642 Club Part Three

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I recently changed my grips to some Pachmayr Compacs. I am pretty pleased with the final result.


The gun is not quite as pocketable as with the factory grips or the Hogue Bantams I replaced with them. And they are expensive for rubber grips. That being said - much more comfortable and controllable to shoot, at least for me. Although not a true 3-finger grip, that little bit of purchase for the pinky does wonders. Added bonus: The rubber on the Pachmayr is not nearly as "grabby" as Hogue rubber.



Just wanted to share my findings with the group.
 
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I have a question for anyone that carries their 642.

How do you carry extra ammo?
I have a 642-1 no lock that is cut for moon clips. I have moon clips although I need the tool to load them. I also felt that the moon clips are a little fragile. Seems like they are very easy to bend up so I am afraid to carry them in my pocket?

I also have a couple of cheap HKS speedloaders for the 642.
I feel pretty confident with the loaders but they are also a pain to carry around. So far the best I can do is carry one speedloader in my left shirt pocket (right-handed shooter).
I am not very keen on getting belt pouches for any type of loader.

I have been thinking about trying speed strips. I like the idea somewhat. Loading one or two at a time and the speed strips sound like they'd be easier to carry around. My problem with strips is that under pressure, the easiest and surest reload would be to slam the rod (not being gentle about it) and dumping all spent cases/unfired rounds and tossing in a clip or speedloader.

My real fear is trying to be choosy about removing casings and leaving live rounds in the cylinder. Anyone that has shot a 642 at some point should have noticed how easy it can be to have a shell get caught under the star, or not eject properly and get seated back into the cylinder?

Basically if My plan to reload is to completely empty the cylinder of all casings and or live rounds, I should stick with loaders or moon clips? It doesn't really make sense to clear the cylinder and then reload with a speedstrip?

Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated. How do you carry spare rounds aside from pouches?
 
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I have used HKS speedloaders for many years in S&W K and L frame revolvers and they've always worked great. Not always so with the smaller J frame versions. Found that the Bianco Speed Strips were a good way to go and are nice and flat for pocket carry.
 
Gun nutty said:
I have a question for anyone that carries their 642.

How do you carry extra ammo?
I have a 642-1 no lock that is cut for moon clips. I have moon clips although I need the tool to load them. I also felt that the moon clips are a little fragile. Seems like they are very easy to bend up so I am afraid to carry them in my pocket?

I also have a couple of cheap HKS speedloaders for the 642.
I feel pretty confident with the loaders but they are also a pain to carry around. So far the best I can do is carry one speedloader in my left shirt pocket (right-handed shooter).
I am not very keen on getting belt pouches for any type of loader.

I have been thinking about trying speed strips. I like the idea somewhat. Loading one or two at a time and the speed strips sound like they'd be easier to carry around. My problem with strips is that under pressure, the easiest and surest reload would be to slam the rod (not being gentle about it) and dumping all spent cases/unfired rounds and tossing in a clip or speedloader.

My real fear is trying to be choosy about removing casings and leaving live rounds in the cylinder. Anyone that has shot a 642 at some point should have noticed how easy it can be to have a shell get caught under the star, or not eject properly and get seated back into the cylinder?

Basically if My plan to reload is to completely empty the cylinder of all casings and or live rounds, I should stick with loaders or moon clips? It doesn't really make sense to clear the cylinder and then reload with a speedstrip?

Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated. How do you carry spare rounds aside from pouches?
Click to expand...
Yes, one can either do speedloaders or a speed strip of some kind. Or one can accept that a 5-shot J-frame can solve almost any problem that a full size auto would so long as there's no more than, say... two terrorists, but despite that limitation it's always there for you except at the airport, etc.

Figure out what works for you and there you have it.
 
Haha that's what I'm trying to figure out. I have other pistols I could possibly carry, but I have a desantis holster for the 642 and I love the setup. It's light and I shoot the pistol well. 2-3 bad guys no problem! More bad guys or just more shooting and moving and I'm trying to figure out how I want to carry extra rounds.

