Is a 642 Enough for Carry?

[Kifaru]

Do I feel a 642 is enough to carry? Sadly, with all the current mob trends that suddenly flare up over every single incident these days, and the hate, vitriol and sense of entitlement from people in general I'm seeing everywhere, which I believe are only going to get worse in the future, I would say no....Don't get me wrong, I love my 642, and about 15-20 years ago I would've been in solid agreement with everyone here that it would suffice for most SD needs. The J-Frame in my opinion is the finest discrete carry revolver there ever was...

I'm with you, Chris642. It's tough to beat a J-frame for carry. But times are indeed changing. Monday, I'm taking an autoloader to a training class for the first time because maybe in the back of my mind all of this tactical talk of "you need a double-stack 9mm or .40 and two spare mags or you might as well be unarmed and naked" is finally getting to me. Well, that and the fact that this particular school admits only students with autoloaders. I'm still very much on the fence, though. I haven't committed to "self-shuckers," and I'm never giving up my wheelguns.

As to self defense in riots and flash mobs, any handgun, whether having 30 rounds or only 5, should be the last resort. Police sharpshooters are looking to target "rioters" brandishing guns. Tactics are far more important. Greg Ellifritz (an active LEO) has posted what I think is an excellent and very thorough article on surviving riots and mobs. Mob Mentality?Escaping from Riots and Flash Mobs | Active Response Training

These days, it might be worth a read. And until someone finally convinces me otherwise, my 642 or my 64 snubby should be good enough for now.

 

[tlmetesh]

I carry a 638 with +P rounds every day.

 

[Waywatcher]

Is a 642 enough for carry?

Yes.

.38 special is an adequate caliber with a long history of getting the job done.

The J frame is an adequate piece of equipment with a long history of reliability.

If you are concerned about having 5 rounds before a reload, practice reloading. If the first 5 didn't solve the situation, reload. If you're worried about not having enough ammo, carry multiple reloads. If the situation demands reloads, it's almost certainly going to be dynamic--involving cover and moving--where reloading every 5 rounds will not be much of a handicap.

Being proficient with your equipment and using your head--the J frame is certainly enough for carry.

 

[JAREDSHS]

I carry a 642-----wife carries a 637. Not meaning to sound melodramatic or stupid, but I feel that we are well armed. However if something ever alters my confidence in one 5 shot 642 and a speed strip with 5 reload, I will add a second 642 to my left hand jeans pocket and start carrying my house/car key ring on a belt hook.

 

[Chris642]

Every bullet you fire better hit the perp all the misses will put you in jail.Every bullet has to be accounted for.

Really? So every bullet that one fires in SD that misses the perp and harmlessly gets lodged in a tree, a wall, or in the ground will put me in jail? Every bullet needs to be accounted for? Seriously? That would seem like a mighty tall order to track down and find every bullet after the fact. How many years behind bars does one get for each missed shot or failure to find them all?

 

[Chris642]

I'm with you, Chris642. It's tough to beat a J-frame for carry. But times are indeed changing. Monday, I'm taking an autoloader to a training class for the first time because maybe in the back of my mind all of this tactical talk of "you need a double-stack 9mm or .40 and two spare mags or you might as well be unarmed and naked" is finally getting to me. Well, that and the fact that this particular school admits only students with autoloaders. I'm still very much on the fence, though. I haven't committed to "self-shuckers," and I'm never giving up my wheelguns.

As to self defense in riots and flash mobs, any handgun, whether having 30 rounds or only 5, should be the last resort. Police sharpshooters are looking to target "rioters" brandishing guns. Tactics are far more important. Greg Ellifritz (an active LEO) has posted what I think is an excellent and very thorough article on surviving riots and mobs. Mob Mentality?Escaping from Riots and Flash Mobs | Active Response Training

Thanks for the link, I'll read up on it, although I'm not sure about the "police sharpshooters looking for rioters with guns" part of your OP. The looters seem able to pretty much run amok where ever the go. I didn't hear of a single report of anyone fending off any of them with a firearm, even though everyone appeared to be preparing for it. The only ones that got shot seemed to be by other rioters. Even the police seemed to do little to quell the rioting and pillaging. They are scared to death of the political fallout from overzealous PC media, and I don't trust them to protect me in that type of situation. Sure, avoidance is best, but I think I'll take my chances with the supposed sharpshooters and draw my weapon if I were forced to.

And until someone finally convinces me otherwise, my 642 or my 64 snubby should be good enough for now.

Fair enough, I like my 642 too. But if the time ever comes to be convinced that it wasn't good enough we may not be around to tell anyone about it. It's never a bad thing to become proficient with a high-cap semi-auto and have that as an added option.

 

[Kifaru]

It's never a bad thing to become proficient with a high-cap semi-auto and have that as an added option.

Agreed. The option of 12 +1 is an attractive one, even if the gun itself isn't. It's just going to take a lot of getting used to. Old dog. New tricks.

 

[SS57]

The extra rounds in my G23C is nice and it carries easy. But when that is a bit large for the situation, the 642 gets the nod. With 2 speed strips, all is good.

 

[JohnSW]

I wonder what kind of pocket gun Bob Dylan carries.

(Song lyrics)

"I got something in my pocket, make your eyeballs swim
I got dogs could tear you, limb from limb"

"I'll pay in blood, but not my own."

 

[wheelyfun66]

Everything is a trade off....

