Concealed Lightweight(Airweight) 38s

[Ala Dan]

Even though I own a Smith & Wesson model 442, I might drag out my old
Colt Agent and tote it a few days of the week; as I deal with many folks
in the "gun world" that have never seen a Colt Detective Special; muchless
an Agent~!

PS: My lovely daughter finally talked me out of my S&W 642; and I was proud
to give it to her for own personal protection. After all, she is the only child I
have~!

 

[LawofThirds]

Yup, Smith still holds the title for lightest .38 special, lightest .357 and quickest way to make your hand hate you.

Honestly, unless you are extremely weight sensitive, the trade-off in control with a super light gun may not be worth the extra 4 oz to go to a 442 or 642 or even a full steel gun. Plus, the mid-weight guns (aluminum frame, steel cylinder) usually go for 100-150 dollars less than the super lightweights in my area.

 

[rswartsell]

MachIVShooter,

Living in Illinois changes the decision making process quite a bit, I respect what you are saying though.

 

[antiquus]

LCR - with the jel pad along the back strap shoots .38 spl target loads all day (800 fps 130g - about the energy of a .380). Higher power .38 spl (950fps 130g) is pretty much wincing after 25 rounds or so, but it's a pretty effective round - nicely fitting between a .380 and 9mm in power. Really hot +P maxed out (1000 fps 158g) hurts but has about as much power as a 9mm (in a much lighter gun which is why it hurts).

The lowest power of these is just like the loads used to kill a few tens of thousands of bad guys during the first half of the 20th century, and people are no harder to kill now.

 

[huduguru]

I traded this Taurus for this Clinton & Wesson 638. I liked the Taurus
quite a bit, nothing wrong with it at all. As a matter of fact, it had a nice
tight lock up and a better trigger than the C&W. I just wanted a Smith
and it works better for pocket carry with the shrouded hammer. I wish I would have kept the Taurus though and just bought the Clinton & Wesson
outright...

 

[M&PVolk]

FWIW, I find no issue shooting .38+p in a S&W 637. Honestly, I don't mind recoil that much in a handgun. I really want someday to have a 340 or 360 so I can shoot the .357 from a lighter gun. I just have to try it!

 

[ms6852]

I bought an airweight for my wife the smith and wesson 642. Took her to the range so she could fire it. Recoil was terrible for her, so bad that it bruised her thumb web for about 2 weeks. I than shot it and to my surprise I could not hit the paper plate at 7 yds. I consider myself an excellent shot since I can hit a paper plate size target at 100 yds with my 1911 about 80% of the time. For the first time I realized how innacurate this guns are at moderate distances. You have to be real, real close and than shove the pistol in the stomach so that you can hit your intended target should you ever find yourself in that predicament. I ended up buying crimson laser grips and still find it difficult hitting the target at moderate ranges. I would reconsider and carry at least a normal weighted pistol and preferably at least a 2 1/2" barrel instead of the 1 7/8" barrel.
My wife does not shoot it anymore but carries it when out of town but prefers to shoot my 1911's or my 686 S&W with a 6" barrel. I use it mainly in the summer months when wearing shorts. I am beginning to stockpile 38 ammo every month so that I can practice and become more proficient with this pistol.

 

[Elm Creek Smith]

I have a Taurus 85SSUL that is approved for +P .38s and weighs 15 ounces empty. It's my second 85SSUL, and my third Taurus revolver. All have been flawless.

BTW, Taurus and S&W were once both owned by the Bangor Punta corporation, but they were never merged and never used the same tooling. As for S&W quality control, I had a S&W Model 629 that the barrel turned under the torque of factory ammunition. You could track the barrel turning by the march of bullet holes across my target.

I consider the lightweight snubbies "experts'" guns because they are not easy to shoot with defensive ammo. Their inherent accuracy isn't any worse than any other revolvers, but their blast and recoil upon firing can cause flinches in short order. That said, I think the recoil of a lightweight/airweight/ultralite .357 Magnum revolver is unreasonable in any case.

My first and second primary guns are a 3 inch S&W Model 13 and my 2 inch Taurus 85SSUL.

ECS