J frames..why do you like a particular over another.

I just ordered a S&W 431 PD .32 Magnum

http://www.firearms.smith-wesson.com/store/index.php3?cat=293597&item=1033876&sw_activeTab=1


I was trying to choose between a Colt Detective Special or Cobra .38 special or the S&W J frame 431PD .32 magnum. Both guns have 6 shots instead of the S&W .38 J frame 5 shot. While I like the old style of the former, it is more trouble to get fixed if something goes wrong. so I decided to get the latter which has 6 shots and it's magnum power of the .32 at least approaches the power of a regular .38 special and it is lighter than the Det. Special or even the Cobra. Also, I normally carry a Colt Official Police, but with the summer coming up and this being in the South, I just can't conceal the Official police without a coat or jacket. So I got a smaller gun for backup and summer carry.

That's what I like about the J frame. Just stick it in your pocket and go.

Doug
 
so I decided to get the latter which has 6 shots and it's magnum power of the .32 at least approaches the power of a regular .38 special
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Or you could get the 317PD, an 8-shot .22 Magnum. :rolleyes:
 
Doug,

How long have you had the 431PD .32 H&R? It's a nifty little cartridge and I think it has enough *oomph* for a SD gun if you'd carry a .380 too.
 
I'm just curious why that gun is so popular...........Need solid answers please.
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Ok, I'll try a direct answer since I carry a M38. I also own a M649, a M49 and a M60-9, all of which lost out to my M38 for pocket carry.

I like a pocket pistol that will come out of my pocket without snagging. Many people pull a hammer spurred pistol out with their thumb on the hammer to prevent snagging, then adjust their grip after the weapon is free. The "bodyguard" allows one to grip the weapon prior to removing it from the pocket. Of course, the enclosed hammer guns also have this advantage.

I have found that the "bodyguard" style J frame carries better in my pants pocket. The hump helps keep the pistol in place. Some would argue that a good leather holster would do the same on the hammerless type J frame. They would be correct, except that I don't want a sweat absorbing leather holster for pocket carry. The M38 "Airweight" is the "bodyguard" that weighs the less, making pocket carry even easier. I use a Uncle Mike's #3 or a Gunmate holster with mine, depending on the shape of my pocket.

One point about the "bodyguard" that seems to be misunderstood in a couple of posts above: On the "bodyguard" you CAN cock the hammer for a SA shot. It is shrouded, not enclosed. The "centennial" style frame has an enclosed hammer, while the "Chief" has a standard hammer spur.

There are a couple of things that S&W could improve on the "bodyguard" if they decided to return it to the market.
#1 Make it scandium
#2 Make it .357 magnum

If they did that, my preference for the "bodyguard" might overcome my contempt for the worm hole lawyer lock, and I might purchase my first new S&W in many a year. Until then, my faithful M38 performs the task well.

SmithWessonM38.jpg
 
Flat latch makes it sometime before 1964, I think. I have an older one that I flat carried to death and I bought this nearly pristine example to retire the old beater. Of course, this one was much too pretty to actually use so I still carry the old one. Go figure.
 
I have several Centennial Models and a Bodyguard. But I carry the 342PD.

At ten ounces it doesn't pull down your pants! Its a pleasure to carry. I practice with the Stainless snubbies to get the site radius and can hit a
human size target from further than I'd like to say.

Yeah it recoils so what I can hit a deer at 100 yards with my 44 mag and it recoils too.

With 125 grain Corbon Plus P's its a pocket cannon. Repeat shots are
not a problem if you know the gun is going to recoil and you practice.

Snubbies need a lot more practice than longer barrels. Bob Munden hits small targets at 100 yards with a Snubbie!!! It just takes a lot of practice and a lot of money for ammo! :eek: :eek:
 
I've always liked the looks of the "ugly" bodyguard series. My first was an older nickel plated model 49. (I rescued it from a pawn shop). A couple of years later I purchased a new model 638, and it has a MUCH better trigger action on it. I still love the model 49, but the model 638 is much easier to shoot (for me).

I have a set of Crimson Trace Lasergrips on the Model 638 and it's amazingly accurate.

Neat little revolvers.

Best Wishes. :)
 
My favorite J is this one, which has the most amazingly smooth and wonderful trigger... with a flat spot before final hammer fall... makes indexing easy... and the weight helps with the hotter loads (I avoid full house .357 mag loads, preferring "lite" .357 mag loads for the increased control and comfort)

640_LF2677.jpg


640_RF2675.jpg


When I want something lighter for extended pocket carry, the 642 is my top choice:

642_L1567.jpg


642_R1568.jpg


I have no need nor desire for an external hammer in a pocket gun.
 
In the J-frame category...

...I have two Bodyguards (Model 38 in nickel, and a Model 49 in blue) and three Centennials (a 442, a 432PD, and a PC640.)

I prefer the Centennials for CCW, since A) I am unlikely to be using the single-action ability they offer, B) I shoot all my Smiths double-action anyway; someone could have snuck into my house two years ago and ground the single-action notch off the hammers of every S&W I own, and I wouldn't know it, and C) The hump on the back of the Centennial lets me "choke up" my grip on the little gun, allowing a meaningful amount of hand-on-gun contact even with the stubby boot grips I prefer for concealability. On a Bodyguard, enough of the web of my thumb gets into the hammer channel when I do this to make it unadvisable.

Enough folks like the availability of the single action combined with the snag-free profile of the shrouded hammer to keep these guns in production, but for my style of shooting a pocket J, they are contraindicated.
 
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