Real world effectiveness of 642

[Bucky43]

I guess that I am the only one old enough to remember this. When the U.S. Army's .38's [these were something like .38 New Police, not .38 Special] would not stop a juiced-up native fighter (who was wrapped up with vines and was told he was invulnerable) in the Philliphine Insurrection, the Army formed the Thompson/LaGarde committee. Yes Thompson was the guy who invented the 'Tommy Gun.' After all kinds of tests, including shooting steers and cadavers, the Comittee decided that the only projectile capable of a one-shot stop on an adrenalin-charged assailant when shot anywhere on the torso was a projectile of at least .45 caliber firing a bullet of between 230-250 grains at no less than 650 fps. This led to the U.S. 1911 in .45 a.c.p. That's how we got our emblematic pistol, shooting a thumb-sized projectile at black powder velocities - that notheless has never fallen short in over 100 years of last ditch defense. However, the LaGarde Committee (and all subsequent militaries) was/were restricted in their choice to 'hardball' ammo because of the Geneva Convention.

I don't doubt that a .38 special in +P firing Critical Defense Ammo will do almost as much damage in the present. I carry an ultralight .38 S&W J Frame and have great confidence in it. If I knew I was going to a (pistol) gun fight I would pack my S&W Model 58 in .41 magnum. However this gun and most .45's are to large and heavy to pack. A .38 Special which is available is a lot better than a .45 that you have left behind because of its weight and bulk.

There is no cure for the unpleasantness of shooting a fly-weight revolver in .38 special. What you need to do is practice with a regular-weight S&W revolver of the same type (like my Model 940) and use the fly-weight and +P ammo only for actual self defense. Just like hunting vs. firing a shotgun from a bench rest, you will never notice the recoil of the 642 if you are using it to save your life.

 

[Dirtman]

I guess that I am the only one old enough to remember this. When the U.S. Army's .38's [these were something like .38 New Police, not .38 Special] would not stop a juiced-up native fighter (who was wrapped up with vines and was told he was invulnerable) in the Philliphine Insurrection, the Army formed the Thompson/LaGarde committee. Yes Thompson was the guy who invented the 'Tommy Gun.' After all kinds of tests, including shooting steers and cadavers, the Comittee decided that the only projectile capable of a one-shot stop on an adrenalin-charged assailant when shot anywhere on the torso was a projectile of at least .45 caliber firing a bullet of between 230-250 grains at no less than 650 fps. This led to the U.S. 1911 in .45 a.c.p. That's how we got our emblematic pistol, shooting a thumb-sized projectile at black powder velocities - that notheless has never fallen short in over 100 years of last ditch defense. However, the LaGarde Committee (and all subsequent militaries) was/were restricted in their choice to 'hardball' ammo because of the Geneva Convention.

I don't doubt that a .38 special in +P firing Critical Defense Ammo will do almost as much damage in the present. I carry an ultralight .38 S&W J Frame and have great confidence in it. If I knew I was going to a (pistol) gun fight I would pack my S&W Model 58 in .41 magnum. However this gun and most .45's are to large and heavy to pack. A .38 Special which is available is a lot better than a .45 that you have left behind because of its weight and bulk.

There is no cure for the unpleasantness of shooting a fly-weight revolver in .38 special. What you need to do is practice with a regular-weight S&W revolver of the same type (like my Model 940) and use the fly-weight and +P ammo only for actual self defense. Just like hunting vs. firing a shotgun from a bench rest, you will never notice the recoil of the 642 if you are using it to save your life.

Thanks!! This is one of th best posts I've read in years!