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.