Carried one for 30 years as a back up, either in my uniform pants pocket, or in the winter, in a shoulder holster under my Ike jacket. No thumb break on the shoulder holster, there was a snap that closed behind the trigger guard and by pulling the gun out, the snap unsnapped. I think it was a DeSantis. Most of us never wore winter jackets in the winter. Too bulky. Usually just a quilted zip-up vest under the Ike taht was the same length as the Ike jacket. I still carry my 649 today and it looks almost new. Over the years, I buffed a few scratches out here and there. I never had a need to put different grips on it. Tried Pachymars but the whole point of a pocket gun was to keep it small and I put the factory grips back on.

The hump back was not just to keep the gun from snagging when you pulled it out. Not for me, anyway. When I was carrying it off-duty in my leather LAPD-type motorcycle jacket, I carried it in my right front jacket pocket. There were more times than I can remember when my hand was on the gun, finger on the trigger, ready to shoot through my favorite jacket if I needed to. Can't do that with an automatic for more than one shot, most likely.

Here's a good war story.... Instructor at the academy told this one while talking about the accuracy of 2" J-Frames. He was in plain clothes and chasing a B&E man back when you could still shoot fleeing felons.... He was not in the best of shape and the young burglar was increasing the distance. He fired at the middle of his back with his Mod. 49 from about 50 yards away as the guy was about to "break wide" around the corner of a building. The guy stopped and put his hands up, obviously not hit. This was in the 70's when the afro hair style was all the rage. Cop was perplexed as to why the guy stopped and he asked him.

Burglar said: "Man, I felt that bullet go through my nap and I figured if I didn't stop, you was gonna stop firing warning shots!"

Well folks, it's close to Veteran's Day, my traditional BAG day. OK, twice now... I purchased a M638-3 from Shooter's of Jacksonville. Price $399.99 the 642s were 30 or 40 dollars less, but I wanted a near duplicate of my old M38, which is my wife's carry now.
Shooters
The undernourished young lady at checkout offered me a cozy or something equally silly, and I said, "I liked it better when you gave away hats!" She looked aside and said, "Oh, we have one left, would you like it. Coincidentally all my scopes are Leupold.
Geoff
Who looked briefly at options until the Salesperson took off $50..

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Model 49 shooter-grade, built 1975, wearing Altamont boot grips.

I don't know what a 438 is supposed to be, but I carry it a lot (when I'm not carrying something bigger).

My two are an old M49 and a new M638.


M638 is for the summer warm months....

And I also like something bigger when it's cold with a jacket/coat.

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Only difference Fool/Mule-ears

That top holster is awesome and the gun looks great!! Looks like you could just grab and shoot even without taking it out unless the leather stops the cylinder from moving. That's really cool.

Old thread back from the dead. But that holster appears to be a Don't Hume IWB, and it should have a couple of snap loops. Mine does, great little holster.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

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Support your Police, & NRA

Sorry all, I couldn't help but revive this thread, it is fantastic!! Love all the old Bodyguards! I hated the style for a while, didn't even want to like it. However, it grew on me and I love it so much. I do not yet own one, but one day I want a nickel 38 and a blued 49 both with original grips and hopefully at least one of them a flat latch!

To the poster, I see you have one of those holsters too!! I had never seen something like that until this thread. You're the second person on here with one. That is awesome. Yours covers the cylinder more so I don't know if you are able to shoot it like that or not, but the other guys looked like it may work. Either way, very cool and I'd love to have a holster like that! Nice gun!

Yes, it is always nice to see a great thread come back to life. I responded here at least once and now again. The Md 49 is truly one of my all time favorite S&W guns. I loved it when I bought it in 1979 and I still do. However I have relegated it into semi retirement due to the advent of the Md. 649 in .357. Just about as easy to carry but has the added punch of .357. It has long been by most favored CCW. If you don't own a 49 or 649 your should very seriously consider getting one. And forget about how it looks, you WILL get over it. You won't regret it...guaranteed!

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I'm gonna grow fins.

A 1980s Model 649 done up with a retro look. Handles and shoots most gratifyingly.

Two years ago I had a medical scare that made me thin the herd. I sold a nickel and a blued model 38 along with a centennial. I am a lot better now and next week a LNIB model 38 will be in the fold!

