammer to get tangled when you draw . It makes a fine front pocket gun And there are some great holsters . The dao is not a bad thing just learn to shoot it.
The bad thing is the frame . the gun will wear and get out of time with heavy loads and alot of use . I had to send a j frame airweight back to get tightened up . We are talking several hundred shots and alot of dry fire . If you tote it alot in a pocket the finish will wear off . I have its big brother a 340 PD same size gun in 357 mag, it looks like it was draged thru. rocks but i don't leave home with out it .

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #2 on:** August 31, 2010, 06:54:37 AM »

forgot to mention , the rubber grips on the gun are nice while shooting but to thick for carry. SS grips are wood , lite and thin and work great . Being wood they don't stick in you poket as you draw.

williamlayton · « **Reply #3 on:** August 31, 2010, 07:11:05 AM »

Shootall
I am wondering what a poket is or is that a poke it/pokette.
Just Jabbing.

Blessings

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #4 on:** August 31, 2010, 07:13:44 AM »

William , My spelling stinks ! that's why I'm a plumber and not a heart doctor.

drdougrx · « **Reply #5 on:** August 31, 2010, 10:56:53 AM »

Having filled about a million prescriptions thus far......a heart doctor's spelling skills aren't much better.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #6 on:** August 31, 2010, 11:01:29 AM »

thanks ! I had girlfriends type my papers in college

LocnLod · « **Reply #7 on:** September 01, 2010, 04:30:07 AM »

That's a great price on a 642 which I believe is S&Ws most popular firearm. Revolvers tend to be more reliable and resistant to pocket lint. The centennial design is great for keeping the inside of the gun clean and not snagging as you draw from the pocket.
Now for the realistic part. These guns are hard to shoot. They kick like hell and the short sight radius and small grip make them hard to shoot accurately. They only hold 5 rounds and reloading them under stress is difficult. You need to practice with them unless your purpose of carrying one is just to bolster your confidence (which might work to protect you as well anyway). There are better choices but everything's a compromise one way or the other.
adam

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #8 on:** September 01, 2010, 11:49:32 AM »

I find mine to be a good choice really .Guess kick is all in the mental condition as i use a 340PD wioth 357 mag loads and find the recoil stiff but managable for the security it affords. I can put all five shots center of mass as fast as i can pull the trigger at 5 yards , a good SD range.I also tote a 642 and a mod 38 airweight at times .That said you can get J frames or similar type guns in 44 spl. to 22 LR. So one should be able to find one that works recoil wise. The small revolver is for up close and personal not target shooting . They say most assults come in low light so unless your gun is nite sited you will be taking an unaimed shot . And and at the ranges SD could be claimed it will work fine. As to reloads nothing beats a second gun and a pair of 642's is a nice set up.
As an aside they are comming out with a 2.5 bbl on them and if it shoots like a Mod 66 with a 2.5 bbl. then it should negate any concerns about shooting accurate ! I had no problem shooting chickens on the 50 yard line with a 66 on a IHMSA range .

nicktulloh · « **Reply #9 on:** September 01, 2010, 06:01:27 PM »

The 2 1/2" barrel has been out for monhs. I have one with several hundred rounds through it and it shows no apparent problems with timing or lockup and I wouldn't expect it to. It's well made, solid, and I expect it to last forever.

Kick is perfectly acceptable.

I would change to wood grips just so it doesn't print as much. If that's not a concern I'd stick with stock which are very comfortable.

It's also extremely accurate.

I like it so much I got my daughter one for her birthday.

The negative comments make me wonder what on earth the posters have experince with.

nicktulloh · « **Reply #10 on:** September 01, 2010, 06:04:02 PM »

Quote from: GRIMJIM on August 31, 2010, 05:44:52 AM

I've been looking for a ccw handgun. I'm thinking about ordering a 642 in 38 special. Found one online for a good price (brand new for $399) and they have a $50 rebate going on.

Any pros or cons that could help me decide for sure would be appreciated.

Where is it with that price? I need another!!

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #11 on:** September 02, 2010, 02:41:36 AM »

Quote from: nicktulloh on September 01, 2010, 06:01:27 PM

The 2 1/2" barrel has been out for monhs. I have one with several hundred rounds through it and it shows no apparent problems with timing or lockup and I wouldn't expect it to. It's well made, solid, and I expect it to last forever.

Kick is perfectly acceptable.

I would change to wood grips just so it doesn't print as much. If that's not a concern I'd stick with stock which are very comfortable.

It's also extremely accurate.

I like it so much I got my daughter one for her birthday.

The negative comments make me wonder what on earth the posters have experince with.

The spring that holds the ejector rod in place when closed wore out after many rounds and loading pratice and dry fireing . It was replaced free. The most negative thing I see is pants only have two front pockets to tote um in

GRIMJIM · « **Reply #12 on:** September 02, 2010, 03:35:05 AM »

Quote from: nicktulloh on September 01, 2010, 06:04:02 PM

Quote from: GRIMJIM on August 31, 2010, 05:44:52 AM
I've been looking for a ccw handgun. I'm thinking about ordering a 642 in 38 special. Found one online for a good price (brand new for $399) and they have a $50 rebate going on.

Any pros or cons that could help me decide for sure would be appreciated.

Where is it with that price? I need another!!

After I order mine I'll let you know.

GRIMJIM · « **Reply #13 on:** September 03, 2010, 04:13:10 PM »

Okay, they charged my card so I guess it shipped. Sorry but I don't know if they have more and I didn't want my purchase to get messed up.

