J-frame Style Poll

What is your favorite J-frame TYPE only?

  • Conventional-like the Mdl. 36

    Votes: 46 31.5%

  • Bodyguard-like the Mdl. 38

    Votes: 32 21.9%

  • Centennial-like the Mdl. 640

    Votes: 68 46.6%
  • Total voters
    146
J

Jhp147

New member
Okay, it seems that everyone (me included, yes) loves J-frames and if I had a penny for every post discussing them I could retire. A given. But, putting aside EVERY other option/factor including barrel length, weight, Ti vs. whatever, which is your favorite FRAME type?
 
Old fashioned, perhaps - - -

I prefer the normal hammer style. I can bob the hammer and still thumb cock it if forced to do so. Yes, this is possible with the Bodyguard-type, but I'm always afreid I'll get some sort of pocket debris stuck behing the hammer. Yep, I do like and use pocket holsters--Just not 100% of the time.

Best,
Johnny
 
I voted for the conventional, like the S&W model 36,
37, and 60. They rank as my favorites among the J
frame model's.:)

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member
 
640-1 + Ajax "Boot Style" silverwood grips + 5 rounds of 125gr Hi-Shok ammo + Don Hume IWB clip-on holster = Perfect jeans & t-shirt carry gun :D

Will be posting pics soon...
 
i also consider the internal hammer models the ultimate developement of the J-frame. the 649 always struck me as a compromise addressed to the lack of committment to learning to use the gun in DA.

the internal hammer/enclosing frame:

1) helps protect the lockwork from dirt
2) allows a higher grip on the backstrap (the original grips actually went all the way to the top of the recoil shoulder)
3) prevents the temptation of trying to go SA

the 36/60 is a classic look, but the hammer pinches
 
Actually, I like them all, but I really lean toward my old Model 38--it combines all the best of what S&W used to be. The Model 38 combines the best characteristics of both the Chiefs Special and the Centennial (without the good looks of either).

The Model 38 is really "the ultimate evolution in J-frames." Time for the history lesson! The Centennial was actually developed first and pre-dates the Bodyguard by about three years. The Bodyguard represents a further refinement of the J-frame/pocketable format. In fact, it totally superceded the the Centennial, and the Centennial was dropped from the S&W line-up for about twenty years. Rather than the "ultimate evolution in J-frames," the Centennial is the ultimate "retro" J-frame. ;)
 
Hah! Here's a photograph of my newest acquisition, a used model 60. The finish is a little the worse for wear on the right side, and I've got Badger stocks on order, but at least it's neither a new Smith & Wesson nor afflicted with a trigger lock.
 

Attachments

  • model60.jpg
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M36

I love my M36. When I bought it, I had the option of picking up a M442 for the same money, but the traditional M36 was my first love.

The M442 is still for sale and is taunting me, but I'm saving my pennies for a US Fire Arms Rodeo....

Jeff
 
The hammerless configuration, as far as S&W is concerned, actually dates back to the ole break-top days where they had models with covered hammer and grip safety, IIRC. Called fondly sumpin like "LEMONSQUEEZER."

CR Sam or Jim Keenan can verify, mebbe Mike Irwin?
 
You might as well ask "Which of your children do you like best?".
I think they are all great and I would agree that the centennial is the most advanced, best designed (per the comments below), but I still love the look and feel of the original "Sipowitz" model 36. It's what I carry. :D
 
I voted for the Model 36 because I have a Model 60 (and a Charter Arms Undercover) and prefer the exposed hammer versions for the possibility of a single action shot. I do have my eye on a Model 638 however.
 
juliet charley - i am aware that the shouded hammer m-38 came out after the internal hammer m-42. that was part of my reasoning...

the internal hammer optimized the original m-36 for pocket carry, by creating a snag free (no hammer spur) backstrap, especially with the high-rise grips, and sealing the rear to limit dirt from entering the action.

the m-38 re-opened the backstrap and changed the look from that of a fastback (camaro) to a guppy (pacer)...but then appearences are a personal matter.

i liken the addition of the "hump" and hammer tab, on the m-38, to the addition of the grip safety on the 1911
 
Favorite? The Bodyguard.

The Centennial is probably a much more practical totin' piece, but I've always had a soft spot for ugly little hunchbacks... ;)
 
G,

S&W's first hammerless handgun was introduced in 1887 in .38 S&W and 1888 in .32 S&W.

The .32 and .38 Safety Hammerless, also called the New Departure or Lemon Squeezer, were made right up to World War II.

They were EXTREMELY popular, and after WW II there was a call to reintroduce them. S&W wanted to drop all of the old-style guns, though as well as bring out a small revolver chambered for the .38 Spl., so the J-frame was introduced in 1951 with the Chief's Special, with the Centennial coming out in 1952.


Not long after that S&W began getting calls for a J-frame with a shrouded hammer. Colt had been offering a screw on shroud for the Detective Special for some time (I had one for awhile, neat, but I just couldn't get used to the Colt controls after having S&W for years), so the Model 38 Bodyguard Airweight was introduced in 1955.

Interestingly, it's one, if not the only, time a "lightweight version of a gun was introduced before the steel-framed version (the Model 49 Bodyguard in 1959).
 
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