S&W 642

[ThomasT]

One thing I did notice on the sr9c is that it weighs 9oz more than the 642. Thats a heavy pocket gun.

 

[Buckeye63]

Now a 642 compared to a S&W Shield is a bit closer in size

I own a Shield 9mm.... I really like it ..But its not a pocket BUG ....

 

[Buckeye63]

I used to carry a 642, Seecamp, LCP, and a few other as a BUG until I got a Smart Carry holster and figured out, I could just as easily carry a Glock 26 with a 17 reload, and in the exact same place, using the same type of holster. Havent carried any of the others in a second line capacity since.

The 26, while maybe a little pudgy in spots, is basically the same size as the 642, carries 10 rounds of a more powerful round, has a good set of sights, and shoots like a full sized gun, pretty much out to the same distances they can too. And should I shoot it empty, its instantly reloaded with a 17 round mag, to make up for my piss poor shooting, that made me have to reload.

More realistically, it allows me to hand it off to my wife or whoever, with a "full" mag, as its basically just a short barreled 17 at that point.

I really dislike pocket carry and always found it lacking. The main reason is, I already have WAY to much stuff in my pockets, so, no place to put the gun, and the pants I normally wear, even with an empty pocket, arent any size pistol friendly, especially if you need to draw it in a hurry. As Kleanbore has mentioned, its not user friendly, if and when you really need it.

The Smart Carry's are basically just a "deep" AIWB holster, and easily and quickly accessed, and with just one hand, sitting, standing, and/or moving. I much prefer them, and I can actually carry a lot more gun with one to if I want to.

They appear to be close .. unloaded .. 26 weighs
7 oz more
I have a 27 . Love that gun ....IWB or OWB ..
180gr HST ...yep

But my 642 is going to be a pocket carry BUG
( Back up Gun) .. secondary carry .. to whatever .. I happen to be carrying primary ...

My 27 never goes to the safe ..... always out ...always loaded .. I have 5 handguns that stays out ...

 

[sixgunner455]

Interesting..a Glock 42 is smaller than the 642 in height, length, width, less weight. 7 rounds vs 5..MUCH longer barrel...just sayin

That fact seems to dismay people in terms of cognitive dissonance.

When I carried a 642 as a BUG, I put it down next to my SR-9c, and to my surprise....

Doesn't always have to do with cognitive dissonance or external dimensions. My perfectly well informed decision may differ from others, which is totally fine.


Just sayin'.

What I "am saying" is that many people have the idea that the 642 is very compact, as did I, and they are surprised when they are shown that a number of powerful semiautos with more capacity, better sights, better grips, and better tiggers are actually about the same size or are more compact.

Who would be "dismayed" by that?

Isn't a G42 a .380? Is a 380 as powerful as a .38 Spl?
I get it that some of you are dead set that a J frame revolver is obsolete, and I do realize that there are plenty of other viable and yes, even better options.
I trust my snub nose revolver and that trumps any other criteria for me.

I have a 642, 60-9, and 2xG42s. All have their purposes: the G42 with regular sights is my wife’s, and is the only centerfire pistol she will shoot a whole box through on her 2x per year range trip, and is the only gun she will occasionally carry. The G42 with the Big Dot front sight is mine, and it became a thing for me when I found myself swiping hers for running or going to the gym.

My G42 is great, but neither of them run on flat-nosed Winchester ball. That’s okay because we feed them FTX and round nose ball.

The 642 is the gun I carry most, and has been for years. I can’t carry at work, but can have an unloaded gun secured in my vehicle in our isolated, monitored and locked up parking lot for before and after work. The G42 gives me bullet setback if a round is repeatedly cycled through the action. The 642 doesn’t care how many times I load and unload a round. It gets fed on softball handloads no more powerful than a .380 (a .38 can be less powerful than a .380 up to knocking on a .357 light load - versatility is a thing). It is carried loaded with wadcutters. The reload is Hornady 110gr Critical Defense because they don’t kick hard and have a tapered nose for smooth reloads.

When hiking in snake country, the first two chambers of the 642 are loaded with snake shot.

The 642 is shot several times per year. Usually a couple of cylinders worth. It gets dry-fired weekly. It is carried so much, it has nearly no finish left.

The 60-9 is for actually practicing shooting a jframe without damaging myself. It gets shot usually at least one box per month.

The G42 gets shot whenever I have ammo to spare. That gun is fun to shoot, and easy to carry. But like I said, doesn’t fit my daily use case due to specific issues. If I could carry at work, it would be my EDC.

After work, when working from home, and on days when not working, my G26 usually gets carried. 2x the ammo, better sights, easy to shoot fast and well.

 

[Buckeye63]

Main reason I like a revolver as a BUG ... is if the threat is close quarter , roll and tumble ... a revolver can be fired muzzle on threat and semi can’t cycle on a muzzle contact shot & no worries with limp wristing
A BUG will not be used unless everything goes to pot ... ..