New guy w/ J frame addiction!

[Eagle1*]

Hello all, I am new to the board as I bought a 442 back in October 08 and liked it so much, I just bought a NIB 642 yesterday.

I had J frames in the past but sold them thinking I could find something better, I was wrong! I am a police officer and started carrying a 442 in 2002 and then went to a Keltec P3AT. After that P3AT became a piece of crap, I opted for the Kahr PM9 and carried it for over a year with no problems. Then the other day after being at the range with it, the Kahr started to let me down. I had 3 fail to fires, light primer strikes. I tried the 3 rounds in my Glock 19 and they fired fine. Dont know what was gioing on with the PM9, but I started to cringe at the fact that had I needed that gun as my last ditch gun (as I carry them) on duty and it would have done what it did at the range, I would have been up sh*** creek without a paddle.

Now I have come full circle and went back to a J frame and will more than likely retire with it since I have tried all of the small guns that fit my stature. Only thing I dont like are the rubber grips. Went with an older pair on my 442 and am thinking of a wood set like the spiegel grips or something. Anyone have any suggestions?

Well thats my story and I am glad I am back. Later E1...

 

[dlstewart01]

Welcome back. I've got a 642-1, 640-1, and a 60-7 that I like a great deal. I probably will never get rid of any of them. I don't think you can do better.

___________________________

 

[photoman]

Welcome to the Forum and "J-ville" Eagle. I can't think of anything better to have in a pocket for back up than a J frame.

While I trust semi-auto pistols, I do think that the smaller they get, the less reliable they get. I'm sure there are a thousand people out there that would not agree with me, but that's been my experience.

SSOT.

 

[HEADKNOCKER]

Welcome to the Forum Eagle1* & Thanks for your Service in Law Enforcement..
I too have came full circle with concealed carry
I've carried just about everything out there SIG Glock HK Ruger S&W etc..
I've found that the J Frame Smith is the perfect companion & as far as concealed carry the Airweight & Airlights are the best of the bread for carry..
Also I've also found that the rubber grips don't work well for me because of them being tacky, Houge are worse than the Uncle Mikes for this BTW, I've found that the Craig Spegal or Eagle Secret Service grips are the best for pocket carry or just plain holster carry..
Here's a crappy pic I just took of my four J Frame Smiths..
940 940 642 342Ti

MY 3000th POST

 

[Eagle1*]

Thanks for the welcome guys, and the pic of your J's is awesome.

Now, where can I get some of those grips at???

 

[Dale53]

E1;
Thanks for your service.

I regularly carry a 642 with 158 gr lead hollow points (the FBI load). I carry in a Mika pocket holster.

After careful consideration over a period of time I settled on Crimson Trace grips (the long #305 grips). I have rather large hands and both need the back strap covered but also need the grip length for good control. The bonus is the laser. It makes a fine combination for me.

Dale53

 

[mesabi]

If you're going to have an addiction, it's not a bad one to have.

 

[HEADKNOCKER]

Originally posted by Eagle1*:
Thanks for the welcome guys, and the pic of your J's is awesome.

Now, where can I get some of those grips at???

I'd contact Craig Spegal Directly, Here's The Link..
CraigSpegal.Com

Also Craigs Link to the S&W Forum is now dead
Someone needs to contact him about this problem
Gary/Hk

 

[Iggy]

If you are in a hurry, you can get Spegels from Lightning Arms Sports.

http://www.lightningarms.com/products.htm
You can pick the actual grips you like from their on line selection and have them in 2 or 3 days.

They cost more from LAS but some of us have to have instant gratification. Craig and Audry will treat you right.

 

[pogo2]

I like Altamont wood boot grips on a J frame. They cost $42 on their web site, and come in walnut, rosewood and silver black (shown below):

www.handgungrips.com

 

[Eagle1*]

Thanks for all of the help. Anyone have any experience with the Crimson Trace LG105 combat grips? I really like the looks and for the price they seem to be a good buy. They are rubber though but I think that would be a good trade off, laser and rubber grips or wood grips? Any thoughts???

Also regarding the grips, wood or CT, I want to be able to use a speed loader and the factory S & W grips is very hard to do this. Do the Spegel or CT grips allow for a fast speed loader reload???

 

[Eagle1*]

These things are sooo addictive. I just left my dealer and bought his last model 37 airweight with the bobbed hammer. These were apparently a run through RSR and they have no more. The trigger is awesome compared to my 442/642 that I just bought. I will be posting a group pic within the next few days.

 

[bub75]

Eagle1*,

IMHO, a J-Frame or similar snubbie revolver is the ultimate LE backup gun. It doesn't matter what your primary gun is, a snubbie should be backing it up. Consider this. If you need the backup, the ranges will likely be close, the action will be fast and you will likely be shooting from an uncommon/awkward position or possibly be injured. In this case, the last thing you need to worry about is limp wristing a small auto, having the slide pushed out of battery in the case of a contact shot or what have you. Just draw the snubbie, aim, pull trigger, repeat as needed. One handed, wounded, bloody, whatever, as long as the trigger will pull, the snubbie will more than likely fire. There is just less to go wrong than with a small auto.

On duty, my primary is a Glock 21. I LOVE this gun and, aside from some improperly sized reloads and a couple problems with worn out mags, it has been reliable and trouble free since day one. I have carried this gun since '91 or '92 and it has >30,000 rds through it. I know it inside out, backwards, upside down, every which way but loose. However, for my backup weapon, I choose a snubbie revolver (previously a S&W M649, now a Ruger SP101, simply because I shoot the SP better than the 649) for all the reasons noted above.

As for the snubbie addiction, I understand completely. I would have no problem acquiring MANY snubbie revolvers from several different makers. The next on my list is a 642 or 638 (I think, stainless alloy Bodyguard) for pocket carry. After that, I'd love to find one of the stainless Colt Detective Specials that they put out not long before getting out of the revolver business. I would have a hard time turning down any snubbie revolver, regardless of maker, provided the price was right. I just like them all!

Bub

 

[jcelect]

Hey Eagle1
Here are a few J frames to drool over!

The 640 and 940 have S&W banana grips! These fit my hands better than the smaller Magna grips.
jcelect

 

[edw794]

model 60 .357 with spegels.

 

[Eagle1*]

thanks for the pics guys, you have some nice J's...

Now to outfit mine, lets see, some crimson trace for one, wood grips for the other,,,

 

[Barry711]

Hmmm...j frames...well, as a former member of NY's finest, I carried a 36 for many years. Now that I'm a little older and even a few ounces mean alot, my 642-1 is a daily companion. Sure, I've got a Glock 26, LCP and a Seecamp .32, but my 642 is what I will always rely on.

 

[Barry711]

S&W standard wood and a t-grip...this retiree will surprise the heck out of some skell thinking that I'm just an old man who would be a perfect victim.

 

[AKAOV1MAN]

+++ for the J Frame! I carry a 940 as BUG for my Browning HP. In a pinch I can load the 940 from the BHP mag(of course unless I am real fast with a pencil ejector that will be my last reload).

A properly loaded 940 is just about the ultimate J Frame as far as I am concerned. I just acquired 2 extra 940 cylinders and soon I will have a M60 9mm and a M60 9mm with a 3" barrel and adjustable sights. More as it progresses.

 

[Vistula]

I recently acquired a Ruger LCP for summer carry, but there's no comparison to the Model 60. I'm going back to the tank. The model 60/"J" frame has no rival.