S&W 637 revolver or Ruger LCP

[Mark Cowan]

A friend wants to trade his 637 for my LCP. His 637 is fairly new and has rarely been fired, my LCP has been fired more often but at greater expense. The trade is even, should I do it? Would you? The Ruger is so easy to carry but difficult to practice with because of scarcity of ammo. Opinions please!

 

[Too]

You will be gettng the better deal, yes do it.

 

[mlk18]

Make the trade! And do it fast before he changes his mind! Go, right now!

The 637 is a superior weapon in every way to the LCP sans thickness.

 

[Fyrepower71]

I would take the 637 over the LCP.

 

[HAWKEYE10]

I also say "TRADE" Don

 

[jtpur]

by now you should have the S&W firmly in your hand

 

[TSQUARED]

I have not shot the ruger LCP but the S&W 637 is one heck of a fine carry gun.

 

[jframefreak]

Trade trade trade before he comes to his senses.

 

[Hill_Country]

Have you fired the 637?

No doubt in my mind that a J frame is a timeless classic. I carried a M36 (not an airweight) for many years. Reasonable accuracy and not unpleasant to shoot with a T-grip filler. For my purposes the only shortcomings were the hammer spur which will reach out and snag on anything within three feet. And in South Texas it is always a battle to keep a blue gun corrosion free (but stainless was just coming in when I bought this).

A couple of years ago my DW surprised me with a 638 I had admired at a gun show. A fine weapon, no hammer spur and stainless - just two shortcomings in my book.

1) it is decidedly unpleasant to shoot. I'm not a total pansy, but it is not fun. Not recoil so much as sting. Think snapping a big rubber band across your palm.
2) no one expects a J frame to be a tack driver, but this thing looked one way and shot another. I thought I must be pulling because of the sting (as well as the short sight radius). However, after a I put on a set of CT grips (which are normally zeroed out of the box) and adjusted them (a bunch) it seemed to shoot as well as my old M36 so I don't think it was me totally.

The M36 is still in the safe and the 638 or a CS9 are my EDC, but I don't look forward to taking the 638 to the range.

With all that said, I'd jump on the 637, too. Just be aware if you haven't fired these airweights.

 

[chp]

Have you shot both? If you can, I suggest you do it before you trade. Get/keep the one you shoot the best.

 

[photoman]

The Airweights, with the big Uncle Mike's three finger rubber grips and standard pressure loads, are a real softy. I don't find the recoil with that combination to be harsh at all. I much prefer that combination over a small auto in spite of less capacity.

 

[Casehardn]

Love my 637.
Use Hornady 158 grain hollow points with no problem.
+P definitely has more bite, but when you shoot a snubbie, one key is to grip it tight and it isn't so bad.
Mine is real accurate too. Here's a link to the 637 on Snubnose Files if you like to do a little reading...
The Smith & Wesson Bodyguard

Recently put a set of Cocobolo Esmeralda grips on my 637 and it is sweet. They fill my hand slightly better than the stock grips and they come out of the pocket holster with no problem. Go for the trade.

 

[jtpur]

Have you fired the 637?

No doubt in my mind that a J frame is a timeless classic. I carried a M36 (not an airweight) for many years. Reasonable accuracy and not unpleasant to shoot with a T-grip filler. For my purposes the only shortcomings were the hammer spur which will reach out and snag on anything within three feet. And in South Texas it is always a battle to keep a blue gun corrosion free (but stainless was just coming in when I bought this).

A couple of years ago my DW surprised me with a 638 I had admired at a gun show. A fine weapon, no hammer spur and stainless - just two shortcomings in my book.

1) it is decidedly unpleasant to shoot. I'm not a total pansy, but it is not fun. Not recoil so much as sting. Think snapping a big rubber band across your palm.
2) no one expects a J frame to be a tack driver, but this thing looked one way and shot another. I thought I must be pulling because of the sting (as well as the short sight radius). However, after a I put on a set of CT grips (which are normally zeroed out of the box) and adjusted them (a bunch) it seemed to shoot as well as my old M36 so I don't think it was me totally.

The M36 is still in the safe and the 638 or a CS9 are my EDC, but I don't look forward to taking the 638 to the range.

With all that said, I'd jump on the 637, too. Just be aware if you haven't fired these airweights.

Regarding the 638...my wife carries one..she likes it and shoots it well.No hand sting at all...However we just bought her a Ruger LCR..it got handgun of the year award from NRA Rifleman.. She liked the trigger pull and the grip...took it too the range and it killed her hand...left red marks and all. I noticed that on the Smith her grip was high and on the Ruger because of the larger grip it was low...That I think caused the recoil problems with the Ruger....it may be a grip thing with you.....frankly, I find the 638 a bit snappy too and my hand is twice the seize of wife's hand.....but it works for her....so we now have a Ruger we dont need or want.....

 

[lucky strike]

definitely do it.....if you end up not liking the 637 then you'd have no problems at all finding someone willing to trade and LCP for a 637.

LCP is definitely conveniently small but the ease of finding practice ammo (very important) as well as the .38spl being more potent tip the scales in the 637's favor IMO

 

[Bullseye Smith]

Words not heard to much on wall street anymore - TRADE - TRADE - TRADE .

 

[jpargo]

I have shot both and would make the trade...

 

[ab4ka]

Make the trade. If you don't like the 637 you can sell it and buy you another LCP and have cash left over. I have a 638 that I like and it has been my "drop it in the pocket" gun, but this past weekend I bought me a LCP and I love it. It will be replacing the 638 in certain roles, but it's nice to have both of them.

 

[PX15]

JMOfartO:

I would say whether or not to trade would depend a lot on how you intend to carry the firearm..

I'm a big S&W fan, (I have a J-frame 49 & 638, plus a 3913, 3913LS, 5906,6906,CS9 & CS45), but for MY personal cc needs NO "wheel gun" is going to conceal as easily the extremely thin LCP.

The cylinder "bulge", for me, makes any revolver a bit difficult to cc easily, and in the hot/humid climate here in S.E. Ga "thinner & lighter" is "more better".

I can stick my LCP (or my LWS380) in a rear pocket (wallet style) holster and I'm good to go in almost any wx conditions, or no matter what I'm wearing..

I'm sure the J-frame is a better overall "deal" than the Ruger LCP, but for cc I'm just more than pleased with my Ruger LCP, and I DO have snubby options that I just don't find quite as practical for my carry needs.

Just personal opinion,

Jesse

 

[pinkymingeo]

A couple of weeks ago a buddy at the gun club showed me his new LCP. Pointed it at the target, and it went "click". The target wasn't impressed (or marked) and neither was I. The light pocket autos have a well-deserved reputation for unreliability. I wouldn't trust one as a paperweight. Take the 637.

 

[Florida J Frame]

I own both an LCP and a 642 which I traded a 637 for. They are both good guns for their intended purpose. All guns are machines that can have problems. Smith built some recent J frames with short firing pins that went "click". The important thing is to choose the gun that you will carry, all the time. The LCP IS lighter and smaller and more pleasant to carry in lightweight pants. Today, I have the J frame in my pocket but I'm wearing Dockers. If I was wearing light shorts it would be the Ruger. No matter which you choose, fire at least 200 rounds of your carry ammo thru it without a problem before you carry it. I also carried each one for a month without cleaning it, took it to the range and fired till empty with no issues. Now I trust both with my life. If you have a problem with the LCP just call the Mother Ship and they will make it right as I'm sure S&W would. Both are good companies.