642 or 638 for my girlfriend to use, what do you think?

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I'm thinking about getting a pistol for my girlfriend. I'd like to get her a S&W J frame but I can't figure out which would be the best.

I'm thinking about either the 642 or 638. I don't particularly care for the way the 638 looks, but I like the option of SA or DA.

Basically the pistol would need to be easily drawn from a purse i.e. hammerless/hidden hammer.

How useful would the option for SA be?

If she ever had to use it, would she even have time to cock the hammer?

I know every situation is different, and there's no way of predicting what could happen, but I'd like to hear some of your thoughts and oppinions on this matter.
 
Hi LSU Fan
I work for the Bass Pro in Denham. We are about to start carrying tasers in our inventory. This would be good for your girlfriend to have. If she carries a taser she would not have to get a cc license to carry it in her purse. Also she could get any color she wanted and it has a 15 ft range so if she turned on you u would know to stay at least 16 ft away ;)
 
SA will never be useful for this type of use. IMO, the only reason to get a snubbie with an external or non bobbed hammer is price.

Look at the Taurus Model 85 Ultra Lites too. Cheap good snubby.
 
Step 1: Bring her to a gun store.
Step 2: Let her pick out her own gun.
Step 3: Profit

And stay away from tasers/OC spray etc.
 
A hammerless revolver is simpler, especially under pressure. The S&W 340/640 and 442/642 models are very nice. The .38 Special +P works fine. Another alternative certainly worth checking out is the Ruger SP-101, Model KSP-321XL. As others have said, let her handle all of them and make the decision. Go Bengals.
 
I'm with rfurtkamp. She should be picking out her own gun. It's good for you offer advice if she's not familiar with guns but don't do it for her.

On that note I always prefer hammerless revolvers for concealed carry.

Another quick thought, you mentioned her carrying it in her purse. If she's actually thinking of carrying it that way I'd recommend against. They did an experiment in my CHL course where they had all the women put their guns in their purses and then try to draw them as if they'd just been attacked. Not a one of them could do it in anything approaching a reasonable amount of time. Plus if the attacker grabs her purse first good luck on getting to the gun.

My $0.02
 
After shooting many of my semi-autos and renting some others at the range, my wife picked a S&W 642. Its no range gun though, its a carry gun. If she gets that, have her get a heavier, all steel revolver for practice and just put 10 - 20 rounds through the 642 each session. And get her a gel shooting glove.
 
The "what gun for girlfriend" discussion is a frequent topic at THR and the answers are all the same.

Handgun selection is an individual fit issue and picking a gun for someone without knowing what fits them is not the way to go unless you already know what they fit.

Run a search and look at the advice on how to fit a gun to the individual and your GF will be a much better shot and more likely to enjoy the experience.
 
Took my gf to the range (at her request! she's a keeper) to familiarize her with some guns. Though the AR15 was her favorite of the day, she shot the snubbie and a .22 semi. She definitely needs more exposure but from the limited time we were there I think she'd go with a snubbie. That being said just because loading my .22's clips kind of bugged her hand and pulling the slide back on that little CZ kadet is hard for weak hands. Loved it otherwise. Hopefully we'll find someplace that has keltecs to rent and maybe a few others.
 
I agree that purse carry is one of the worst ways to carry, but it's sometimes necessary. It should not be a common mode of carry.
 
I guess I should have worded my OP a little better.

I didn't really mean to ask what type of gun would be best for her.

What I was really asking was: Would a hammerless/hidden hammer revolver be better for purse carry?

This discussion also leads me to another question.

I'm sure it will be a while before she decides that she wants to get a CC permit, but perhaps it might be better for her to at least keep a gun in her car. (No restrictions in Louisiana)

If she would just be keeping it in her car, a hammer might be less likely to catch on anything if she had to draw it.

Would your answer to the first question change any if she would just be keeping it in her car?
 
Here's my wife's 38 snubby... pink grips and all... and yes, hammerless/recessed hammer is ideal for purse carry. Even without the purse carry, if she's new to shooting the hammerless DA only is going to be easier. There's no SA/DA talk. You don't have to show her how to manually lower the hammer on a live round if she decides to cock the pistol and not fire, etc.

ETA: Here's the purse. I'm not sure what regular retail is... We tracked down a barely used one here on THR. I will say the purse itself is extremely high quality with very thick, soft leather. There *is* quite a difference between this and the $49 gun show purses with paper-thin leather.

http://www.usgalco.com/HolsterPT3.asp?ProductID=1774&CatalogID=394
 

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I don't think the airweight snubbies are a good beginners gun. They have a lot of felt recoil and the grips are very small. That combination could turn someone off to shooting rather fast.
 
I hope she has the training and practice as well as a
basic course. with that said...

