The S&W 642 is the worst gun for CCW...

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albanian

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except for all the others.;)

Actually this is how I feel about my 642. I am not in love with and I am not 100 happy with it but as there is nothing else better, I will keep it. I have tried so many other handguns that it is not even funny. I keep going back to the 642 as an always gun because it is smallest and lightest gun that I consider reliable. It is the best coat pocket gun that can be made and I can empty the thing on target so fast that I can't believe I fired all 5 shots.

I do carry my beloved Kahr K-9 sometimes but I always have the 642 in the glove box or in my coat pocket as well. It is just always with me which is good.

Five for sure.:D
 
I feel the same way about mine. Sometimes it is just the only thing up to the job, and I've not found a superior product that will do everything it will. I don't like a lot of the tiny autos because I don't like to manipulate their small parts and controls and their small magazines.

I think I'd like it a lot better if I got an action job to smooth it up a little... the somewhat heavy trigger isn't that bad but I feel with the gun being so small and light it impacts accuracy a little more than a heavy trigger normally would.

If I ever came across a Colt Pocketlite or something that felt better I might switch, or perhaps the NAA .32 H&R Magnum will be the answer to my prayers, but for now it's the old 642.
 
Well, I agree with you as well. :)

Wish the triggerpull were lighter and smoother, though. I did get Pachmayr Compac Grips for it which make it a LOT easier to shoot, but don't increase the size.

This gun lives in my pocket no matter what else I carry. Always.

StrikeEagle
 
I know what you mean. I'm a diehard 1911 fan but my carry gun is generally a J frame, currently a 340.
 
642

I just bought a new 642 this year, I really like it so far. I bought the larger 3 finger Uncle Mikes grips for target shooting. I found that shooting a lot with the stock grips takes some skin off my thumb.:cuss:
 
I haven't even messed with mine at all. I normally at least add a set of grips but the Uncle Mikes Boot grips that come on it are perfectly fine. That about sums up the gun, perfectly fine. I could live with a lighter trigger as well but I find that I don't even notice it at the distances I practice and at the speed I shoot it.

Can it be improved? Probably. Does it need to be improved to do the job. Nope. It is a good package that just works. It is not a dream gun but the fact that i can't find a better gun for the job says a lot. I have looked and so far nothing has been able to take it's place. The 638 would be just as good if not a little better but it is basically the same thing. My dad has one that I would trade my 642 for if he would trade.
 
I'll just reiterate what everyone has said here. I've had my CCW for 10 years now and the 642/442 (I have a bone stock 642) is about as close to perfection as it gets. First rule is have a gun? I carry the S&W when I'm RAKING LEAVES, for crying out loud.

I carry it in my right front pocket loaded with 158-gr. LSWC+P HP, and six more in a Bianchi Speed Strip. Plus a Benchmade AFCK and Fox Labs pepper spray. That should get me through 99.99999% of the bad stuff that life has to offer.
 
ACP said:
I'll just reiterate what everyone has said here. I've had my CCW for 10 years now and the 642/442 (I have a bone stock 642) is about as close to perfection as it gets. First rule is have a gun? I carry the S&W when I'm RAKING LEAVES, for crying out loud.

I carry it in my right front pocket loaded with 158-gr. LSWC+P HP...
Click to expand...

Same with me. I have a 642 and tried the Crimson Trace laser grips on it (too big). I took 'em off, sold them on Ebay, and put the stock ones back on. I can draw and put 5 shots onto a paper plate in about 3 seconds from 7 yards. I figure that's what a 642 is for.

I also use 158 gr LSWCHP +P (Remington R38S12) - arguably the best snubby load ever concieved.

Eight times out of ten, when I'm carrying, I'm toting the 642. The other two times it's either a 10 mm Smith or a S&W 4506. I like Smith and Wesson guns.
 
I replaced the rubber Uncle Mike's boot grips with some secret service boot grips. No really good reason, other than I prefer wood!

I dont' shoot it a lot during any given range trip. A couple of cylinders, to verify we're still a "team." I made the mistake of gritting my teeth through a couple boxes of standard pressure 158 grainers, immediately after I purchased mine, and won a case of tendonitis in my thumb, for my efforts!
 