A snub revolver with bobbed or internal hammer, rides very nicely IWB or in pocket, and is SUPER concealable.

5 shots of .38+P or .357 magnum, used at arms length as a "get off me" gun, is giving yourself a very fair chance of survival.

I probably spend more time practicing my draw than I do actually putting rounds downrange, as getting under clothing and obtaining a full firing grip (while fending off an attack) is not an easy task.

I wouldn't want to engage in a "gun battle" with a snub revolver, but am working hard to be effective with the snub revolver as a self defense tool.

 

[dr. K]

It's enough for me. I have a 442 most of the time.

5 rounds .38s or .38 +P for sure out of an airweight seems better for follow up shots than the light and sound show I get when I put .357s through my stainless J Frames. In a can't run, can't hide, can't talk my way out kind of situation, I personally feel more confident with 5 shots from a J frame than 10 (my state's max magazine capacity) from a gun my amped up, shaking hands could limp wrist or jam.

 

[Simmer down]

I do j frames and focus on mastery rather than mag cap or caliber.

 

[jmace57]

I hope it's enough...because I picked my 642 up today...and am retiring the Bersa .380 I've been carrying.

 

[DevilDog72]

my 2 cents

I carried a Sig 229 .40 with 13 rounds and a spare mag for years, then I found revolvers. Now I carry a Smith Mdl 19 snubby with a spare speed loader as my E.D.C. I do own a 642 and carry it from time to time. I feel very comfortable with either. The old adage that applies here is the best gun to have in a fight is the one you carry at the time. I do think times are changing and more fire power may be required and I have a 1911 for or if the signs start to point to its need, until then either of my revolvers are just fine for me.

 

[pineappleshooter]

All depends on the threat level. Walking around my suburban Philly neighborhood (my house is 2 blocks from hospital, police station, and fire department) my 442 or my Kahr PM9 are all I am likely to need. I have to take my daughter to Children's Hospital every other month or so which requires me to drive through the ghetto that is North Philly. On my CHOP trips, the PM9 is on my waist and my Glock 19 with an extra clip is in the center console within easy reach.

 

[WChris]

The 642 is my edc and imo is enough. You would need an arsenal just to go grab a smoothie and you would never leave your house to cover every "what if" and dispatch all of the mythical "meth heads"
out there.

LEOs need capacity because criminals will stage engaged in the fight to avoid arrest and LEOs stay engaged in order to make the arrest. Most thugs will flee at the sight of or the first "bang" from a firearm. Most crowds will disperse from a shooter quickly. Besides, you don't want to kill someone, you just want them to stop. Of course, if it becomes neccesary, a +P to the head will, without a doubt, end the combat.

Shot placement counts. The 642 has an enclosed hammer which allows me to cross my thumbs when firing which helps to tame the recoil ALOT. My accuracy improved tremendously when I started shooting that way.

 

[John R]

If the 642 isn't enough gun to get you out of trouble, your in over your head and a 44 mag wouldn't help.

I always figured if I can't stop someone with 5 shots I'm probably screwed.

 

[shooter1911]

The 642 is my edc and imo is enough. You would need an arsenal just to go grab a smoothie and you would never leave your house to cover every "what if" and dispatch all of the mythical "meth heads"
out there.

LEOs need capacity because criminals will stage engaged in the fight to avoid arrest and LEOs stay engaged in order to make the arrest. Most thugs will flee at the sight of or the first "bang" from a firearm. Most crowds will disperse from a shooter quickly. Besides, you don't want to kill someone, you just want them to stop. Of course, if it becomes neccesary, a +P to the head will, without a doubt, end the combat.

Shot placement counts. The 642 has an enclosed hammer which allows me to cross my thumbs when firing which helps to tame the recoil ALOT. My accuracy improved tremendously when I started shooting that way.

Please explain how you cross your thumbs. I have been forced to change my revolver grip recently due to arthritis in my left thumb. Thanks

 

[Dghost]

May be referring to the Jerry Miculek J frame grip...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[at_liberty]

Is a 642 enough to carry?

The gun should be a function of the threat level, not the wardrobe and concern for casual comfort. However, I suppose I should allow that the little gun as a primary carry is better than none. Thus my 637 can function as a pajama gun, if the dogs what to go out at an inconvenient time.

I suspect that those who really dress to conceal carry more serious weapons. A 642 is pretty effective in the hands of one highly skilled in shooting a snubby, while others may need some barrel length to hit what they are aiming at. I need a 4" gun to be confident in shooting and to have a sense of being truly ready for trouble. I carry a 637 in my go bag as a backup and as something easier to reach when driving.

While I shoot better with a 4" or longer gun, as should be true for anyone, my most logical carry in the rotation is a .44 Special 3", which includes a SW696 and a Taurus 441. Those are L-frame class guns, not J-frames.

The guns I like the best are 38 Specials, of which I have several, but the shortest is 3 1/2", some single action Colt Lightning type reproductions. My dream carry is a Colt Diamondback, so I settle for a clone in a very nice Interarms Rossi 851.

My best carries are 357s, but they are too loud unless downloaded or loaded with softer shooting commercial defensive rounds. One does compromise after all, since a sidearm is not necessarily the ideal weapon. We play the odds as we see them.

BTW my latest purchase is a pinned nickel Chief's Special Model 36. A 3" 38 Special is kind of a rare bird. One you can see yourself in (nickel in 95% condition) is kind of seductive. It is due in late today, and I should be able to get it tomorrow.