school me on hammerless revolvers

WAYNO · Dec 31, 2009

Certainly not in the league of the guns being discussed, here, but the first center-fire revolver I ever bought, was an old Iver Johnson Hammerless, in .38S&W. For a turn of the century gun, this gun is really quite nice, and in spite of being DA only, the action is smooth enough that it shoots quite accurately. I've retired this gun, long ago, but I know if I ever needed to use it, it would function perfectly.

WAYNO.

TheDogFather · Dec 31, 2009

I have a S&W 649 with shrouded hammer. The DA trigger is pretty light and has a good feel. The SA action is a bit heavy but I'm getting used to it ...( practice, practice, practice ... then practice some more). With SA trigger, after the shot, I can feel the cylinder revolve, I can "take up the slack" (or slop), then feel the tension (or resistance) in the trigger. The next slight squeeze is BANG. You can't beat them for reliability but you really need to work at the speed and accuracy, especially in the .357 mag caliber.

andrewryanj · Jan 1, 2010

I have a S&W 642 Airweight (.38 spc +p). It may hurt my hand a bit more than a larger frame when firing 50 rounds at the range, but it's what is easiest to carry. If you ever get into a bad situation, chances are that you will not shoot enough times to hurt your hand, and you probably won't feel anything until the next morning anyway due to your adrenaline.

The .357 Airlight just plain hurts and costs too much for my pocketbook. For me, the .38 +P is plenty of power, and has been proven enough for me to have faith in it stopping the threat.

soberups · Jan 2, 2010

Airweight revolvers are simply too light to deal with the recoil of decent +p or .357 mag ammo.

My EDC is a S&W 640 stainless steel in .357 mag. It carries and conceals quite nicely in a High Noon Holsters IWB rig. My summer (and winter) attire consists of denim or khaki shorts with a belt, and an XLT polo or tee shirt. I have never had issues with concealment or printing.

With the right belt and holster you wont even notice the weight...until you pull the trigger on a full-bore 158 gr JHP Magnum round and are able to control the recoil for accurate followup shots.

Another advantage I have found with the 640 is that the hammerless design keeps the bore axis lower in my hand. Its a very "pointable" gun. And no hammer means it can be carried in, and fired from, inside a coat pocket...meaning that you can have your hand on your weapon and ready to fire without a potential assailant even being aware of it or having the ability to disarm you.

Unlike an airweight revolver, a steel-framed gun is going to hold up better for target practice. I dont see many people at the range putting a lot or rounds thru their airweights, and if you are going to carry a gun you need to be able to hit the target with it.

Its rust proof, jam proof, durable, and it shoots a mean cartridge. Its tough to beat a 640 for concealed carry.

tionico · Jan 2, 2010

Soberup, you are absolutely right... a steel or stainless gun is far more pleasant to shoot than the featherweights... BUT.. the reason I got the Airweight is that I wanted something exrtremely small and light to carry in the back pocket of my cycling jersey whilst out knocking off the miles on my road bike. I've read of several muggings, where gangs of deadbeats have waylaid, robbed, and sometimes roughed up, small groups of cyclists. Their perception is, obviouly, that serious cyclists are NEVER armed. I hope I am not the one to burst their bubble, but if they DO decide to pick meeeee, that J frame lightweight with a .38 +P JHP will either deter them, holding them until the big boys in blue with the REAL guns arrive, or stop them, should they be foolish enough to press home the attack. Once a box or so of FMJ's go through that gun, I'm done.... until and unless I need it.

Now, for other sorts of more fun things, and for more normal carry, I've got a really sweet Ruger Security Six in stainless, .357. Six inch barrel... no way could I carry that on the bike.... except perhaps in a pannier on an extended multiday trip. Even then, because of the weight and size, I may well opt for the airweight.

I am glad finances have not forced me to decide which ONE of all out there I will be able to carry. Having options available, each to suit a specific need, is great. I suppose, too, if I really felt the need, I COULD carry the J in an ankle holster...... as a third deep backup everything else went way wrong and I'm in deep doo doo dooo oh no, please don''t.