Florida Gun Exchange ( I found it on gunsamerica)

$399.00 with no extra charge for credit card orders. Plus $20.00 shipping 2nd day.

You can download the $50.00 rebate coupon here

http://www.smith-wesson.com/wcsstore/SmWesson2/upload/other/promos/SW_CC_Revolver_Coupon.pdf

bubbinator · « **Reply #14 on:** September 06, 2010, 08:54:55 PM »

GRIMJIM- I bought 2 642s from a gunshop in SD. Found them on Guns America. The guns came with factory installed Crimson TRace Laser grips for $549. with $50. S&W rebate! 642s were selling locally for $649. w/o the CT Laser grips! Check the Guns America site. I kept one as a backup carried daily in an ankle holster or pocket. The other went to my rapidly losing her Democratic ideals sister who now carries concealed in 2 states and shoots regularly! (There is hope for America!) As for finish wear, non-existant, the gun is stainless steel. If you abuse it it will show metal scratches, but day to day "holster wear"-Not. Both guns fired and functioned well and accurately. I dry-fired both 200 times then took then apart and any part that showed signs of wear got Dremel-polished, FP-10 lubed, and reassembled. Both are more than adequately accurate for the designed purpose. You should consider the CT Laser Grips. They are easily zeroed at you chosen range with supplied hex wrenches. I 0-ed mine at 50yds, I know that is a long hot for a 2" 38, but from 0-50 you are still on target and on a longer shot out to 75 yds you are only a few inches lower with good ammo. (Note- from my truck one day I shot feral cat suspected of taking a number of Guinea keets at about 60 yds out the truck window. The dumbass just had to stop and look back after running across the yard from my chicken area. Top of head rested hold put a Speer Gold Dot 135gr. JHP in this nose!) That brings up another issue. The 642 is +P rated, so you can use all the good new ammo out there. Speer and Hornady have good new stuff. If you don't have good LE contacts, get some. Example: Speer sells the .38 +P 135gr. "Short Barrel" for +/- $25. a box for 25 rds. for civilian market and +/- $18. a box of 50 in LE dealerships.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #15 on:** September 07, 2010, 02:12:03 AM »

as for finish wear on a SS airweight , plan on it if ya carry much. The cyl and bbl will get beat up and have spots were they get polished and the frame will look like it was hit by a grinder. The top of my frame is worn down from grit getting in the holster while I work. Had a nickle finished airweight that did the same thing. But then I carry often.Often enough to wear holes in my pocket holster twice. The Ti guns also take a beating .
As a note the SS 357 mag. guns are a wee bit larger than the 38's. the Ti guns are the same size.

GRIMJIM · « **Reply #16 on:** September 07, 2010, 03:45:52 AM »

Quote from: bubbinator on September 06, 2010, 08:54:55 PM

GRIMJIM- I bought 2 642s from a gunshop in SD. Found them on Guns America. The guns came with factory installed Crimson TRace Laser grips for $549. with $50. S&W rebate! 642s were selling locally for $649. w/o the CT Laser grips! Check the Guns America site.

$649? Wow. They had them at the local basspro for $470 and I thought that was a lot. If you read my last post I did get it on gunsamerica for $419 shipped. Plus my ffl guy's $20, so $439.00 total. I saw a used one at a local gunstore and they wanted $350 for it and it was pretty beat up.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #17 on:** September 07, 2010, 03:51:23 AM »

The gun shows often have then at good prices . The lowest time was in the spring for a tad under 400 . One show 379 but they didn't last long.

bubbinator · « **Reply #18 on:** February 26, 2011, 08:25:46 PM »

GrimJim- sorry to be late on a reply, was off GBO for a while until I found it back up (thank you, Lord) and was going through old replies. The local Sporting Goods store I quoted is well known for it's premium prices. That $649 was in a "Sale Paper" too! I don't routinely shop there because it is staffed with a bunch of under 30 yr old "experts on all things in the store" and they treat customers with little respect. Since that time I have seen it in the +/- $500 range w/o CT grips. Years ago they were a great place tp shop in their original location but after the founder passed away the family moved to Montgomery, Al from Selma and it has been high dollar ever since.

GregD · « **Reply #19 on:** February 28, 2011, 09:09:29 AM »

Great handgun have been carrying one for many years, ankle and now in my pocket, (jeans and shorts). I bought one with an ankle holster for my oldest son when he became a state tropper.
I carry the Gold Dot 135 grain for 2" I have the small "diamond" wood grips with with a Tyler grip adapter.

bubbinator · « **Reply #20 on:** March 14, 2011, 09:30:23 PM »

+1 on the 135gr Gold Dot Short BBl +Ps. My wife and I stopped of check on a pregnant Rottweiller somebody dumped in the country near us and she attacked my wife! (BTW we are both former Animal Control Officers with a large AL PD so we have done this before). Once she got clear of the dog I put 3 Gold Dots in her. Turned out we did the best for her, she'd been hit by a car, was skinned up badly and was covered in mange sores! The CT Laser grips were wonderful,that was the first real "deployment" of them under stress and they were dead on with both eyes open!

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #21 on:** March 16, 2011, 03:47:46 AM »

Not a SA ? why did it take 3 shots ? were you shooting fast as it had already attacked your wife ? or did it take 3 shots ? or some other reason? I have considered these rounds but this is the first use I have heard anyone post. For years I used 38 spl. 158 gr LSWHP then switched to 357 mag 125 gr SJHP . Some say the 357 is no better than the 38 in a short bbl. I say then why is recoil so much more , ya know for each action there is an equal but opposite reaction ...........
Anyway jusy asking about the round .