J-frame fanboys Please step in: list your 3 biggest pro & cons for this as a back-up

[41mag]

Looking for focused discussion on why/why not include the S&W J-frame as a part of your regular gear.

5 shot 38 Special +P seems adequate for certain roles; not intended as a 'caliber' or 'marque' flame war. Specific job, specific tool; what's better given the mission/package size? And I don't expect the air-drive Polonium dart nano-blaster to be included in this thread.

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[Ruger Rich]

I have one and it suits me fine. 3" barrel so it has a half way decent sight picture. And with the wide choice of personal protection ammo currently available it increases the lethality of the .38 Special round. It's a pleasure to carry because of size/weight. I well realize there are bigger, faster, larger capacity options available. But if you can make your self protection a hit in the first couple of shots the deed is likely done. And other than military and law enforcement how long is a fire fight going to last?

 

[41mag]

thank you Ruger Rich. Do you have a favorite ammo to recommend, or some you have found not satisfactory?

 

[fxdc]

I carried one as a BUG and in summer as a EDC. Loved it!

It has been replaced by a Kimber micro 9, small and light and uses the same ammo as my main carry S.A. EMP.

 

[No_Regerts]

I carried a S&W 642 for a long time as a BUG. As reliable as it gets, simple, hides pretty easy. As far as cons: slower to reload than an auto, only 5 shots, pretty limited range.

To me, the single stack 9mm category has lots of great options that hold more ammo, easier to reload, less recoil.

 

[ob1]

I have one and it suits me fine. 3" barrel so it has a half way decent sight picture. And with the wide choice of personal protection ammo currently available it increases the lethality of the .38 Special round. It's a pleasure to carry because of size/weight. I well realize there are bigger, faster, larger capacity options available. But if you can make your self protection a hit in the first couple of shots the deed is likely done. And other than military and law enforcement how long is a fire fight going to last?

In the 80's I witnessed a couple 1-2 rd. 10 yard take outs, when the .38 special +P 158gr, SWC-HP was still in common use {I don't know if that load is still even widely available}. Only difference being 2 1/2" K-frames were in use. A model 649 might be a good choice if you can find one at a good price {I can't}.

The take away I keep from those events was precise round placement. As compared to todays loads, I am sure there are better ballistics/ weapons packages available now, but .38 still lives, IMO. {Oh...I should mention both of the guys were excellent trained shots.}

 

[Certaindeaf]

Specialtoniam's (Ti/Sc you heaths) are the rage. F, oops, J yea!
that don't even make sense, anyways. mic kick

 

[Ruger Rich]

thank you Ruger Rich. Do you have a favorite ammo to recommend, or some you have found not satisfactory?

I haven't shot too many intruders lately

 

[gunnails]

My wife sometimes carries a J frame and we keep a 357 Ruger loaded with .38's as a bed side gun, the biggest advantage to us is they are so simple to operate and do not have a safety.

The serious shooter is most often better off with a semi auto, but for those of us who do not train alot, we find revolvers to be the ticket.

 

[bikemutt]

I've got a couple S&W titanium cylinder j-frames, 11 oz unloaded. Perfect tuck-away guns in any sort of weather. Better to have something than nothing.

 

[JRuby]

My wife has a model 36 lady's Smith. She can hit a standard target at 25 yards pretty reliably. The reason why she close the revolver is because she had problem with racking the slide. One of my carry pieces is a snub nose model 15. In both of our pistols we use Hornady critical defense +p. By the way her house gun is a 624 smith.

 

[ob1]

By the way her house gun is a 624 smith.

Can you still find ammo on the shelf locally for that ?

 

[41mag]

44 special all by itself is reason enough to learn to reload;

 

[P7M13]

A buddy let me shoot his newly purchased PD J-Frame, loaded with 38 spc. Something like a 1-1/2 barrel (so friggin' short). When I hefted it, I thought there was no way this thing would be accurate. At 25 yards (TCGC range), we had everything in black on his silhouette target. Easy sight acquisition, felt great in our hands, and so tiny.

 

[41mag]

a buddy showed me his now-discontinued 337/357 CT grips. It was wayWayWAY light but had a moderately decent SA trigger. It was too painful for 357 or 38+P loads. I was so sore by then the 38 special loads didn't satisfy me either.

Have shot the 36/49 with adequate accuracy; the 638 is another of the amazing clutch of variations that seem so tiny. The Centenial internal hammer seems well built as the rest of 'em, yet too odd in ways.

I know there's special grips to increase comfort.

 

[JRuby]

Can you still find ammo on the shelf locally for that ?

Yes we use federal hydroshok Sportsmans or cabellas should have it.

 

[Howard1955]

Looking for focused discussion on why/why not include the S&W J-frame as a part of your regular gear.

5 shot 38 Special +P seems adequate for certain roles; not intended as a 'caliber' or 'marque' flame war. Specific job, specific tool; what's better given the mission/package size? And I don't expect the air-drive Polonium dart nano-blaster to be included in this thread.

The S&W 640 is the gun that I carry most. Fits easily into my front pocket.

I like that it's easy to conceal, but is stainless. The extra weight of the stainless absorbs some of the recoil. I put the green Crimson Trace laser on it (lg-350g), and really like it. Not only does it allow me to point-shoot (at closer distances), but it has extra padding which helps with recoil.

I want the hardest-hitting round I can reliably hit with, and experimented with various rounds until I found the stoutest one I can tolerate. At this particular stage, that round is the Winchester White Box 110 grain jhp. 357 mag.

There are times when I carry a semi-auto .45 - but for the most part, the .357 seems enough to have on me, for going about my daily life.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

I have one in a 3" with adjustable sights. Excellent shot placement is easy with it. It's a fun little gun, I used to carry it on driving trips, cross draw, in a Tex Schumacher holster, but I've really retired it from defensive use!

 

[WillametteWill]

I've been carrying my S&W M60 for 32 years now. It's not my only carry gun but I work in hot climates quite a bit and it's much easier to conceal than my 1911. I shoot it quite a bit, mostly with my own reloads. For carry I use either Federal or Hornady reduced recoil loads. Having tried normal and +P loads over the year I find follow up shots are much more difficult and, well, it hurts! These can be quite accurate at appropriate ranges. I still have to shoot once a year to qualify (not a difficult task) and shot 149/150 last month, one slightly out of the 10 ring on a silhouette. Seen others who rarely practice not be able to qualify with many shots off the paper.

Put nicer Hogue cocobolo grips on it a few years ago that are great. Little bigger but didn't really change the carry position.

Nice thread BTW

 

[woody06]

Light weight, small enough to easily conceal, and reliable.