Having recently learned that open carry, unloaded (but ammo readily available, just not IN the gun) is legal in California... if I get down there and have opportunity to ride, and feel the need to carry, I will look into an akle holster or similar rig to put it on one arm, above the biceps. Visible, accessible, out of the way..... SpeedLoader close to hand elsewhere.

If that .357 wasn't such a monster, by comparison, I'd be happy to carry that one instead. I can't quite imagine having that strapped on my left arm out on the road..... and I can NOT put a belt round my waist or chest whilst riding. Does not work. Nor do I want my carry weapon somewhere ON the bike... no, I want it on ME.

So, the Airweight fills a definite need...... which the (usually better) steel will not. Far better would be if BG's weren't so common, doing what they do to innocents.

fireninja13 · Sep 23, 2013

Hey there,

I have been something of a snubby fan over the years and have owned, carried and fired a variety of them. I should state that I'm not a very big guy, 5'11" @ about 155, so carrying the kind of gigantic revolver which I enjoy shooting the most is not practical for CC -- makes me look like I'm hunchback or have a tumor

My favorite all-arounder to date is my S&W 442. It is an older "no-dash" model that is the beneficiary of a very nice trigger job and is currently wearing Crimson Trace laser grips, making for a nice light-weight practical daily carry package. It gets regular range time and is accurate and fun to shoot even with .38 +p. I either carry this 442 or my MDE on a daily basis, depending on what I'm wearing.

Previously, I had a S&W model 49 which was a beautiful blued steel frame revolver with a shrouded hammer. It had a fantastic factory trigger and was a pleasure to shoot -- no doubt due to the hand fitting required for the old pre-MIM forged lockwork (the newer S&W revolvers use Metal Injection Molding, which streamlined the manufacturing process and cut a lot of costs -- and these guns work fine, but the older hand-fitted ones feel better. And with hammerless revolvers, a good smooth trigger is vitally important to your accuracy). But it was pretty big and heavy for daily carry -- for that weight I figured I could move up to a .357 Magnum. So I sold it. Kinda miss it though.

I also had a snubby S&W mod 66 w/ a 2" barrel. It was great to shoot, but I found it way too heavy for daily CC -- for me at least it was open carry cowboy style or leave it at home, and living in downtown Portland that means it sat in my safe. So I sold it. I do miss it though.

Additionally, I had a Colt Agent, which was a beautiful alloy framed 6-shot .38 special. It was somewhere between the size of the K-Frame and the J-frame Smiths. It was great to shoot and ok to carry. The lockwork was awesome -- it clicked like a ratchet, and locked up tighter than any other revolver I have ever owned. But it just didn't fit me right, or point naturally for me, even when I put Hogue monogrips on it. I was more accurate and faster with the 442, which was also smaller and easier to carry. So I sold the Colt.

Now keep in mind that I have a vintage 442, and it has had a fancy trigger job. I have fired newer J-frame centennials that some of my LEO buddies carry as backup guns and they have terrible triggers, leastwise by my rarefied tastes

And then there is the issue of the damnable lock they put on S&W revolvers now, which is not only ugly but has shown a nasty tendency to lock up the gun under the recoil of more potent loads. . . an issue which dose much to offset and negate the otherwise sterling and reliable design of the S&W J-frame.

The Rugers I have shot have been great in SA, and not so great DA. So, if you're shopping for a hammerless, I'd stick with an older Smith or Colt or budget in a trigger job. I have yet to shoot one of the LCRs yet, but I have handled a few and frankly the whole plastic thing creeps me out. Besides, there is virtually no weight savings over a S&W J-Frame which is a time tested design made since 1950.

So basically, I'd encourage you to find an older pre-lock Smith J-frame. The older ones will have a good trigger out of the box, and no lock. Or if you can find a nice older Colt revolver at a decent price, jump on it. You wont be disappointed with either one. And, if you get a nice older one at a fair price, you can be pretty confident it will hold its value.

deadeye · Sep 23, 2013

fireninja13 said:
So basically, I'd encourage you to find an older pre-lock Smith J-frame. The older ones will have a good trigger out of the box, and no lock. Or if you can find a nice older Colt revolver at a decent price, jump on it. You wont be disappointed with either one. And, if you get a nice older one at a fair price, you can be pretty confident it will hold its value.

I do believe after almost four years he found one by now.