Retirement Gun

[white cloud]

So this is a very long winded question. I apologize.

I am very close to retiring. I am in good health and my joints seem to be doing fine. What I am looking for is sort of the ultimate carry revolver for this stage of life. It doesn't need to be a deep concealment piece as my wife tolerates me dressing around the gun. It has to be a S&W. Since I live down south, it gets hot and I sweat so I want something that I can pocket carry in cargo shorts. I want to be able to shoot a boat load of .38 level loads and not wear the gun out (I reload). I want a stainless steel gun. I want good sights. I want to be able to get a good D.A. trigger pull. I used to shoot NRA Bullseye so I want to be able to hit at 50 yards. It needs to be carried in a leather holster.

What do you suggest?

 

[silversnake]

So this is a very long winded question. I apologize.

I am very close to retiring. I am in good health and my joints seem to be doing fine. What I am looking for is sort of the ultimate carry revolver for this stage of life. It doesn't need to be a deep concealment piece as my wife tolerates me dressing around the gun. It has to be a S&W. Since I live down south, it gets hot and I sweat so I want something that I can pocket carry in cargo shorts. I want to be able to shoot a boat load of .38 level loads and not wear the gun out (I reload). I want a stainless steel gun. I want good sights. I want to be able to get a good D.A. trigger pull. I used to shoot NRA Bullseye so I want to be able to hit at 50 yards. It needs to be carried in a leather holster.

What do you suggest?

A Model 60 fits all of your criteria. I like the 2" Model 64 even better, but maybe a bit heavy for cargo pockets.

 

[adwjc]

Since you are mentioning target shooting, stainless steel and carrying capability, how about a nice 60-4 or 60-15?

You will need deep pockets, though.

 

[Targets Guy]

Model 638-3; .38 specials or +P's all day long.

 

[IAhunter]

K frames, model 64 (2 or 3"), 65 (3"), and 66 (2 1/2 or rare 3"). They'll make for a pretty full pocket though. I have a 2" 64-6 that is DAO with factory bobbed hammer that I do pocket for quick trips to the store, etc. It is very similar to guns designated NY-1 for the NYPD, just newer, MIM, and not stamped with the NY-1.

Although I carried an L frame 686 on duty for a good number of years, the smaller K frame guns are my favorites. I never cared for the 5 shot J frames.

 

[two-bit cowboy]

First, congratulations on your upcoming retirement. Here's the rub, though, there will be no more days off!

Now to your question.

My first recommendation, since you said it must be stainless steel, is a Model 640 Pro. Mine has a great double action trigger, and it's gotten better and better with more rounds. It's 1½ pounds, loaded, and the barrel is 2⅛". The front and rear tritium sights are adjustable for windage. You can, but you don't have to use moon clips; I do. I've carried one for about two years, not in a pocket, but in an OWB leather holster at 4 o'clock.

Staying with the stainless steel Centennial style, the 940 is my next recommendation. It's 9mm. I like mine a lot. I weighs a half ounce less than the 640 Pro, but the barrel is a quarter inch shorter. Fixed sights. You have to use moon clips.

If you want stainless steel for its inherent rust resistance, I understand, but in a pocket it might get a bit weighty so I'd suggest considering the M&P 340, too. The barrel and cylinder are stainless, but the frame is scandium/aluminum alloy. Mine weighs in at a pound, loaded, and, again, has a quarter inch shorter barrel than the 640 Pro. I've carried mine in a front jeans pocket, and it was easy to forget. Fixed sights but it has a tritium front bead.

I practice with all three of these out to seven yards. Out to that range they're perfect (better than me), and I don't plan to be in a gun fight beyond that distance. The real key for me is having the right stocks/grips on whatever I'm shooting: comfort and control.

Hope this helps.

 

[dhtwalden]

White Cloud, before I retired I purchased a 342ti as a BUG. Probably doesn’t meet all your requests, but it has over 1000 roundS put thru FOR qual courses. EASY TO CONCEAL AND CARRY. DONT THINK THEY MAKE THEM ANY MORE. However there are some good options in the 640, possibly in a PC. ENJOY. AND CONGRATULATIONS.

 

[326MOD10]

I would second the 640 PRO.

It is SS so has some weight to it but still concealable. The night sights are nice and you can take or leave the moon clips.

I carry mine in an OWB Lobo Gun Leather Enhanced Pancake and it conceals well with the right shirt.

Enjoy your retirement!

 

[Mike in Reedley]

Another vote for the 640 Pro, but I think you need two J frames. I have a 640 Pro, 60-15 Pro, 38, 638, 36, and a 442. I carry the 640 the majority of time, with the 442 when I want to go as light as I can.

Trigger is very smooth on my 640 and from a rest at 50 yards at the last range session, we were regularly hitting an empty shotshell box (I can’t do that with any other J frame I have). The bigger night sights are awesome. The longer ejector rod helps out when reloading too. Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[SquarePizza]

I would say a 2 1/2" K frame, or a 3" J frame. Both should get you target sights yet still conceal well enough.

 

[SeamasterSig]

A Model 60 fits all of your criteria.

