I've got a nice 649, and I want something a little lighter weight. I'm a big humpback fan, and am considering the 638.

How does the paint hold up on the alloy frame? I've heard of reports of the paint wearing or peeling. I plan to carry in a pocket holster or a leather galco pancake holster.

I clean with Ballistol.

Thanks

I've not had the flaking issue on my 642 or 637. The finish, however, does wear on the abrasion points with the holster - mostly the bottom corners at the bottom of the yoke, in front to the trigger. You'll see the aluminum at the corners.

The 637 I've carried most often for about three years now.

I should note that my airweights don't come in contact with much sweat - I carry with an IWB with a body shield, so that may have something do to with it. I clean with Hoppes and oil.

I have carried my 637 daily for many years. I have not had the clearcoat peel like others, but it does show wear similar to holster wear shown on blued guns. For a $300 EDC gun, finish and looks are not my first priorities.

I have both a 638-3 and a 642-1 both are excellent and show some holster wear at the high points and a little wear on the exposed back strap (I use boot grips) but nothing unusual. I have pocket carried on or the other for the last 10 years.

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My 637 had the clear coat peel underneath the rubber grips. S&W customer service said it was caused by the ammonia in Hopes No. 9 cleaner. Instead of refinishing they gave me a new gun and I paid better attention in removing all solvents after cleaning. Problem solved.

I've got a buddy with a 638 and so far no peeling that I know of. I'll double check with him.

No Issues with any of mine. There is some wear, but that is to be expected.


I use Ballistol to clean.

I’m pretty anal about appearance and scratches, but my 360J (bought used anyway) is my scratch and shoot snubbie. It has scratches and is going to get more - and I have a couple other J-frames that I can sit up at night to polish and admire. Statement of the obvious, but if you use it and carry it a lot it is going to show wear ...

I have two 442 Airweights, a standard and a performance center and they both have gotten pretty scratched up from general carry in leather and/or kydex holders. In full disclosure the PC has been scraped against concrete once but aside from that just general wear. Doesn’t bother me as they’re just ccw guns to me but I wouldn’t call the finish “durable” by any means.

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Mine started flaking along the backstrap after a few years of once in awhile carry. The rest looked OK but the backstrap looked terrible.Since I just can't leave stuff alone I polished it. Still looks good 4 years later after much more carry time. If it scratches I can just polish it out.

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My 642 would be considered an ugly gun. Peeled finish, scratches, you name it. But then again, what do you expect for a gun that's been carried tens of thousands of hours (conservatively estimated at over 40,000) in diverse environments and in close proximity to my sweaty hide. Not to mention an untold number of rounds fired through it. I regard them as signs of service well given.

Here's my 642-1. This was my brother's backup pistol that he carried for YEARS when he was in LE.

He gave it to me when he retired because I had asked him to find one for me because my 640 was a tad heavy for my liking as my EDC.

Bought my 637 new in 2004. The clearcoat has been peeling for years. Called S&W customer service - was told it was due to Hoppes 9. No offer to help from S&W. $220 to refinish.

I have a 442 I bought new last year and have carried often. The black paint has worn off where it contacts the pocket holster and it’s gotten a few nicks. I also own a 438 showing similar wear.

I don’t have firsthand experience with the coating on the 638 and 642 but have seen some pretty flaky looking pics posted of them. I would think a google image search could turn them up. I suspect the finish isn’t that durable. Hoppes (gun cologne) or ballistol shouldn’t harm the finish in my opinion, but it sounds like some folks have seen that hoppes does.

You didn’t ask for opinions, but I’ll offer one anyway: get the 638 (good choice, love humpbacks myself) and don’t worry about the finish. It won’t effect the function and over time it will be readily identifiable as yours.

637 purchased in 2005 , silver finish ,pocket carried usually with no holster .
Clear coat shows no flaking and little wear. The frame edges and high spots are polished a brighter color but that's it . I run a lightly oiled cloth over it now and again .

I have seen two hammerless model 642's , silver finish , nearly new , that spent a week under water during our last flood , I was asked to clean them... both were in plastic bags and were still wet . Must have been wet for at least two weeks .
The insides cleaned up fine but the outside clear finish on both had issues...the finishes had started coming off both in several places .
I usually don't advise refinishing...but these looked like they had a disease ... I advised the owners to send them back to S&W .

My experience has shown that with moderate care the silver & clear coat finish does OK. Maybe not great but OK . Neglect to oil them regularly or two weeks in a wet environment and the finish is going to suffer .
Let me add...use a gentle cleaner , Hoppe's Elite , cleaners designed for polymer frames,
the finishes could be affected by cleaners with harsh stuff ...think Ed's Red with extra Acetone ...don't go there .
Gary

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The 442 black finish holds up much better then the 642 finish. If you’re looking for one that you can use single action and double action try to find a 438 they discontinued it but there still a few on Gunbroker.

I've carried my 442 quite a bit, I'm thinking basically the better part of 3 years (I think it might be going on closer to 5 years but time flies....) and it barely shows any wear. Only where it's been scratched. Which is not that much. I wanna look all bad to the bone but at this rate it's going to look new in 20 years.

Most recent pic:

I think worn but loved Jays are beautiful, not to mention, cool.

Fwiw, there is a Model 38 in what looks to be exceptional condition listed in the for sale section of this site. The older bluing seems to be much more robust than the new finish. The older M38s are not rated for +p, so that may be a factor for you. One nice feature though: no lock. I have an M38 from’72, it’s a great gun.

Just thought I’d mention it in case the OP might consider a different finish- absolutely no connection to the seller of the gun.