I read people saying strips are great because you can reload 1-2-3-4 fired

But after a little thought I decided I would never try to reload "half" my cylinder. I feel like it's much safer to just dump everything out of the cylinder than to try to pick out the empties only.
 
I've fallen in love with my 642 no-lock all over again. In fact, we're on a coffee date right now.

Over the years, I've come to appreciate its simplicity, function, and ease of carry. One of my friends at work is looking for one now, too, after looking at mine. I truly believe it is one of the great revolvers that has stood the test of time and kept many people well armed.

Glad to see this club still has life in it. I hope it's always around.
 
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I finally officially joined the club!

I picked up a 442 Pro Series. for those not familiar with it, it has a blackened stainless steel barrel and cylinder, NO LOCK, and it is cut for moon clips.

I threw in an Apex tactical kit and lightly stoned a few rough spots.

I'm in love!
 
It's been a while since I've posted 'round these parts, but I am happy to say the 642 is being carried and shot as much as ever. Some of the other gear changes from time to time, and there are a few new guns in the rotation, but none of them have replaced the 642.

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Gun Nutty... For the most part I use speed loaders. I had a 9mm LCR. That required a bit more thought. I wanted to stay with moon clips in the 9mm but have them handy (and protected). Being an 'always two reloads' kinda guy, I created a means to carry the moon clips in my pouch, (I know... you don't like those!). It seemed the best way to carry them, (and a usual routine so I wouldn't have to think under stress!). Now, we're talking 642 here so, for qualifications with my 642 I use moon clips and I pretty much use the same technique for the .38 Special rounds in this fashion, (normal EDC it's back to speed loaders). I'll save thousands of words...
image.jpeg image.jpeg
You get the picture. They fit in the pouch nicely. Snug, protected & come out quickly as well. Hope this helps.
 
I just finished tuning up my 642 a couple of weeks ago and got out to shoot it.
It started with a 17- 1/2 lb. trigger pull and I got it down to 10 lbs. even and smooth as a babies butt. I can easily stage it for single action shots.
With my 158 gn cast SWC- GC bullets loaded +P I can shoot 1/2" groups off a sand bag at 7 yards and 1/2" above point of aim.
Needless to say I am very pleased.
 
Just checking in, ladies and gents.

Anyone up for a New York Reload?

ae6zf4W.jpg

LBj6HaP.jpg

And here is some info about the Gold Dot 135 grain short barrel and the Buffalo Bore 150 grain hard cast wadcutter. You might guess which one i'm carrying.

rMx2at9.jpg
 
flightsimmer said:
I just finished tuning up my 642 a couple of weeks ago and got out to shoot it.
It started with a 17- 1/2 lb. trigger pull and I got it down to 10 lbs. even and smooth as a babies butt. I can easily stage it for single action shots.
With my 158 gn cast SWC- GC bullets loaded +P I can shoot 1/2" groups off a sand bag at 7 yards and 1/2" above point of aim.
Needless to say I am very pleased.
Click to expand...
Tell us about your loads, please.
 
It's an easy one. 38 special +P
158 gn cast lead SWC with a gas check over 5.0 gns of Unique powder.
950 fps out of a 4 inch barrel
 
ShootingIsFun said:
Finally joined the 642/442 club today!!! View attachment 232938
Click to expand...
Today I paid $364 at my lgs for a brand new 442-1 with no lock. (I picked up an Uncle Mike's size 3 while I was there.) I've carried it in my pocket all day today and while I did expect it would be easy to carry, it's truly amazing how natural feeling and comfortable it is to carry this gun! Looking forward to my life-long love affair with the 442!
 
I'm sure it's been covered 1000+ times in various threads on thr, but does anyone have any strong recommendations for front sight paint? (Does anyone suggest anything better or more durable than finger nail polish?) This will be the most likely first "upgrade" to my 442...
 
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