S&W air weight 642/442

The rubber boot grips make the Airweights the most comfortable to shoot for me, but they dont work as well as a set of Magnas and a T Grip for carry.

I have a 642 and shoot it a couple of times a month just to stay on top of it. Of all the handguns I shoot, its my least favorite to shoot. About all I can put up with anymore, is a box of 50 at an outing. My hand hates me for a couple of days after too.

The weight of the gun is the issue when it comes to perceived recoil. I shoot 2" K frame Model 10's, 2.5" 19 and 686, and a 3" 65 in 357mag regularly too, and I can shoot them with full power loads all day long with no problems. Same type grips as the 642, but the heavier steel frames suck up the energy a lot better, are much more controllable and pleasant to shoot with, and the guns are just easier overall to shoot with.

Id highly suggest you dont port anything. Ive had a couple of guns that were Mag Na Ported, and the negatives far outweigh any perceived positives. I saw no reduction at all in muzzle rise or felt recoil. The big flaming "V" is/was very impressive, but a distraction, and noting Id want to deal with if shooting from retention.
 
Hi AK103K, what do you mean by port?

Funny, recoil never bugs me, so it kicks harder. My wife shot those little snub nose a lot, she never complain. She had a Charter Arm little snub nose. The weight is in between the model 36 and 37. She shot loose the gun!!! That's how much she shot with that snub nose, she never complained.
 
Porting is when they cut ports in the barrel to work like a comp.

This is one reason I dislike them. This is my 696 that was factory Mag Na Ported. What youre looking at is the result of a couple of cylinders full worth of LSWC's. Theres a red insert in there if you look.

enhance


Jacketed/plated bullets are better, but you still get a lot of fouling on the front sight.

enhance


Hold that gun in tight and fire from retention and you get the idea where the blast is going.



I dont generally mind recoil, but when youre shooting a lot, it does start to wear on you, especially when youre shooting guns that are meant for carry, and they have minimal grips.

You see a lot of 642's, 637's, ect, that have big, oversized grips on them, and I think thats why. Ive never understood making the guns bigger by doing that. If youre going to, might as well just get a bigger gun thats more shootable.

Ive pretty much quit carrying my 642 and replaced it with a Glock 26. A much more shootable gun with double, triple, plus the ammo, depending on the mag you use, realistic sights, and the gun shoots very much like the 17 it backs up.
 
I dont generally mind recoil, but when youre shooting a lot, it does start to wear on you, especially when youre shooting guns that are meant for carry, and they have minimal grips.

You see a lot of 642's, 637's, ect, that have big, oversized grips on them, and I think thats why. Ive never understood making the guns bigger by doing that. If youre going to, might as well just get a bigger gun thats more shootable.
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I agree. I put the short boot grips on all my J-frames. If it can't fit in a pocket, what's it good for? But if I'm holster carrying, I go to a 9mm auto.

For pocket carry in jeans or cargo shorts, I've gone with the stainless steel frame 649 and 640 Pro. They are a lot easier to shoot accurately and the short boot grips made the draw reasonably quick with a consistent grip.
 
One thing I said before already, when I come back to guns, I immediately think of Glock 26 type. But then when I dusted out my Model 36, it just dawn on me, Glock 26 is about the same weight of the Model 37 air weight that is about 15oz. Glock is 6 rounds, 37 is 5 rounds. I'll let you guys debate whether .38 is better than 9mm or not.

You are talking about ONE single round difference!!! They both are bulky anyway, the 37 is going to a mile more reliable than the Glock 26. Something about the size of the gun, you need the weight of the slide, the distance the slide travel to strip the round into the chamber........All in all, the bigger semi autos are more reliable than the tiny semi even if it's the same brand. A DA snub nose got to be the most reliable. You pull the trigger, unless the round miss fired, you are going to shoot.

Now, it would be a completely different story when talk about full size guns. I'll take a glock 19 any time of the day over any wheel gun. Now you are talking about 15, 17 rounds, bigger slide, more reliable and all.

I looked at my two snub noses, forget the Glock 26!!! Not to mention for women, they might have problem racking the slide.
 
The Glock 26 holds 10 rounds in the factory mag, and will also take any of the other mags in the 17 family including the 33 rounders. I normally carry a spare 17 mag for a reload with mine.

I have 4 of them, and they have all been very reliable, and just as reliable as my 17's and 19's. Unlike a lot of the other smaller autos, they shoot like a full sized gun, and at the same distances for the most part.

The slide on the 26 is no harder to rack than the others either. My sons girlfriend carries one and shoots it well. She's a little girl and has no trouble at all working or shooting it, and she's quite good with it.
 
Sorry, I was thinking about Glock 43. That's more a fair comparison. 26 is bulkier and almost 22oz compares to the air weight of 16oz.

