How will does the Airweight pistols hold up to shooting. Is it a gun that should be shot just for practice or can it be enjoyed at the range also?

I know personally using 130gr FMJ my 637 is a blast at the range.

Typical range session I like to put atleast 150-250 rounds thought each gun I bring and I tend to go atleast twice a month.

Sorry for all the questions I know I ask a lot but still learning.

I have 2 Model 642's that each have at least 1,500 factory Plus-P rounds through, and one has that many Plus-P handloads and that many again standard pressure and mid-range handloads, and they have held up just fine.

I believe that Model marked J frame Airweights are a lot more durable than many suppose. The occasional frame cracks are always near the forcing cone and are probably a result of stress during assembly, rather than shooting; you see them on a few brand new guns that customers haven't fired.

Wear is a result of any normal useage. Mechanical devices can and will wear out, but just how much shooting it will take in this instance is unknown. Pure wear from shooting is usually on the hand and cylinder stop, which are replaceable.

Things like frame stretching are more likely from abuse, such as ammunition loaded to over-Plus-P pressures. Plus-P ammunition loaded by the ammunition industry just isn't that much more stressful than standard pressure ammo, as pressures aren't very much higher.

Carry a lot = shoot a lot --> Good idea
Carry a lot = shoot a little --> Not so good idea

Aside from the rare structural problem (which S&W will immediately remedy as long as it is not due to owner abuse or stupidity) J-frames are a durable breed. Use good quality ammo, maintain your J properly, and you will enjoy years of faithful service.

If the 130gr FMJ you speak of is Wally-World White Box Target Ammo, you'll probably wear out your wallet long before you wear out your 637.
At 150-250/gun/range session, you might want to give reloading some consideration.

I carry factory made 158gr LSWCHP +P or 135gr SB GD +P in my 637, but don't shoot very many of them due to the recoil and expense.
The bulk of my SD practice is done with standard pressure (or less) 158gr LSWC reloads and for fun I use milder 148gr LWC reloads.

The simple truth is that a well made and properly maintained 637 can shoot +P ammo all day long without feeling any pain, but I can't.
At least not in an Airweight.

Have fun and be safe -- and don't worry about asking questions.
We all had to start someplace and this is a good place to learn.

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Age + Treachery = JohnnieB

Enjoy the gun....shoot it all you want.

Great little wheelguns.

Yeah, if you carry it alot, you sure has heck should shoot it alot. Particularly with a gun that's relatively difficult to shoot compared to a full size handgun. As the others have said, the J can take it.

I been using 130gr PMC and Independence. I found a good deal on it and decided to stock.

Thanks guys for the help glad to know I can shoot it two favorite Center fires at the range are my 686 and J-frame things are fun to shoot

I've got thousands and thousands of rounds through many Airweights and no problems. Enjoy!

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Centennial Every Day

I have an alloy frame 38-Special revolver by another name (soon to be two when the new Smith 317 arrives) and I was concerned about it before I purchased it. I had always belonged to the crowd that thought..."if it ain't steel...it must be plastic". I have read posts on other forums where guys have reported running 7,000 to 10,000 rounds through these things and they are still shooting them. These modern alloys are very strong and some are stronger than steel. I am not a bit concerned any longer about owning and firing these new lightweight revolvers and I like the fact that I don't have to wear suspenders to hold my pants up either.

I shoot the snot out of my 642.

I look at it this way: if it takes $4,000 worth of ammo to wear out a $400 revolver, I got a good deal.

I shoot my 642 and my 37 maybe once a month just to stay familiar with them. I like Remington's 38 Special +P 125 grain JHPs. But I must say that it's not the most pleasant experience. I practice enough to be accurate, but I'm not smiling when I'm done because I'm happy to be finished shooting.

I shoot my lightweight J frames a little and carry one of them a lot.
I find them unpleasant to shoot with even standard pressure loads and
since I have many other guns I just don't see the point in putting lots of ammo, +P or otherwise through a small alloy frame gun. Others will
differ but the idea that they " will take it " doesn't mean that they
should have to take it. Mine don't and I am confident that they will
be in fine condition should I ever really need to depend on one.

