Next best Snubbie.. and not a 642 or 442

[Stainz]

A new 642/442 is hard to beat. If there is something wrong, S&W will pick it up, fix it, and return it. Even the call is on them!

That price range would likely cover a decent 2" 10 or 64, a fantastic 6-shot K-frame snubbie, if a bit large and heavy. I bought a new 2" 10-11, made 1/03, in September of that year - a definite keeper from day one. I've shot the little Colts... no thanks, my 2" 10 is better - for me.

Gotta admit, having had a 642-2, with IL, for years, I trust my life nearly every day to it. Quite a dependable little handful.

Stainz

 

[btaylor73]

I have both and 642 and sp101. I love the trigger on the 642 but every thing else goes for the sp101. I really like how sturdy the sp101 feels. I have been turned on to ruger revolvers the past year and now own 4!

 

[fxstchewy]

I don't have any issues with my 642/442.

 

[flusher]

How about a S&W Model 66

 

[Triggernosis]

Despite what lots of folks will say, check out Taurus.
The latest two S&W's I owned weren't top-notch enough to justify their price.

 

[sleepyone]

Ruger LCR is a fine CCW

I just bought my wife a Ruger LCR. She preferred it over the 642. The LCR trigger is much easier to pull. Just fired it for the first time yesterday. The recoil is far less than my 642. I hear the polymer frame and larger grip help absorb the recoil. I like it a lot and might have bought one for myself if I did not already have the 642. I might get one anyway. I don't like my wife having a gun that I don't have.

 

[nearlynormalmike]

S&W reportedly releasing new .38 snubbie (and .380 auto) in May. Steel reinforced polymer frame, ambi cylinder release on top, and built in laser.

Smith's response to Ruger LCR. Pics make it look pretty darn ugly but will reserve judgement until I can see and shooy! Might be worth the wait.

 

[Voodoo1951]

A few of my favorites...

 

[ironvic]

When my wife took over my Smith Model 642,. I found ( after searching high and low) a Model 60 no dash. Nice little piece. Haven't owned one since the late 1980s and forgot what a great little gun it is. Don't care much for the snaggy hammer "hook" but that's just a matter of getting used to it again. The thing was a mess, too. Shot an awful lot and I'll bet it was never cleaned, totally gunked up innards. A little Gunk spray, elbow grease and a complete tear down remedied that. I love this gun, man!

 

[Kilted Cossack]

I like the D-frames. Yes, part of it is pure cussedness on my part, but so what? A few years ago I went on a Colt buying spree/frenzy. I've got a matched set of 2" Cobras, a 2" DS, and (just to round things out) a 3" and a 4" Cobra. The 4" Cobra has some road rash on one side of the cylinder. The earliest snake is from 1961 and the DS is from 1965. I think the all up cost for the five was about $1200.

It's a personal choice, of course, but I really like the Colts. The D-frame seems to be optimally sized for me---easier to carry than the slightly larger K-frame, vastly easier to shoot than the slightly smaller J-frame.

I extensively modified the 2" Cobras by installing Tyler T-grips on them.

What's not to love?

 

[stana]

I have two ruger sp101s and I've had numerus K & J frame steel snubbies, but for me the airweight 642 and 442 are the best for CC, I have one of each.

If shooting is more important to you than carrying concealed then I would prefer the ruger sp101.

I live by "buy it try it and trade it" untill the right one apears.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Aaaahh...Flusher...A man after my own heart. I have been known to carry a nickel plated mod 19 in 2 1/2" dress...

Mod 19 or 66 are good choices for concealed carry. Too heavy? Naw...Not at all. I'm a very light shorty and I have no problem with them...

 

[SaberOne]

For every plus there’s an equal minus... Dan Ortego

Be it anodized (442) or painted (642) they are both very popular. The 642 is also available in several variations of color, features, and price-points. Still, I prefer the durability and shock absorbing quality of full steel. Likewise, the steel variants are a bit more adaptable to customization and fine-tuning.

Regards,

 

[thunderdog]

I had been thinking of buying a 442 for a while now. I went to my nearby gun shop with the intention of buying it right then. I asked the guy if there were any no-lock ones available, he checked what they had and told me no. But I had read that they do make some of them that way. Anyway I thought I would check on-line before I bought it. I found one right off. I also didn't know you could buy a gun on-line. I ordered it and am having it shipped the the dealer. I don't know what the rules are here about posting the name of a gun dealer...but a search on google... smith wesson 442 no lock found what I was looking for. The no-lock version model # is 150544

 

[Guillermo]

Or, a Colt Detective Special or Agent or Cobra.