I'd recommend <drum roll>

S&W 640 - it's all steel .357 Mag. it'll handle
for example the Speer 135 gr. Gold dot .38 Spcl +P
SB - it's a short barrel load for low flash, and unlike
the alloy framed snubbies with the 1 7/8" Bbl. the
640, with the same shrouded hammer as a 642 gets
a 2 1/8" Bbl. at 23 oz. it's still light enough for purse
carry but more controlable Speer's published data on
the SB 135 gr. GD notes almost 45 FPS gain in that 1/4"
longer barrel for that load.

Randall
 
I'd go with the 642. No need for single action on this type of gun. That said, make sure she can pull the trigger. My wife can't. It's not a strength issue. It ergonomics. She has long fingers and the trigger just doesn't work for her. That said, I suspect a bigger grip might make the difference.

If the gun is going to be carried in a purse, an all steel gun isn't a problem and is a lot easier to shoot.
 
I strongly suggest that she try before buying.

The Centennial has a slightly better fit for the web of the hand for follow up shots than the Bodyguard, and BBQLS1 is on the same track as most of the recognized concealed carry experts in saying that SA will not be worth anything in most justifiable SD situations.

However, as MAKster points out, the recoil of the Airweight can be a handful. OTH, the steel version may not be to her liking for carrying due to its weight, and if it's not with her it's worthless. It's a trade-off. The lighter gun is better for concealed carry, the heavier gun is better for practice.

So--try first. Try carrying, try shooting.

I have 642, and I use relatively light loads. I have a laser grip, and I recommend it.

I have a steel revolver, but I didn't like carrying it. I shoot the Airweight only as much as I need to be proficient in hitting body mass at 7+ yards, and with the laser, that doesn't involve a lot of live fire. I use heavier guns for other purposes.

What I do shouldn't influence you--I am simply pointing out one solution that works for me. On that subject, I also took a good CCW course before selecting the gun. That should prove helpful also.

I also suggest you get a copy of The Gun Digest Book of Concealed Carry by Mas Ayoob.

I hope you find this helpful.
 
Step 1: Bring her to a gun store.
Step 2: Let her pick out her own gun.
Step 3: Profit

+1 If you just hand her a snubby to shoot, the odds are excellent she will pull the trigger just once, hand it to you and call you names you didn't know were in her vocabulary. Somebody earlier recommended a websight run by a woman for women. I've heard that it is an excellent source.

If she decides to get a snubby, an S&W 642 Airweight (NOT Airlite!) would be the best choice. The hammer is completely contained within the frame, so there is nothing to snag. And if she ever has to use it, almost certainly it would have been double action anyway.

My wife graduated from LSU. We were married in the Episcopal Chapel there, right after I got my Navy Wings of Gold.

Cordially, Jack
 
I'll try to answer the question:

The DA/SA option is really of little use in a short range, defensive revolver. Chances are there wouldn't be time to cock it anyway, and having the ability to cock the hammer might actually instill the bad habit of cocking it when actually shooting has not yet been determined.

In addition, every woman's purse I have ever seen has been full of various junk. It is possible that some of that junk could work its way inside the humpback frame of the Bodyguard and jam the hammer or bind the action, plus I suspect it is a pain to clean out (I've never actually owned a Bodyguard). I'm not a big fan of purse carry, but if the option is purse carry or not carrying, then I think the Bodyguard is a bad choice for the purse. The Centennial line (340, 342, 442, 640, 642, etc) is probably the best choice for purse carry, the bobbed hammer Ruger SP101 or a bobbed hammer Chief's Special (36, 37, 60, etc.) would be a good second choices.

I stick to the same advice for the car, with the addition that if its car carry only, then a larger K or L frame would be a better choice. For a combination CCW/Car gun, the Centennial or Chief makes more sense.
 
loading my .22's clips kind of bugged her hand and pulling the slide back on that little CZ kadet is hard for weak hands.
Click to expand...
If she does pick a semi-auto, also get her a magzine loading tool. They are readily available from Midway for less than $10.
 
If she decides on the 642 I would recommend snap caps and much dry firing between range sessions. The good thing about the 642 and similar snubs is that if she decides that purse carry is not the best for her they are small enough to conceal on the body comfortably. Another Smith snub to consider is the 432PD. It is a 6 shot J frame in.32H&R magnum and is pleasant to shoot which translates into more range sessions. My wife has one. A Zoom makes snap caps for the 432 as well.
 
I own both a M638 and M642. I like the M638 better but so does my son so I don't see it much! LOL

Unless you know exactly what she wants to carry let he pick it out herself. Would you like someone picking the gun you are going to carry? I know I wouldn't.
 
I know it's considered bad form to answer a question with a question but do she even want to have a gun?
 
Whe my wife got her carry permit, we went to the gunstore and SHE picked out a S&W 638 as her CCW. She love the light weight and SA trigger option. WHen we went to the range with it...well that is a different story. lets just say 15oz felts great to her in the gun store but not shooting 50 rounds/range session to become proficcient with her firearm! Now 2 years later she caries a snub Ruger Security six loaded with speer short barrel .357's:) Its amazing how a 31oz revolver can dampen felt recoil even with .357's!
 
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