649 .38 vs. .367

M

Mastrogiacomo

New member
I have a chance to pick up a used 649 in excellent condition in a .38 for under $300. What is the weight difference in the gun between the .38 model vs. the magnum? Will it handle .38's as well as the new 649, and which would be the better gun to use? Thanks.
 
Hi again, L!

The .38 special model 649 (-1 or -2) are 20 oz guns.
S&W lists their model 649-3 (or later) at 23 oz.

The .38 has a 2" barrel with the .357 Mag having a 2 1/8" barrel. S&W did make a limited run of 649-3's in .38 Special with a 1 7/8" barrel in 1997.

The 649 series will handle .38 +P ammo just fine. The recoil shouldn't be significantly different between the different variants.

For under $300, I'd be whipping out the Visa card in a flash!

Personal favorites for this gun are the W-W 125gr Silvertip JHP .38 Special +P and the Federal HydraShok 129gr JHP. I have yet to try the Speer Gold Dot or Remington Golden Saber however.

Below is a photo of a .38 Special Model 042 (Model 42) Airweight .38 versus the newer Model 649 in .357 Magnum. You can see the barrel differences between the 2 1/8" magnum and the 1 7/8" .38.

jduo03.jpg


Note: In the photo above, you can see the 649's "J-Magnum" frame & cylinder are slightly longer than the .38 special version. This adds to the overall length of the gun slightly too. Your .38 special version, unless it's a 649-3, will have the shorter J-Frame & cylinder.
 
Thanks for the reply Bill, money will be tight over the next few months (possibly the fall) so I wanted to get something that would conceal well and handled recoil enough for me to use it often. This might be just what I'm looking for right now, though I might come back for the magnum version when the money situation eases up.
 
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