S&W "Ultimate Carry" Airweight Revolvers

[Moonbuzzard]

I've been carrying a no dash 642 for EDC for years now. As much as I love S&W I can't see me buying this one to replace it. Not enough reasons to swap into one. And as mentioned if I need to go hotter (read 357) then I would just grab my 640 357 steel frame. I'd like to think this new endeavor is them trying to court the younger gun crowd or perhaps even the females out there looking to carry. I can say there's lot of excitement here locally because of the new facility S&W has built. But with rumors spreading about them paying $hit wages for assembly I fear my days of buying "new" smiths are probably over.

 

[CountryGent]

Didn't click. But the six-shot .32 H&R Magnum variant sounds interesting.

 

[25-06]

Don't tell anyone, but the 642, 640 and 442 are available without the internal lock. My normally aspired 642 is sans internal lock…

I have a 642 with no hole. Not my first choice for CC and it really isn't fun to shoot. 14 oz with +P is a chore.

 

[TTSX]

You weenies! I carry a 340 in .357 with full power loads. It isn't "fun" to shoot but a shooting shouldn't be in your realm of "fun" anyway

 

[nammac]

I have a 642 with no hole. Not my first choice for CC and it really isn't fun to shoot. 14 oz with +P is a chore.

It's not really that punishing, not something one would want to make it a day at the range with, but I've put plenty of Gold Dot 135 gr +P's through mine. It's tiring but not horrible.

 

[Jade Falcon]

Back in May I bought a new 642 Performance Center which, unbeknownst to me at the time, had some cylinder defects in the form of a deep scratch in one chamber (pictured below), and tool marks in another (not pictured). I contacted S&W about it and they sent me a shipping label, but I haven't sent it back yet.....the nearest print-and-ship place is 35 miles away.

I wish these new offerings had come out back then, I would have bought one of them instead. And I might still pick up that 632UC in .32 Mag anyways. I wish that grip came on all of them.....my biggest complaint is the exposed backstrap. And the Altamont grip they stuck on my 642PC was horribly fitted, which I'm also going to ask the factory if they can fix. But also going to buy a new pair of wood Altamont grips anyways, so not a huge deal.

 

[TTSX]

Oh no, a scratch. The gun is ruined.

 

[Jade Falcon]

Oh no, a scratch. The gun is ruined.

So I should accept defects from an in-house custom shop-built gun?

 

[TTSX]

So I should accept defects from an in-house custom shop-built gun?

I think you shouldn't waste the mental energy on cosmetic issues that will never see daylight in the first place.

I also wouldn't call the performance center a "custom shop" by a loooong stretch. They're just production guns.

 

[Jade Falcon]

I think you shouldn't waste the mental energy on cosmetic issues that will never see daylight in the first place.

I also wouldn't call the performance center a "custom shop" by a loooong stretch. They're just production guns.

That's nice, except I expect better from S&W for a $600 gun.

And by the way....nobody would have seen the inside of that Beretta slide either....

 

[nammac]

Back in May I bought a new 642 Performance Center which, unbeknownst to me at the time, had some cylinder defects in the form of a deep scratch in one chamber (pictured below), and tool marks in another (not pictured). I contacted S&W about it and they sent me a shipping label, but I haven't sent it back yet.....the nearest print-and-ship place is 35 miles away.

I wish these new offerings had come out back then, I would have bought one of them instead. And I might still pick up that 632UC in .32 Mag anyways. I wish that grip came on all of them.....my biggest complaint is the exposed backstrap. And the Altamont grip they stuck on my 642PC was horribly fitted, which I'm also going to ask the factory if they can fix. But also going to buy a new pair of wood Altamont grips anyways, so not a huge deal.

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I get it, you paid first quality price and want first quality, nothing unreasonable about that. Looks like Friday afternoon qc at S&W…

 

[Cerberus Group]

I finally was able to scratch and claw one of them away from their clutches.

A 432, which means 32 Magnum caliber.

We are now making 32 in both Wadcutter and XTP loads. Once Darryl Bolke and company are finished with their testing it'll be available to the public.

In dry firing, the trigger isn't bad, but like all my other 'Smiths...off comes the side plate for some finish work.

 

[Paolung]

Looks like Lipsey's and Smith & Wesson partnered together to create a new package for airweight revolvers. The new "ultimate carry" series comes in .32 H&R magnum (6 round capacity) or .38 special (5 round capacity), with XS Tritium front sights and dovetailed u-notch rear sights, and a trigger job from the factory. I'll definitely be picking one of these up. When I don't have my Glock 19, I have my S&W 442 and these new ones fix all the complaints I have about my 442. Could even possibly replace my Glock 19 as my main carry gun just because of the ease of carrying a j-frame vs a semi auto.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24b7MvVaL4I

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbmbcBoCcJg

I won't own or carry a j-frame that doesn't have an exposed hammer.

 

[Cerberus Group]

Like revolver classes I've taught in the past, any and all revolvers I have on the range will be available for students to try out...this one included.

 

[The Heretic]

I just do not care for snubbies.

 

[nammac]

I just do not care for snubbies.

That's what "she" said…

 

[RedneckRampage]

I had a 640 Pro, the sights are NOT worth it. For what it is, the notch and a big dot or painted ramp work ok. Give me a 442 no lock or an M&P340.

 

[Cerberus Group]

The sights on this UC 432 are what I'd call close to perfect.

Blackout rear with a large notch, and a front sight that's easy to see. A nightsight with a large visible circle around it.

 

[Paolung]

The sights on this UC 432 are what I'd call close to perfect.

Blackout rear with a large notch, and a front sight that's easy to see. A nightsight with a large visible circle around it.

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Apologies in advance to OP for a little bit of thread drift here, but what's the draw for these blacked out rear sights? Seeing that as the thing lately and wondering why.

 

[Cerberus Group]

Apologies in advance to OP for a little bit of thread drift here, but what's the draw for these blacked out rear sights? Seeing that as the thing lately and wondering why.

First off, blackout rear sights have been a "thing" for well over 30 years.

In quite a few of the competition classes, you won't find anything on their rear sights...and those folks are looking for any edge they can over their competition. If 3 dots and other art work on the rear sight was all that, they'd be using it.

A lot of the rear sights that I find that have anything on them are a distraction. If you're spending time aligning the dots and other things on the rear sight and not focusing on the threat at hand, you're putting yourself at a disadvantage from the start.

The people that can draw and hit their target at under 1 second are not looking at their rear sight. They are looking through it to the front sight...and the focus is on the threat. The front sight is superimposed on the threat. Once the front sight covers the intended target, the shot is taken.

Most shooters only use the rear sight as a reference and nothing more. They use many rounds of training to get their draw correct, in that the gun will present to the target level and plumb, and the only concern is getting a look at the front sight on the target, and the only conscience decision is when to actuate the trigger.

Ultimate Carry revolvers are designed for 15 feet and closer. Which means up close and personal type situations, not precision or longer range shots.