Newbie questions? Is this going to work? SW Model 640 for CCW?

[Ladyhay]

Hi everyone!

I have tried looking through the threads and please forgive me if this has been answered.

 

I am a female w arthritis (rheumatoid) if that matters.  I do not have much experience with handguns, except for what has been acquired in the last few months.  Husband and I have decided to get our concealed permit, and we have taken the class.

 

My question is this.  I have what I believe is a model 640 SW revolver, it is a snub nose airweight 38 special. I suppose that will be my CCW for the next 6 months or so.  I have yet to fire it.  In fact, I am scared to death to fire the thing.  It was given to me, and was my husbands grandmothers.  I don't think she ever fired it, but it is used.  

Anyway, I ordered some 110 grain .38 and 110 grain .38 +p today to give it a try.

 

The husband surprised me with a Glock 17.  That thing is massive (no way to conceal it that I see), and I am scared to death of Glocks, and really semi automatics in general (two small children- no external safety thing with Glocks I guess).  I couldn't load it, I couldn't rack it, I did shoot it, and it wasn't too bad on the recoil, I was very accurate :) at least.  But it is huge.  Husband is sweet, but this CCW thing was my idea and he doesn't like the idea of me carrying on person.  He thinks home and car.  I disagree so it is something I am pretty much buying, and investigating on my own.  Hence the 6 months to save for another CCW.

 

So in a nutshell, am I going to be able to shoot this snub nose, with any type of enjoyment?  I know the more I shoot, the better I will get, but really, I am terrified to fire this thing.  Is this a case of too much information?  

 

And is there a revolver to recommend to me?  I have looked at the 940 in a 2 inch or 3 inch barrell, Smith and Wesson.  It is about 1k, which I can swing....eventually...but a 9mm. If I spend that much money, and it doesn't work out, I may never get another, ya know?

 

Anyway, thanks for reading and any responses. 

 

 

ETA:

Before anyone answers, I don't want you to think I am planning on walking around w a CCW without time in with the weapon and the range.  I just want to find a weapon I feel comfortable with practicing.  I hope this makes sense. 

Edited November 18, 2013 by Ladyhay

[MacGyver]

The 640 is going to have more felt recoil than the Glock, but is a great CCW weapon assuming you're okay with trigger pull.

 

As to recoil, I wouldn't be scared of it, but I also wouldn't start with a full house .38spl +P load.  A reduced recoil .38spl might really be the right place to start for you with that pistol.  The steel frame is going to soak up a fair bit of the recoil, so if you decide you can handle that okay, then you can step up to one of the hotter .38spl or .38spl +P variants and see how that treats you.

 

Hogue makes a nice set of grips for that pistol that ought to tame it some, too.

 

So long as you can manage the heavier double action trigger with your arthritis, I don't know that you'll find a better choice in a real defensive caliber.

[MacGyver]

Both of these are reliable lighter rounds:

 

http://www.hornady.com/store/38-Special-90-gr-FTX-Critical-Defense-lite/

 

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/211732/

[Ladyhay]

Thought these may help.

 

ETA: I was posting while y'all were :).  Oh well, I think she is as pretty as I have ever seen.

Edited November 18, 2013 by Ladyhay

[MacGyver]

I'm not sure that's a 640.  At least not the current version.  Is it stamped as such?

 

I think that's a Model 49.

[Jonnin]

My wife and I both have a lot of weakness and she also is more of a revolver shooter.   She picked the Ruger GP 357, but for this conversation the SP is just as good.  Either of these, you can buy a cheap (under 20 bucks) spring kit and very easily replace both the trigger return spring and the hammer spring.  Doing so runs a risk of light strikes on SOME brands of ammo, so you have to test it carefully if you use the lightest of the light springs.   So far we have had maybe 4 light strikes out of about 500 rounds of handloaded ammo that I made, and 0 out of ??? for tested defense ammo.  