The only humpback J frame have is a model 49.

Like it a lot.

I'd like to find a stainless steel version (649), but pre lock if possible. Those are kind of rare, but who knows when one might pop up?

Or failing that, a Nickel M38 or M49.

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I must have missed this thread back in the day
A few Bodyguards in different flavors:
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This 1 of 100 first run 649 from 1985 is probably my favorite
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I know this is an old tread. I was thinking of starting my own "In Praise of the Model 649" thread so this post saves everyone!

I think you have to carry a lot under a variety of conditions to understand how great this design really is. Two things I really insist on is the ability to pocket carry and an external hammer. The exposed hammer helps holstering safety. I have read that there is never time to thumb cock. "Never"? What if you have to make a precise shot at distance?

I have two .38 Model 649s. I am not planning on selling anything but they would be the last revolvers to go if I did. They may not be a Glock 17 but one of them is always very handy.

If its good enough for law enforcement agencies it's good enough for me. I'm on the constant lookout for a nice leather holster for mine.

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Nice old thread. Thanks for reviving.
The 49 or 649 have been in my pocket for daily travels around town for quite a while.
There are days that I carry my 1911, but that is when I know I am going to a lesser popular part of the county.
For daily, somewhat maintenance free (for the finish, anyway) carry the 649 is hard to beat, for me, anyway.
And in some circles, the old humpback is noted as the gun that ended the Vietnam War.....

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I owned a blued one in the early 80's, foolishly traded it away. Like an idiot I passed on one a few months ago, it was nickel. When will I ever learn.

Lucky for you there are a lot of them out there, and I'm sure some are looking for new homes. I'll bet a bit of patience will snag you one if you want it. (It's only money.)

Oh, my! YES! I wanted one for years and years. Back in my drug dealing days (okay, okay, I used to be a pharmacist, don't get excited) one of my colleagues in NYC had a carry permit and he carried a Model 38 every day. Funny thing was, one day a kid got the drop on him claiming he had a gun hidden in a paper bag and my friend surrendered the cash without a fight. Smart. And lucky. Anyway, his gun, which I always thought was an odd duck in the looks department, had my heart for a VERY long time.

Many years would go by before I finally acquired the M649 in the picture below. I don't have a singleton of it, just the group snubby shot.

I had a M638 for awhile, too, but it was stolen. It had BRIGHT PINK rubber stocks - love the lime green ones above!

I carried a M642 for years. I recently switched to the 649. It is NOT, repeat NOT, too heavy to carry in a pocket. I carry it in the front pocket of my jeans, cargo pants, etc., EVERY DAY. Eventually, I will start carrying the customized 2" Model 24 that sits below the 649 in the photo but, since the fire, I don't have my holsters in order yet. I recently acquired a Galco Pro that works EXTREMELY well for the 649. I have no idea what it is made of, it is different from any other man-made materials I have ever seen or used but it works perfectly.

My sole shooting comment in re the 649 or its equivalent all steel brethren is that they carry as easily as their lightweight cousins and shoot WAY WAY better.

A very good point Yoda makes.

I had to look for about a year to get my 2nd Model 649. Just keep looking.

Glad someone resurrected this thread....here's my model 49, with ivorys, Tyler T Grip and Mitch Rosen holster, Roy says that it shipped February of 1977:



Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

This is my Model 649-2 purchased new at my favorite gun shop in Midland, Texas on May 25, 1996.

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Dave Brown
SWCA #3279

Dave,

That is the same Galco Horsehide pocket holster that I use for just about everything that I carry!! I have found that mine will not only accommodate not only my S&W I frames, J frames, magnum J frames, but my Colt D frames as well (Detective Special, Cobras, Agents). I have carried it almost everyday for years now, only leaving it home if I belt carry a gun. It is just as strong and functional as when I bought it, only taking on the curve of my thigh from use, making it even more useful for breaking up the gun shape in my jeans pocket. Good choice. It's hard to read the markings on mine now, but I believe that it is the same as yours except the. Middle line says "C129 11 (or "H"...I can no longer make it out).

Anyway, a great way to carry your Bodygaurd.

