Buying my first handgun - help needed!

Hallo guys - little update.

Today I got my permit for a purchase of a handgun. So now I can go shopping for a gun. Hopefully in a week I'll shoot few guns and decide on what to get. After buying the gun I'll have to register it in the police and then I'll get my CCW license.

Thanks for everything!
 
Hallo again.

Today for final time I went to shops which sell the guns on my list. Specifically I went to the shop which sells the Glock 26, then another shop that has a range and sells Glock 19 and that S&W 640 (I'm pretty sure that's a 640) and then finally to the shop that has Makarov and Sig Sauer P230 for sale.

When I went to the shop with a range I wanted to fire few of my first bullets with the Glock 19, Makarov, Sig Sauer P230 and the S&W 640. My goal was just to get a little feel of these guns as they are my most probable choices. Unfortunately there was quite a huge queue to get to shooting and as I was interested in possibly buying Glock 19 or S&W 640 from them they gave me to shoot of few rounds with both guns without waiting in queue. As one shot costs 1,15$ with range gun and I only wanted to get a little feel of how those guns handle I went on to shoot 5 rounds with both of these guns.

I forgot to tell the guy to load up the S&W 640 with .38 Special rounds so he loaded the .357 Magnums. I was shooting from 10 yards - the guy stood me there and clearly it didn't really make any difference to me as my goal at that moment was just to feel out those guns. My impressions where shocking. First of all I didn't think that the trigger pull will be so heavy. When I first pulled the trigger I pulled it with the strength I though would be necessary to fire the gun - trigger didn't even move a bit - that was when I realized just how heavy that trigger is - I really had to put though into squeezing it. On top of that I have to be honest - I was not prepared for that recoil. Not that I got hit with the handgun in my face, I just didn't think it would recoil that hard. I was trying to stand in isosceles stance and tried to hold the handgun firmly. Although now looking back, I think I should've held it even stronger. After 3rd or 4th shot I felt the recoil in my hand a bit. First shot I fired of was quite a good one (beginners luck I think) - hit around an inch from the center of the target. Second shot hit something like inch lower that the first (diagonally). The rest 3 where all over the place (hits, though). But again, I did my best just to feel out the gun - training makes perfect.

After that I tried out the Glock 19. Of course sights were nicer and I could try to get more accurate shots on target. Recoil was no where as hard as that of the S&W 640 with .357 rounds. Trigger squeeze was a breeze compared to the S&W 640 - I really didn't need to put a lot of though in to it - when I decided to fire the gun it was easily accomplished. The hits in general where a bit tighter group (all scattered over the place anyway), though non of the hits where as good as the first two with that S&W 640, even though I tried much harder to aim and hit my intended target than with the revolver.

Because of the fact that i would have needed to wait for quite a while to shoot with the Makarov and Sig Sauer P230 I decided to leave it at that as I didn't have the time and I though that even if I would the range would close and I could possibly leave without shooting those guns. So I decided to leave it at that, as the main thing for me was to compare that S&W revolver to a decent pistol - which I'm really happy I did - it really gave me another perspective to my though process.

After shooting I asked instructor would the .38 Special rounds have considerably less recoil than those .357 Magnum and he answered that the recoil is smaller, although not that much. Can you guys conform this? Or would that recoil be considerably smaller making the gun much easier to manage?

My though after firing my first 10 rounds ever are as fallows:
1) I would definitely need to get accustomed to the recoil and trigger pull of that S&W 640 to learn to shoot well;
2) As I consider the revolver for a possibility of a situation where I have only one hand available for operation of handgun after today I have a feeling that getting accurate shots on target beyond 3-4 yards with one hand only could be a real challenge (it could be my lack of experience talking, though). On the other hand the possibility of me being limited to one hand operations could be the highest in that 3 yards range which could involve animal attack, attacker with a knife or something of similar nature where I use one of my hands to defend. Although situations where my hand could be injured or if I would hold my child with my hand could arise even in further shooting distance scenarios in which case it could be a real challenge to connect with my shots one handed especially if I'm moving. What do you guys think about this aspect? Does this aspect makes a revolver less favorable choice in one handed situations, not even considering reloads here? Or am I wrong and shooting precisely at distances beyond 3-4 yards one handed with a .38 Special J-frame is plenty doable?
3) The Glock felt good in my hand, I liked the original sights (of course I don't know better) - they seemed to be easily usable for me. The recoil was much lighter, trigger pull was more pleasant.

