S&W Model 38 Airweight?

[V-1]

Anyone ever shot one of these? Or better yet, anyone's wives ever shot one of these? My wife is interested in one. What's the recoil like? At 15 oz.'s the recoil might be a little more then she will be comfortable with. Unfortunately, we can't fire one before we purchase it. Oh well, worst case scenario, it'll end up in my pocket.

Any info and opinions will help.

 

[ruger357]

There is a little more kick than steel frames. Made to be carried and not shot alot. Have you looked at the Ladysmith for your wife?

 

[stellarpod]

After shooting several different varieties of handguns - including revolvers and automatics - my wife decided on the S&W Airweight as her CCW. She is about 5'4" 120 lbs. and has no problem handling the recoil. In fact, she is incredibly accurate with it. I, on the other hand, can barely keep my shots on the paper with that little hammerless jewel.

stellarpod

 

[Al Thompson]

I've had one for years. I put a set of Uncle Mikes rubber Boot grips on it and that helps. Pocket holster is made by Sam Andrews.

How does she tolerate recoil now? My M38 with non + P loads kicks less than a .357, IMHO.

 

[WESHOOT2]

A MILLION YEARS AGO

A story: six of the most eminent gun-fighter/writers (to include Askins, Jordan, etc.) were standing around chatting about their SO's carry gun; to a man (woman?) they said "S&W M38".

My wifes' wears Pachmayrs, sticky-n-big but 'soft'. Real accurate. Still lightweight. First rule, eh?

 

[V-1]

How does she handle recoil?

Well, she doesn't like .357's out of an SP-101 w/ a hogue monogrip and doesn't like .40 S&W's out of a Glock 27. Can't blame her there. She doesn't mind 9mm +P out of Browning Highpowers, Browning BDM, Taurus PT111, etc. She doesn't mind .38's out of the SP-101 but there is quite a weight difference between that and the Model 38 Airweight.

Thanks for the input.

 

[Al Thompson]

Well, IMHO, it's between what she likes and dislikes.

Closest I can think of is a Glock M26.

HTH

 

[Tamara]

I don't have a wife, but there's a Model 38 in my jacket pocket right now.

 

[rock jock]

I have a 638. With regular .38's, its pretty comfortable; with .38+P's its a little harsh, but not too bad. Depends on how often your wife shoots. You might consider a .32 magnum revolver from Taurus or S&W. These offer one more round than the .38 snubbies and almost as much power as a .38 with only about 50-70% of the recoil.

 

[Coltdriver]

I have one. It is now my most frequently carried pistol simply because it is so easy to carry.

The shrouded hammer also lets you cock and reliably fire from your pocket. A subtlety lost on many but a feature that could be immensely handy if you think about it.

As for recoil it is very manageable with regular 38 rounds. I would not run plus P in mine. It defeats the purpose of getting shot after shot off and accurate. I would not purchase a j frame that was any lighter. My focus on any carry gun is concealability, ease of carry and the ability manage the recoil so that a second shot is easy to get off.

Try RBCD ammo, devastating ammo with standard pressures.

If you do purchase one be sure to have a good look at the lock up and line up of the cylinder. Being a light frame that was never intended for +p they tend to degrade badly if a lot of it is fired through them. I found about four of them over six months and the first three were not worth buying without a trip back to S&W for a tune up. The little jewel I finally purchased was like new and I paid $300 for it.

 

[rock jock]

Coltdriver,

Just FYI, the 638 is rated for +P.

 

[V-1]

"Well, IMHO, it's between what she likes and dislikes."


She has seen pictures of the Model 38 Airweight on the net and in mags/catalogs. In the past she has seen them at gunshows. She has come to appreciate the design after years of shooting. She just isn't sure about the kick out of such a light handgun.

 

[Al Thompson]

V-1, the problem is that it's real subjective. With the factory grips, J frames are a pain in my hands. Poor control and enhanced "smack". But with a bit more meat, the UMs make shooting pretty easy. To give you an idea of my likes and dislikes, .357 loads in a k frame are bothersome, but acceptable, 240 grain loads in my M629 Mountain Gun are very bothersome. !911a are no problem with 230 grain ball ammo.

FWIW, my mom (70 yo) does fine with a Colt Cobra and non + P ammo. She runs a box or so through the gun every few months.

You probably want to train with non + P loads anyway and just run a couple of cylinders full of +Ps to check POI/POA issues.

 

[DeltaElite]

Great gun, can have a bit of a snappy recoil, but I love them.
I have a 342, ain't man enough to use a 340.

 

[El Tejon]

Great weapon. Carried one as a bug for years. Recoil depends on the load. The stuff I carried was heavy and stout. I would term the recoil as "brisk."

 

[HerbG]

My experience has been that non-shooter types like the Model 38 because of the weight - or lack thereof. Most who haven't handled guns much pick up a steel framed gun and immediately exclaim, "It's too heavy!" The Model 38 seems like the answer because it seems so light in comparison. They may be thinking about how much heavier their purse is going to be with a 25 ounce gun added!

However, if they actually shot the Model 38 before deciding, they probably would not like like the recoil. A good set of grips can make a lot of difference in how the 38 is perceived.

 

[Kentucky Rifle]

I just installed a set of Hogue wood grips on my 638.

The Hogue wood grips are a little fat with a nice palm swell that fits my hand well and spreads recoil around. With regular pressure ammunition, I can't tell much of a difference in the recoil between my 15 ounce 638 and a friend's 20 ounce, all steel model 36. However, I feel a big difference when it comes to the 11.9 ounce 337 Airlight Ti. There's only a 3.1 ounce difference in weight between the "AirLite" and the "Airweight". Pretty remarkable that such a small ammount of weight makes such a large difference in the recoil, don't you think?
I'll never shoot a .357 "AirLite Ti" again. (Unless it's one heck of an emergency!) I don't see how S&W sells them. Just thinking about it makes my hand hurt!

KR

 

[mini14jac]

My wife wanted an Airweight after she saw the one that belonged to the lady teaching her CCW course.
It actually kicks more with 158gr lead practice ammo, than it does with 125gr jhp +P ammo.

When she takes it to the range, we each run 2-3 cylinders full through it, but that's enough.
If you want to enjoy plinking with it, get a steel framed one.

For carry comfort, the Airweight is the best bet.