Smith 638 "alternative to .380's

[Shooter6br]

Just bought a Smith 638 38 Special+P 15 oz empty. Near 100% reliable with just about any ammo including cast.Has bobbed hammer for single action.

 

[Rpg]

You have what I consider the best pocket handgun currently in production.

The M38, 49, 40 and 42 are superior IMHO

Your 638 is heads and shoulders better for every application than anything in 380.

Good choice.

Congratulations!

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

In my pocket right now is an old model 49 no dash. It has been refinished in armorloy, so it looks just like yours. The name before model numbers was "The Bodyguard", there is a good reason for that! Ivan

 

[Old cop]

Great choice, my EDC is a Model 38 no-dash flat latch from the early 60's.

 

[Shooter6br]

Thanks to all for your comments....Rick

 

[rwsmith]

Good choice

Just bought a Smith 638 38 Special+P 15 oz empty. Near 100% reliable with just about any ammo including cast.Has bobbed hammer for single action.

Good choice. .38 +P is a good round and an S&W revolver is as close to a 100% guarantee of firing as you can get.

 

[shouldazagged]

I prefer not to go below .38 Special +P or the Buffalo Bore equivalent for self defense. I prefer a DAO revolver for every day carry, but the 638 is a fine little gun.

 

[shawn mccarver]

Just bought a Smith 638 38 Special+P 15 oz empty. Near 100% reliable with just about any ammo including cast.Has bobbed hammer for single action.

"Near 100%?" If you are serious that it is only "near 100% reliable," then that revolver is defective and should be sent to S&W for repair. There is absolutely no excuse for an S&W revolver to be anything less than absolutely and fully reliable 100% of the time with proper ammunition. No exceptions. No excuses.

I have a hard time believing you meant "near 100%" as opposed to meaning "100%," but I see posts on here about failures to fire, and it always makes me wonder.

 

[jeeps]

I would buy a 638 if I could get it without a lock. I had a M38 but its alloy frame was not rated +p and after 10+years of shooting it with the old FBI load it got real sloppy and loose.And sold it went to a 442 no-lock.I only shoot DA only even when I had the M38. No one was allowed to shoot SA. Combat shooting was DA only!

 

[baldboy]

looking for one

I have a model 642-1 and love it. However, the bug has bitten me and I am now looking for a 638 but preferably in a 2.5" barrel. Can anyone tell me about what I can expect to pay for one and where would I be most likely to find one?

 

[regalsc]

I gave up my SIG p238 equinox for a 340pd (no ILS) & never looked back.

 

[Waywatcher]

Just bought a Smith 638 38 Special+P 15 oz empty. Near 100% reliable with just about any ammo including cast.Has bobbed hammer for single action.

That hammer is the opposite of bobbed--it has a spur. Bobbed is when the spur (for thumb cocking) is cut off.

I am still not convinced that single action is a worthwhile endeavor on a snubby, though:

10 rounds, offhand, at 7 yards using my defense ammo. DAO.

They're nice little snubbies and I sure wouldn't trade mine for any .380.

 

[sac-gunslinger]

They're nice little snubbies and I sure wouldn't trade mine for any .380.

Amen to that. My EDC is a 642-1, looking for another so my wife doesn't steal this one.

Taurus has a 640-clone in either 38 Special or 357 Magnum but it is the same price as the Smith. I am partial to the "centennial" configuration.

 

[shouldazagged]

...I am still not convinced that single action is a worthwhile endeavor on a snubby, though...

I flat don't want the option of single action in an EDC snubby, for a number of carefully thought-out reasons.

 

[MaxS]

I love my 638 so much I just bought a like-new 442 to keep it company. Ordered a pair of Altamont rubber & wood grips after reading good reviews on this forum. I'm afraid I've got the bug.

 

[forrestinmathews]

I'd trade my snubby for my .380 if we were going for looks or groups at 50 yds. It's hard to beat a PPK/S for that in the same weight class. Other than that...the .38 is fun to reload and shoots better than some 1911's and allows you to use a myriad of ammunition. The 638 and all bodyguards have always looked kind of weird to me, but I'm a 360/642/340 guy.

 

[forrestinmathews]

That hammer is the I am still not convinced that single action is a worthwhile endeavor on a snubby, though:
QUOTE]

Not until you get silly and start shooting it at targets 100m away...because somebody had to say something about your "itty bitty wittle gun."

 

[doc84]

I have had several different "BUG"s. The small autos that I tried were all professional grade weapons. I keep coming back the the .38 spl, J frame (442/642). MY choice was based on:

- .38 spl beats .380 in the ballistics department. (Think penetration)
- The J frame conceals as well as the little pistols.
- I have big hands and I can get an immediate firing grip on the J frame "first time every time". Not so much on the autos.
- Very fast presentation and face shot times at reasonable ranges. I recognize what the J frame is NOT.
- Less prone to stoppage with contact shots.
- Faster shot to shot times with the J vs the autos.
- Speedoladers and TRAINING allow me to reload a J very quickly.
- Robust construction and reliability.
- I went to the academy with a revolver. Cop nostalgia.
- They are made of metal and that makes me smile.

This is why I made the choice that I did. It is a shining example of why there is chocolate, vanilla and strawberry.

 

[sipowicz]

That hammer is the opposite of bobbed--it has a spur. Bobbed is when the spur (for thumb cocking) is cut off.

I am still not convinced that single action is a worthwhile endeavor on a snubby, though:

10 rounds, offhand, at 7 yards using my defense ammo. DAO.

They're nice little snubbies and I sure wouldn't trade mine for any .380.

What kind of grips are those? Looks like a Hogue Bantam but I have never seen that cut out on the bottom...

 

[Waywatcher]

What kind of grips are those? Looks like a Hogue Bantam but I have never seen that cut out on the bottom...

They are Hogue. They are only for the Centennial (and new polymer Bodyguard) because they cover the entire backstrap. (There's a plastic insert for the Bodyguard; it's not used on Centennials.) That cutout on the bottom is the polymer butt cap. In addition to helping that part of the butt avoid catching on cloth, it is also what holds the rubber onto the grip frame. It's an ingenious design, lightweight, and has no hardware.

I especially like them because they cover the entire backstrap--allowing a high hold--and provide just enough room for a pinky--they stick out 0.41" below the frame.