On top of these experiences I have few more thoughts after holding the Glock 26 and Makarov in my hands at the shops visited.

I liked the Glock 26, I know I would need to get accustomed to that two finger grip, but from the size perspective I really liked that gun - it was really small for what I understand. Also I was expecting it to be more bulkier. Of course when I compared it to Glock 43 it was noticeably wider. Though I don't think that difference is enough for me to consider paying more for a brand new Glock 43 instead of that Glock 26 in a good condition. Also I felt that if I couldn't manage to comfortably conceal Glock 26 I shouldn't be able to conceal any of the pistols/revolver in my list - the Glock 26 so far seems for me to be the most concealable pistol from my list. Also I noticed it to be a little bit challenging to push the magazine release button (the Glock 26 is a 3rd gen with texture between finger grooves), although I think it is a matter of practice.

I really liked the salesman (owner) of the shop that sells Makarovs and those Sig Sauer P230 on my list. He was super friendly and consulted me well. I told him my today's experiences and asked him to consult me on Makarov vs Sig Sauer P230. He told me the two main things why he likes the Makarov better (not even talking about the price, which of course for Makarov is almost half of the Sig Sauer P230). Have to also add that he has carried Makarov for many years and now he has been carrying a Glock 19 for past few years. The first thing he doesn't like is that Sig Sauer P230 doesn't have a slide stop, which would make it more difficult to deal with a double feed malfunction. The second thing is that Makarov from his experience has a little bit lighter recoil. Just to add to the price difference of these guns 9x18 rounds also are a little bit cheaper. Also he told me that they soon will have in stock some kind of Makarov grip which has a regular magazine release button on the side of the handle - although for me it will cost almost the same amount as the gun itself (if someone has a link to a description of this grip I would appreciate if you could provide me that link). He told me if I buy Makarov I should chose between Russian or East German Makarovs. He things that East German Makarovs are higher quality so I asked him to show me what he has. So he showed me a box of Makarov pistols they bough off of a bank security service which was reorganized - there were used Makarovs in normal condition for around 80$ (as mentioned in the OP), but for my surprise he also has NEW Makarovs for 115$ with two magazines. I was shocked when I saw those totally black Makarovs (the seems blued or something). They were in perfect condition. No scratches from carrying on the tip of the slide, no visible mark from bullets in the barrel, oiled like totally new - I haven't seen many guns, but those were really clean. Really, they seemed like a perfect peaces for collection. If I'll decide to go with a Makarov I will definitely get one of those and post the pictures - they seems so perfect.

So I'm set on making my mind till next week when I think I'll but either S&W 640, Glock 26 or East German Makarov (pretty much in new condition). The price difference between those Makarovs and Glock 26 is 345$ (+ around 35$ for a second magazine for the Glock). Also, for Makarov or Glock there is a possibility that I'll be able to get a decent IWB holster locally (at the same shop those Makarovs are sold - they make thier own holsters). I think I shouldn't have problems concealing a Makarov also. Getting a S&W 640 will require me to order IWB holster and speed loader from US.

Hope you guys can help me with some advice to make this choice a bit easier.

Thank you for every thing - your guidance has been a bless.
 
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One more though you guys could maybe comment on...

Here is a list of priorities in a defensive gun usage scenario (from my perspective):
1) Ability to carry a handgun with you at all times;
2) Ability to draw it fast and to prepare the handgun for shooting (drawing and racking a slide on a semi-auto or just drawing a revolver);
3) Ability to hit the target;
4) Ability to shoot for as long as possible (thus capacity of a handgun);
5) Ability to reload a handgun as fast as possible to continue shooting.

I've come down to this (analysis):
1) I feel I will only be able to carry a small handgun on my person, if I want to carry all the time - thus I'm limited to S&W 640, Makarov or Glock 26;
2) Drawing could be quite similar with all of the three handguns mentioned, but of course revolver is the best when it comes to preparing it for shooting;
3) For distances up to 10 yards I think that with practice there is negligible difference. Although for me, a beginner, I feel that the lower cost of semi-auto ammo and the lighter trigger of a semi-auto could give me advantage when I just start carrying/training;
4) Revolver has only 5 shots, Makarov 8 and Glock 26 - 10. So semi-autos have the advantage here;
5) I'm pretty certain that in a stressful situation average Joe like myself could reload a semi-auto faster.


