(long) My Wife Liked the S&W 640 Best...

J

Jorah Lavin

New member
We went to a gun store today to let my wife find which gun fit her hand best. (this will be her first gun, and will most likely be for home-defence and range practice only.)

We went in thinking about 9mm...

She really liked the heft and looks of the Kimber Ultra Carry CDP, but feels that something with fewer controls would be better for her. (and the .45 seems a little much to start someone out on... maybe a light-loaded home-cooked round?)

We looked at Glocks, Kahrs, a Para-Ord LDA, an H&K and a Kel-tec but she didn't like the fit or the looks. (she did like a shiny Beretta in .380, but "too many buttons and levers to think about if someone is breaking the door down")

Finally we worked down to the revolver area, and the clerk tried to show her all the titanium and aluminum airlites or whatever they are called. (some of them are amazingly light... there was a 7-shot .38+P that felt like a toy gun)

At the end of the case was a revolver the clerk didn't even show her... S&W 640 .357.

Wow... perfect fit in her hand, and the action was SLICK compared to the airlights. She liked the heft, liked the look of the gun, and it fit her. I explained about the wide range of ammo available for the gun, from light-loaded .38 target loads up to full-house .357, and she was tickled.

However...
I'd like to steer her away from a Smith if there are any decent alternatives with similar finish and great trigger action.

I've never seen any of the Ruger .357s... how do people feel about Ruger or one of the other quality revolver makers?

Smooth, light trigger action and the "geometry" of the grip are the most important features... I'd be willing to go with .38 instead of .357 but I think the extra mass would help her out, so titanium and other light alloys are probably out. But, I know her. If it doesn't look good, she won't care as much about it, won't be as proud of it, and probably won't practice with it as much.

FWIW, she doesn't know or care about the S&W debacle, so she may just buy the 640 in any case... I'm looking for a 640 clone by someone else, I guess!

Sorry for the stream-of-consciousness post...


-Jorah
 
There is a lot to be said for revolver simplicity unless she really gets into shooting as a hobby.

Unless she is going to carry in a pocket she would be wise to get the extra weight of steel and the M640 is heavier than a cockable version. Small .38s kick and the extra weight helps. I'd avoid .357s all together. In .38 spl the lighter bullet weights recoil markedly less than 158s but may not hit point of aim. She will have grip options with a M640 too, like Pachmayrs.

I own a .22 SP-101 and it is a good little gun but it sure doesn't have a S&W trigger pull. The Ruger and S&W are the only two makes I would consider.

I carry a little M642 which is the aluminum frame version of what you are looking at and weighs about six ounces less. It isn't a lot of fun to practice with even using downloaded 160 gr bullets just because of recoil. So the extra weight, if it isn't to be a pocket gun, makes a lot of sense to me. If it hurts to shoot she won't want to practice with it.
 
I may get flamed for this, but I don't really care on this one. If I took my wife shopping for a gun that she was going to use for self protection and she happened to pick up a S&W and stated that she liked that one the best, because it felt and pointed the best for her in her hands, and liked its operation , I would buy her that revolver. If she likes the S&W but gets talked into something else that her hand just doesn't like, she isn't going to practice with it, therefore she won't be proficient with it. That is my opinion on the matter. Look at how picky we are with our guns, and we are experienced shooters who practice till we are blue in the face. I would give her the benefit of the doubt and let her buy the S&W without a negative word being said. Just relish the fact that she wants to be able to defend herself or her children if the need arises.
 
Amen brother, get her what she wants forget about that stupid boycott idea. This is for protection not just to plink around with.


shiro in AK
 
If she likes the 640 then so be it. Don't discount the lighter guns. I have a 442 that I shoot and carry regularly and with +P loads the recoil is fine. Depending on how she plans to carry, the extra weight of the 640 may make a difference in comfort.

The 442 replaced a Ruger SP-101 that used to be a back-up. Awesome gun. Love the ruggedness of the gun and it's ability to handle .357 loads. The guns ability, not mine. :) Even with the 25oz weight (I think), the gun was quite a handful w/magnum loads so watch out if you do that in the 640. It was very easy to shoot w/38 loads. With a Hogue grip the gun felt great. I've shot a couple of other brand new and used 101's and the trigger definitely gets better with more shooting. Out of the box, the 442 had a better trigger.

Ultimately, let her try a couple of different guns (if you can) and get her what she feels comfortable with.
 
If she likes the SMITH and WESSON 640. Go for it!

IMO it would be quite hypocritical to buy a Ruger as a political alternative to SMITH and WESSON. They sold us out a long time ago without being held over a barrel. But if she likes a Ruger, buy a Ruger. They are good revlovers.

[Edited by cuerno de chivo on 12-31-2000 at 04:45 AM]
 
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