Anyone have experience with S&W J Frame Model 38 Airweight Bodyguard?

I

In The Ten Ring

New member
A friend let me try out his Model 49 the other day and wow, that trigger was sweetly smooth! I wish my 638 was as nice.

Anyway, I was wondering if the Model 38 Airweight Bodyguard had a similar pull.....

Anyone know?
 
Same basic design, but that's no guarantee that the trigger pulls will be the same. His 49 is likely older and could have had an action job done one it or replacement springs at some point.

That said, my 38 does have a very nice trigger pull.
 
My wife’s EDC is a S&W LadySmith Airweight. Nice weapon. It’s hammerless so it has a heavy double action trigger but it is smooth and has a crisp break. She shoots 38 spl +P.
 
Inherited a 638 that has a smooth, but heavy DA pull. Single action pull is very light/crisp. I prefer the 638 to the 642 I used to own.


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I have a 637 which is an airweight with an exposed hammer. Trigger is good. Its smooth, I can make some good shots with it. I added CT laser grips. It is part of my rotation in an ankle holster, depending on what I am wearing.

NO, its not as easy as my K frame 38.

Been a great gun
David
 
Same basic design, but that's no guarantee that the trigger pulls will be the same. His 49 is likely older and could have had an action job done one it or replacement springs at some point.

That said, my 38 does have a very nice trigger pull.

Impossible to say.....he bought it used from a man that is now deceased. That trigger pull though.......WOW.....and single action is um "breath-light." He told me that in single action "the weapon was a target revolver."

I used to think we needed +P to guarantee good hollow point performance but I no longer think so. If I come across a nice Model 38, I think I'll try to get it. My pockets don't often get wet so I think a blued gun would do fine and a light coat of oil once a week would prevent any rust. Pocket guns need regular cleaning attention anyway.
 
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Jim Watson said:
I have an elderly Model 38. The DA is OK, but nothing exceptional.
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Same here. Mine is from 1997 - pretty decent, but not as smooth as a 1960s era Smith.

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Yes, my M640, one of the last of the .38s, tuned up very nicely, hone and spring kit.
The M38 requires a full strength mainspring, so it would take a good deal of real gunsmithing to improve it, not just a spring swap and a little polishing. At across the poker table ranges, it doesn't matter much.
 
I have an old Model 42 Centennial from early 1962. I assume these were kind of the predecessor of these revolvers. The trigger pull is not bad. I does not take a lot of rounds before you shooting hand gets tired of the shooting game.
 
Trigger pulls vary with production guns, so I don't think there is any way to say with certainty that revolver "A" will have the same trigger quality as revolver "B". I've had a few S&W J-Frames in .38 and 9MM. All had similar, but not exactly the same, trigger pulls. Older guns do get smoother over the years. I had a 1970s model 49. I didn't acquire it new, so I don't know if the very smooth trigger was due to decades of use, or a trigger job. In any case, no two the same.....ymmv

BTW, I've owned a couple of the later production S&Ws with the MIM internals. Triggers were not light, but were very smooth in DA as compared with so many S&Ws I've had since the '60s.......
 

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Have a M37 airweight and its'...

GREAT!

Nice trigger pull, both single and double, and carries nicely!

Gofor it.
 
If you own a 638, and you want a similar revolver with a better trigger, then find a decent revolversmith and have him do a trigger job. If what you want is a nice older Smith from an earlier era, then definitely buy a model 38. I like older revolvers, and I would never try to talk someone out of buying one. But there is a lot of variation from gun to gun on factory double action triggers, and that is particularly true for J-frames. The older revolvers do tend to have somewhat better triggers. But no factory triggers can compare to a trigger where every part that rubs on another part has been carefully polished.

If you want a lot more information about S&W trigger jobs, I have posted a long article on the subject on my blog.

Improving the trigger on Smith & Wesson Revolvers

The first part of the article is general knowledge for anyone who wants to have a trigger job done or learn how to do it themselves. The second part is more aimed at people who want to work on their own guns.
 
I've owned a S&W 638 Airweight Bodyguard for a few years now. Not my best shooting gun and not very accurate. The recoil is quite stout especially with the factory rubber grips. My specimen will be going back to S&W for troubleshooting and analysis. I'm sure it is capable of some fairly accurate shooting but not in the condition it is in right now.
 
Thanks guys, I definitely want to find a Model 38 now. If I get one and the trigger pull is nicer than my 638, I might try carrying it a bit.

My 638 has had a trigger job at some point and although it's a better trigger than on my 438, it's not as good as that Model 49 I mentioned in the first post.

I wish 'Smith still made the 438, I prefer black stainless over silver stainless.

My 638 is pretty accurate though, both on the range and in action. It wears a set of Crimson Trace laser grips and they work perfectly for night shooting.
 
I have a 70s Smith Model 38 and a new Smith 442. The Bodyguard trigger pull is definitely smoother with a clean break. However, I carry +p ammo, and I suspect the Smith 442 can handle the hot ammo with aplomb whereas the 38 may be more fragile. As a result, the 442 gets carried and the 38 gets fondled!
 
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