Got Christmas for me - S&W 638 - howd I do?

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Sean Dempsey

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So, my local store I make most my gun purchaes from had a sale today.

S&W 638 .38 special +P Airweight

$349

Seemed like a good deal, so I put it on layaway. I've been wanting one of these S&W's for a while, just wasn't sure which to get. Originally I wanted a scandium .357, but this seemed like such a great bargain.

So what do you all think? Good deal, average deal, bad deal?
 
Sounds like a good deal to me. I do not know if you've ever fired a Sc .357 but, trust me, an Airweight .38 will be a lot more enjoyable...
 
I have not fired any of these smaller framed guns, so it's all new to me.

I am happy with my choice. I have the 1978 Model 28 Highway Patrolman 6" .357, so I figure I can buy 38's for both, or +P's.

I *do* plan on shooting this gun alot, so it'll probably save me alot of hand-ache. If I need a 357, I've got the big daddy I suppose.
 
Well then, you might be surprised at how snappy a .38+P feels in such a light gun... :what:
Also, and even though it is perfectly safe, I would not suggest a steady diet of +P in your gun. It's just unnecesary and will accelerate the wear on your revolver, that money would be better spent on twice the amount of regular .38.
You'll soon realize that a snubby requires quite a bit of practice to be shot efficiently.
 
Also, and even though it is perfectly safe, I would not suggest a steady diet of +P in your gun.
Click to expand...

+1

To my hand, the recoil difference doesn't seem to be much different between regular and + P ammo. A little snappy, and my hand is always sore the next day, but not too bad.

Just remember to remove any rings from your fingers before you shoot. I forgot to remove my wedding band once and got a nice big blister under the ring for my lack of attention :banghead:.

BTW, $349 is a very good price, I paid $355 for its hammerless cousin, the 642.:cool:
 
Nice gun, it's only a little bit above what I paid for an original Model 38, which won't do +p (unless it's an emergency I suspect).

Pics? :D
 
I bought a 638 last month from Cabela's for $379 and thought that was a good deal since it was $100 under list but you got a GREAT deal. I have to agree with the above posts about shooting a J frame in .357. It is not a pleasant experience for me and I'm a truck mechanic with strong hands and wrists. You choice of .38 Spl. is a good one not to mention it's half the price of the .357 models.
 
Good deal, equal to the best "S&W Factory Sale" prices here in FL.

You should check out a good S&W trained armorer and get a Trigger job, the S&W J frames I've checked out lately have heavy trigger pulls.

Does your gun have a smooth trigger or grooved?

Geoff
Who likes a little Model 38, pre-Plus P. :D
 
Great deal on a great little gun! It does take some practice to shoot it well, but it is definitely worth the effort. :)
 
Question-


In the store, before I bought, I had my wife check out the gun. She went to cock the hammer back, and her thumb slipped about halfway back and the hammer slammed forward.

Since then, I've debated taking it off layaway and switching it for the 642.

So my question is, is there a danger of an AD if, say, my wife went to cock the hammer back and her thumb slipped, releasing it from about halfway back? I've been thinking about that all day, and I just can't get comfortable with the idea of that gun now. Since this will be a carry gun, if she had to use it, I'd hate to have a mishap, when the 642 would work just as well.

Thoughts on this? Since the gun is still on hold, I can go and switch it for the 642 no problem. With my rather small framed wife, I'd almost like to just remove the hammer variable completley and get the 642. Thoughts?
 
I bought the 638 because it was able to be shot single action without the danger of a snag which the Chief's Special presents. The 642 is double cation only (like you know) and it may be hard for your wife to learn how to shoot it well if she has to shoot it double cation only. If you like the idea of having the option of single action like I do, get that gun and ask you wife not to pull the hammer if it's a problem for her. (Better yet, have her get a gun of her own) :D

The way I think of it, if for some reason she has to take your gun and use it something has gone VERY wrong and she won't be thinking of pulling back the hammer, she will be pulling the trigger as fast as she can until the gun is either empty or nothing in front of her is moving!!!
 
Since this will be a carry gun, if she had to use it, I'd hate to have a mishap, when the 642 would work just as well.
Click to expand...

If she needed to use the gun she wouldn't have time to cock it, and there is no need to.

I would still buy the 638. Grab some snap caps and have you/your wife practice cocking the gun until you are both confident you can do it.

My thumb has slipped off a 638 before, but it was only once. It does take a bit of more pressure, but it isn't bad at all.

In the end, the 638 is everything the 642 is plus the option to shoot single action (I like to shoot single action if I'm at the range competing with buddies or something).
 
to answer the question about the trigger, it is totally smooth.

My trigger finger has a little pinch injury, I had my finger through it too far and when it came back to the guard, it pinched a bunch of times. The trigger was in the first groove of the knuckle, so I should probably bring it out a quarter inch or so.
 
I paid about the same for my 638. Love it for ccw and it shoots about as well as I do. Carry it in a Mikka pocket holster.
 
I have a 638 and 642 which is supposed to be my wifes but she never carries it or shoots it.

The 638 is great for when I feel like carrying a gun. I have a cheap Gunmate IWB holster that is for 4" auto's, and I use that on my right him. Almost all of the gun is beneath my beltline, except for the butte of the gun.

I can wear it with any clothes: t-shirts, shorts, pants, it doesn't matter. The gun is invisible no matter what I wear, and also very comfortable and subtle to my senses. I tell people "It disappears on me, I forget it's there."

In fact, I DID forget I had it, I went to see my dad in the hospital (who is dying of cancer at 51... lung cancer) and I got up to his room and realized I still had my gun, and wasn't sure if that was kosher with the hospital. I don't think it mattered, but I felt like it was EXTREME poor taste to bring a gun into a hospital, especially a wing for the very ill/terminal patients.

But I digress. It's a great gun and I am glad I have it. I actually ONLY own those 2 handguns now, got rid of my autos. I cannot see how someone carries a fullsize auto on them. The J-fram is all I can stand to carry.

Someday I might get a Scandium .357 just for fun, but for now, the 638 loaded with Speer Gold Dot +P is what I rely on solely for self-defense.

Supposedly my wife "should really start carrying it more" according to her, but I doubt it.
 
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