Hawg Rider:

Happy 640 owner here but relatively new to handguns. 23 oz. of pure shooting pleasure, imho. Practice with .38's and finish up with a cylinder or two of .357's to get the feel (heh, heh) of the heftier cartridge. The short barrel makes for a good flash and hefty felt recoil with the .357 cartridge but it is not a punishing gun to shoot.

Grip on the 640 and grips (rubber, wood) are important and so is ammo choice (125 grain vs. 158 grain and what's in between, manufacturer, etc.). I am not experienced enough to give you hard advice, just my opinion, but if you run a search while you wait for the pros to reply, you will find many threads on this great J-frame.

Carrying is comfy: pocket carry in a D.M. Bullard holster and IWB carry in a Tucker holster. You have many, many holster choices. Poke around the Concealed Carry forum here and you will find lotsa good info. For pocket carry, I always know I have the 640 in there but it does not tug my trousers down to my knees. A gun belt is highly recommended particularly for IWB or OWB carry.

HTH,

Chris

p.s.--The price is a steal. I would pick up that little feller ASAP.

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/at least she finds me handy.