S&W "Ultimate Carry" Airweight Revolvers

[nammac]

.38 Special +P's through a 642 let you know you've dropped the hammer. Last time out was 100 rounds including 130 gr fmj, 135 gr +P Gold dots and my own homebrew 148 gr hbwc's. That 100 rounds left me with a sore hand and wrist.

Airweights and the ilk are meant to be carried much and shot little. Just can't help myself, need to be reminded what the kick is like…

 

[Jade Falcon]

.38 Special +P's through a 642 let you know you've dropped the hammer. Last time out was 100 rounds including 130 gr fmj, 135 gr +P Gold dots and my own homebrew 148 gr hbwc's. That 100 rounds left me with a sore hand and wrist.

Airweights and the ilk are meant to be carried much and shot little. Just can't help myself, need to be reminded what the kick is like…

I once shot 50 rounds through an old 642 that I had back in the mid-2000s. On the 50th shot, the last round in the box, it busted a blister on the web of my hand and bled.

I don't want to repeat that again anytime soon. I don't know how people go through entire multi-day classes with specific training for this gun and shooting 200-300 rounds. I couldn't do that without a glove.

My 642PC is for ease of carry, and occasional range use. But not much. I'll probably end up carrying it more than my Glock 26, but I'll shoot my G26 way more often.

 

[Stomper]

I don't know of anyone that I run with who carries 357 rounds in the scandium frames.

Yes, they are brutal to shoot and can have lasting effect on the shooter.

I have a 340PD and run 38 Wadcutters in it, no need to be abused...expect for @Stomper , he prefers such things.

This is proof of profiling right here!

 

[Stomper]

.38 Special +P's through a 642 let you know you've dropped the hammer. Last time out was 100 rounds including 130 gr fmj, 135 gr +P Gold dots and my own homebrew 148 gr hbwc's. That 100 rounds left me with a sore hand and wrist.

Airweights and the ilk are meant to be carried much and shot little. Just can't help myself, need to be reminded what the kick is like…

Shoot some spicy .357 loads through a >4" SP101, you know you're popping rounds.

 

[Duneblaster]

What's shooting a hot loaded .357magnum snubbie like?

A: A flash bang grenade going off 3 feet away from your face. (fun at night in the dark...) It'll rattle your nose. Louder than a 9mm, a lot louder than a .45acp, one of the loudest pistol rounds you can get.

 

[nammac]

Shoot some spicy .357 loads through a >4" SP101, you know you're popping rounds.

Haven't done that yet with th Sp101, but have with a 2" Taurus 617, put exactly 14 rounds through it…. Now it only gets .38's

 

[Stomper]

What's shooting a hot loaded .357magnum snubbie like?

A: A flash bang grenade going off 3 feet away from your face. (fun at night in the dark...) And the sensation of a large bass speaker on your nose.

I perceive it more as catching a 2-lbs sledgehammer with your bare hand….. that makes your ears ring and inflames your tinnitus.

 

[Duneblaster]

I perceive it more as catching a 2-lbs sledgehammer with your bare hand….. that makes your ears ring and inflames your tinnitus.

I'm only talking about an all stainless 2" barrel .357magnum. Haven't had the opportunity to shoot a scandium or titanium S&W.

 

[Cerberus Group]

I perceive it more as catching a 2-lbs sledgehammer with your bare hand….. that makes your ears ring and inflames your tinnitus.

Freedom rings everyday, when you have tinnitus

 

[nammac]

Freedom rings everyday, when you have tinnitus

For the longest time I blamed the high pitched ringing/humming on the backlighting on the tv. Until one night the power went out, it was perfectly silent, except that sound that just won't stop.

Too many concerts and too much unprotected gunfire when I was a younger man….

 

[Stomper]

Freedom rings everyday, when you have tinnitus

The bonus is that it gives you plausible denial when you tell the wife you didn't hear hear ask you to perform a honey-do task.

 

[Duneblaster]

For the longest time I blamed the high pitched ringing/humming on the backlighting on the tv. Until one night the power went out, it was perfectly silent, except that sound that just won't stop.

Too many concerts and too much unprotected gunfire when I was a younger man….