Yep, them's my picks too.

Those guys said all you need to know.

Add what Cabrito Earl said

Get an older Smith or Colt.

Way better than anything built in the 2000s

and all I can say is ditto

The DS is the finest snubby 38. Still findable at reasonable prices. All of the "Colts are more fragile than glass" is a bunch a dog squeeze.

If you find that the small size difference is an issue and you go with a Smith, buy one from an era when FM radio was a "fad" or even better...not invented yet.

Better guns, better prices

 

[glockman19]

I have both a 442 and 642 and would trust my life to nothing less than a Smith ans wesson j-frame for carry. I have had no issues with the lock either.

Difference between S&W & Ruger is the trigger. I prefer the S&W trigger.

 

[Girodin]

I like the LCR for a light carry 38 spl revolver. Ruger had built a better mouse trap with respect to the trigger pull. Its purpose built to be a CCW snubbie and IMO it fills that role rather well. I find my self wishing my various other double action revolvers had a trigger pull to match.

 

[MachIVshooter]

The SP101 is a great gun but is a different animal than the 442. The Ruger is too big and heavy for pocket carry and the 442 is perfect in that role.

+1

The SP-101 is closer to K-frame than J-frame. I have a 3" in .32 H&R. In terms of carry, the difference between it and my vintage 2" M37 is night and day.

Personally, I would always look for the older guns first. But there are renditions of the newer airweights without locks.

442/642 probably make up 70-80% of the revolvers we move at my buddy's shop. They're popular, and for good reason.

 

[wv67]

As a SP101 owner I wanted an LCR for something lighter for summer carry. I'm planning on getting a 442 instead as I found the LCR less comfortable when shooting the two side by side. The overly large, to me anyway, trigger guard on the LCR really dug into my middle finger and kept me from getting a good grip.

As for the much vaunted trigger, I don't get it. I've shot one and dry fired three others and found the trigger nothing to write home about. Not bad at all, but certainly not noticeably better than anything else out there. Too bad, as I really wanted another Ruger.

 

[wrs840]

You perhaps won't know why a 442/642 is a standard until you own one for a few months. They maintain a "benchmark" status for good reason.

Les

 

[MachIVshooter]

As for the much vaunted trigger, I don't get it. I've shot one and dry fired three others and found the trigger nothing to write home about. Not bad at all, but certainly not noticeably better than anything else out there

Compared to a Smith or Colt, no, nothing to write home about. But a stark improvement for Ruger as factory triggers go. If only they had put it in a more attractive package. It's not even so much that I mind the idea of polymer wheelguns, just that the LCR is hideous, IMO. Don't much care for the new S&W Bodygaurd .38, either. Not quite as bad as the LCR, but still pug ugly.

It's great that there's all these new options, but I'll stick with my M37.

 

[RonBernert]

Reconsider the 442!

Personally, I think you'd be making a misake by not considering the 642 or 442. I have carried the same 442 since 1992, and (colt guys keep from yelling at me here) it has been the best piece for CCW!! I'll buy another revolver or autoloader, carry it for a while and then go back to my trusty 442.. I have never heard of any real Quality Control issues with them, so maybe you are getting information from an unreliable or uninformed source??

Now- to make you Colt and Ruger guys happy.... I like Colt, just dabble in the autoloaders.. Ruger makes the strongest, most trustworthy revolver known to man.. It's just that at twice the weight, the 442 carries easier.. The revolver that sits in the car when I travel? A Ruger 6" Security Six.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I won't try to convince you to buy a M642 or M442..

I would suggest a S&W M638 or M438 instead...

 

[TexasBill]

I have a Model 637 and a Model 60. Both have locks. Never had any trouble with either one even after shooting shooting +P through the 637 and .357 through the 60.

I would love to be able to walk into a gun shop and buy a brand-new Colt DS or Cobra. But I can't. The Ruger SP101 is a fine gun, but the Smith action feels better to me (YMMV).

 

[SaberOne]

I agree, the only reason I own Smiths' is because Colt bailed from the market. I bet they regret that bonehead decision these days.