The S&W 442/642 Probably Sucks

[K-22]

It seems the S&W 442 and 642 without the Hillary hole are readily available again and in the low $400's, which is fine enough for me. Plenty of 38 special out there too.

Would be a nice to have a jacket pocket rocket again.

Has anyone bought one recently? Does it need an action job right away or will it smooth out with a few rounds?

If I may be so bold as to ask, where is this bounty of .38 Special, you speak of?
Best,
Gary

 

[PDXbiker]

Once u do spring/ trigger work they are awesome, i daily carried one for almost 7yrs

I have a pre-lock 642 and sent it off to Clark Custom for their Service Action Job. Made all the difference, nice smooth pull.

• Double action lightened and smoothed to be reliable with all primers.
• "J" Frame triggers are polished & radiused.

 

[Nosferatu]

If I may be so bold as to ask, where is this bounty of .38 Special, you speak of?
Best,
Gary

Who said anything about a bounty?

 

[Nosferatu]

I have a pre-lock 642 and sent it off to Clark Custom for their Service Action Job. Made all the difference, nice smooth pull.

• Double action lightened and smoothed to be reliable with all primers.
• "J" Frame triggers are polished & radiused.

I might have to employ their services.

 

[K-22]

Who said anything about a bounty?

I substituted the word "bounty",for the original word "plenty".
I just exercised a little literary license.
Means pretty much the same thing as used in this conversation.
If bounty is hard to fathom, I will be happy to learn where "plenty", is available.
Best,
Gary

 

[Nosferatu]

I substituted the word "bounty",for the original word "plenty".
I just exercised a little literary license.
Means pretty much the same thing as used in this conversation.
If bounty is hard to fathom, I will be happy to learn where "plenty", is available.
Best,
Gary

Literary license denied.

Not to harp on this TOO hard, but I choose my words carefully. If I wanted to suggest that .38SP ammo was everywhere, I would have used the word bounty. However, bounty and plenty are not synonymous.

Plenty, especially in this context, means there is enough to make getting into another caliber I don't already own feasible.

If you look around the web, you will find PLENTY of defensive ammo available. It probably isn't the loading YOU want, the brand YOU want and especially the price YOU want, but it's there.

 

[Knobgoblin]

^^^^^^

Kinda the same as 9mm .
I can't justify .30 a round for 115 gr. Ball ammo. So I just keep buying hornady defensive stuff for $1+ a round, 40 to 100 rounds at a time. Nor what I want, but it's just how things are right now.

.38s aren't cheap, but they don't go as fast 5 at a time vs. 15 or more per magazine. And the empties are easy to recover for reloading.

 

[dangerranger60]

38 SPL is hard to come by here in CA. We can't mail order any more so its what ever is on the shelf. Mostly I can find Wad Cutter ammo, or high end Defensive stuff at over 1$ a bullet. So I have been carrying WC. Its also easier on my arthritic hands, and easier to make good multiple hits with. DR

 

[Certaindeaf]

38 SPL is hard to come by here in CA. We can't mail order any more so its what ever is on the shelf. Mostly I can find Wad Cutter ammo, or high end Defensive stuff at over 1$ a bullet. So I have been carrying WC. Its also easier on my arthritic hands, and easier to make good multiple hits with. DR

Do you mean semi-wadcutter or wadcutter?
The bad thing about factory target wadcutters is they do between 500 and 700fps out of a snubby.

 

[Nosferatu]

38 SPL is hard to come by here in CA. We can't mail order any more so its what ever is on the shelf. Mostly I can find Wad Cutter ammo, or high end Defensive stuff at over 1$ a bullet. So I have been carrying WC. Its also easier on my arthritic hands, and easier to make good multiple hits with. DR

Well that blows major wadcutters. I'm more glad I escaped now.

 

[K-22]

Literary license denied.

Not to harp on this TOO hard, but I choose my words carefully. If I wanted to suggest that .38SP ammo was everywhere, I would have used the word bounty. However, bounty and plenty are not synonymous.

Plenty, especially in this context, means there is enough to make getting into another caliber I don't already own feasible.

If you look around the web, you will find PLENTY of defensive ammo available. It probably isn't the loading YOU want, the brand YOU want and especially the price YOU want, but it's there.

Literary license denied.

Not to harp on this TOO hard, but I choose my words carefully. If I wanted to suggest that .38SP ammo was everywhere, I would have used the word bounty. However, bounty and plenty are not synonymous.

Plenty, especially in this context, means there is enough to make getting into another caliber I don't already own feasible.

If you look around the web, you will find PLENTY of defensive ammo available. It probably isn't the loading YOU want, the brand YOU want and especially the price YOU want, but it's there.

Wow!
It would appear your opinion and well reasoned logic is irrefutable..
Best,
Gary

 

[dangerranger60]

Do you mean semi-wadcutter or wadcutter?
The bad thing about factory target wadcutters is they do between 500 and 700fps out of a snubby.

I'm shooting Federal Gold Wadcutters, they run about 650 fps out of my 642. the good thing is they penetrate well! The bad is they don't load well from a speedloader or strips.
They were a favorite of old time cops for the penetration. And that they cut a full caliber hole through the target. DR

 

[User 1234]

With a C&R and COE California residents can still mail order legally. Or do it some other way without.

 

[titsonritz]

I have a no dash 442 w/ CT Lasergrips in my pocket everyday as my BUG.

 

[gmerkt]

38 SPL is hard to come by here in CA. We can't mail order any more so its what ever is on the shelf. Mostly I can find Wad Cutter ammo, or high end Defensive stuff at over 1$ a bullet. So I have been carrying WC. Its also easier on my arthritic hands, and easier to make good multiple hits with. DR

At one time, .38 Special was one of the most commonly reloaded cartridges. I still load it. Mostly Pb 148 gr. for my grandson; I make up some pretty soft wadcutter loads that he can easily handle. A few years ago, I bought 1,000 unfired, primed aluminum CCI cases from Rocky Mountain Reloading, I'm still working on those. Load once and throw away, no case preparation involved.

I've got some plated wadcutters that I got at a gun show once, those can be loaded up hotter. They have a cannelure on both ends. I forget who made them, maybe an obsolete Xtreme? There is a school of thought there are reasons that wadcutters are a superior design for .38 Special defensive ammo. Fast reloading is not one of them.

 

[Member 75076]

442/642 is great but I prefer the LCR. Better trigger, night sight availability, and fits my hand a bit better.

 

[RedneckRampage]

I carry a J frame (or two) every day. I have owned 6 or 7 no lock 442s, great little guns. The triggers, like mentioned, are not great, but they aren't terrible. Every one I owned got an Apex trigger kit, for under $30, you can do it yourself and make a noticeable difference. I do it to every J frame I buy that has a frame mounted firing pin.

 

[dangerranger60]

With a C&R and COE California residents can still mail order legally. Or do it some other way without.

I had thought of that, But the COE costs $100 a year plus a background check and livescan. I would have to buy a lot of ammo to make that worth it! If I bought 10 boxes a year it would add $10 to every box!
I had also thought of becoming a Kitchen table ammo dealer, But CA's record keeping requirements ended that thought! DR

 

[pharmseller]

I have so much 38 Spec I don't know what to do with it all.

I keep it next to my 1500 17 grain .17HMR and 12k .22LR.

 

[Knobgoblin]

I have so much 38 Spec I don't know what to do with it all.

I keep it next to my 1500 17 grain .17HMR and 12k .22LR.

Shoot it.

Get a lever gun if you want to burn through a pile of .38s