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

I like them too Les! I had three up until about two months ago when I sent one home to Oklahoma City with my sister after she got done looking after me while I had open heart surgery down in Tampa! She seemed to like it too! I told her to share it with her husband, and if they both liked it, I'd send them another one!

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Dave Brown
SWCA #3279

The beauty in these for me is the utility. I have a handful of different variants of the humpbacks but here is my constant companion edc 49. Used but not abused. Worn but not torn. Becoming proficient with this piece has made me a better pistol marksman with everything else.

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	49 rt.jpg (53.4 KB, 62 views)

I'm in the Centennial camp and have carried a 640 daily for a good many years; but I don't consider the humpbacks ugly at all. A 649 would absolutely be my second choice for a carry gun, though I think it's wildly unlikely I would have to make a shot requiring single action.

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Oh well, what the hell.

Actually, shoudazagged,you can shoot a Centennial 'single action', if your trigger finger is sensitive. Ease the trigger back until you feel the cylinder lock and pause while you refine your sight picture, then give it that last little squeeze...

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Registration? NEVER!

Here's my model 49 and the tuckable IWB holster I made to carry it in. Currently shopping for another J-frame to keep it company.

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	Tuckable J Frame 1.jpeg (136.0 KB, 50 views)

Thanks!

That makes my decision to buy a M49 as my first J frame (I wanted at least 1 all steel J frame because, steel is real).

The next 2 were Centennials, a M442 and a M43C. Their light weight made me concerned that the M49 might be too heavy for pocket carry, but also concerned with recoil from the M422.

This allays concerns on both these points.

Wet

I'm quite happy with my M49; I want to find another one.
One thing I WILL NOT do will be to fire .357s, should I wind up with a gun chambered in.357.

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Registration? NEVER!

Humpbacks are not hard to decock.

Well, if you do get one in 357 I'd suggest you do fire ONE magnum round through it. That's what I did with my 640-1 when I got it. Put the cushiest Pachmayrs I've got on it, put on a padded glove, loaded one commercial 357 round and let fly.

So I got the T-shirt, and can tell anybody EXACTLY, from personal experience, why I don't shoot 357 magnums out of J frames. I still remember how it felt, and will never do it again. But I'm glad I did it, just the once.

In the extremely unlikely event that I have to draw the 640 it will come out of my pocket barking. I don't anticipate having time to stage the trigger.

But thanks for the tip.

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Oh well, what the hell.

Why not? I do it all the time and am very comfortable with the results. It's loud, but NOT uncomfortable or uncontrollable. Don't let the noise get you down.

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I'm gonna grow fins.

Heh, hey E, did you see my 3 back in post 111 of this thread? All 3 are steel versions and no flat latches, though. I still have them.

Agreed! The staging trick is mainly for longer shots. That steady pull-through gives the best result at ‘normal’ snubbie self-defense range.

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Registration? NEVER!

My old 649, semi-retired, wearing a nice set of Hurst cocobolo stocks. The 442 below it also has a set of Hurst grips in Micarta.
Bob

I toted one (model 38) for several years as a back-up, and sometimes a primary gun when working UC where a full-size handgun wouldn't do.. Loved it, very comfortable with it and didn't care if it was ugly...it was a pocket gun In fact, ugliness didn't cross my mind back then...1980s when hidden hammer guns were limited to a very few choices. I got it from the property room and it was scratched and not beautiful, turned it back in to the property room when ordered to do so.

Kinda wish I had one back. Have a 36 and a 442, so they'll have to do.

Yes, Gene L, I thought the Bodyguards were pure ugly, until I came to appreciate their functionality. I know turning it back in had to hurt a bit...

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Registration? NEVER!

I’ve had a number of humpbacks, the only one I have left is an Airweight 38-3

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Mine is new (2 years old) so it doesn't 'deserve' a pic here with the earlier pre-1980's humpbacks.

I was wanting one of these for close to 20 years and when I got back into shooting after the kids were a bit older, I bought a 638.
It was my first J-frame and I love it!

Now I have a 3" model 63, and am seriously considering a 3" model 60.
After that, a 649 is on the wishlist. I love the J-frame revolver!!!

I've really enjoyed all the pics on this thread!

Will the older oval cylinder latch fit on the newer guns? That new angled latch just doesn't look right to my older eye--but then the original square latch really looks bad to me...

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Registration? NEVER!