Real world effectiveness of 642

[dpast32]

Well, I guess I'll throw my 2¢ into the pot. I've had a snub revolver in one form or another ever since I came out of my Academy, back in early 1980. 1st o/d gun I ever bought was an NIB 2" S&W M-10, blued rd, butt. All these years later, the 2" M-10 is regrettably gone, but I have a Colt Cobra, ColtAgent, & my primary little companion, a 642 L/S, with a factory Magna-Ported bbl. ( From a 1996 or so special run by RSR Whlse. ) I's loaded with CCI's 135 GDHP+P. I used to use a limited amount of Buffalo Bore's 158 LSWC-HP+P in it, but althoughth the load shot right on, the GDHP's seem milder, & allow much more rapid shot placement. Sometimes I'm tempted to carry one of my Colt's, but although a somewhat larger revolver, I honestly shoot much better with the ported 642. The primary thing(s) to remember with a snub are; "Shoot center mass, mid sternum, always shoot 2 twice, & lastly, watch your distance. Snub's are excellent for up close & personal encounters, say from 0 to the 7 yard line. Remember, if the threat is too far away for decent, rapid hits, he may also be too far away to a lethal threat, thereby not warranting use of a firearm." If you remember the snub's limitations, load it with suitable ammunition, & practice at least occasionaly with your intended carry load, the 2" bbl "snub-nosed" revolver should serve you quite well.

dpast32

 

[gwpercle]

Real world, my daughter dropped a bad guy , J-frame 38 special. 1 -shot center torso . Bullet lodged against his spine. He fell backwards , dropped his 9mm and the cash box he was carrying. The police were impressed. She never got her gun back. The " Evidence" got lost.
It will work. She didn't have to shoot him but once either.

 

[Hook686]

I can provide a real world example, but with my issued Colt Detective Special (similar in size to the J frame) in 1974. A local liquor store was held up and I became "engaged" in a protracted gun battle w/the bad guy. The little Colt (I was a plain clothes detective at the time) took care of the problem, albeit w/more than one round center mass.

I'm a retired old guy now and no longer go in harm's way so a small .38 is all I need. Practice often and carry w/confidence.

I am curious old cop. In that engagement how many rounds do you think you fired ?

 

[sac-gunslinger]

No guarantees, just a weapon.

Why, how dare you speak such heresy! Just the wind from Ultra-Macho Belchfire 500 is enough to knock a bad guy into the next state....

Over the years I have heard afficioados of every round carried on the street preach to me about how their favorite round will save humanity, fight back the zombie horde, and put sushi on everone's dining table. Truth seems to be that they all seem to work about the same. Use what you are comfrotable with and practice like crazy with it so you may stand a chance if you ever need it. Oh, and don't forget a healthy dose of prayer every night.

 

[Donn]

Remember the Texas Ranger's response to the lady who saw him at a social event with his 1911 and inquired whether he was "expecting trouble." The Ranger responded, "No ma'am. If I were expecting trouble, I would have brought my rifle."

^^^ Precisely ^^^ The Ranger was spot on. SD is one thing, but if you know there's gonna be a gunfight, better bring something you need two hands to carry and operate.

 

[petepeterson]

^^^ Precisely ^^^ The Ranger was spot on. SD is one thing, but if you know there's gonna be a gunfight, better bring something you need two hands to carry and operate.

I was out with my lady friend shooting on Monday night. After she had placed around 30 holes in a man-sized target with her Glock 19, I shot it once with a 16-gauge pump, #6 shot from about 25 ft. The look on her face was priceless, and the visual was much more effective than me flapping my gums trying to explain it to her.

 

[vito]

I don't disagree with the constantly repeated statement about carrying the hand gun that you shoot best with, but for me, and I guess many others, its a 22LR with at least a 4 inch barrel. I also know that if ever needed in a life threatening situation, excellent shot placement will not be an easy, and possibly not even a likely outcome. So 22 is not the caliber I chose for carrying. The two guns that I use for carrying, the 642 and a Ruger LCP are both guns that I find unpleasant to shoot and this gives me a nagging feeling that I won't likely be effective with either one when the adrenaline is pumping through my veins. So I went out a bought a new 9mm compact pistol, with good sights and a heft that should make it pleasant and fun to practice with. I guess after this post I will see several comments about how effective the 22LR round can be after all, or that I am foolish to stop carrying the 642.

 

[petepeterson]

I don't disagree with the constantly repeated statement about carrying the hand gun that you shoot best with, but for me, and I guess many others, its a 22LR with at least a 4 inch barrel. I also know that if ever needed in a life threatening situation, excellent shot placement will not be an easy, and possibly not even a likely outcome. So 22 is not the caliber I chose for carrying. The two guns that I use for carrying, the 642 and a Ruger LCP are both guns that I find unpleasant to shoot and this gives me a nagging feeling that I won't likely be effective with either one when the adrenaline is pumping through my veins. So I went out a bought a new 9mm compact pistol, with good sights and a heft that should make it pleasant and fun to practice with. I guess after this post I will see several comments about how effective the 22LR round can be after all, or that I am foolish to stop carrying the 642.

Not from me. A j-frame takes a good bit of practice with to be effective. I would venture to say that most shooters would be more effective with a compact 9mm, if it worked for their carry habits.

 

[getoff]

when i carry my j's, its 2. my 442, and my old trusty 37. i don't feel "under gunned". i settled on hornady 158 gr. ftx in non +p. 2 speed strips also ride along. hope the need never arises, but if it does i feel confident in my ability and my j's to handle it.

 

[Stephanie B]

I have a 442. I have Winchester "Defend" rounds in it. That's about as far up the scale as I want to go. +P is distinctly unpleasant to shoot in the gun. I could carry a gun that is more comfy at shooting +P, but then I'm adding another 8-10oz.

