Anyone have a S&W J-frame?

Mongo

Mongo

Joined
Nov 5, 2001
Messages
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Greetings all, I have a bug up my arse about getting another gun... I am looking at a S&W 642, but haven't had a chance to shoot one. I am looking for a J-frame, preferably with the shrouded hammer because it would be a pocket carry gun. Should I look into the .357mag J-frame? (I don't know the number) and still be able to shoot .38 spec +P's in it as a defensive load? This would be a CCW gun and not necessarily a range queen, although she would have to be shot enough to be proficient with it.
I am looking for advice and opinions from those who have or had one. If you got rid of it, I'd like to know why.
Thank you in advance,
Mongo
 
i have a "J" and a bud has one also, i havent shot a std "J" .357 but have shot the scandium one, with .357 mag ammo its a handfull, not fun at all to shoot imho, not impossible though. it would make a great edc pistol as its so light, but that dont help recoil any. if i was gonna get a scandium "J" i probably might go with the .38 myself.

my "J" is one of the older ones, the new ones imho have horrid trigger pulls, so i would set a few bucks aside for some trigger work (if needed). maybe i'm just spoiled by my detective spec trigger, lol. my old "J" seems to have a lot better trigger than the newer stuff though imho.

was gonna get my wife a "J" for her to carry, but the trigger was so bad, and the pistol so high (a scandium .38, was around $700 IIRC) i ended up getting a kahr PM9 instead, and am very happy with that.

my "J" is a 9MM version, i dont carry it anymore, rarely anyway. a good little pistol though. nowadays if i want a snub i pack my detective spec w/speer 135gr gold dots FWIW.

good little pistols though i like the detective specs a little better myself, "J" gets points for being a little smaller/lighter though.
 
I carried a model 49 as a backup for years. In the winter you could throw it in your overcoat pocket and get it out without a snag. Now that I'm retired, I carry a model 340PD with Winchester .357 145Gr. Silvertip ammo (a good personal defense load). You can not only carry the gun in your pocket, you can shoot it in there. :D
 
You can not only carry the gun in your pocket, you can shoot it in there
Click to expand...

As long as you have Nomex pockets ;)

I have owned models 36, 649, 642, 640 (.357), and 940 (9mm), and I've shot most of the rest of them, including scandium models and a friend's PC .356 TSW.

What I don't like about J frames:
-It takes a bit of effort to shoot them well. In my hand, the shrouded hammer versions point high.
-Five rounds is more comforting than none, but not much. They take longer to reload than small autos.
-Size wise, they compare to G26/27s, Kahrs, P7M8s, any of which would be a better choice.

My advice on J frames is that they are acceptable backups, but not primaries (neither are small autos). Adjust your life/wardrobe/etc and carry a full size gun that you shoot very well and are very familiar with.
 
Yea I have one and I love it aside from the fact that I wish I would have gotten 375 instead of .38 , so I can utilize both calibers. , Ah well.
Mine has shrouded hammer , no safety and built in trigger lock , which I dont care much for but once you get used to it , it's not too bad.
I'm still getting wild hairs to make my own grips out of some nice wood. :)
 
Hmmm...I just got a 642 to join my older model 640. My 640 was before the .357 capability and weighs 21oz. The newer model 640's weigh a bit more I believe because S&W had to beef up and lengthen the fram a bit for the .357 round. The 642 is noticably light compared to the stainless 640. The 642 jumps a bit more when fired, as you would expect, but is manageable in my opinion.

I'd not elect the .357 mag. 640 model. Too much recoil for too little gain in my opinion. In fact, if I can find a good standard pressure .38 spec. load, that is what I'll carry in each gun. Even the +P loads are a handful.

The J Frames are hard to beat. Small, light, but having some punch for a pocket pistol. Carried much, but shot little. You can't really go wrong.

BTW...the older Smith J-frames (1955-1990) have better internals and can be action tuned more readily. But, I am very happy with my new model 642.

Jeff
 
I've owned several S&W J-frames, including the odd square-butt 3" barrel number they made some years ago.

I presently own a Taurus rip-off (well...copy) of same. Mine has the hammer spur cut off, which gives the same effect as the shrouded hammer, and still allows thumb-cocking if you "start" the hammer back a bit with the trigger.

A compact and reliable little pistol, though since I carry a Glock M23 on duty, it feels a bit on the undergunned side to me.
 
Mongo said:
Greetings all, I have a bug up my arse about getting another gun... I am looking at a S&W 642, but haven't had a chance to shoot one. I am looking for a J-frame, preferably with the shrouded hammer because it would be a pocket carry gun. Should I look into the .357mag J-frame? (I don't know the number) and still be able to shoot .38 spec +P's in it as a defensive load? This would be a CCW gun and not necessarily a range queen, although she would have to be shot enough to be proficient with it.
I am looking for advice and opinions from those who have or had one. If you got rid of it, I'd like to know why.
Thank you in advance,
Mongo
Click to expand...