I really believe that the only pro of a S&W 640 that I really appreciate is the fact that it is ready to fire all the time - which is really important to at least start defending yourself (especially in a one handed operation situation). Although now I'm starting to think about gunfight statistics on bullets fired vs hits... as fat as I know generally you miss at least 50% of shots if target is not statics etc. So with this in mind I think that I could count only on 3 bullets that would hit my intended target in a self defense situation. Three .38 Special FMJ rounds could definitely be not enough to stop an attacker (if there is only one attacker - if I would connect in stomach bullets will over-penetrate and my attacker will be coming forward at least for some time until bleeding stops him). If that happens or if there are multiple attackers I'm pretty sure there wont be enough time to do a reload on a revolver. Is is also supported by what I read on luckygunner.com, I quote: "Tom Givens, one of the most experienced and respected firearms instructors in the country, has been quoted as saying, “In 40 years I’ve been doing this, I have never found a case where someone successfully reloaded a revolver in a close range gunfight.” Since 90-95% of armed civilian gun fights happen inside the “close range” of 7 yards, I’d say your chances of pulling off that revolver reload are slim to none."Thus, I'm now thinking that there is quite a large possibility that I could just be done after 5 shots without being able to reload my revolver, in which case I wouldn't have really fulfilled my mission of defending myself or my family. Thus having a handgun could still be not enough to get through, just because of capacity. On the other hand if I would have a semi-auto with higher capacity there would be higher chance of me stopping the attacker if I start shooting just because of the capacity. And if I'll need a reload there is at least some possibility that in a stressful situation I could have a better chance making a reload and continuing to fight.


From this thorough analysis I've come to a conclusion that there are two separate situations to consider - one where the fight is close quarters and second when there is at least few yards distance.

In the first situation (close quarters - basically hand to hand combat distance) there would be a high possibility of being limited to one handed operations. In such a situation if there is only one attacker I would be able to draw the revolver and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't miss much as the distance is super close (if of course wild fighting is not going on). So in such a situation 1 on 1 I should be ok with only 5 shots and I shouldn't need an instant reload. So in this situation the revolver could hold the advantage over semi-auto because it is ready to fire instantly after I draw it. If this situation contains multiple attackers I'm screwed pretty much anyway, if I'm not able to separate and get some distance to bring the gun into play.

The second situation is one where I could possibly have one or multiple attackers and I would have some time to draw the gun and chamber a round. So in this situation semi-autos all the way (at least I think so at this moment).

It seems that it really comes down to the most probable situation I could be in. If that is hand-to-hand combat distance where I would need to draw my gun and shoot really fast, possibly being limited to only one handed operations, a revolver would be the best choice. If, on the other hand, the most likely situation is one where there is some distance between me and the attacker so I have enough time to use both of my hands to chamber the round I think I could possibly be better of with a semi-auto.

Of course there are some exceptions to both these situations but I think these give the general idea.


What I wanted to ask guys:
1) which situation do you think is more probable in reality?
2) would you better carry a revolver with 5 rounds and get of them fast connecting maybe with only 3, and then start to scramble for a reload, or would you better scramble for distance to get some time for chambering a round in a semi-auto pistol and having a higher capacity which could be the difference between live and death with over-penetrating FMJ's?

Thank again - you're the best!
 
Truly you have a dizzying intellect. :p (reference to the movie The Princess Bride)

There are always compromises and no perfect solution.

On the 640, first of all, .38 is a lot less recoil than .357. But I think you would have to also invest in an action tuning job to get it where you could manage the trigger. Being able to carry with one in the chamber is a huge advantage, but if you can't work the trigger, that advantage is nullified.

Overall, I'm going to reverse my earlier recommendation and say you would better served with the G26 - in my opinion.
 
