Square Butt J-Frame?

[elano]

I've been looking for a j-frame and found a model 37 airweight earlier. It has a square butt and pachmayr grips. Are square butt j frames pocketable? What is the reasoning for making them that way?

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Square-butt J-frames are out there, but this seems an unlikely application. Perhaps it is only the grips that are square butt. You can confirm this by taking the grips off.

 

[Jim K]

They made them with a true square butt for a while, then went to the round butt with grips that made them square butt. The reason, I guess, is that some folks (like me) like the square butt. I guess it is less concealable, but when I was carrying it all the time a badge went with it so concealment, while desireable, was not a real necessity.

Jim

 

[Radagast]

Some departments issued a three inch barrel J frame - a couple of Australian state police forces among them. In such cases a square butt was not an issue.

Personally if it is for pocket carry I would forget about the 37 and get a hammerless round butt S&W 642 or 442. The square butt plus the exposed hammer will make it more difficult to pocket carry and to draw. Exposed hammers will tend to catch on the lining of the pocket when drawing, the square butt makes it just that much more larger prone to printing.

TL,DR: The .37 is an interesting curiousity but not ideal for your stated purpose.

 

[MMCSRET]

I was fumbling my way thru a local gun shop last year and came across a 37 no-, 1 7/8", square butt. I liked the way it felt and handled so it came home. It is a nice gun but I don't think I would carry it as it is hard to handle with any ammunition but the lightest; 158 gr. standard loads are downright painful!! I load an obsolete 110 gr. SWC that I cast from an old Ideal mold and load it light and the little gun is fun and accurate at clothes closet ranges.

 

[elano]

Interesting.