Considering A S&W 642 38+P, Is It Enought Omph?

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sigbear

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I know there are a lot of people out there that carry a S&W 642, 38+P. I am considering buying one, however, looking at some ballistic data makes me wonder if the 1 7/8" barrel model 642 has enough omph.

I was looking at Speer Gold Dot 38+P GDHP and Speer Gold Dot 9mm+P GDHP and was surprised at how much more power the 9mm had:

Ballistics are from a 4" barrel:

Speer Gold Dot 38+P GDHP 125 gr. 945 fps and 248 fpe

Speer Gold Dot 9mm+P GDHP 124 gr. 1220 fps and 410 fpe

The problem is, I now carry a Walther P99 compact with a 3.5"barrel which would loose about 5% velocity and the 642 about 20% with the 1 7/8" barrel:

Walther P99 3.5" barrel - 1159 fps, 390 fpe vs.
S&W 642 1 7/8" barrel - 756 fps, 198 fpe

Am I missing something ballisticlly here?

The S&W 642 would be a nice carry weight at 17 oz. loaded vs. my P99 at 25 oz. but it appears I would be giving up a lot of power for the 8 oz. less carry weight.

Sigbear
 
It's a tradeoff. The 642 can be carried in your pocket (in a pocket holster) all day without troubling you. There are 9mm autoloaders that will do that too, but you will know it is there all day. If you plan to wear your handgun in a belt or shoulder holster, then the 642 loses its luster.

As for ballistics, a Speer +p 135 gr Gold Dot SB is plenty good enough -- if you are good enough with your shot placement. Consider also the Remington FBI Load R38S12. That is what is in my 637 (the visible hammered version of the 642). In ballistic gelatine tests (www.brassfetcher.com), when fired from a 642, this load penetrates about 12" and expands to more than 0.6". According to other tests, however, the Winchester and Federal versions of the FBI Load probably will not expand when fired from a snubby (see www.highpowersandhandguns.net).

Hope this helps.

Cordially, Jack
 
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One advantage a 642 would have over a P99 is it will operate over a wider range of power. Some manufacturers specialize in ammo that's apparently just barely within the standards of pressure limits; look up Buffalo Bore and Double Tap ammo if you'd like to see .38+p ammo with pretty decent ballistics.
 
Am I missing something ballisticlly here?
Click to expand...
Yes, energy in and of itself doesn't do anything; it simply provides the potential to do work. Handguns (with exception given to 44 Mag and up) just poke holes. They don't fire rounds with enough energy to wound by hydrostatic shock. Heavier .38 Special rounds tend to penetrate very well - remember that force equals the product of mass and the square of velocity, but momentum is equal to mass to velocity.

Take a look at these test results of the Remington 158 grain LSWCHP from a stock 642:
http://www.brassfetcher.com/158 grain +P lead HP (test 2).html
124 gr +P Speer Gold Dot from a Glock 26:
http://www.brassfetcher.com/124gr +P Speer Gold Dot.html
Stepping up to a heavier bullet weight in 9mm also increases penetration:
http://www.brassfetcher.com/9x19mm147grGoldenSaber.html
 
The numbers can't tell you everything about a caliber. The .38 Special is a well tested and reliable caliber. With all the new advances in bullet design it's now even better. Most SD encounters will happen at close range. A .38 Special +P round will solve most of those problems and do so very well.

I carry a J frame daily and load it with Remington R38S12 ammo. (FBI Load) The Short Barrel 135gr .38 Special +P ammo offered by Speer is also a very good SD round if you prefer a newer designed bullet. It's proven to expand at only 800 fps.
 
Just to clear up a few things, force is mass times acceleration; kinetic energy is one half mass times velocity squared; and momentum is mass times velocity. Finally, it is hard to imagine hydrostatic shock as a function of anything CCW related.

As to the 'FBI Load' effectiveness, the +P 158gr LHPSWC was not abandoned due to being ineffective - it was abandoned due to the perceived need for higher ammo capacity - and thus, 9mm semi-autos. Some, like Marshall & Sanow, have garnered real shooting event stats to show an effectiveness of that 'FBI Load' as greater than 230gr ball ammo from a 1911. Whether true or not, the 642 so-loaded is my personal 'defender' half the time, while it's bigger sibling, a 296 with 200gr Gold Dots, is in my pocket the other days.

Stainz
 
Which do you shoot better???

which one fits your hand better?
which one does your wife or GF shoot/ like better?
 
I carry Double Tap in my snub, 125gr gold dots, which has 1100 fps in a snub. 155 fps faster than Speer with same bullet, not bad.
 
357sigRog,
Don't bet on getting those velocities, I know I didn't get them. When I fired the 125gr DoubleTap rounds from my M638 I didn't even get 950 fps let alone 1100 fps. They are a good SD round none the less. Actually, I think the Speer rounds were just a little faster.
 
Is It Enought Omph?

In a wordt: yes.

But more important would be your ability to place the shot where it needs to go. The 38 will do the job in good fashion. It has a long record of effectiveness, given the right bullet. In its favor is the fact that the 38 is an inherently accurate round that most folks find easy to shoot accurately.
 
There are .38+P rounds designed to get decent velocity in short barrels, BTW, e.g. Cor-Bon's defensive loads.

Someone figured out that .38 is commonly used in snubbies like the 642, so they finally started making ammo accordingly.:)
 
(SNIFF) Pity the Poor Old Fuff.... :uhoh:

His suubbies are often loaded with .38 Special mid-range 148-grain wadcutters that won't break 800 fps. :eek:

Don't 'spose I'll have a chance the next time one of those big gunfights I read about so often comes along. Of course if I am seriously worried I can upgarde to the same with 158 grain LSWs. Or when I'm really, really worried there is the little Taurus model 445 in .44 Special... :cool:

At the distance I'm likely to fire one of these pocket guns the bullet will penetrate far enough without going too far, and the recoil is very mild and quick to recover from so I can make fast but accurate follow-up shots if they are needed.

Course I can't go around and brag about the bull-ets I'm using. :D
 
His suubbies are often loaded with .38 Special mid-range 148-grain wadcutters that won't break 800 fps.
Click to expand...

I've found this load to make nice hole in critters and in paper....I suspect it would make nice hole in "bad guys' too.
 
Old Fuff,

I'd buy you a drink but your liver can't take it, and neither can mine. :)
 
Sure . . . it is plenty of gun, as long as you hit where you are aiming . . and aiming at the right spots.

Plus, I don't know ANYONE who would want to be shot by one!

The S&W Airweight snubbies are fantastic "always with ya" guns that, like ALL handguns, will buy you valuable time as you fight your way to your shotgun!

T.
 
Sure . . . it is plenty of gun, as long as you hit where you are aiming . . and aiming at the right spots.
Click to expand...

As with any handgun. What folks have said here is right-on: it's a proven round, in a good gun. Perhaps not the massive pocket Howitzer you might want, but eminently functional for the job.

You can see more tests of more ammo through mine as part of our "real world" test of that caliber: Ballistics by the inch. It's a gun and load I feel perfectly comfortable with to save my life, if I do my job.

7
 
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