After thinking about it I decided to buy that S&W 640. Decided that before buying it I should shoot it once more with those .38 Specials. It turns out that the gun range didn't have any .38 Special in stock and they actually told me that they've previously bought out all the local shops (thus they bought all the .38 special ammo which was available at local shops). They also told me that the supply of .38 specails is not that constant - there are moments when ammo for reasonable prices is not available. At that moment I understood that I need to call up local shops to check if there are any .38 special rounds avaialble. Only two shops had some ammunition. One of shops has some .38 Specials left, but their price is 0,64$/pc. Another shops claims thay they have a constant supply of Seller & Bellot .38 Specials - these cost 0,46$/pc. At that moment I understood that I really need to overthink buying that revolver just because of the fact that I would possibly need to relay on one company for ammo. Not only that, I realized that ammo for 9x18 and 9x19 is 0,24$/pc. (constant supply) which is 53% of the .38 special ammo. Basically I could get two times the ammount of training with 9x18 or 9x19 compared to a .38 special in a revolver. I mean I decided that revolver beeing ready to fire at all times is what I need, but at the same time I understood that I would be limited to around 50 rounds instead of around 100 in a month for practice + I wouldn't be able to really implement any airsoft/airgun training. Will I be able to get good with such a limited amount of practice to only get a gun ready to fire instantly after a draw? So is a chambered gun that important on would cut their practice in half compared to a semi-auto?

What do you guys think?
 
RadekSkylark said:
After thinking about it I decided to buy that S&W 640. Decided that before buying it I should shoot it once more with those .38 Specials. It turns out that the gun range didn't have any .38 Special in stock and they actually told me that they've previously bought out all the local shops (thus they bought all the .38 special ammo which was available at local shops). They also told me that the supply of .38 specails is not that constant - there are moments when ammo for reasonable prices is not available. At that moment I understood that I need to call up local shops to check if there are any .38 special rounds avaialble. Only two shops had some ammunition. One of shops has some .38 Specials left, but their price is 0,64$/pc. Another shops claims thay they have a constant supply of Seller & Bellot .38 Specials - these cost 0,46$/pc. At that moment I understood that I really need to overthink buying that revolver just because of the fact that I would possibly need to relay on one company for ammo. Not only that, I realized that ammo for 9x18 and 9x19 is 0,24$/pc. (constant supply) which is 53% of the .38 special ammo. Basically I could get two times the ammount of training with 9x18 or 9x19 compared to a .38 special in a revolver. I mean I decided that revolver beeing ready to fire at all times is what I need, but at the same time I understood that I would be limited to around 50 rounds instead of around 100 in a month for practice + I wouldn't be able to really implement any airsoft/airgun training. Will I be able to get good with such a limited amount of practice to only get a gun ready to fire instantly after a draw? So is a chambered gun that important on would cut their practice in half compared to a semi-auto?

What do you guys think?
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A small revolver is more difficult to master in my opinion. They typically have a 10-12# double action trigger, short sight radius, and subpar sights.

I would look really hard at a Glock 26 for a first handgun. They are ready to fire with a round in the chamber, good capacity, and a vast ammount of accessories and holsters available to fit any carry need.

As you found thr 38spl is a little harder to find, more costly to practice, and has fewer options for defensive rounds. Look online for your ammo needs (ammoseek.com, gunbot.net, etc)

Alternatively, you can buy a Ruger LCR in 9mm and carry a couple moon clips for reloads. They are much quicker to reload than a standard 38spl in that you have a "speedloader" already attached and the 9mm are tapered to load very easily. You would have the benefit of less expensive rounds and vast array of defense rounds to pick from.

Just my .02 cents!

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk
 
If I understand your situation correctly, the only thing the revolver has going for it, due to your local laws, is that you can carry it ready to fire, as opposed to being required to carry a semi chamber empty. After reading your more recent posts, I would be concerned not only about the price of the .38 special ammo, but also its availability.

As much as I like my Glock 26, if you are absolutely sure of the price and continued availability of the Mak ammo, I would still go with one of those first because of the price difference. If you have any doubts about the ammo availability and think the 9x19 has a more reliable supply, I would go back to the G26. I agree with the earlier post that said that a snub-nosed revolver is a challenging gun to shoot well. I used to carry a S&W 642, and I honestly never enjoyed practicing with it. When you add in the ammo supply problems I would really shy away from the revolver if I were in your shoes. I don't like having to rack the slide before firing, but the other problems of the revolver seem like bigger obstacles to me.
 
Sorry some of my reply is not applicable to you as I see you are outside of the US (after reading your OP).

I would still see if there are any 9mm revolvers available in your area.

