Any reason NOT to get my wife a 638 for CCW?

[.455_Hunter]

Greetings,

My wife recently took her CCW class and will be applying for her permit soon. She is an excellent shot with our .38 Special Colt Police Positive Special and S&W Model 60, and practices both SA/DA . She has stated numerous times that she is uncomfortable with semi-autos, and definitely prefers the operational simplicity of revolvers. Right now, I am leaning towards getting her a new S&W 638 to combine the best features of the 637 and 642 into one gun with a snag free draw and the ability to fire SA if necessary. Of course, I will let her handle one at the store before we buy, but this will be my recommended choice. The ammo choice will probably be Winchester's standard pressure 158 gr. LSWC or 110 gr. Silvertip, but the 135 gr. Speer GD SB will be an option if she feels OK with it.

Please comment.

Hunter

 

[Titus]

It's what she likes and she shoots it well, why not? I use the Speers in my 642 and I don't see why they wouldn't be a good choice too.

 

[earplug]

Good choice. I started off with a M38 then a 638 and then a 642. I gave my Dad the M38 for a car gun, the 638 is the front door gun. They are all fine weapons.

 

[Harpo]

The 638 is a lot lighter than the Colt Police or the S&W 60, so recoil may be an issue!

 

[ArchAngelCD]

A M638 is my every day carry. It's without a doubt a great CCW revolver.

I carry 125gr DoubleTap .38 Special +P rounds in my 638. They use a 125gr Gold Dot Low Velocity bullet but will cost you less than half of what Speer charges. Speer charges $22/20 rounds whereas DoubleTap charges $26/50 rounds.

 

[foghornl]

Is the SMith 638 the model that SHE picked?....If so, no reason not to get that one.

Now, if f'rinstance, she said she likes the Ruger SP-101, and you buy her a Smith. . . . . . OW! Quit It!

 

[lanceman193]

If she carries in her purse and recoil is an issue,get a 649.My wife shot 2 rounds thru my 38 and handed it back to me.I got a 649,had a trigger job done locally for $60,and she shoots it accurately and with a smile.You can let her pick out some pretty grips for it,by the way.

 

[tinygnat219]

Why don't you let her choose the gun she likes?

 

[.455_Hunter]

Thanks to everyone for their replies.

He is my answer to the "Why don't you let her choose the gun she likes?" series of questions:

My wife is not "into" guns. Her family are all "fudds", and she had never fired any handgun until she met me. She completely understands the need for defensive weapons and completely respects my deep interest in firearms, but she herself will never have any interest more than basic self-defense familiarization and occasional plinking sessions. She does not want to carry a gun, but understands the necessity of doing so, especially in today's climate.

My wife will defer to my judgment on the issue, and will ask "Which one to do you think we should get for me?" I know this is different than some relationships, but my wife will not get resentful and grumpy if I "choose" her CCW piece. Like I said before, she does not like semi-autos, and has specifically told me she would not carry one. That leaves revolvers- I don't want her to carry a Charter or Taurus, so S&W and Ruger are the only other players. I love Rugers, but the SP101 series is heavy, and she already thinks the Model 60 is heavy. That pretty much leaves the lightweight Smiths, and value wise, the 442/637/638/642 series at $400 seems to beat the $700 scandiums, especially since we wont be firing .357s out of it any way.

Just some background on our situation- I know other couples are not the same!

Hunter

 

[bpisler]

I would have her fire one first,it
may handle well in the shop but
recoil could be a issue.

 

[AirForceShooter]

let her choose.
Never assume what it is she wants.

Have her look at www.thecorneredcat.com

AFS

 

[Jim Watson]

I HAVE an elderly Model 38 that is a handy pocket piece. The SA capability is kind of nominal, the hammer spur showing through the shroud is not nearly as accessible as a conventional hammer gun. That is ok, she should probably not be cocking a purse gun anyhow, and would let you broaden the shopping to include the completely enclosed 642.
It does kick more than a steel gun. She would likely prefer to practice most with the M60 or with light loads - wadcutters, "cowboy", or cheapmart econo-ball and just shoot the light gun with hollowpoints for a few at a time for familiarization.

 

[.455_Hunter]

Close family friends have a new 637, so I will definitely have her shoot that before buying her anything.

Unfortunately, www.thecorneredcat.com seems to need a vet right now. Damm cybersquaters!

 

[Jim Watson]

The correct site for women and guns is
http://www.corneredcat.com/

The name is The Cornered Cat, but the website is just corneredcat.com

 

[Bob79]

Personally I think you are on the right track. I think it would be great for her to shoot the 637, as its essentially the same gun. I'm a big fan of the "Bodyguard" set-up.

I would highly recommend a decent trigger job on the gun, as the stock trigger pull is very heavy, and somewhat un-smooth. A good trigger job will lighten the pull by 30-50% and make it really smooth. Also consider getting a front sight insert with orange/red, to make it easier to see.

Obviously for carry you want her to have the best ammo she can shoot well with. The best .38 snub loads are Speer Short Barrel 135 grain+P, the Remington 158 grain +P, and Cor Bon 110 grain DPX +P. If these are too much for her, then try those Winchester 110 grain standard pressure, or something else standard pressure. Worst case scenario is she wil have to carry it with 148 grain wadcutters. But these still cut a nice size hole, no expansion worries, and the have very low recoil. Wadcutters are still better than any .22, .32, and probably most .380 rounds.

Good Luck!

 

[Slamfire]

Double Tap

 

[Slamfire]

I was about to say 6 of one, half dozen of another, but that is not correct.





Obviously I have both.

Both revolvers kick way too much to be “fun guns”. I don’t like shooting them at the range. The little grips don’t help. You can put a nice set of Hogues that will significantly reduce the felt recoil, but it enlarges the volume.




But exactly for the reasons they are not “fun guns”, they are both excellent CCW pistols.

In my testing, and a confirmation call to S&W, these revolvers are sighted in for 125 grain bullets. You won't see much of a difference in point of impact till you get out to 25 yards. Then it really becomes obvious.

In my opinion the M642 is a smaller package and seems to be lighter weight. By a tad. As a self defense weapon, no one is going to be thumb cocking these things, both will be shot double action. The enclosed mechanism of the M642 will keep hair pins, Q-tips, from falling into the mechanism.

However, if your wife wants to practice, she will shoot better with the thumb cocking M638 Bodyguard. And there is something to be said for increasing ones confidence in their hit probability.

So, I think that is where the tradeoff will be. A choice between preferences.

Neither choice is bad.

 

[shooter429]

Fine choice for CCW

In fact, they are the best value in .38 snubs to be had. Excellent actions, light and very easy to carry and shoot. The .38 Special +p will have a little bounce, but it should not be uncomfortable.

Shooter429

 

[Neophyte1]

638

.455_Hunter: Sir; 638's are just right. Do all handgun. Miss'ss handles a Special the 638 will make her happy. Start her with Wally World .38's to start with. Graduate to 135grn.
Mine goes where GP100 nor Glocks can. Fits in front or rear pocket and doesn't act ignorant when jerked out. Too it likes to ride in the truck