S & w 442 opinions got a 637

I like mine. I have a 442 Moonclip.



Its about as light as I want for 38 Special +P. Yes the grips are super ugly but they really tame the recoil. They look ugly but feel good in the hand.

I have a 442 no lock I paid $329.00 for and love it. Drops right in the pocket and draws out easily. Plus around 17oz loaded. Use lighter bullets like 110gr to help with recoil. Or the often recommended WC loads. I use those to but mine are a little past Target Velocity.

Thought about getting one awhile back as a lighter weight alternative to my Model 649. Found a Model 638 at a great price and got it instead. Pretty much the same thing as the Model 442 only you have access to the hammer with the Model 638 versus the DAO design of the Model 442. Great little pocket size .38s!

The price sounds high , but everything is high now .

442/642 hard to beat

[TT wow 329 is an awesome price. 497 seems high but not terrible. There is a 637 in the store too so am still deciding for sure, 5 bills I want a get something fun./QUOTE]

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It was a great price from an online seller named Keely Arms and the shipping was $9 IIRC. But I am sure they are OOS like everyone else.

ericuda said:

Lgs has one for 497 plus uncle Sam. Seems like lately I have a hankering for a short barrel little revolver. Would use for car carry and maybe owb around farm. Anyone that has one chime in. It seems like would be fun to shoot steel with some lighter 38s. Heck if hickok can do it surely I can at least hit once in awhile.

Not interested on 686 or whatever, have them already.

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Got a 642, same thing in a stainless. If you want a standard "can't go wrong buying it" .38 snubby, that's it.

It's OK.

The Ruger LCR I got a few months ago is, I think, more refined and better made. That said, the 442/642 is going to have a lot more options for grips and holsters and aftermarket parts, and the nifty little Safariland speed loaders work with it (they don't for the LCR).

That price is in the ballpark for what I'm seeing those for these days.

A 2" J frame size revolver is very useful and will never go out of style. The 148 gr wadcutter at target velocities is the best all purpose bullet for them IMO.

If you can stand just a little more weight and one extra round these look good to me. And they are small enough that they supposedly will fit in holsters made for 5 shot guns. I have wanted one ever since I found out about them. And I have never owned a bad Taurus and I've owned close to 20 of them.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/898194979

I tried to like mine. It had a horrible trigger that was only tolerable (just barely)after installing an Apex trigger kit, it had a snappy recoil that smacked my hand and ultimately I just dreaded trying to get any range time with it and sold it.
It sure was an attractive little gun though that was comfortable to carry.

Yes sir, standard .38’s. In fairness, I have freakishly large Hickok45 sized hands and while they our good for large revolvers they can be a hinderance for smaller gripped revolvers.
If you do get one I would suggest the spring kit, they are not expensive, easy to install and it does make a noticeable difference.

Like mine, it basically disappears IWB or in a coat pocket in one of the many available pocket holsters. If you want more discussion than you could get through in a looooooong while, do a search for the 642 club threads. I think there are three, hundreds of pages cumulatively covering essentially every aspect of the 642/442 series. I like the black finish on the 442 better, but otherwise they are the same gun.

I still have the one my wife bought me for my birthday in 1997. Until moving back to California it was my primary carry gun if I couldn’t carry something bigger and when I did carry something bigger my 442 was always with me as backup.

The best way to get a good trigger pull on a 442 is practice, which makes a lot of sense. I guarantee that if you aren’t used to such a small gun your aim will be atrocious due to, not so much the trigger pull, but keeping the gun on target during the trigger pull.
What’s that old joke?...How do you get to Carnegie Hall?
Practice, practice, practice...
And one day you will amaze yourself and without even knowing it that the 442 will always be one of the guns you always have nearby if not in your pocket.

My 442 will probably be the last gun I ever get rid of.

Couple years ago gun shops couldn't hardly give away guns. The previous 8 years many were afraid the government would curtail gun rights, so sales had been brisk, but by 2019 everyone who wanted one had one
2 shops in the area had J frames for under $340. I had been carrying a model 638 for a few years and really like it. I thought that I should get another so I would have one in case something happened to my 638 seeing as how they were so cheap. Went and got a no lock 442. Shown in picture with my 638 and a friends 360j. With practice they aren't all that bad to shoot. We regularly ring steel at 30 yards with them. I reload, so I run 148gr wad utters that are fairly mild. I have run 100 rounds through mine in a single range session without feeling like my hand was beat up many times which has allowed me to become proficient with the gun

ericuda said:

Ole hickok hit the gong like nothing so like any gun in capable hands I will hit the backstop

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Very true and he raves about the little J frame but at the same time was not a fan of the .454Casull. As for me, it’s the opposite, the .454 is one of my favorite rounds that I can shoot accurately and without cringing at the thought of pulling the trigger.
I think you will find that most people have a positive view of the 442/642. My experience with it was, just that....mine.

ericuda said:

Lgs has one for 497 plus uncle Sam. Seems like lately I have a hankering for a short barrel little revolver. Would use for car carry and maybe owb around farm. Anyone that has one chime in. It seems like would be fun to shoot steel with some lighter 38s. Heck if hickok can do it surely I can at least hit once in awhile.

Not interested on 686 or whatever, have them already.

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It’s the only snub I have that I can really hit things with. It’s got just enough weight to handle .38s. It’s very fast on the draw. And if you don’t like it, someone else will always want it.

Only thing is, if you get one, it should eventually have an identical twin 442 for your reload

mcb said:

I like mine. I have a 442 Moonclip.

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Its about as light as I want for 38 Special +P. Yes the grips are super ugly but they really tame the recoil. The look ugly but feel good in the hand.

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Nice rig. It makes me want to handload 38 Short Colts and put them in moonclips and learn speed reloads

I'm a very satisfied 442 owner, many years. Totally disappears in a proper IWB holster, light enough to be *almost* forgotten while carried.
Oh, and shootable? For a light j-frame it's about as comfortable as any I've used (and that's a few). Favorite carry factory load is a 158gr JHP +P. Plenty controllable with factory rubber grips. I've never felt unsafe with it. And trigger is comfortable enough to be accurate with the weak hand at 7-10 yards.

-jb, did I say it's fun?