The 642 club

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mike5liter / ALL - Happy to hear your 642 is feeling better, bet you are too. Now, however we have a problem. I have been using revolvers close to 45 years now and this is the second time in three months I have heard of this problem, I have not seen or heard of it befor now. When I go out this weekend I will try to duplicate this problem and see what the best immediate action is to put the gun back into service. I sent a message to S&W about this today. I find no mention of this on other revolver forms. I will let you know what I find. Any other input?
 
New member (442) & range report

Well I can finally say that I'm a member of the club. I was wandering throught the local shop and saw a 642-2 and a 442-2 in the used case right next to each other. The 442 was $329 and the 642 was $349. I remembered that this shop sells them new for around $400. I handled each and found them to be in like new condition.

I said thanks and went home to think about it. Since this would be my 3rd new pistol in four months, I didn't want to rush into things. I checked online prices and found them better than good since I didn't have to pay transfer fees or shipping.

I finally decided that the 442 would have to come home with me and took care of the paperwork in no time.

Upon getting it home 48 hours later and could take a good look at it. I can only guess that it was fired little. The cylinders had a bit of residue that came out with Hoppes Elite and the barrel was clean. The employee mentioned that it was traded in a couple days earlier.

I finally had a chance to shoot it this last weekend and brought along my Sig P239 .40 for comparision. I brought hot handloaded 165gr. Remington Golden Sabers for the .40 to get a real impression of recoil. WWB 130gr. and 158gr. Remington LSWCHP+P were for the .38.

Well, the P239 in .40 kicks harder but I can take it all day. It has a strong, long push with noticable muzzle rise. The .38 +P has a strong, sharp kick with a more concentrated feel because the grip is so narrow. It reminds me of my FEG PA-63 in 9mm Makarov but a little more stout.

I'm happy with my choice and have all the previous posters to blame!
 
LotI, you have been assimilated. Welcome. Great deal you got on the 442.
_______

For a while, I was making noises in the club house about replacing my 642 with a 637. But I've now talked myself out of that. Or rather, a couple of others knowledgeable about gun laws did.

The argument goes like this: "If you shoot someone even in SD with a revolver with a hammer, in a civil suit brought by the "shootee" or their relatives, the lawyer will try to argue that the shooter cocked the gun and it went off unexpectedly or wantonly, etc, etc, therefore one is better off with a revolver like the 642 that is DAO."

I'm not sure that I buy it entirely, but knowing lawyers as I do, I'm listening.

So, I'm either going to stick with Mr. 642 or trade it for a 442 ... have I mentioned lately how much I like those black revolvers? :rolleyes:

Still exploring IWB options. (Thanks for opinions.) Top of my list right now: Desantis Cozy Partner (but I hear you re the "warm partner" in summer) and that less expensive Don Hume. I'll likely start with that one ...

Nem
 
LotI - Welcome to the 642 Club! We are happy yo have you.

I'm happy with my choice and have all the previous posters to blame!
Guilty as charged.

Nem - You know you need both of them.
 
Tonyvt - Welcome. If you like the CT 305's, then yes this a good deal. You might read here first.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=273842
Let us know when you are ready for membership.

Thanks for the link. I hadn't realized that Crimson Trace offered 2 different sets of lasergrips for the 642. I guess I will have to do a bit more research and determine if the 305 grips that are supplied with the 642 by Smith & Wesson will be the best choice for me and pocket carry.
 
I use a Dorcy Metal Gear 1-watt L.E.D. Bought it at Wal-Mart.
How many $, fiVe? (Couldn't be too many if W'mart sells it, I guess.)
And I wonder if it's as bright as the Inova (which has 5 LED's).

Hey, do I smell another auxiliary club thread in Firearm Accessories: "What LED flashlight for snubbie users?"
 
Nem said:
How many $, fiVe? (Couldn't be too many if W'mart sells it, I guess.)
And I wonder if it's as bright as the Inova (which has 5 LED's).

$14.99? $19.99?

I'm sure it's not as bright as the Inova. I had a Brinkman, but just got tired of having to get the CR123 batteries. The Dorcy is not bad though, and the 3 AAA batteries last longer than the CR123 batteries.
 
Picture

Took some picutes of the 642 tonight, hopefully I can stop by the range tomorrow and see how it goes.

/Mike

642_008s.gif
 
Speer GDHP 135gr +P

I came home late from work to find 1,000 rounds of GDHP 135's in my garage - God I love it when the BBT comes to town! :cool:

It was getting late and the indoor pistol range is open at my club until 9:30, (alarm goes off at 10pm), so I grabbed a box and zoomed up there. I didn't have time to really test them out, but I must say, they are impressive to shoot. Recoil was sharp, but not overwhelming and the flash was surprisingly low, (though still present obviously). Accuracy was good over all, but I was "rushed", so I need to shoot more. With 1,000 rounds home to Papa, looks like I'll have time to do more thorough testing soon! ;)

So far, it seems like a great deal, ($239.00) on some great ammo, but was curious as to what some of the other impressions were from those of you "in the know"....

