S&W 642

ontarget said:

Isn't a G42 a .380? Is a 380 as powerful as a .38 Spl?

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They are similar in similar sized guns. The 38 Spl has an advantage with respect to more variety in ammo selection. Some 38 Special +P loads are pretty fast in short barrels, like the Super Vel 90 gr JHP at 1300 fps from a 1.875" barrel.

Kleanbore said:

I have a Kimber K6a--

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K6s

I have found that a 642 draws easier from the pocket than a similar sized auto loader and the heavy trigger pull adds one additional layer of safety from accidental discharge during administrative handling. The most common reason you will ever take your gun out of your pocket is to put it away at the end of the day, so it seems like a none too trivial benefit to me.

I had not experienced an two-legged "encounter" really worth mentioning for several years until this past Labor Day, when my family and I became the focus of hostility from an apparent local vagrant. Not even close to lethal force justification, but some boxes started getting checked. We were fortunately able to successfully break contact, so the event ended with a 911 call and few follow-up LEO calls in the next hour.

As soon as the situation began to develop, I became keenly aware of the 638 loaded with 110 gr Silvertips in my front cargo shorts pocket, and that knowledge was comforting, not concerning about needing a "better" gun. I have trained with the 638 on multiple occasions, including getting off the "X", movement to cover, rapid draw, single and multiple target engagement based both double tap, Mozambique, or boarding house rules.

Yes, I am probably out of luck if engaged by an air-dropped Spetsnaz squad.

Other folks may have different views.

I used to carry a 642, Seecamp, LCP, and a few other as a BUG until I got a Smart Carry holster and figured out, I could just as easily carry a Glock 26 with a 17 reload, and in the exact same place, using the same type of holster. Havent carried any of the others in a second line capacity since.

The 26, while maybe a little pudgy in spots, is basically the same size as the 642, carries 10 rounds of a more powerful round, has a good set of sights, and shoots like a full sized gun, pretty much out to the same distances they can too. And should I shoot it empty, its instantly reloaded with a 17 round mag, to make up for my piss poor shooting, that made me have to reload.

More realistically, it allows me to hand it off to my wife or whoever, with a "full" mag, as its basically just a short barreled 17 at that point.

I really dislike pocket carry and always found it lacking. The main reason is, I already have WAY to much stuff in my pockets, so, no place to put the gun, and the pants I normally wear, even with an empty pocket, arent any size pistol friendly, especially if you need to draw it in a hurry. As Kleanbore has mentioned, its not user friendly, if and when you really need it.

The Smart Carry's are basically just a "deep" AIWB holster, and easily and quickly accessed, and with just one hand, sitting, standing, and/or moving. I much prefer them, and I can actually carry a lot more gun with one to if I want to.

Kleanbore said:

How does one perform a Mozambique drill on multiple targets with a five shot revolver?

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You don't. The sentence was a combined and inclusive statement....

I have trained with the 638 on multiple occasions, including getting off the "X", movement to cover, rapid draw, single and multiple target engagement based both double tap, Mozambique, or boarding house rules.

Different target presentations will dictate shooting pattern response.

.455_Hunter said:

I became keenly aware of the 638 loaded with 110 gr Silvertips in my front cargo shorts pocket, and that knowledge was comforting, not concerning about needing a "better" gun.

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Excellent gun and ammo choice. Plus the fact that you had it on you.

Kleanbore said:

I used tp keep my 642 in a pocket holster in a pants pocket.

Then I took part in training drills that involved drawing fast while moving off-line fast.

I couldn't make that work with pants pocket carry.

We had to use belt holsters.

Putting a premium on concealment, I bought iWB holsters.

I found that with my body shape, an OWB holster was quicker for the draw, safer in re-holstering, and much more comfortable for carrying all day.

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Absolutely, however my job requires me to pocket carry, or not carry at all.

Kleanbore said:

What I "am saying" is that many people have the idea that the 642 is very compact, as did I, and they are surprised when they are shown that a number of powerful semiautos with more capacity, better sights, better grips, and better tiggers are actually about the same size or are more compact.

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There is a place called Handgun Hero and it will let you compare different guns to each other in weight and size. And it does have a 642 in the list of guns you can use to compare. And there are several autos that are sized favorably to the 642. I just like my 442 better. And thats all the reason I need.

https://www.handgunhero.com/

Kleanbore said:

That is not relevant to my comment.

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Lol. You have lots of comments so I'm not sure which one you are referring to. But no matter. I do agree with you that there are autos like the LC9 you seem to favor that are close in size to the 642. I have an EC9s on my GB watchlist now and am thinking of selling my Taurus TCP and 450 rounds of 380 to buy it.

I do have to wonder what the recoil on the EC/LC9 is like compared to the recoil of the 642. Since you have and have shot both you can give me your opinion on shooting them. I would think a 17oz hot loaded 9mm would have the same sort of recoil close to the 642. Especially if you shot a 147gr bullet in the 9mm.

I dont have the EC/LC9, but I do have a Glock 26, and I did have a Glock 43, and shooting Winchester 127 grain +P+ out of both, was much more pleasant than shooting 135 or 158 grain 38's out of my 642's.

Buckeye63 said:

Picked it up today .. installed some thin slick grip panels on it .. to make it a bit more easier to withdraw or deploy from the pocket ...

View attachment 957674

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Nice grips.

If you find the gun moves around a bit when you shoot it, this guy has the solution, and they work/fit well.

https://bkgrips.com/

I like the factory Magna's with mine, and the T grips are a necessity for me. These a old Tyler T Grips on these guns, but I have the BK's on a number of others, and actually prefer them.



I also find, while they may not be the best, most pleasant grips for shooting (they are actually pretty good though), they keep the size of the gun minimal, and make the best concealment package for it.

Kleanbore said:

I was referring to the Ruger SR-9c. I could shoot one in all the drills in a 3-day course and only end up fatigued fro standing and moving.
With the 642, I had to soak my hand after 50 rounds.
BTW, I now carry a Shield 9 EZ.

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OK I looked up the SR9c on the handgunhero site and that gun is quite a bit bigger than the 642. I will try to see if it will let me paste the page here. I am having so much trouble with THR kicking me off the last couple of days though.

https://www.handgunhero.com/compare/smith-wesson-model-642-vs-ruger-sr9c

The Ruger LC9s is a better side by side with the 642. I am interested in that gun.

https://www.handgunhero.com/compare/smith-wesson-model-642-vs-ruger-lc9s

AK103K said:

If you find the gun moves around a bit when you shoot it, this guy has the solution, and they work/fit well.

https://bkgrips.com/

I like the factory Magna's with mine, and the T grips are a necessity for me. These a old Tyler T Grips on these guns, but I have the BK's on a number of others, and actually prefer them.

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I have never bought anything from the BK grip guy but have traded a couple of emails with him and he seems like a really nice person. I need a couple of grip adapters for my 6" model 10 and 28-2.

Shield EZ to 642. Not really apples to apples in my book.

https://www.handgunhero.com/compare/smith-wesson-model-642-vs-smith-wesson-m-p-9-shield-ez