Pandemic Daze
or
I Can’t Believe I Read the Whole Thing
Recently I’ve had a bit of extra time and spent it reading 10,000 or so posts in The 642 club Discussion. Although not a member I offer the following (unsolicited) observations;
A good summary of the Club’s preferences was posted by DAdams in Jan. of 2010 here;
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/642-club-part-deux.314422/page-147 post#3665 and might be a good first stop for newbies’ FAQs. The sometimes lively discussion surrounding these preferences really is interesting and shouldn’t be missed. Most other common ownership issues are also addressed in the course of discussion and can be found using the “search this thread” function and patience. The info is surprisingly current, some product URLs have expired.
One constant for the Club’s 15+ year existence is the overwhelming approval for Mika Holsters! Many, many reportedly have been purchased with maybe one or two dissatisfied posters. Quite amazing when so many posters agree on anything! In my experience, the Mika round cut ordered a few years back and the square cut more recently exhibit the same excellent quality and the service was personal and exceptional both times.
Many posters accumulated a rotation of holsters of different brands and styles to fit dress, occasion and conditions while others settled on one or two (Mika was usually one.) Pocket holsters (most brands) act as pockets to protect the revolver whether enclosed in a garment or not.
Maybe a third of posters chose to keep the original stocks (grips,) maybe a third chose laser grips, and maybe a third chose other. The infinite availability of JFrame grips help it fit most hands and purposes, an advantage over competitors.
Grip (hand interface with the stocks.) Really only one, high and very tight, see FAQs for photo. Recoil management and accuracy begin here!
Dry firing to smooth the action and use of snap-caps are a frequent query. The infinitely knowledgeable and extremely highly regarded Old Fuff (RIP) made the definitive post here;
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/the-642-club.138658/page-120 post #2980.
A benefit for all would be for some of those long-ago posters to return with updates; Was that spring kit/action job reliable, how much finish is left on those 642s and 442s, did all those +Ps really break anything, how did those SmartCarrys do in the wash (they have been washed, right?) and any other long-term observations.
Overall I learned quite a bit and found that I’m not the only one who “Can tell how many live rounds you have left by the pitch of the rattle” (jt1, Part Deux #2341.) When social distancing ends I now can confidently use terms like hammer-snag, humpback-lint, cylinder-bulge and bottom-feeding-brass-puker in polite conversation.
Disclaimer: I am not a member. The above opinions are unsolicited and intended only as a very abbreviated reference guide for those interested and in no way can replace the depth and breadth of information of the original three-parts of discussion.