In any case, I'm a happy camper at the moment, (ammo does that) and happier still to be surrounded by such a wealth of experience, wit and information. Thanks all!

Mark
 
Hello all, new to this forum. I'm in. I've heard nothing but good things about the J frames. Just picked up a new 642 this evening. Precision little jewel. Much lighter than the Mak I've been carrying. It is the baby brother my 686 always wanted.:)

Charlie
 
It is the baby brother my 686 always wanted.
Welcome to THR and 642-ville, Charlie. Yep, all 686's need a little brother (as me and Jad will tell you).

Mark, cool news on 1000 rnds.
Good price, too, if I'm doing the math right: $239/1000 comes out at $11.95/50.

May we ask: where from?
 
MassMark

So far, it seems like a great deal, ($239.00) on some great ammo, but was curious as to what some of the other impressions were from those of you "in the know"....

I sent you a PM a little while back asking about that deal and never heard back from you. Is the offer still available and if so, can you contact me with the information? I'd really appreciate it and so would my snubby.
 
tonyvt - Your welcome, choose well, or get both. If your not happy with the 305's, at the price you are getting them for you could sell them and get the 405's and still have a good deal.

corky52 - Welcome to the club. We are happy to have you with us. Seems we have had several Mak converts lately, IIRC this club started with a Makarov convert.
 
Hi Nem-

As Brian mentioned, the light is an Inova X5. You can see that mine looks different than the one in your link, as mine is a 1st generation unit from a couple years ago. I unfortunately suffer from occasional bouts of flashaholic-ness, so I own quite a few different flashlights. The Inova, and other multiple-LED lights like it, make great utility flashlights, as they offer a broad beam and good battery life. This is useful to finding washing machine leaks, gun cleaning, and the like. Make sure to buy an extra pack of 123a batteries online, as you'll get a much better price, and they have a 10+ year shelf life.

For bump in the night purposes, something with a bit more focus would be a better choice. I keep a Surefire E2 lying next to the bed for that. I and others have had great buying experiences from www.brightguy.com.

Hope that helps.
 
Nematocyst - PM on the way.

Spiff - Same sent. When you sent me a PM, I only saw you had a single post. Wanted to wait to see if you stuck around...No offense.

The dealer I got it from is a good guy, with a good rep and good service. I won't post this info in open forum, as I don't want him inundated, (he's a one man show), but he's cleared me to send a few references his way. I posted this offer a while back and am unsure of his current supplies, but I found this to be an incredible deal. I know he's advertising Speer GDHP +P 9mm for around the same money. Our own Lolpop was the only one who bit last time, so if anyone is interested let me know and I'll take a count, pass along the info to him and see if he can meet demand....
 
Spiff - Same sent. When you sent me a PM, I only saw you had a single post. Wanted to wait to see if you stuck around...No offense.

None taken, I can understand not being overly excited to just pass along a deal to someone who might be a freeloader. Thank you very much for the PM.

On another note, my M&P 340 was shipped out yesterday so hopefully I'll get it tomorrow or Thursday so I can get you guys the pics I promised. I'm probably hitting the range tomorrow with a buddy of mine so I'm hoping it comes early.
 
Bad Influence...

Spiff - glad you got it - hope it works out for you. It's really high quality defensive ammo at plinker prices...Gotta love it... ;)

You guys are terrible - all of you....I stood in my dealers yesterday staring at a brand new M&P 340 with this twinkle in my eye. Dave said: "wanna check out the M&P?" "Sure", says I.... I now have to have one..... If my wife get's wind of this, I'm throwing all of you under the bus... :neener:

PS: I did a search, but could not find if any ballistic gell data had been posted on the 135's. The Buffalo Bore post was interesting as heck....
 
corky52 said:
Much lighter than the Mak I've been carrying.

jt1 said:
IIRC this club started with a Makarov convert.

corky52: Welcome to the club!

It is true--my CCW used to be an East German Makarov. The weight difference between the mak and the 642 is significant, and I have not regetted the switch.

(Side bar: The reliability & toughness of the Makarov cannot be disputed,
but I decided I prefer firearms without detachable magazines.
Thus, I recently sold my mak to a fellow THR brother. Harry, hope you are enjoying it.)
 
You guys are terrible - all of you....I stood in my dealers yesterday staring at a brand new M&P 340 with this twinkle in my eye. Dave said: "wanna check out the M&P?" "Sure", says I.... I now have to have one..... If my wife get's wind of this, I'm throwing all of you under the bus...

Mark, the sights on the M&P are in my opinion quite a bit better than those on the 642/442 and allow a much better sight picture. I didn't even like wheelguns until I took a 340Sc out for a spin and realized it wasn't too much to handle. Looks like I'll be one of the guys getting thrown under the bus.
 
Originally Posted by MassMark
.... I now have to have one..... If my wife get's wind of this, I'm throwing all of you under the bus...
When your wife finds out, I bet your the one going under the bus.
 
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