 

The result is all anyone could ask for.  I could pull that double action trigger with my pinky, its only slightly worse than your glock was for a trigger pull.  Out of the box, unmodified, she could not pull the DA trigger at all and I needed both my index and bird fingers on the trigger to manage it.

 

You *may* be able to do something similar for the S&W pistol --- I do not know what the springs are like in it nor do I know how hard they are to change.   All I know is the ruger was simple enough that I did it with nothing more than a small screwdriver and a small hex wrench, and the hex wrench was just used as a pin/punch assist.  

 

As for recoil, 357 can be fed anything from a weak 38 to a beefy 357, you can pick something that feels good to YOU.   It is hands down the most flexible round for choosing how much recoil you can handle and buying the appropriate ammo to suit that.   If none of the store bought ammo works, you can make some... I make a light 38 special load using a 380 acp bullet that has almost no recoil at all.   Beef that up with a speer gold dot 380 just a bit and you have something in the neighborhood of a 9mm, low recoil and adequate.  Keep going and you can lob the 170+ grain rhino killers and break your wrist with the recoil, its all up to the shooter's wants and needs...   You can FOR SURE buy light 38 special rounds and shoot them for fun and enjoy it a lot, minimal recoil and a great experience.  However, shooting 38s makes gunk in the cylinder that makes loading 357s hard, you have to spend some time cleaning the cylinder after shooting it a lot if you want to change caliber that way.  It takes me about 30 min to scrub the cylinders back to a point where the 357s "fall" in clean.   If you stick to 38s, its a non-issue.

 

Also, you can get a glock safety.  There is a way to drill a small hole thru the trigger and "lock" the "safety" thingy so the trigger can't be pulled until the safety is clicked off.  See?  It forces that thing in the middle of the trigger to remain in the "cant pull me" state until you push the pin to turn the safety off.   I have seen a few people with this mod.  Also, there are other semi-autos you could try, many much smaller, but if you want and like a revolver, use the revolver.   I carry the sig 938, which has a trigger you could probably use and is not too bad to rack, but it just depends on your hand strength and flexibility etc, everyone's handicaps are different so it would be a try before you buy thing.  But there *are* autos out  there that you can probably operate *if you wanted that*.   The auto gets you as much or more firepower in the same size package...  I get 7 shots of 9mm in something smaller than the smallest 5 shot 357s.   But the tradeoff is risk of jam, having to rack it, a safety to click, .... all handguns are a compromise.

Edited November 18, 2013 by Jonnin

[Ladyhay]

No, all it has is "Airweight 38 SPL. CTG" on the side and the serial number on the bottom of the grip J597581. 

[Ladyhay]

I'm not sure that's a 640.  At least not the current version.  Is it stamped as such?

 

I think that's a Model 49.

After looking at the photos (google) I think you correct, is that bad?

Edited November 18, 2013 by Ladyhay

[MacGyver]

No, all it has is "Airweight 38 SPL. CTG" on the side and the serial number on the bottom of the grip J597581. 

It's a great classic pistol with some history.

[Ladyhay]

It's a great classic pistol with some history.

Thanks, I am excited to try it.  It belonging to who it did, gives it enough history for me, but I still have to be able to "handle" it.

 

Thank you all very much.  I am trying to find a retailer for the 90 grain now.

[MacGyver]

These will probably make your life a lot easier:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Pachmayr-Grips-Frame-Square-Butt/dp/B000RYWUO8

[Jonnin]

Thanks, I am excited to try it.  It belonging to who it did, gives it enough history for me, but I still have to be able to "handle" it.

 

Thank you all very much.  I am trying to find a retailer for the 90 grain now.

 

The sportsmans warehouse here in chatt. had the pink 90 grain 38 lights, quite a bit of it considering what it was.  Dunno who else carries it.  Look for some "cowboy" loads or "wadcutter" loads, a few places sell these and they are almost always fairly gentle.

[Ladyhay]

These will probably make your life a lot easier:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Pachmayr-Grips-Frame-Square-Butt/dp/B000RYWUO8

 

Thank you very much! I love the look of the wood, but... thank you!

