I recently sold my 640-1 revolver to finance the purchase of a 642-1 revolver. I love the 642. There are world's of difference in the "carryability" of the 642 over the 640. I consider the 642 much like my Leatherman tool; it's lightweight, functional and and accessible due to its light weight.

Shot it for the first time yesterday. Discovered that their are worlds of difference in shootability too! Winchester 145 gr(?) Silvertips were not fun to shoot. They would have seemed pretty mild in comparison had the been launched from the 640. I will try a lighter bullet my next go around. I think I have some 130 gr hollow points. Hopefully they will be less punishing than the Silvertips.

Everything is a trade off. That said, I still love how easy it is to tote the 642 and wouldn't change a thing. First rule of a gun fight is "have a gun". The 642 will ensure that I am more likely to have a gun than not.

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otis

A 642? Did you mean you bought a 342. Sounds like your shooting .357 mags.

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[QUOTE=AZretired;136581550]A 642? Did you mean you bought a 342. Sounds like your shooting .357 mags.


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THATS WHAT I WAS THINKING

Isnt the 342 still a 38? maybe a 340?

I found the 642 can be a bit snappy even with non +p ammo until you get used to it. I generally practice with 148gr cast WC with a light charge of Unique. Once you get used to them you can work up to full house loads.

Nope, it is a 642 in .38 special. The ammo is winchester Silvertip in .38 special +p. Not sure about the bullet weight. It is in the 140's though.

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otis

Yes the light weights are great for carrying, but punishing to shoot a bunch with. After a while though, the extra weight of the steel frames is not really discernible but the control while firing is.

My biggest criteria is size & bulk, not weight - unless of course it is double or triple the weight. I suppose on the other hand you could make a case of just practicing a lot & getting used to the greater recoil of the light weight guns too.

Chief38

Only .38 Silvertip I have ever seen was a 110 grain +p. The .357 Mag Silvertip is 145 grain. That's why we were confused.

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IMO the grips make all the difference in the world in terms of enjoying shooting a 642 airweight. Mine came with the wood Talo grips, which were nice looks and good hold, but spanked the hand too much to enjoy when running thru a 2-3 boxes.

Switched to a Hogue rubber grip, but didn't have the backstrap covered, so still didn't enjoy shooting extensively, but a little better than the wood grips.

Finally found a winner with the Uncle Mike's J frame round boot grip, item number 225110000. Covers the backstrap and now enjoy going thru a couple of boxes at a time. It does add a small amount of bulk compared to the original wood Talo grips, rubber grips a bit stickier than wood coming out of the pocket, but still carries well and draws from my pocket nicely.

Kind of sound like Goldilocks here, but when it comes to guns, you've got to get them just right for YOU.

No matter what you do, you'll never get the same feeling shooting your 642 airweight as you do a heavier piece.

RE ammo, for range I have been using 130-132gr. whatever brands.

For carry, I load either Federal Hydra Shock low recoil 110gr. JHP or Winchester Silvertip 110 gr. HP (neither is +P). I have read many opinions, and I went with this one from the Chuck Hawks files.

Have fun.

I've got a 442 that I've had for about two years now. I've put close to 2000 rounds through it now. My practice load is using a 125 gr truncated lead bullet in front of 4 grains of Unique. My carry is the Speer Gold dot 135 gr. short barrel +P. I've also shot alot of 158 gr. speer SWCHP with the same 4 grain load of Unique. After about 100 shoots of the 158 SWCHP it tends to tear a little flesh at the web of my hand which is why I went to the lighter 125 gr. bullets for practice. I replaced the original grips with hogue bantams but as previously stated they do not cover the backstrap. I really don't find the gun to be that bad to shoot with the 125 load and with my Speer Gold dot I don't think I'll notice the recoil in a defensive situation.