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk
 
A 9mm revolver is a very good idea. Is 357mag easier to get than 38spl? If so how about a 7 shot S&W 686+?
 
Also on a separate note...are you considering defending yourself in case Russia crosses Latvia? You might need to consider caliber choices
 
Also on a separate note...are you considering defending yourself in case Russia crosses Latvia? You might need to consider caliber choices
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This is actually one of my initial motives for wanting a handgun. Of course handgun would probably be helpful only in certain situations, though better than nothing.
 
I tried to search the internet for some info on what would be the optimal minimum amount of handgun live fire training per month to develop decent skill , but unfortunately didn't find any info other than many threads in different forums where everyone shares how much round they've shoot average per months.

That actually was a bit shocking from the perspective of my limited budget for ammo. I would say that the lowest average was around 50-150 rounds per week. Maybe only 5% of people who chimed in those stats had been shooting less than 200 rounds per months with the total average being around 400 rounds per months (not even talking about the ones who shoot 1000+ rounds per months, which would be less than I could afford to shoot per year with a .38 revolver).

So really - what would you guys say is the minimum amount of rounds per month necessary to develop good skill to be able to shoot decent groups up till lets say 10 yards (of course supplemented with how much dry fire practice necessary)?

And do you all really think that I will be ok with a revolver for carry and only 50 round limit per month for live fire training (possibly I could supplement that with shooting an airsoft or BB revolver, although I don't see that being a game changer - I should be able to get good with trigger control, drawing and reloading in dry fire drills) instead of a semi-auto (carrying condition 3) with 100 round limit per month?

Thanks!
 
I have decided that I'll buy the S&W 640 and after that I'll see what other semi-auto pistols I could buy in future for possibly attendance and training for practical shooting competition matches locally - hopefully a semi-auto that could be carried as well (as far as I know they are based on IPSC rules etc).

I don't want to spam or advertise, but my decision about choosing the revolver got a lot easier after watching this video (I've been fallowing this channel for some time - good info on there): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVPiic-ELoM. It really gave me a perspective of the possible situations where I would be glad to be able to draw and fire if necessary.

Additionally I was walking with my pregnant wife around the block yesterday and we walked by a house which had gates open and a rottweiler standing at the gates. The thing was that the owner just drove his car inside the gates and was stupid enough to allow the dog to stay somewhere near... So we didn't see the dog until we went by the gates. Distance between us and the dog was something around 5-7 yards. Fortunately the dog was just standing and didn't even want to run out on us. This also gave me some perspective of whether I could have drawn a semi-auto, chambered a round if the dog would've attacked us - I understood that the revolver would have been the best thing if that would have happened.

Also I though about the reloading aspect. Law allows reloading for hunting and competition guns. I though that maybe I could buy some kind of cheap Taurus .38 Special revolver with long barrel and register it as a competition gun so I could load .38 Special rounds. That could work - I would carry factory ammo, but would practice at range with my reloads (say 80/20 - reloads/factory ammo). I would need to import .38 Special bullets (through some shop - they only have rifle bullets in stock), small pistol primers are available, powder is available (not for pistols though, but I could order the same manufacturers pistol powder from shops selling it) and I could collect my own cases. The question of course becomes would that be cheaper - it could same me possibly some 25% on ammo - did a little calculation of prices. Although that doesn't include my time... The biggest problem with this is the equipment. One shops has Hornady Lock-N-Load Classic Kit for sale and it costs 550$ (+ I would need to buy the dies separately which is additional cost). The price of me importing this kit from USA is a bit higher than this price. If there are cheaper kits available possibly I could get it cheaper. My calculations show that: Sellier & Bellot factory .38 SPL's cost 0,46$/pc., I could possibly reload for something around 0,35$/pc. not including the value of my time. So if I want reloaded round's price to stay pretty much the same I cannot add more than 0,02$/pc. from the investment needed from equipment (which is, lets say 600$). So 600$/(0,02$/pc.) = 30k rounds. If I can afford to shoot 60 reloads per months this gives me ammo for 500 months, which is 41 year and 8 months.... OMG, there is no way this is reasonable for me. The only way would be if I would reload for someone of something - but my time is too worthy of doing that so I don't see reloading as a real option for me. What do you guys think?

