S&W air weight 642/442

Before getting her own Glock 26, my wife would shoot her S&W 642.

She enjoyed shooting the 642. Put 100 rounds through it every time we went shooting. My wife is small in stature, but shot the 642 without any problems. From 7-10 yards, she was quite accurate. Never thought of a 642 as a “specialist weapon”.
 
Put 100 rounds through it every time we went shooting. My wife is small in stature, but shot the 642 without any problems. From 7-10 yards, she was quite accurate. Never thought of a 642 as a “specialist weapon”.
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She practiced with it. It has nothing to do with gender or stature.

Light 38 Special snubbies aren't impossible to shoot well, just difficult to shoot well. They require putting in the time and ammo, using proper technique. Most casual concealed carry owners don't bother or find it too unpleasant. (which is why these guns are often carried much, shot little)

I bet she's better with the Glock 26 and finds it easier to shoot quickly.
 
For your wife’s situation and the revolvers mentioned, I’m with the LCR/LCRx .22 mag camp. Plus you can still find .22 WMR on the shelves these days.
 
I much prefer a steel j-frame in 38 spl.

the time and rounds needed to become proficient with the airewight j-frame is just more punishing than seems necessary to me (and I'm not overly recoil sensitive). Not saying they're not a good gun for those who do choose to carry them. just not the one for me. Rent one at the range, shoot it and see what you think.
 
Wheelie_Fan said:
I much prefer a steel j-frame in 38 spl.

the time and rounds needed to become proficient with the airewight j-frame is just more punishing than seems necessary to me (and I'm not overly recoil sensitive). Not saying they're not a good gun for those who do choose to carry them. just not the one for me. Rent one at the range, shoot it and see what you think.
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aluminum for carry, steel for practice. A steel snub is on the top edge of what I'd want to pocket carry.
 
Recoil and grips are a individual thing. I do not find the Recoil harsh at all for the 642 and actually prefer the OEM grip. (I have a size large hand and wear a Xlarge glove)
Same with the LCR in 9mm which I prefer the Bantam Boot grip. IMO and what I have found is that when you do frequent shooting, there becomes a immunity to recoil, at least for me. I love range sessions with the Snubbies. Look forward to shooting them all the time. If a gun is uncomfortable to shoot at least a minimum of 200 rds per session, I do not want to own one. The 38 and 9mm Snubbie, no problem and totally fun to shoot.



You might also try this grip below. The recoil is reduced or not as snappy, but pushes the recoil into the palm of the hand. I can shoot either one, but the grip does change the point of aim and you would have to adjust to it. Does not conceal as well.

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I had a 642, with standard pressure 38 wadcutters it was enjoyable to shoot to me. My wife, who never went shooting before, saw it and thought it was small enough for her to maybe carry. She loved it, so much so she has taken it from me and keeps it in her purse.

I went and bought myself a 360, scandium frame 357 mag J frame. That 642 is like shooting a 22 by comparison. I’ve got 400 rounds down range of 357 mag so far, it’s still punishing but not unshootable, but definitely not suitable for a new shooter. It’ll flat turn them off from wanting to shoot period. Even shooting the same 38 special wadcutters is noticeably more uncomfortable. My wife tried to swap with me because the 360 is lighter, but after the first trip to the range with the same 38’s she changed her mind and went back to the 642.
 
I agree with the ones who have suggested the 22 mag or 32 caliber guns. If you want less recoil its hard to beat the 32 long. Especially from one of the older steel framed S&W guns like the models 30 and 31. I have 3 of those with 2, 3 and 4" barrels plus a 431PD in 32 mag I keep loaded with 32 mag WC reduced loads.

For practice in my 442 I load a Lee 9mm 124gr TL bullet with 3grs of Bullseye powder and its like shooting a 22 and would make a good load for the recoil shy shooter. A lighter bullet makes a big difference in recoil on an Airweight gun like the 442 and 642. Triggers can be lightened and smoothed and a different grip may make the gun more suitable for your wife.

Here is a good video on the airweight 38s shooting 38 Colt ammo and how light the recoil is. And its still enough power to provide decent penetration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrgkaP7FjlM
 
I had the model 37 before, I did not find it particularly hard to shoot. I still have the model 36 that is the steel equivalent, I don't think there is a lot of difference.

Let's put it this way, I never felt there was any alarming difference to make me remember.

I won't shoot a lot of rounds with those little J frames. Even the steel 36, I won't try to put thousands of rounds through it. the metal is quite thin on the frame where the barrel screw onto the frame.
 