I'm with albanian on this one. I have a 442 with the electroless nickel finish, circa 1990's, that is just the hands down best CCW I have found and I too went through a number of guns looking for the optimum. As a side note, I have a NAA Guardian .32 that I typically carry when the 442 feels a bit large but yesterday I carried the 442 in my jeans right front pocket all day and hardly noticed it. Nobody even slightly noticed it so I guess I am becoming more and more comfortable with concealed carry even after many years of having a CCW.
 
I have a 642 and also the 431PD in 32 H&R mag, and have to say that I prefer the grips on the 32. I wonder why they use the two different grips, since they are pretty similar, but the ones on the 431 and definitely more comfy and better for control.
 
You guys are certainly allowed to dislike the 642, but if you always find yourself carrying it, you kind of prove my point that it is the best carry gun on the market. Granted, it is a handful to shoot (100 rounds of +P at one time is a bit much), but as a carry piece it is, IMHO, the best.

As has already been stated, always have a gun.

Regards,

fiVe (a true leftie who needs no attention)
 
442, since 1993. U.M.'s Pocket holster left front pocket and an HKS speed loader right front pocket and a Spyderco in the watch pocket.
 
I am a 1911 gut too and I have carried all sorts of other stuff including a Kahr PM9, a Kel-Tec P-32, and a Kel-Tec P-11 and I jusy keep putting that little J-frame back in my pocket. I can't shoot it as good as I would like but I am getting better with it.

Greg
 
Shooting Bullseye, I can spend a whole day shooting my 1911 wad gun and I spend hours going through boxes of .22lr shooting at B2/B3 targets indoors...but I can barely use up a box of ammo when practicing with my S&W 37. I have the stock boot grip on in and find it frustrating to shoot...I do much better shooting it with the larger Hogue grip but then the butt sticks outside my pants pocket! However, when its time to go, the Glock 19 ends up sitting in the safe while the 37 goes into the pocket holster...easier to carry (and forget).

the 442 is on my list...37's hammer likes to snag other stuff in the pocket.
 
What's not to like?
Click to expand...
Preacherman, I don't see the point of those gloves at all. When I shoot my 642 with +P, the only thing that hurts is the trigger guard hitting my trigger finger nail. After 50 or so shots, it's sore. Those gloves have open fingers, so no protection from the recoiling trigger guard.

If they start selling the leftover fingertips from those gloves, then I'm in!

:)

Regards.
 
If there is a problem with clothing and I can not carry my PO nite hawg IWB. Then the backup is a 642 in the ankle holster. It's also is going to be my BU on duty.
 
I have the 342pd, basically the 10.8 oz titanium/scandium version of the 642.
It's the one handgun I'll never part with. I don't enjoy shooting lightweight .38's, but its the perfect "always, everywhere" gun.
-David
 
Another Centennial

My CC gun is a pre-lock 442-1 in a Kramer pocket holster. I'm still searching for the perfect grips as the OEM Uncle Mikes rubber grips leave my pinkie hanging - I feel like I need something more substantial to hold onto.

Should I look at wood grips?
 
How do you carry extra ammo, if any, for your 642?

I carry in right front pocket and have my left front pocket full of junk.
 
How do you carry extra ammo, if any, for your 642? I carry in right front pocket and have my left front pocket full of junk.
Click to expand...

I carry my 642 itself right front. I don't carry extra ammo for it... :uhoh:
 
Just a thought or two..

Several years ago I bought a 638. Its the shrouded hammer version. The hammer is available to help indexing the cylinder should the internal lockwork accumulate enough pocket detritus to make indexing the cylinder difficult.

I liked it enough that I bought a spare.

The Birami Hip-Grip and Tyler Grip Adapter adds to the J Frame's versatility. An empty Altoids mint container is a dandy shirt pocket size for carrying two Bianchi Sped-Strips.The Altoids container doesn't look out of place on the console, coffee table or night stand.

The lightweight J frames are good stuff.

salty.
 
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