Today I noticed one of local shops selling a .22LR revolver (Revolveri - Veikals medniekiem | ZOMMERS) which I could possibly buy to get some additional live fire training - cheapest .22LR stuff goes for around 0,10$/pc. locally - revolver shouldn't have any problems with the cheap stuff, or should it? This revolver costs 230$. If I buy this and disperse its cost to 40 months of training, I can afford to shoot 25 rounds of .38 Special and 50 rounds of .22LR monthly. Although it doesn't seem worth it - 50 rounds of the actual .38 Special seems money better spend, as from what I understand the main thing I'll be training in live fire drills is recoil control, as drawing, reloading, trigger control and aiming I should be able to train with dry-fire and airsoft drills (at least to some reasonable extent).

So in the end it seems that the best way to compliment my training could possibly be with an airsoft revolver... although it would cost me around 175$. From what I understand it would only give me some feedback for my shot placement, thus I would be able to train trigger control (if trigger is at least somewhere near to the actual trigger on the S&W 640) and aim (would see where my shots go on a target). The only other possible advantage would be to implement it in some force-on-force training which I could try to set up in future with my friends. What do you guys think - is it really worth spending 175$ for an airsoft revolver or would I be better of with spending that money for additional 380 rounds of .38 Special, which I could split up and add to my monthly training ammo or just use at my first few live fire training sessions to boost my initial development?

P.S. On of the "Lucky Gunner" articles was about S&W 640 Pro. Article suggested a good modification for the trigger - https://store.apextactical.com/WebDirect/Products/Details/192058. What do you guys think about it - should I change the springs in that S&W 640? Of course before that I'll try measure how heavy is the trigger on that S&W 640 and possibly then I could lighten it by these springs. Will it still be heavy enough to not cause any problems (safety wise) while carrying? On top of that I'll see if there are any gunsmiths locally and if they could actually convert that S&W 640 .357 Magnum to 9x19 with moonclips - this could come in really handy. Although I'm not sure law allows such modification - will need to verify this. Also not sure if there are any moonclips for 9mm for cylinder of S&W 640. I could possibly design them myself and find a steel manufacturer (some small local shop) who could cut them for me on CNC.

P.S.S. It seems that there will be problems to find online shops from where to order Safariland Comp 1 speed loaders and speed strips (possibly some pouches for speed loaders and maybe something more). Problems are related to international shipping. Anyhow I wonder if there would be someone who could possibly help me with ordering stuff (thus with shipping it to me)? I'm not sure how exactly it would work out but if there is someone who would gladly help I'm sure we could figure a way. That would be especially good because one could send it as gift of something else without adding an invoice to it, so I wouldn't have to pay that extra 21$ tax for my goods.

Anyway, thank you guys - I wouldn't have been able to come this far with my limited amount of knowledge without your help - I really feel that I've already learned a lot in this journey of handgun world.
 
Few hours ago I bough that Smith & Wesson 640 (actually 640-1). It would be cool if someone could tell me what is the approximate date of manufacture by serial number.

Before buying it I also tried to check it's condition (checked few videos on youtube). To me it seemed fine, so I bough it. Anyway I though that I'll make a video and show you all the revolver so you could comment on it's condition - is it ok or should I take it to a gunsmith for some repairs. Here's the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rFgPc8NV1g.
This is the first time ever I make such a video, especially in English, so I hope it is not too bad.

The only things I'm not sure are totally OK are:
1) Are chambers dirty or are the a bit work out?
2) Is barrel/cylinder gap ok? I measured it with trigger at rest and I could get a 0,01" (0,25mm) feeler gauge with cylinder pushed against recoil plate and 0,006" (0,15mm) with cylinder pushed against barrel.
3) When I release the cylinder and really lightly try to push it out there is a bit of resistance initially. It feels like there are two "clicks'. At the first "click" it pushes out of its alignment with barrel and allows minor side-to-side movement, and after that comes second "click" after which cylinder comes out of the frame freely - is that alright?
4) Timing. When I press the trigger really slowly the cylinder locks up pretty much at the same time the hammer drops. After that if I hold the trigger pressed and look from the tip of the barrel down to chambers they all are aligned almost perfectly (not really sure, there may be a tiny portion of the cylinder visible on one quarter side of the barrel).

