My wife just took delivery on her new S&W 642-1. It's labelled on the tag "38 Spl +P," but....can you really shoot plus p in the little thing? Could you give me some ammo recommendations, please -- both for practice reloads and standard power defensive loads, and, I guess, +P.......

The gun won't be fired much, she wants it mostly to carry when she's out training on her bicycle, or hiking. Any ammo recommendations for her new little pistol would be greatly appreciated.

Yes it can. Your hand may not like it but the gun is perfectly capable. They wouldn't advertise it otherwise

For such a short barrel I'd recommend Gold Dot 135gr short barrel loads for self defense.
For range use I use anything labeled 38spl
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Pretty much same as Arik. My wife and I both have 642-1s in our carry rotation. For routine range practice we use whatever reloads I happen to have in the ammo closet, which can range from the standard 148 gr HWBC target loads (2.7 gr Bullseye) to a variety of full power 130 and 158 gr loads. For carry, we use +P 135 gr Short Barrel Speer Gold Dots. I assume if the manufacturer rates a gun for +P loads then it can handle them.

Light though it may be, the 642-1 is capable of quite a bit of shooting with +P rounds. Your hand will hate it, but the revolver won't. The Speer Gold Dot 135 grain shot barrel loads, Federal Hydra-Shok reduced recoil 135 grain, Winchester Ranger Bonded 135 grain and the venerable Federal or Winchester 158 grain LSWC +P all make great defensive loads for your 642.

Practice ammo, well the FMJ 130 grain stuff by most major manufacturers is pretty tame and reasonably cheap.

I handload my practice ammo using plated 150-158 grain bullets and Bullseye powder.

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Virtue,Liberty & Independence

Hello Cousin Jack,

In case you haven't heard by now you got the best pocket revolver ever made, I've own 2 myself. (with lock and no lock makes no difference to me) If you gonna run it with +P just shoot enough at the range to remember what it feels like and practice with standard loads.

Get the Mrs. a nice shooting FMJ 130 grain Winchester white box or Remington for her range time. Understand this a snubby has to be practice with often cause they are very hard to master.

Good luck to ya.

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Mulebuk Sam and the Governor

I agree - it is a top notch pocket revolver. Your hand will not like it very much if you shoot any quantity of anything through it but especially +P.

They're meant to be shot a little and carried a lot. Massad Ayoob or Clint Smith coined that phrase methinks.

I understand where people come from by saying "Shoot little and carry a lot". But if you're carrying it a lot you should be proficant with it. That means shooting it a lot. When I take my 642 to the range, I shoot at least 100 to 150 rds. I don't shoot as many rounds at once as I do with my Glocks though. I can shoot 500 rds through my glock 19 and feel fine. After about 100 rds with the 642, my hands can feel it.


As far as carry ammo, I'd stay away from Buffalo Bore 158 gr +p. I do like Federal/Remington 158gr LSWC +p or Speer 135 gr +p.

Don't you have 5 you can send her just so she can find out for herself?
.




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Find a defensive load she can handle, then buy enough of it for her to practice and become proficient with it. The 642-1 can handle +P just fine but you don't need +P for close range defense. Wadcutters will work just fine at close range.

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Support your Police, & NRA

Lmao!!! I sure do!


In fact, I actually went to the range today and brought that box you gave me. I shot 5 of the other types and they weren't bad at all. When I got to the BB, I looked and said "Ahh not today". Maybe I'll use them if I'm in bear country.

I was going to say this but didn't want to start an argument

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I shoot 110gr +P+ Treasury loads out of mine. The gun is made on what Smith and Wesson calls a magnum frame. +P will not hurt it.

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A Snider squibbed n the Jungle

I like Remington Target 148gr wadcutter. Accurate and a pleasure to shoot.

Remington Target .38 SPL 148 Grain WC 50 Round Box - RTG38S3 - 047700424408

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60-10,640-1,G30,G41MOS,1911

You are going to get suggestions for the ammo everyone likes but that doesn't mean it's good for you.

Find a name brand ammo that is accurate in your gun and stick with it. All the fancy bullets and velocity in the world means nothing unless you get hits. Find what's,accurate in your gun.

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

Well, you need to let the wound heal first.
OP, we seek a round that we can shoot accurately and follow up quickly with. For most or many, that rules out a round with excessive recoil in this 16oz gun. What is excessive can only be determined by shooting the rounds. Some go with Speer short barrel, some with 148 full wadcutters, some with BB 158g LSWCHP non-+p, among others. That said, Sheepdog and I can tell you not to bother with the aforementioned BB +p loading in this gun. Speer short barrel 357 is more comfortable to shoot in my light J-frame than that BB 38 round.


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The gun is not approved for +P+ loads! The Speer short barrel load is stout with sharp punishing recoil. Best bet is the CORBON 110 gr so.id copper DPX load. It reliably expands from the short barrel and still gets adequate soft tissue penetration. If the recoil is too much with this load, the. Switch to standard pressure wad utters.

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Captain

"The gun is made on what Smith and Wesson calls a magnum frame. +P will not hurt it."

The M642 is not made on the Magnum frame, the steel M640 is.
Also, the M340.
But, it will do fine with plus p ammo. I use the Speer 135 gr plus p made for short barrel revolvers.

Best,
Rick

Do your wife a huge favor and put some Hogue Tamer grips on that thing. I put a set on my wife's and she loves them. Last range trip she shot almost 100 rds of 38 Spl with no pain. +p are also not bad with these grips



This is the only pic I have with the purple Tamer grips

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Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda

The best defensive ammo for your wife, is what your wife can control.

The usual suspects of +P ammo have been mentioned. But in a 16oz revolver for someone who doesn't shoot it often, std pressure may be the better choice.

At this time, the most widely available, relatively decently performing std pressure round is W-W's "Defend" . As bonus has similar poi to the 130fmj.

All of the seasoned revolver shooters will talk about 148 WC , 158 RN and swc for practice, but in recent years 130fmj is overwhelmingly what is stocked at gun stores and at ranges.

That was not my experience in my 11 oz J-frame, and this 642 is a 16oz gun. That is why I say the recoil is a subjective thing (except when it comes to the BB +P 158g load).

I find the Hogue Bantam grips do a nice job of providing a good balance between concealability and control. Smith put them on the M&P 340 and 340PD with a S&W logo a few years back if I am not mistaken. Still like the 158 grain LSWCHP +P for social work. The 135 Grain GD +P is nice too. Recoil is manageable in both.

That is a good load, which I recommended to a friend for his 442, based on it's test performance. I found useful testing and discussion at this link, and it includes a couple of the loads mentioned in this thread.
<b>.38spl: Hornady FTX vs. Speer 135gr GDHP vs. CorBon 110gr DPX</b>

From an economic point of view, the Winchester Ranger hollow point +P ammo is available online at a price not much more than quality practice ammo. I tried out a box yesterday at the range through my 3 inch 60 Pro and my 3 inch F Comp and I liked it a lot. It cost less than half the typical price of Speer Gold Dot. I feel that's a bargain.

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Accuracy supercedes Speed

I like Remington 38 Spl +P 158 gr LHP HTP rounds. For practice I use +P data from latest Lyman cast data, Speer or Alliant.

If you like the Speer GDHP ammo but don't like the $1.50+ per round price tag look around the net for the 50 round boxes. They are usually only a few dollars more than the 20 round Retail box.

CCI/Speer .38 Special 135 Grain +P Short Barrel Gold Dot Duty Ammunition - Ammunition - Streichers Streicher's Inc

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437