 

The sportsmans warehouse here in chatt. had the pink 90 grain 38 lights, quite a bit of it considering what it was.  Dunno who else carries it.  Look for some "cowboy" loads or "wadcutter" loads, a few places sell these and they are almost always fairly gentle.

 

Thank you!  I will look online, and if all else fails I can get the 110 and check in Feb when I am in the area. 

 

 

Thanks again, everyone.  I am feeling much more confident in this now.  

[Jonnin]

Just remember that its not the bullet weight alone that makes recoil.  Its the combined weight & powder charge/type.  And they do not tell you the powder info....  again look for words like cowboy, wadcutter, low recoil, or read the velocity on the back and get the one that has the lowest answer to (bullet weight X velocity).  

[Joe357]

Hello and welcome to tgo.
If the revolver you have is not rated for +p ammo you may not want to shoot +p ammo through it.

The first thing I would recommend to both you and your husband is go to a good range that rents guns and rent different kinds of handguns. Find the revolver or pistol you like and shoot it. If that one is not to your liking rent another until you find the gun you like. Then when you find that perfect gun shoot a couple a hundred rounds through it to make sure. Also I don't know if you carry a pocket book or not, but if you do you can conceal quite a few different size guns. They do make concealed carry pocketbooks so you can keep the gun separate from your other things. Edited November 18, 2013 by joe45

[MacGyver]

I'd try the wood grips first and see how those suit you.  No need to change them if the recoil doesn't scare you off.

 

If you're a smaller framed woman, the wood will definitely present a smaller package for concealment.

[musicman]

I don't know where Savannah, TN is, but every Academy I've visited from Nashville to Chattanooga now stocks the 90gr Hornady 38 spcl. I believe it's about $22-23 per box of 25 rds. I have three boxes at home for my wife. I hope you can find some soon, and that everything works out for you in regards to recoil, etc. You really do have a great firearm.

[gregintenn]

Welcome to the TGO forum. Your handgun appears to be either a nickel plated model 38 Smith and Wesson, or perhaps a stainless model 638. If you open the cylinder, the recessed area where the cylinder crane rests when closed should be stamped with a model number. It favors the 640 a bit, but has the added feature of still being able to be manually cocked and fired in single action.

 

Assuming you can pull the trigger without great difficulty, it would make an ideal carry gun. In fact, I couldn't think of many better suited for conceal carry. It is also a very well made, high quality revolver that has some collector interest, and would bring a decent price.

 

If you can find them, I would recommend you buy target ammunition loaded with 148 grain wadcutter bullets. These will be easy on recoil. They also should make formidable self defense rounds as well. 

 

After you check and recheck to be sure the gun is unloaded, it is perfectly acceptable to pull the trigger in order to get a feel for the gun before actually firing it. You can practice your trigger control and sight alignment this way, as well as building the necessary muscles and muscle memory to better shoot it. Dry firing a center fire Smith revolver, to my knowledge, doesn't do anything to damage the gun.

 

My wife carries a J frame Smith and Wesson revolver, as do I.

 

This turned out to be rather lengthy, but hope it helps.

[RED333]

Ladyhay, take you pistol to a gun shop and get them to look if it can shoot "+P", like another said, ya need to know.

There are 3 in town.

Link to google search.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Savannah%2C+TN&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=com.yahoo:en-US:official&client=firefox#q=gun+stores+in+Savannah%2C+TN&rls=com.yahoo:en-US%3Aofficial

[Ladyhay]

Everyone here is so nice.  Thank you so much for the welcome!

Hello and welcome to tgo.
If the revolver you have is not rated for +p ammo you may not want to shoot +p ammo through it.

The first thing I would recommend to both you and your husband is go to a good range that rents guns and rent different kinds of handguns. Find the revolver or pistol you like and shoot it. If that one is not to your liking rent another until you find the gun you like. Then when you find that perfect gun shoot a couple a hundred rounds through it to make sure. Also I don't know if you carry a pocket book or not, but if you do you can conceal quite a few different size guns. They do make concealed carry pocketbooks so you can keep the gun separate from your other things.