Ha, I might think about the 26 if I can find one as we are limited to 10 rounds mag in Kalifornia.

I am shopping for a 9mm medium size gun Glock 19 is high on my list.

Is 26 10+1 or just 10 total?
 
My wife, DIL, and a niece all carry 637's, BUT...getting them to practice with carry loads is tough. They (and I, truth be told) do not like the heavy recoil. In a word, it's punishing...a combination of the heavy slap of the gun, and the muzzle blast from the 1-7/8" bbl.

I load light wadcutters for their practice sessions, and finish with a full cylinder of heavier LSWC's loaded to match their carry rounds. It's not ideal, so spare me, those of you who want to preach on the 'train as you'll fight' mantra, but our method sure beats having the ladies carry but never practicing.

My advise would be to get a heavier (read steel frame) gun for her, otherwise you may find she's acquired an expensive paper weight.

YMMv, Rod
 
DMK said:
I agree 100%.

Folks recommend these guns all the time for beginners or the casual CCW owner. It's usually a horrible recommendation. These guns take some serious dedication to practice and range time with the carry ammo. They are very difficult to control and shoot accurately.
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This is true with any real "pocket" carry SD gun tho. Don't matter if it's a 642 or a LCP. Never will they be more comfortable to shoot than a full size 1911. As far as a "horrible" recommendation, I don't see them as such. Regardless of platform, any SD firearm is going to take "serious dedication to practice and range time with the carry ammo" to become proficient. What I do see as poor recommendations is telling those folks they need to use +p ammo in order for them to be lethal. This is what gets newbies and the occasional shooter flinching and closing their eyes when they shoot. Standard .38s were just fine for cops for decades and are still sufficient for SD when used accurately. Standard .38s, being much more pleasant to shoot make for a more accurate shooter and placement trumps power when one is talking COM. Telling folks they need "boutique" type ammo for SD is another mistake. While "boutique" ammo may be slightly more efficient for SD in .38, it's makes for pricey practice ammo. Thus most folks practice less. Again a standard 125 JHP put in COM will still be better than BB "Giant Killer" in the arm. Most folks don't need high capacity or +p+ ammo, they just need to practice more so their first shot counts. Doesn't matter if it's a 637 or a full size Glock.
 
I can shoot mine without any trouble, but my hands aren't damaged and I've had decades of practice.

My wife has bad hand/wrist problems, and she can shoot 32 S&W long (or even 32 H&R magnum) just fine.

I would much rather be carrying a 32 instead of a 22.
 
I have had several of the 642/442 revolvers. I sold off my last one last spring. I never enjoyed shooting them. Every single one of them had lousy gritty triggers. Recoil was not fun....and I am not recoil sensitive.

I recently purchased a Ruger Redhawk Kodiak Backpacker 44 magnum 2 /34" snubby. Honestly, recoil on this seems less snappy and I actually enjoyed shooting it. The 642/442, not so much!
 
Rent or borrow one and let her pick her own firearm. Never a good idea to buy someone else a pistol.
 
Totally agree. Many women would be offended and rightly so. You want to help anyone, have them join a NRA safety course, go to the range with them and let them learn the way you did. By shooting may firearms. Never could understand why so many Men behind a counter of a LGS will pull out a revolver for them or a small pocket gun.
Do not get me wrong, I love both. But the learning curve is long. More for advanced shooters.
I love the 642 for myself, easy to shoot, so simple in operation and light weight. But this is from years of shooting them and pocket guns. A newbie that chooses one will have to put in the time and money to become proficient. Learn the DAO trigger etc.
 
Not sure about the LCR but we have an LCP which feels like a time bomb. Very light trigger and no safety. Scary to carry. We pretty much limit to home security.
 
"we have an LCP which feels like a time bomb. Very light trigger and no safety. Scary to carry."

Is that an LCP II with the little thingy on the trigger?
 
Sigkid79 said:
"Can anyone tell me about the recoil on these revolvers? I’ve read from some that it is a very snappy revolver due to its size and being lightweight, and I’ve heard from others that it was a joy to shoot in standard .38 special.

I’m buying for my wife who has very weak hands/wrists. It’s either this or the Ruger LCR in .22 magnum."
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I own two of the Airweight S&W J-frames in .38 Special - the 642 and the Bodyguard Airweight. Must agree with the general comments above. They can be shot well, but it requires commitment. Many shooters - particularly those like your wife with weak wrists and hands - report that they are unpleasant to fire, particularly with heavy loads.

If you want her to practice (relatively) routinely with the firearm, she'd better not consider it unpleasant to shoot.

Rather than the Ruger, however, consider a S&W in the J-frame configuration that fires .22 Magnum. I've fired one of these, and it was not unpleasant at all - very controllable. If my wife fell into the category you describe, I would have no hesitation to having her try out a Model 351c:

https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/model-351c

Best with it.
 
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