Hello.

Shooting Airweights?

Best.

+1

J-frames, in my experience, are the hardest of all revolvers to learn to shoot well. And once you learn them, it's a perishable skill that must be kept up or lost. This is not a good thing with a carry peice.

My M&P 340 gets shot more than any of my other revolvers because I carry it the most. I have no fears of it wearing out, nor would I have that same fear on any s&w j-frame.

Rats! I guess that means I'll have to go shooting once a week.

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Centennial Every Day

Stephen Camp's book is a must purchase for any/all J-Frame Airweight shooters.

Thank you Stephen for a wonderful and informative read!

Mr. Stephen A. Camp, R.I.P. Thanks for a great book.

The rule of thumb for aluminum alloy frames like the 642 used to be about 3000 rounds. These frames stretch a bit over their useful life. But I have not put that many rounds through one, so I have no first hand experience on their service life.

I have a 642 that I bought used and have put about 2000 rounds through it. No telling how many before I bought it (it was a rough looking gun when I bought it). Still shoots like new.

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Centennial Every Day

I decided on a 442 snubby for my carry gun because I wanted one that I could carry a lot and shoot a lot. It did take lotsa practice to shoot well and I enjoy shooting it lots.

This guy really has a fun time shooting his. I've got one too and they get better the more you shoot them, triggers start to lighten up and after a year they become pretty smooth.

642 S&W .38 Special (Airweight J frame) - YouTube

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Ephesians 6 (Armor of God)

I try to shoot 20 to 30 rds out of my back up model 37 every trip to the range.

you will not wear it out....for those that enjoy J-frames i would suggest the book>> the shooters guide to airweight J-frames by stephen a.camp
i just got it and so far its a great read on our small friends

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SWCA#2208
KK4EMO

I remember this thread from way back when. I think this was one of the first thread's I ever posted on Smith and Wesson forum.

I ended up getting the Smith and Wesson as my first CC pistol. Things been solid as a rock and fun to shoot. I also got it a big brother a Police Trade in Model 36 that also see's CC regularly. They are both shot every time I go to the range. There is just something about them J-Frame's that are fun.

He shoots almost as well as I do with my J frames.

For approximately 15 years I carried a Mod 60 as a back-up weapon as a Special Agent for U.S. Customs. I was not the first agent to carry that little revolver. I can attest for the 15 years it was issued to me, it fired a minimum of 200 rounds of +P+ duty ammunition during quarterly qualifications.

When I retired, the revolver was still tight and in good working order. It is probably still backing up an agent today. In other words, the little revolvers will last a LONG time, even under heavy duty ammo use.

For whatever reason, I enjoy shooting my no dash M60 and M442-2 more than my larger revolver. Mostly, I carry the M60 with Speer 135 gr SB, and I practice with some handloads using the same bullets. But, mostly, I shoot all my revolvers with 125 gr plated bullets over a standard load of Universal. These are pleasant to shoot in the M60, and not too bad in the M442. The plus P are not much fun in the Airweight. I think I am fortunate to enjoy shooting the guns that I carry the most.

Best,
Rick

When available, .38 wad cutters make great practice rounds for our J-frame friends. Minimal recoil, and still capable of putting a nice hole on paper. The WCs are not as cost effective as they used to be, nor as plentiful, but if you can find them, they make range time a pleasure.

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I'm with the banned ...

I like WC's, especially the hole they make in paper, but the slow, heavy bullets shoot very high in my fixed sight J frames. Like, 8 inches at 25 yards. The new J frames have a pinned front sight, which seems like a good idea, as I could replace the blade with a taller one. The only thing I don't like about my old M60 is that the stainless sights are hard to see in many conditions. My M442 sights are much better.

Best,
Rick

If your hand and your wallet can stand 150 rounds through an Airweight at once, then have a good time!

I have a friend who keeps track, and he has an Airweight Bodyguard (not the new plastic contraption) from the 1960s. He has a documented 18,000 rounds through his in roughly 30 years.