I will start looking. To be honest I did not know such a thing existed, the gun ranges.  Gun range time has to happen on a Sunday, it is the only day we have child care, and I hope that we do not have to trade off to go to one, but we know we may have too.  We tried to set up a range on our property, 2 acres in a revine, but the neighbors complained.  

Ya know, with the children, I don't know that I want it in my purse, or my car, or anywhere but on me.  One reason is them going through the purse, it has never been restricted territory- gum, candy, quarters, etc. The other is violence is not my only concern, but animals. Especially snakes and dogs.  They know to run from snakes fine enough, but the girl has been attacked by a dog that I was able to get off of her, and then me without too much difficulty- but it could have gone the other way, easily. 

 

I'd try the wood grips first and see how those suit you.  No need to change them if the recoil doesn't scare you off.

 

If you're a smaller framed woman, the wood will definitely present a smaller package for concealment.

 

I will try it first.  Concealment is a concern.

 

Welcome to the TGO forum. Your handgun appears to be either a nickel plated model 38 Smith and Wesson, or perhaps a stainless model 638. If you open the cylinder, the recessed area where the cylinder crane rests when closed should be stamped with a model number. It favors the 640 a bit, but has the added feature of still being able to be manually cocked and fired in single action.

 

Assuming you can pull the trigger without great difficulty, it would make an ideal carry gun. In fact, I couldn't think of many better suited for conceal carry. It is also a very well made, high quality revolver that has some collector interest, and would bring a decent price.

 

If you can find them, I would recommend you buy target ammunition loaded with 148 grain wadcutter bullets. These will be easy on recoil. They also should make formidable self defense rounds as well. 

 

After you check and recheck to be sure the gun is unloaded, it is perfectly acceptable to pull the trigger in order to get a feel for the gun before actually firing it. You can practice your trigger control and sight alignment this way, as well as building the necessary muscles and muscle memory to better shoot it. Dry firing a center fire Smith revolver, to my knowledge, doesn't do anything to damage the gun.

 

My wife carries a J frame Smith and Wesson revolver, as do I.

 

This turned out to be rather lengthy, but hope it helps.

 

I went over to Smith and Wesson forum, and they were very kind to tell me that it is a Model 38 Bodyguard.  I am unsure of year of production, or anything else at this point, but I do not think it is rated for 38+

 

Can I ask a strange question?  I can take the children into a gun shop with me correct?  They mind, the children, I just didn't know (for certain) if it was legal or frowned on.

Edited November 18, 2013 by Ladyhay

[MacGyver]

Most will welcome children.  And if you find one that doesn't welcome a mom trying to protect her kids, you need to find another shop.

[Patton]

Put it this way, the model 38 was never designed to be a shooter. A few came with Aluminum cylinders which is bad, most will have a carbon steel cylinder which is a lot stronger. With that said, today's +p 38 ammo is about what was a standard load 30-40 years ago. I don't think you will ever be able to shoot enough +p through it to wear it out.

[Patton]

And if you find one that doesn't welcome a mom trying to protect her kids, you need to find another shop.

And let Us know, we will make a note to not spend money there.

[Ladyhay]

Most will welcome children.  And if you find one that doesn't welcome a mom trying to protect her kids, you need to find another s

 

And let Us know, we will make a note to not spend money there.

Love it! Thank you, both!

 

Will they be able to tell me if it is Aluminum or Carbon Steel?  

Edited November 18, 2013 by Ladyhay

[Patton]

Most will welcome children.  And if you find one that doesn't welcome a mom trying to protect her kids, you need to find another s
 

And let Us know, we will make a note to not spend money there.

Love it! Thank you, both!
 
Will they be able to tell me if it is Aluminum or Carbon Steel?

Yes, a magnet would also tell you. I will almost guarantee you that you have a steel cylinder.