I have several J frame revolvers currently and the 642 is part of the stable. Nice compromise of size and weight in a fairly powerful pocket pistol. I actually have a Galco front pocket holster that fits in most of my suit trousers. The gun is just light enough that it doesn't drag down the pants pocket like the steel framed versions. I have a steel framed early Model 60 as well for my wife to shoot and the steel frame is a little more comfortable for her to shoot.

I had one of the Model 640 357s in 3" but after taking it to the range to familiarize myself with the gun under recoil decided it wasn't for me. The gun was too heavy to consider as a lightweight back packing gun since it didn't save that much over my Model 66 2-1/2" and it was really nasty in terms of recoil. After shooting the gun at a nearby range I went back to my office and found that I couldn't type on the keyboard after until several hours after shooting because the recoil had made my hands numb when shooting 125 gr 357s. If I had to shoot 38's, I might as well have the 642 and that made the most sense for me. I put the same set of Eagle "Secret Service" boot grips on the 642 that I had tried on the 640 and it made for a great carry package. I carry mine with some Nyclad 140gr SWC ~HP configuration rounds since I figured the short barrel probably wouldn't allow for regular hollow point expansion and the sharp shouldered design made the most sense.
 
yes the light "J" .357s are a handfull, imho w/a short bbl. they probably make a lot of noise/flash and kick a lot for a very small gain in power over a good .38, if any gain at all.

edited to add** hard to believe but i found the scandium "J" .357 mag with federal .357 mag hollowpoints to be more difficult to shoot than my buds S&W .500 w/a 8"+ bbl, really think the "J" had more recoil, certainly more difficult to manage recoil, not impossible to shoot, just more difficult. not much fun either, not a gun to shoot at beer cans with. not much anyway.

if ya can master one of those have no fear of a .454 or .500 lol.
 
Only one time I shot an "airweight" J-frame with the skinny little stock grips.

Not only hurt, but squirmed around something awful. Very unpleasant.

My Taurus wears Pachmayr grips. Not the smallest thing around, but ever so much more comfortable to shoot.

I had a .357 Snubbie too, a Colt Lawman. Quite a show to shoot at night! I always maintained that if you missed the BG, there was a good chance of incinerating him...
 
I am still amazed at the number of people who buy a lightweight or snubbie 357 then whine about not being able to shoot 100 rounds thru it and expect it to be like shooting 2 boxes of 22's. :eek:

These guns are meant for last ditch protection, not target shooting.

Buy the gun cause you want .357 power in your pocket in case you need to defend/save your butt or a loved ones.

If you want to shoot popcans, or targets, buy a plinker.

Yes, I've had and shot plenty of J-framed sized pieces, Smiths, Colts, and the lil' bit larger Rugers. I'd gladly take any of them to use as a last ditch protector.
 
No ones "collection" is complete without a "J" framed wheelgun. I had a stainless 649 many moons ago. But had to replace it with the politically correct model 49 blued version. It was a job related issue... But in any case the shrouded hammer humpback 49 adds a little more beef near the rear and still allows for single action cocking. And yes, it can still be fired thru the pockets without hangups whereas a bobbed hammer can still snag clothing material. I have done these tests several times to confirm. Oh yeah, keep a hose or several buckets of water nearby if you' re going to try this! :)

The trigger on mine has been rounded and polished. It' s action is stock. It currently sports an Eagle "Speigel" type checkered wooden grips. And consistently rides in a Kramer horsehide pocket holster.

Reliability, tight consistent groups and acceptable accuracy in the 0'- 30' range, it' s always been the Remington 38 +P lead hollow point for my particular model 49.

Note: while I am not a certified smith nor an armorer, I do believe that the absence of a physically exposed or partially exposed hammer makes for difficulty in testing for proper timing.

N.
 
Mongo,my favorite EDC is a 642.I also have a 649 and have carried many other J-Frames during my career.They are the best little revolvers going.I did own a 640 for a short period of time.I might have kept it if it had been ported.All of my S&W's have been the best quality,reliable and very accurate right out of the box.Try one,you'll like it.tom. ;)
 
I have a S&W J-frame scandium .357.
I carry (and train) with .357 loads, not .38 +P.

It is not a fun pistol to shoot, ir does have a hell of a recoil.

I wanted something very light. I trained with it until I could put several consecutive rounds in the black very quickly, just as I was trained to do with my 9mm using +P+ ammunition.

I have grown to really like that revolver.
 
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