I second that recommendation! Here's a 60-7 I found at a decent price on Gunbroker. It's steel-framed and officially rated for 38 spl +p ammo. The best of the model 60 series with "everything you want and nothing you don't". I thought it might feel heavy in the pocket, but I barely noticed the few extra ounces compared with the Sig P238 I used to pocket carry. It came with a nice set of Uncle Mike's banana grips, which are great for the range, but not so great for concealment. So I added the magna grips (an inexpensive Ebay purchase) and an aluminum Tyler-T adapter. The combination is pocket-friendly and very controllable, even with stout ammo such as "old school" Buffalo Bore 158 grain hollow point semi-wadcutters. The trigger pull on this mid-90s gun is simply awesome. The DA pull is not what I would call light, but it has meanwhile become very smooth with no stacking or staging. In other words: perfect for a defensive gun. The gun points very naturally to aim, but if you absolutely have to use the minimal sights, they work fine at self-defense range (for my eyes, anyway). However, if you really need better sights, I think S&W makes a few J-frames with more modern three-dot night sights I think. Probably not steel-framed models, though. Or there's always a K-frame with adjustable sights if you don't mind the extra bulk.

Right after I bought the gun, I ordered a pocket holster in horsehide from Lobo Gun Leather as well as their highly regarded Enhanced Pancake holster and also picked up the DeSantis Nemesis to use in the meantime. The pancake holster is awesome, but it's OWB and if you're looking to pocket carry, the leather pocket holster I received is a bit tight for loose cargo-style pockets. It works fine in tighter pockets, though. The DeSantis, on the other hand, is almost too loose and never fails to release the gun. It's not pretty, but it's inexpensive and it works. The leather holster has a less conspicuous profile in the pocket, but the DeSantis also doesn't print much – it's just a little bulkier, so it's more obvious that there's something in the pocket.

 

[Ashlander]

If you're a big guy you might want to go with the new K-frame 66-8 with the 2.75" barrel. It's good for heavy shooting at the range and more satisfying in that role than a j-frame, and yet it's not hard to conceal if you dress around it.

I am retired and I can hide anything under my Hawaiian shirts (in St Louis if you see an old guy wearing an Hawaiian shirt - odds are he's armed!).

 

[kaaskop49]

Seems like the original 640 in .38 will "fit your pistol," as John Wayne once said. The steel frame .38 Js are much handier than the newer .357 progeny, IMHO. Pocket lint is less of a problem, altho the gun has to be wiped off regularly. My minty "junk table" example is a strong little chickenplucker: can't wait for surgeries to heal so I can carry it IWB. Too heavy for my pocket, tho.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

P.S. As to retirement, I have a slogan on my desk: "The hardest part of doing nothing is knowing when you're through."

 

[rwsmith]

If you like to shoot more than proficiency.....

I wouldn't even consider the 'Airweight' type guns, unless you are going to put a big Pachmehr or Hogue monogrip on it. They are very shootable in the original form, for a few shots. But after that it starts to hurt.


My Model 36 J frame 5-shot .38 is pretty darn good, but I don't know of a stainless version. A model 60 or 640 REALLY sounds like a winner for your specifications.

 

[oldiesradio1560]

I've had stainless S&W revolvers since the 70s and I'm 66 and retired as well. I have a Concealed Carry License and carry a 640 Pro. My favorite revolver. Great sights, a great shooter for .357 or .38. I gave it a brother concealed auto a month ago. A .380 M&P Shield EZ. Love the grip safety that eliminates a manual safety so my EZ acts just like a revolver. Easy rack, point and shoot.

 

[white cloud]

Thank you all for your well thought out responses. I have carried a 649 no dash for a long time. I also carry a Kahr CM9 a bit. I am a confirmed revolver guy but will have to admit that the Kahr is a lot easier to hit with due to it's excellent sights. The 640 Pro looks like it has really nice sights and would fit most of my pockets. Do you folks think the 640 would survive 5000 rounds of .38 wadcutter ammo? I would like the snub revolver's advantages with a gun that I could hit with at a distance.

 

[BAM-BAM]

Wow....... covering a lot of territory with one gun...... pocket carry to 50 yd target shooting......... IMHO pocket carry means J-frame.... target shooting means adjustable sights............so you are going to have to compromise on every aspect ..................

Again in my opinion the gun that may meet your needs is a 3" 60-10..... think "micro 686".

That said I think you would be better served by getting at least 2 Smith revolvers........... a 2 or 2 1/2 inch K-frame Model 64,65 or 66 for concealed carry and a range/target/hunting 6 inch K,L or N-frame.......maybe a 686.

 

[Green Frog]

Find a Model 60-4; this will be the compromise that comes closest to filling all your requests, although none perfectly as some tend to be mutually exclusive. Remember, any compromise is a... COMPROMISE!

Froggie

 

[murphydog]

Everything you wanted was easy, until you threw out that 50 yard requirement. Accurate shooting at that distance has a lot to do with you, of course. .

With all that, I would look for one of the (fairly scarce) model 60-1s from 1985, a 2" J frame .38 Special with Target sights. Pocket sized, light, able to be fired single action for long distances, and if you were an S & W revolver bullseye shooter the sight picture would be familiar. Good luck in your decision and happy retirement!

 

[ExRanger714]

Since you are mentioning target shooting, stainless steel and carrying capability, how about a nice 60-4 or 60-15?

You will need deep pockets, though.

A 60-10 would be a good candidte.