I have an S&W 042 Centennial Airweight. With 125-135-gr. +P rounds it's not terrible, but it can get uncomfortable pretty quickly.

With standard velocity 158s it's a short shooting session. With 158-gr. LSWC HP +P FBI rounds?

Not something you want to do much of at all.

All of that was with rubber grips.

A few years ago, though, I switched to Hogue checkered rosewood since I pocket carry.

A LOT more uncomfortable to shoot. But still tolerable for a defensive gun.
 
Sigkid, FWIW several of the women in my extended family have 642 revolvers. I doubt they shoot them much, but have heard no complaints about recoil. I don't know what ammo they might be using. Loaded with +P ammo, the 642 does have noticeable recoil. But compared to shooting 9MM ammunition in my all steel S&W 940 revolver, the 642 is a pleasure. I don't feel much difference in recoil between the all steel 640, and the lighter alloy framed 642. I know that the heavier gun actually recoils less, but I guess we all perceive recoil differently. Some folks are apparently not bothered by heavy .44 Magnum or .454 Casull recoil, etc. I am no longer one of those;)

Reference the .22 Magnum Rimfire revolvers, in general the rimfires have stronger mainsprings to ensure reliability with the rimfire cartridges. A neighbor told me he bought his adult daughter a new Ruger LCR in .22 Magnum. She could not pull the trigger. He took the .22 Magnum back to the store and traded it for a new .38 Spcl. LCR. The 38 has a lighter factory mainspring, and she could fire it....
 
My impression is it's really not the last oz of weight that makes the difference, it's the length of the barrel that makes the difference in the kick. Those snub nose are going to kick regardless of steel of aluminum.

I personally don't find kick is an issue, you just have to shoot more and get use to it. So it kicks!!! I practice a lot with .22LR, I don't feel any difference shooting 45, 9mm or .38. It's more psychological to me. Have your wife go shoot until she get used to the kick. My wife shot a lot, she had no problem shooting those snub nose, the subject never came up. You get used to it.

The issue is if you shoot a lot, the aluminum j frame is going to wear. It was obvious that opening and closing the cylinder wore a groove on the frame where the center rod of the cylinder scrapping on the frame to close the cylinder. Like I said before, the frame where the barrel screw onto the frame is very thin, I never feel comfortable with the model 37 air weight.
 
Actually, these kind of snub nose is quite attractive if you think about it. In the age of semi-auto, you get small 380 or 9mm. But if you stop and think, even the polymer Glock 26 etc are not that small and not that light, These snub nose got to be the most reliable if you don't get into sand and soil( it the city life). You pull the trigger, you fire a shot. Small auto are not the most reliable particular if you are nervous and hand shaking. Those small auto are like 6 rounds, snub nose is 5 rounds......heavier 38 bullets. You can have speed loaders for snub nose also. Balance everything, snub nose is very attractive.

I was thinking about a Glock 26 or 43, but then I picked up my model 36, I said......For what?!!! I need to get some .38 bullets, that's what I really need. Of cause, I'd take my S&W model 659 9mm for self defense any time, it's 14 shots, big and reliable!!! But forget about conceal carry.
 
"My impression is it's really not the last oz of weight that makes the difference, it's the length of the barrel that makes the difference in the kick. Those snub nose are going to kick regardless of steel of aluminum."

I compared the kick/recoil of two .357s using ammo from the same box; a 39 oz 6" S&W Model 19 with the big wood factory grips, and a 23.5 oz 2 1/8" barrel S&W Model 60 with Uncle Mike's combat grips (which covered the backstrap). To me, the little snub was more user friendly regarding recoil, and I've always attributed that to the rubber? grips which covered the backstrap.

Less weight, shorter barrel, same ammo, UM grips.

Might have been the fixed sights.
 
I never try rubber grip, I can't say anything. I can only say about barrel length vs kick for standard wood butt. I used to have a Ruger .357mag that's only like about 2 1/2" barrel, it was a heavy gun over 30oz, it kicked really hard, compare with my Model 19 6", the kick is very light. My guess is for same barrel length, that Ruger was a heavier gun.

I have ( and still have) a Colt Trouper 8" barrel 357mag, that is a delight gun to shoot and very accurate. The kick is like a .22LR(of cause shooting .38 rounds). It's the length of the barrel that really make the difference IF they all have the same kind of wood butt.

Never looked into rubber butt, recoil is never an issue to me. Just saying


On the subject of Trouper, I wonder why isn't it more popular. It's a very good gun, DA pull is very short, much shorter than Python and all the S&W. I thing for DA fast shooting, short DA pull is very important.
 
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