Maybe that's not a good trade-off in your opinions. It is in mine. I'm probably more likely to be in a car wreck than a gunfight, and yet I don't wear a crash helmet in my car.

 

[arroyoshark]

Whenever I follow a discussion on effectiveness of .38 snubs, the infamous images of Jack Ruby shooting Lee Harvey Oswald in November, 1963 come back to me. I recall Ruby used a Colt lightweight .38 snub, instead of a j-frame, and the bullet was an unremarkable lead projectile.

Perhaps the value of this reference is the distance, or range, in which this fatal incident, where only one round was fired, took place. It was close, and is likely representative of the distance a personal defense might occur. A diminutive S&W 442 would seem easier to retrieve and deploy, compared to a larger arm.

 

[aphelion]

I guess after this post I will see several comments about how effective the 22LR round can be after all, or that I am foolish to stop carrying the 642.

Yes, because as we've learned on this forum, grizzly bears have been killed with the .22 and mob hitmen favor it, so it must be an effective self defense round.

 

[Protected One]

...as is the mighty .380!

Yes, because as we've learned on this forum, grizzly bears have been killed with the .22 and mob hitmen favor it, so it must be an effective self defense round.

Don't forget about the effectiveness of the .380! One shot from unskilled hands.
73-year-old Omahan shoots man coming through window of his home - Omaha.com: Crime & Courts

 

[VictorLouis]

I am quite sure that the perp's psychological realization of "I've been shot!" has a lot more to do with things then we may give credit for, at least with handguns.

 

[aphelion]

I am quite sure that the perp's psychological realization of "I've been shot!" has a lot more to do with things then we may give credit for, at least with handguns.

Maybe, but how much do you want to count on it?

 

[sac-gunslinger]

So I went out a bought a new 9mm compact pistol, with good sights and a heft that should make it pleasant and fun to practice with. I guess after this post I will see several comments about how effective the 22LR round can be after all, or that I am foolish to stop carrying the 642.

Vito, I would not even begin to disagree with you. My premise is that you carry and shoot what is most comfortable for you. I shoot standard pressure loads in my 642 for that reason. Hitting your target is the goal and bad guys are not impressed if your hand is aching after shooting at them (and missing) with something that is uncomfortable to handle.

More power to you!

 

[Hans Gruber]

You're not volunteering to stand in front of a 642 loaded with puny 38 sp RN lead are you?

LOL- absolutely not! Just because most who are shot with low powered handgun rounds "survive" doesn't mean I want to take my chances soaking up 1-5 rounds of high performance HP ammo!
BUT IF....IF I were somehow to find myself in a murderous rage, and "bum-rushing" someone (which I actually would never do), the odds of me being "put down" with one, two, or all five, are low UNLESS one of those rounds strikes the central nervous system and "cuts the wires" as it were. This is WHY, close range defense using a low-powered handgun against a maniac rushing toward you with a large knife, machete, or sword is a BAD IDEA! The odds are HIGH the blade-weilder will make contact and large-blade impacts on the human body are VERY effective!
Certainly the person might die rather quickly AFTER inflicting a mortal wound to the shooter.
Now, switch from a 250 lb-ft of KE .38 Spl from a 1.875" barrel to a 10mm delivering 833 lb-ft of KE from a Glock 20 stoked with Underwood 155 grain JHP - SIXTEEN of them! THAT would be a vastly different outcome because the 10mm bullet is travelling FAST...carrying lots of kinetic energy, and will create a great deal of tissue destruction that equates to non-adapatable wounds.

But back to YOUR point...no, of course I understand the lethality of a .38 spl....and a .22 LR.

 

[Reacher6]

Groin,navel, sternum, face......climb the ladder and very few mopes can handle it.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

Clint Smith says you don't carry a gun to be comfortable, you carry it because it's comforting.

The point being, it's a nasty world out there, we all know the mere presence of a weapon has deterred many a bad guy, and we all know that shot placement is the key. The POINT of carrying a snub gun is personal self defense and MAYBE the defense of a third person. Getting into a protracted gun fight is extremely rare for non-police civilians and getting into ANY gunfight at long range is even more rare, and not wise if you're using a snub gun. The short barreled handgun is designed for up close and personal self defense - those of us who can routinely hit the X ring at ten yards or more with a short barreled revolver are really doing it only for bragging rights. Okay, it does give us self confidence to know that we CAN do it - but none of us will be mugged at thirty feet.

Shot placement is the key.....and if you must vary from the practical advice of "think center of mass" to headshots then remember the "Mosambique drill" - if you have one assailant it's 2 to the body, 1 to the head - but that varies quickly if you're confronted with 2 or more perps and you have 5 shots.

As for reloads - can someone please tell me when was the last time you heard about a good guy (not an LEO) in a gunfight having to reload?

***GRJ***

***GRJ***

 

[zzbruno]

I have carried a 642 for several years. It's only seen use away from the range one time. I was walking my too-friendly Siberian Husky around a lake (on a leash) and was approached by a guy with a couple of mixed Boxer/Pit Bulls (not on a leash). I stopped walking when they got within 40 yards and heeled my dog. I asked him to go around, but he just said "they'll be fine."

They weren't fine. About 30 yards out, they set upon my dog. I had my hand in my pocket and wrapped around the Airweight when they bolted, but still didn't get into position until they were on top of my dog. 3 shots, 2 hits. Two dead Boxer/Pit Bull mixes. Harsh words were exchanged and he wants compensation.

I call the cops. Turns out he's been arrested for dog-fighting a couple of times. They didn't arrest him then, but about two-months later they did, for the same charge.

I still carry that 642 sometimes, especially in the summer. I don't practice with it as much as I used to, but now that I live out in the country, I'll put it back into the rotation.