I carry 158gr LHP's myself, but I think that those full wadcutters are capable of putting a nice hole in a bad guy if necesary.
I had the same trouble as riverrat seeing the front sight on my model 60's-- I tried some white paint, and while that works well on a blued gun I find that there's not enough contrast with the silver rear sight on the 60. I dobbed on a bit of bright orange nail polish (from the dollar bin at Walmart) and that shows up a lot better. You can even get glitter-polish if you want a little high fashion!

Where can I find it? I looked on Ebay and Amazon with no luck.
Thanks!

Try this:

Carried by those knowingly going into harm

I recommend the book.

Best,
Rick

I shoot mine 25 to 50 rounds anytime I go to the range.

All of the +p Airweight endurance tests have stopped as a result of reaching the endurance limit of the shooters, not gun.

Fired with the standard "Army" grade, 130 gr FMJ "ball" ammo, ANY J-frame will hold up to continuous, rapid-fire, non-stop, reload and blast away shooting for at LEAST 12 billion years!

Any modern metal J-frame is going to stand up to a LOT of shooting with top loads. A light-bullet +P is not as stressful to the frame/crane, operating parts as a heavy slug standard load. Expect any J-frame to shoot several thousand rounds before anything goes out of spec.

With that said, I NEVER shoot my J-frames more than a few cylinder-fulls per range session using standard pressure ammo, quite simply because this isn't their intended purpose, and little can be gained from standing there blasting hundreds of holes in paper targets UNLESS you happen to be playing on a SWAT field where you can run your J-frame through as a substitute for your duty weapons...and that's "fun" but not realistic because nobody is going to "choose" a hide-out gun for a "gun battle." If I KNEW I was headed into conflict I'd be carrying a G20SF 10mm with 18 rounds of bad news on tap. I carry a J-frame basically "for fun" because - using the Army vernacular, "contact is not expected, nor likely."

The fact is, if one is carrying with the mindset that, "contact is likely AND expected," the the ONLY answer for carry is a major caliber, semi-automatic handgun on body, AND a semi/full-automatic rifle as trunk-access backup.

In March 2014 I shipped one of my two 642s back to the mothership for repair.

It was experiencing misfires and is being replaced. When I asked what they found, the CS rep said it was "some sort of alignment issue causing the firing pin to not strike the primers in the center". Unfortunately, he didn't have any additional details.

I don't have an accurate round count, but I would estimate it had just over 1,000 rounds through it.

Edmo

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TRUTH: Don't delete my posts!

Here is a long term test thread on M4Carbine.net. This guy documents the over 5,000 rounds he has fired through his 642 over the last few years. He just reached the 5500 round mark. The gun is still looks and shoots like new.

Project: Break my J frame.

I purchased my Model 38 flat latch second hand in the early '70s and have shot it often since then. I recently qualified w/it for my LEOSA certification and it just keeps running.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

My 37 no dash is 45 years old and still shoots great. You folks have made me a little paranoid about the frame cracking under the barrel but mine is still sound of frame. I have shot a lot of standard pressure 158 grain LRN's through it. I'm not a real marksman with it though.
peace,
gordon

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better have that checked

And who says a J-Frame is only a 10 yard gun???

At 7:32 and 7:42, Hickock45 demonstrated how it can repeatedly hit his 80-yard gong... Now that's reaching out with a snubby!!!

Been good to me for 20 yrs.

Last qualifications I qualified with a M642 (WOW), Afterward I traded for a all steel frame "J" Frame.
Perhaps this is just "Jimmy's Luck" but in the last two years I have returned thre (3) Model 642s for finish issues. Each was replaced by S&W with a new Model 642.

This guy reaches out well, also.
200 yds with a M60.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tied-t1fFsk

Best,
Rick

If you want to shoot it a lot, let your hand be your guide. Shoot something you can shoot a lot of without getting fatigued. Just remember to practice some with self defense rounds to stay proficient with hotter loads in case they are ever needed.

Something like standard pressure SWCs would work. And your gun will last a LONG time shooting these.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"