The wonderful world of J-frames!

[Eric45]

My one and only J Frame

642-1 no lock, cut for moon clips. I don't leave home without it.

 

[smokey04]

The Mod. 638 must be an exceptional concealment gun, I've been looking for one for a loooong time and have had no luck.You rascals with all these purty J frame guns must have some extry lumps in your bedrolls! BTW; a whole lot of beauties shown here! Nick

 

[mic214]

I have had a few 'J' frames over the years. My first one was a M-49 that I foolishly sold to fund the purchase of a M-60 many years ago.

The M-60 was eventually sold to fund the purchase of a PD340. The PD340 was a joy to carry, but not very pleasant to shoot.

Several years ago, I found a nice M-36 with a 3" barrel..... This one is a keeper!

 

[mrrick]

I was fortunate to pick up a Model 650 3 inch barrel with both .22lr AND .22 Win Mag. cylinders (and yokes) in the early 80s. I don't think there are very many of these around. I foolishly traded a mdl 34, (kit gun), and have been looking for a replacement ever since. Recently got a 442, (no lock). which is my EDC, alternately with a Charter Arms .44 spl 2.5 inch barrel. One is for city carry, the other for country carry. Guess which goes to a city close to our southern border.

 

[FLASHnumber17]

I've been carrying this for a while now.

 

[FLASHnumber17]

J's I have come to love and adore.
Model 37 bought new in '78.
Model 60-15 delockerfied.
Model 342Ti for the pocket.

Nice grips to the first J

 

[lawandorder]

Model 40 with some stuff.................

 

[Ranger98]

The old model 60

The new model 60-15

 

[TucsonMTB]

Nothing fancy. My wife has staked her claim on this 638 with a replacement Titanium cylinder from Midway.

Fortunately, a nice 642-1 came along and Midway still has some Titanium cylinders.

Yes, our last range session was a lot of fun!

 

[LaVistaBill]

World of J-frames

These are the only 2 J-frames I have (at present). The older Model 042 at the top stays in a compartment in my car, along with OC spray, a set of handcuffs, a speedloader and quick- strip with extra .38 Special "short-barrel" cartridges. The Model 442-2 at the bottom, resides in my bedside table. When it's not there it's in a Mika Pocket Holster in my right side trouser pocket; the left-side pocket has a quick-strip or two. Both have CT LaserGrips which I like as I can concentrate on target identification (making sure it's a bad guy), plus that red dot has a great deterrent effect, like racking a shell into a pump shotgun. If the bright red spot on their chest will stop the fight, so be it.

 

[Rolling]

This is my 642. I call her "The Gimp".

Gives me an excuse to say: "Get the gimp."

 

[hotrod150]

TusconMTB, apparently you prefer titamium cylinders. What's the advantage over carbon steel or stainless-- lighter weight? If so, how much lighter?

 

[TucsonMTB]

TusconMTB, apparently you prefer titamium cylinders. What's the advantage over carbon steel or stainless-- lighter weight? If so, how much lighter?

Yes, the original thought was to lighten an Airweight pocket gun to be more like an AirLite. Just replacing the original stainless cylinder with a Titanium spare part drops the weight of the revolver by about 3 ounces.

The first victim was a used 638-3, subsequently adopted by my wife and pictured above.

That gave me a good excuse to buy a used 642-1. Both came from local, private sellers and were reasonable bargains.

So far, we have only fired standard pressure rounds with either 125 grain or 130 grain bullets, so recoil is mild, even with such a light pistol.

My wife has a huge stainless steel Taurus Tracker in 22LR that she enjoys using to obliterate bullseyes one tiny round at a time. I am a total revolver newbie, but am fast acquiring real affection for these wonderful J-frames.

It doesn't hurt that both Titanium cylinders came finished in a black color on the front and rear. Cleaning the black firing rings off of stainless cylinders is not high on my list of favorite things.

But, mostly I love the way it just disappears in your pocket. The last pistol I had that did that was a NOT much fun to shoot .380 semi-automatic from Kel-Tec. These J-frames are only a couple of ounces heavier but a "hoot to shoot".

Thanks for asking! I can babble on about these little puppies for hours. Just ask my wife.

 

[hotrod150]

Did the titanium cylinders "drop in", or did they require some fitting? I've tried twice to switch cylinders between different model 36's but no luck. The only thing I've been able to just drop in has been hammers.

 

[TucsonMTB]

Did the titanium cylinders "drop in", or did they require some fitting? I've tried twice to switch cylinders between different model 36's but no luck. The only thing I've been able to just drop in has been hammers.

The cylinders are described at this Midway link as: "Fits Models: 340, 340PD, 360 and 360PD".

I believe the frames on those models are very similar to the 742.

The product review with a picture is mine, by the way.

In any event, the length and diameter of each Titanium cylinder is exactly the same as the stainless cylinder it replaces and the original gun's extractors fit in place very well. The cylinder gap did not change, according to my feeler gauges, and is still just a little over six thousandths.

In the 742-1, the original extractor provided perfect timing with the cylinder lock dropping into place audibly just a little before a final squeeze of the trigger releases the hammer. So, I saved the extractor shipped with the cylinder and just used the gun's original extractor.

In the 638-3, the original extractor worked. But, the timing was so close to being late that I elected to fit the included, virgin extractor to make sure it locked up correctly. I filed the engagement point on the star by hand with a jeweler's file, using the shape of the original extractor as an example.

Making literally thousands of tiny strokes with the only file I have that is the right shape provided a whole new appreciation for what real gun smiths do.

Based on the slag near their cuts, the extractors that came in the pistols were fit with a power grinder of some sort. I have a Dremel and carbide bits. But, I am just not that brave.

Here's hoping you have similar luck, if you try this. The resulting pistols are remarkably accurate and I spent way less money than a scarce AirLite would have cost.

Yeah, am "cheap". How did you know?!

 

[Sgt.Peck]

I've like J frames myself a long time. I have five now. The most recent one is a 60-9 "No lock". It is chambered for .357 and has the hvy. barrel w/ shroud. Something about the heavier barrel I really liked. I do wish it was a centennial, but the price was right. I wanted to get rid of the carbon trigger and hammer. Already found a nice SS smooth trigger on GB, but I can't seem to find a hammer. I would like to get a bobbed hammer for it. I was told they never made SS hammers for this model. Any suggestions? Thx.

 

[franzas]

My 442 rides many miles on my left ankle at work. Pocket companion on my days off.

What holster is this?
I plan on getting a 442 for when my 10-5 seems to be too heavy/bulky

 

[slabside2]

I believe it is a Galco ankle glove. I have one and use it from time to time and it works great. It really stays put on your ankle.
Mike

 

[sac-gunslinger]

aled

Several years ago, I found a nice M-36 with a 3" barrel.....

Super J-frame, carried one as my concealed gun for years. Loved to carry it, loved to shoot it. Cannot find a replacement for less than $750 where I live.

It was also the gun I used to shoot through my best friend's front door, but that is a tale for a different day...

 

[QB Too]

My Gunsmoke wearing VZ grips (which I love) and also a picture of it wearing a new grip I just received, the S&W Pro Series grip.