And now a Mod 642 with Crimson Trace.

[depicts]

In my seemingly never-ending search for the "perfect" CCW, I've tried a Mod 640 Stainless .357. I thought it was a bit too heavy for pocket carry, which I prefer.

I got a 442, and liked it a lot, until I got nervous about the lock. While trying to find one without the lock, I found a nice Kahr PM9, which is hard to get in Massachusetts.

I found out the square back of the Kahr doesn't come out of the pocket of some of my clothes as easily as the standard frame of a Centennial style gun. I went back to carrying the 442 with Gold Dot +P ammo.

A day at the range, sweating and with my glasses fogging up, I thought it might be a good idea to try a J frame with a Laser. I bought a Mod 642 today with factory Crimson Trace 305 laser grips.

The gun is light, shoots well, fits my Mika and Milt Sparks holsters, but now I have a new problem.

The "stickiness" of the grips when I draw from the pocket. The Crimson Trace grips are just a tad bigger than the standard boot grips on my 442, but they are made of a soft material that clings to the inside of the pocket if my hand isn't completely around the grip when I draw the gun.

I'm afraid in a crisis situation, I may have a fouled draw with these grips. I still like the laser though, and want to work with it.

I guess what I am wondering is: Is there any way to "Harden" the rubber of the Crimson Trace grips to make the smoother and easier to pull out of a pocket?

Any of these guns work well with standard grips and a Tyler T, but I don't get the Laser with that setup.

What to do??

Anyone have any comments or suggestions?

Thanks

Bill

 

[Frailer]

Have you tried the CT 405s? That's what my 642 wears, and I've had no problem with the tacky portions on the front and backstrap clinging to clothing, perhaps because the grip doesn't extend below the butt.

 

[Orange Boy]

[lang=da]Sounds to me that you would have liked the LG-105 better.[/lang]

 

[bassoneer]

I've come to the conclusion that the 642 is a great pocket gun...I have one of the new ones without the lock. I have been considering the Crimson Trace grips, so I'll be watching this thread...I think the smallest grips are the 105's like Orange Boy said...don't know for sure, but they look in the photos like they might be harder. The 305's and 405's appear to be more spongy to absorb recoil better...let me know how this turns out since I might soon be in the market for the same thing. B

 

[indiandave]

Have you considered carrying your 642 in a IWB holster? That would free up your pocket for cell phone, car keys,change,etc. I know it's supose to be a pocket pistol but that doesn't mean you can't have other options.

This is how I carry mine. It has Uncle Mike's combat grips. It's easy to draw.

 

[Lowtide]

I used electrical tape on the recoil pad of my mini-14 where it meets the stock. This preventied the rubber pad from gripping my shirt when aquiring the target. Maybe this would work on your crimson trace?

 

[depicts]

Yeah I think the Mod 105 would have been best, and the Mod 405 would be better than the extended grip on the Mod 305.

I thought of electrical tape, but that can get messy when it's warm. The glue can spread.

I like the concept of the laser, and I'm not particularly recoil sensitive with these little guns. I think the hard polymer would have been a better choice for me.

Maybe I'll try some shrink wrap on the bottom half of the grip.

I've never found the right "IWB" holster for a J frame and my chubby short body. Maybe I need to look at holsters, but I do prefer pocket carry.

 

[TLG]

You might want to check out the new Laserlyte side mount laser for the S&W J-Frame. I first seen it on the Outdoor Ch. The laser mounts directly to the side cover using the two back mounting screws location

Just a sugestion. I am thinking about getting one for my 442.

TLG, the old man from WV.....

 

[John F.]

Recoil pad slick-up stuff...

One of the popular, newer recoil pads (Kick-Eeze, Limbsaver, etc) offers a solution you put on the top part of the pad to make it stiff, slick and keep it from dragging on your shirt/jacket when mounting the shotgun. You can probably find it using a search engine, or Brownells has it listed near the recoil pads, IIRC. The nice thing is, you only have to put it where you want it -- leaving some parts "sticky" to give your hand traction, but preventing others from snagging on your clothes.

Hope this helps!
John

 

[Butler]

And now a Mod 642 with Crimson Trace

I started out with CT105s but then went CT405s. I have carried them for about 3 years now in the front pocket of all sorts of pants/shorts and never had a problem.