If you noticed the tinnitus in 2008 it's probably smart meters. I've lived in other states since 2008 and the tinnitus would gradually fade away. But would always start back up when I returned to the Portland area. Done this many times since '08, lived in an area that I later found out didn't have smart meters,.. Wasn't until about 2012 that I figured out it was smart meters. Moved to a new location, no tinnitus, smart meters got installed and the tinnitus came back. Always wore hearing protection so I know it's not from shooting.

Some tv sets emit a high pitch sound but it's nothing like the tinnitus from smart meters. Pulsed 24/7 multi-directional wireless radiation... healthy...

 

[25-06]

The bonus is that it gives you plausible denial when you tell the wife you didn't hear hear ask you to perform a honey-do task.

What?

 

[Stomper]

What?

Wud ya say? I can't see ya!

 

[TTSX]

They should have made them .357 capable. My 340 is in .357 and it's not pleasant to shoot with full power 158 grain loads but from a coat pocket it'll get the job done and then some. There is no good reason to limit any revolver to .38 only. Unless price is your only concern, but then why look at a Smith?

 

[Cerberus Group]

They should have made them .357 capable. My 340 is in .357 and it's not pleasant to shoot with full power 158 grain loads but from a coat pocket it'll get the job done and then some. There is no good reason to limit any revolver to .38 only. Unless price is your only concern, but then why look at a Smith?

As I stated on page 1...

These are aluminum frame guns with no internal lock system, and come in at around a pound.
By using aluminum for the frame it limited the calibers to .38 plus P or .32 H&R Magnum.

The cost and effort to make these guns chambered in .357 Magnum or .327 Federal Magnum is not worth the effort for a ton of extra wear, cost, recoil, blast, and all for almost no gain on the ballistic performance side.

If you want to run hotter calibers, there are lots of steel guns available for that option.

As for 38 Special, for a snub there are many choices that are solid ballistically. They get the needed penetration to get to the vitals from any angle, and some HPs expand. I think the hesitation with choosing a 38 is that it has quietly been making great strides, so few people notice.

Also, the 32 H&R Magnum version can shoot the S&W long and short cartridges. The long cartridge passes the FBI standards for gel testing, with little recoil. The 32 is an often overlooked cartridge that has real world benefits.

 

[TTSX]

As I stated on page 1...

These are aluminum frame guns with no internal lock system, and come in at around a pound.
By using aluminum for the frame it limited the calibers to .38 plus P or .32 H&R Magnum.

The cost and effort to make these guns chambered in .357 Magnum or .327 Federal Magnum is not worth the effort for a ton of extra wear, cost, recoil, blast, and all for almost no gain on the ballistic performance side.

If you want to run hotter calibers, there are lots of steel guns available for that option.

As for 38 Special, for a snub there are many choices that are solid ballistically. They get the needed penetration to get to the vitals from any angle, and some HPs expand. I think the hesitation with choosing a 38 is that it has quietly been making great strides, so few people notice.

Also, the 32 H&R Magnum version can shoot the S&W long and short cartridges. The long cartridge passes the FBI standards for gel testing, with little recoil. The 32 is an often overlooked cartridge that has real world benefits.

Ok but my 340 is the same size with a scandium frame so clearly it can be done. That was my only point.

 

[gmerkt]

I like the .32 H&R Mag cartridge. I've had a couple of Smith & Wesson Model 16-4's, wonderful revolvers but they aren't a pocket gun. I've had one of the original Model 40 Centennials (.38 Spec) years ago, and I didn't care for DA only action.

I've had several Ruger SP-101's, including one in .32 H&R Mag, those were nice little carry guns.

For a pocket gun in .32 H&R Mag, I have this modest little gun:



New England Firearms R73. All steel, double action. I paid $140 for it. I've owned one of these years ago, didn't like it. For some reason, I like this one, maybe because it has decent single action trigger pull. It will never be a Smith & Wesson, but it didn't cost like one either.

Those new 442, 642, etc., at $500 or thereabouts, I thought they would cost more until I looked them up. They must cost less to make, like a Ruger LCR, than traditional revolvers.