Wifes new ccw: S&W 649

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I took the wife to the fun shop today with intentions of getting her a airweight 642. Mainly because of the weight issue. I was slightly concerned about the recoil on such a light gun but left the decision up to her on what she wanted to get. After the smoke cleared she decided on the slightly heavier S&W 649 stainless 357 magnum. She will only be shooting 38's out of this beauty but I think she made a nice choice for her first ccw. I'm sure this gun will prove to last a lifetime and then some. On another note, this revolver has a factory target trigger which is unbelievably smooth and with a short take up in DA mode. In SA mode it's a hair trigger with 0 take up.

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The wife said she wasn't at all interested in pocket carry otherwise I would have stressed getting the airweight revolver. She wants to use a holster or purse or a fanny concealment pack so this heavier revolver shouldn't prove to be a issue. If anything it will be a advantage upon firing the gun thus negating recoil versus the airweight. Personally for me the airweight would do just fine but she needs a little less recoil. The factory target trigger on this 649 is just plain sweet also! :)

We are going to test several loads tomorrow at the range and see what fits her best for defense ammo. I purchased 110gr & 135gr ammo and we'll see how it shakes out. I even loaded some 357 magnum loads using Alliant 2400 powder for some video fireballs in the low light at the indoor range. Should be pretty kewl. If I can get them on the computer I'll post one here.
 
She wants to use a holster or purse or a fanny concealment pack so this heavier revolver shouldn't prove to be a issue. If anything it will be a advantage upon firing the gun thus negating recoil versus the airweight.

The stainless snubbie is a good choice if you're going to have one, as it certainly will help the recoil issue.. Now she needs to practice, practice, practice, practice and (did I mention?) PRACTICE. They're tough to get really good on. And it's when you've done, say, 150 rounds with it, that the recoil starts to really bite. Still, the stainless will help.

Hope she enjoys it!

Springmom
 
I think she made an excel ant choice. She can shoot the mildest 38 to the hottest 357 what ever she is comfortable with. I wish my wife would think about a carry gun, she lives in a different world than normal people, nothing bad will ever happen to her. I think they call them sheeple.
 
Straightshooter thats a nice gun. Thanks for NOT complaining about the lock and MIM parts. The lock is easily ignored and the MIM parts are probably the reason the trigger is so nice. I believe the frame mounted firing pins are reported to be more durable also.

As far as the weight goes be glad it's there. My shooting buddy sold me his SS Taurus 85 for $200.00 so he could buy a titanium model 85. You should have seen his face when he fired his first +P round out of that gun. I fired it and was surprised at how much more recoil there was. He sold that gun not long after he bought it. I don't think he even fired it again after that first day. I still have the gun i bought from him plus a blued 85 that weighs around 23 oz. Congrats on a good choice. Thomas
 
Thats a nice piece, let her know she can get different grips if those dont work out. Corbons 110gr DPX shouldnt kick too bad from that gun and has shown exellent gelatin results fyi. Good luck
 
straight-shooter,
Like I said over on the S&W forum, your wife made a great choice IMO. I hope she likes shooting her new partner.

You might want to buy some Double Tap ammo. The price is right and it's accurate stuff.
 
The range report is a positive one. We first fired some remington 38 special 130gr FP with very nice results. At 15 yards the gun proved to be very accurate. 2 3/4" groups. I put post it sticky note papers on a larger silhouette and was able to hit the post-it notes a average of 8 out of 10 shots. The wife averaged 7 out of 10.

Next we fired some 38 special 110gr Federal Hydra shocks. These had the least amount of recoil and were very manageable and accuracy was above par. I've not settled on these as of yet for our personal defense ammo. We also want to try some Corbon's.

Of course I had to shoot some of my 357 magnum reloads. These consisted of 13.7gr of Alliant 2400 magnum powder and 158gr remington HP. These proved to really put some emphasis on recoil! My groups opened up to about 4" but still very acceptable. The wife even shot 12 rounds of these. She faired relatively well on recoil management but the accuracy wasn't as acceptable.

For this being our first snubby we were worried it might be a bit of a learning curve for accuracy but we were able to get right in on the program with the 649. This gun has proved it's worth and will certainly be used as a CCW.

Only modification I will make is I will change out the hammer spring because the wife was having a bit of a tough time pulling back the hammer for S/A mode.
 
straight-shooter,
Those are very good numbers for a first time snub nose shooter, and even for an experiences snub nose shooter. I would suggest you tack up a 12" paper plate and have your wife practice a draw and 5 shots while moving laterally. If she gets all 5 in the plate she is doing very well. If all 5 are in the 8" center of the plate she's ready to protect herself and those around her.

Too many shooters focus on getting tight groups while standing still. In a SD situation nothing will be still and the revolver won't already be in your hand.
 
I totally agree with what your getting at but In a real life situtation the BG isn't going to be still either where as the paper plate isn't going to be moving.

At the outdoor range we goto, we practice with moving drills and not just standing but the indoor range we visited has stalls thus making it impossible. We just wanted to get a feel for this new revolver and are now confident enough to practice other types of drills with it.

Basically I wanted a accuracy rating for this snubby to get to know what it's capable of. Overall we are more than happy with our decision on getting this beauty.
 
I just ordered a S&W 649 - It looks like I made a good choice for my first ccw handgun - actually my first handgun. THR helped me come to my decision. Thanks.
 
Congrats Libertyrules... The range time I've already had with ours has been very exciting. Your certain to like it as concealed carry with the 649 is very comfortable and easy to conceal. Enjoy !
 
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