Smith 642

[Guest FiddleDog]

What's your take on the 642 for a carry weapon? It's for my wife.

[Garufa]

I great gun, although I prefer the 442 (blue version). Very realiable and easy to conceal, depending on how she would carry.

Not easy to master, it does take a little practice, but once you get the hang of it is very accurate.

Edited August 7, 2010 by Garufa

[D3vo]

My wife is considering the 642 also, but if we went with it the Crimson Trace laser is a must. Some might say the sights are tough to use, but I think the Crimson Trace would help a lot.

[56FordGuy]

Great carry gun, but you should have her shoot one before buying. The recoil, especially with +P defense ammo, can be pretty stout.

[Jasongar8]

The 642 has to hell and back reliability. For what you are looking for the 642 is hard to beat.

[Guest m&pc9]

Great for pocket carry. I have a 442 black but I sweat during the day so its hard to keep from rusting. So I am looking to get a 642 next because it has a stainless steel chamber.

They are hard to get used to. And my daughter will not shoot mine at all, She says it hurts. So I would let her shoot one before buying one.

[Guest Fwdftw]

LET HER SHOOT IT 1st!!!! God my fiance hated that thing so she decided she loved my 19 and wants a 26! lol Shes a keeper! shes loves the glock!

[Seaslug]

I carry one with CT laser grips on my ankle any time I have to wear long pants. There is absolutely nothing bad you can say about this gun. For a woman shooter, however, the trigger pull and and recoil may be a bit off-putting. It was never intended to be a "take-it-to-the-range-and-shoot-it-all-day" kind of gun, so she may be hesitant to put in the effort to make herself proficient with it. I agree with the sentiments above: let her shoot one before you commit.

[Bassoneer]

I carried one in my front pocket just a few hours ago when we ran out for Subway sandwiches. Great gun, but it kicks very hard. That's the trade-off, light weight + powerful ammo = big recoil. But it is one of my favorite guns to conceal and carry...very convenient, light and small yet very powerful. If the recoil proves to be too much, you have several options including toning down the ammo and/or putting on bigger (more cushy) grips.

Good luck, B

[Daniel]

I have a 637 and like it alot. I would like a blued one also.

[gregintenn]

I have a 640 for extended shooting sessions and a 642 for carry. I don't find either of them very hard to manage. My wife is a small lady, but she is deadly with one. She carries a model 37, which is a blued version of the 642 with a hammer.

[Trekbike]

Did anybody mention, let her shoot one first?

Some women will tolerate the recoil, others will not.

[Tango down]

My best friend bought one for his wife to learn to shoot and get he HCP with. We all went to the range one evening after they bought it. She couldn't get used to it and after about 30 rounds her hand was as red as a tomato. I lent them my Glock 27 and she loved it. She used the 27 to get her permit with and ended up buying one. I ended up buying the 642 and it now lives in the safe. I think it is a great pocket gun but I'm just not used to the heavy DAO trigger pull.

[PaiMei]

While J-frames are known for being harsh on the hands...much of that is dependent on the load being used. For some reason many don't consider this and just get what the guy behind the counter hands them or they get the latest whiz bang hot loaded +p round thats in the latest gun mag. Id suggest sticking to a lighter bullet weight and standard pressure load. Experiment and find what load helps. Also a soft rubber grip that you can get your pinky on can help quite a bit if it doesn't compromise your concealment. As Seaslug said... the 642 was never intended to be a "take-it-to-the-range-and-shoot-it-all-day" kind of gun. It is however, a VERY practical and reliable weapon. There are a lot of options in holsters/accessories as well as trigger options done by a qualified gunsmith for these.

[tnhawk]

I purchased a 442 a week ago. The size and weight are great as a backup gun. The trigger is off the scale of my lyman trigger pull gauge.

[Guest ForPointSix]

I know it has been said before, but let her shoot one first.

If she is considering the 642, you may want to let her try the LCR also. My wife has the Ruger LCR and loves it. She shot a J-Frame last week and said the recoil was a bit more harsh then the LCR.

[Guest FiddleDog]

well...I found one at the show yesterday for 399.00. So I went ahead and picked it up. Here's my reasoning...if she doesn't like the recoil...then daddy's got a new J-frame...yay! And a reason to get another gun...yay! I did stare at the LCR for a long, time as well, the $50 back on the S&W was the kicker. Any suggestions for a OWB holster?

[gregintenn]

Any suggestions for a OWB holster?

:DThese are quite comfortable and easy to conceal.

[Guest Tuck]

My $.02 is a little late, but here goes. The 642 with Crimson Trace was my first carry weapon. I don't know if they have changed things since then, but the one I had (purchased brand new at On Target in Murfreesboro) was finished in a cruddy lacquer of sorts (it was a dull gray). I put a box of 50 through it each week (I consider that bare minimum for the weapon you choose to carry) for about 3 months. What I noticed was that the finish was wearing thin and coming off around all the areas that suffered from carbon build up. Using 000 steel wool to remove the carbon, as I do with all my firearms, resulted in further removing the finish. I looked around online and found that I was not the only person having problems with that finish. I don't know if they had a bad batch or skipped out on a quality finish to cut cost. Either way, I decided to get rid of it before it got worse. Don't get me wrong, though. I do like Smith revolvers and there are other Smith Airweights that I would own without a second thought. Just not the 642.

When my sister was looking for a gun, I steered her toward an LCR. The reason being the TN humidity and rust. I knew she would not properly maintain her gun and decided that the composite would hold up the best through neglect (without having a special finish applied or proper cleaning intervals). It sits in her purse or in her night stand without any type of TLC for months on end. If there wasn't any carbon on the cylinder, that gun would look to be in factory condition..

Keep in mind, I am not a firearms expert and YMMV. Good luck and I hope she finds something she likes.

Edited August 8, 2010 by Tuck

[Guest FiddleDog]

What's that top one, GreginTenn?

[Guest ForPointSix]

well...I found one at the show yesterday for 399.00. So I went ahead and picked it up. Here's my reasoning...if she doesn't like the recoil...then daddy's got a new J-frame...yay! And a reason to get another gun...yay! I did stare at the LCR for a long, time as well, the $50 back on the S&W was the kicker. Any suggestions for a OWB holster?

If I had to do it over again and the Smith was $50.00 back, my wife would be using the J-Frame also!!

[RoDan]

good gun. not as easy to shoot as a semi auto sub compact, such as the xd9sc or the g26 but it is very accurate if you put in the effort and get trigger time with the gun.

[gregintenn]

What's that top one, GreginTenn?

I make them.

[Guest FiddleDog]

that is sweet. can you PM me the price?

[gregintenn]

Yup.