I really hope that the gun is in good condition and I've made the right choice buying it. After you guys will verify that I'll start checking out everything I need for carrying it and training with it. Also I'll check what gun cleaning kits are available at local shops and will post images so you can verify that there is everything I need to properly take care of my gun.

As I don't have a special tool for checking how heavy is the trigger I improvised to get an approximate estimate. I took a screwdriver and laid it across the trigger (perpendicular to it). On one side of the screwdriver I placed some cheap fishing scales, which I used for pulling the trigger, while on the other end of the screwdriver I applied pressure with my other hand so that the screwdriver remains perpendicular to the trigger. This way, if I managed to hold the screwdriver perfectly perpendicular to the trigger I applied twice the force shown on scales (two force on both ends of the screwdriver). Positioning the screwdriver in the middle of the trigger the average from 3 pulls was ~4,2kgf (~9,5lb), thus trigger pull required total of ~8,4kgf of force (~18,5lb). I have to admit the trigger pull seems really heavy to me. Could it be that heavy because the gun hasn't been cleaned and lubricated for some while? Anyway I will definitely get that aftermarket Apex spring kit to lighten it at least a bit.

Thanks a lot!
 
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Radek, I believe you made a good choice. I have owned a S&W 38 Special 640 for 20+ years, a 38 Special 642 for nearly 10 years and recently acquired a S&W 940 9MM. Timing/carry up on S&W revolvers is usually checked by having empty cases in the cylinder and cocking the revolver slowly in single action to determine if the cylinder stop will drop into the cylinder notches. The cylinder should time up such that the cylinder stop drops into each cylinder notch and locks the cylinder prior to hammer release. Since the 640 is double action only, after unloading the gun, I have checked mine by very slowly pulling the trigger until the cylinder stop drops into the cylinder notches. In a quiet room you should be able to hear the tiny "tick" as the cylinder stop drops into each notch. I watched your video. You are putting too much drag on the cylinder with your fingers to properly test carry up/timing. From what I can see, I suspect the cylinder timing is OK. And Yes, 38 Special ammo, even +P, ammo has much less recoil and blast than .357 Magnum. And No, 9MM with moon clips cannot be fired in an unmodified 38 Special or 357 Magnum cylinder. The 9MM case is tapered, is larger at the base, and will not chamber in your 357 revolver's chambers. A trigger pull of 18 pounds does seem very heavy. My 642 is just under 11 pounds on my digital gauge. My 640 feels about the same. Perhaps the trigger pull is heavier on your revolver because it is chambered for .357 Magnum. The .357 magnum primers are harder than 38 Special primers to resist deformation under the 357's much higher pressures and may require a heavier mainspring to assure reliable ignition. S&W's cylinder gap specs used to be .003" to .006" but I have owned several S&W revolvers with a wider gap. In recent years I have measured some S&W barrel cylinder gaps that are .010" to .011" so I suspect yours is probably OK. Your gun needs to be cleaned, barrel and cylinder don't appear damaged to me. As to training, I can only say that more is better. I do reload, but had the luxury of shooting thousands of rounds of practice ammunition supplied by my local government employers over a period of many years. Good luck with your choice. "Cool" high capacity semi-autos are all the rage, but you have done your homework and made a very practical choice in my humble opinion.
 
Radek,

What's the punishment for carrying a pistol with a loaded chamber?

Are you required to notify law enforcement that you are carrying a pistol when stopped by them? Example - stopped for speeding.

Do you have separate laws for those that are licensed to carry a firearm vs. those that are licensed to own a firearm?
 
rock185 - thanks for replay.

drobs - non of the laws states that I need to inform police officers. The Laws are the same for both. I'm not sure about penalties, but I"m totally sure you'll lose your permit to carry.

P.S. Today got my CCW permit!
 
Us Americans questions laws.
The ultimate question is...

Who is going to know?

I doubt Latvia is London UK where there is a camera on every corner and in every grocery store.

I don't recommend you do anything illegal that will put you in prison. But you might want to check with your greater gun owning community. For instance what do the owners of the gun shops carry and how do they carry? Surely they are in the eyes of the public and greater law enforcement community more than "Joe Blow Citizen."
 
Pretty much everyone carries C3, mostly because many believe that they'll be able to chamber the round fast enough.

P.S. I bought S&W 640 and I can carry a revolver fully loaded by law, so I'm good to go.
 
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