First experience with S&W 642.. yikes

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Lugnut

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Well just got back from the range after testing my new snubby. It's a J-frame aluminum frame, steel cylinder/barrel- 15 oz. I bought a bunch of American Eagle .38 158gr lead RN, Speer GoldDot 125gr HP and some Federal .38 +P 129gr Hydra-Shok ammo.

Started at about 6 yds and started shooting. Oh my. It was difficult to get all shots on the target never mind the middle! Last time I shot .38 Special was in my S&W 686 4" and it was like a cream puff. This was quite a different experience. Trigger was a hard pull and not even. The gun actually was hurting my hand between the web of my thumb and index finger. I honestly didn't notice a significant difference with the +P ammo. I shot about 75 rounds of the AE and a handful each of the other and called it quits. I started getting a little better at the end. You really need to have a nice, consistent pull to shoot well. Lots of work ahead, I was humbled. Good thing is it's obviously only a CCW gun and concealment it great. I can't for the life of me imagine shooting .357 Magnum in a gun like this.


Just for giggles, before I left I figured I try a few rounds in my S&W 1911 (talk about contrast huh??). Put a target out to 25 feet and shot about 10 rounds into a group just over and inch. I felt human again.
 
If the gun doesn't have rubber grips, this mod could soften up recoil. The obvious second step would be a trigger job. I have known PPC shooters who would dry fire a new revolver thousands of times to smooth the action rather than pay for a trigger job. This might be worth a try.
 
Yeah, you need to dry fire it a lot to get the trigger right. Especially since its a DAO you will have a lot of trouble initially getting the shots on paper. I picked up an SW638 from a fellow NESer a few weeks ago (same thing, but shrouded hammer instead of hammerless) and when I shoot it DA I can barely get all the rounds on paper (standard 50 foot bullseye) at 35 feet, much less in the black. In single action, I can get 2-4 inch groups which is really all I need at that range with a snubbie. I don't find the recoil upsetting at all, but the one thing about it is that the serrations on the hammer are pretty rough and it can eat at your thumb. J frames are capable of excellent accuracy once you break them in and learn them.

I do like the shrouded guns better than the hammerless because I like having the option of SA for range use, and in the less likely event that I ever need it yet have time to pull the hammer back. Shooting DA revolvers in SA has become a reflex for me.

And yeah, the thought of shooting .357 in one of those scandium J-frames scares me. I can't even handle more than a mag or two from a Para Warthog.
 
Funny story...

A good friend of mine has a couple of cousins who live up in NH and are unbelievably good shots. They used to shoot .22 pistols in their basement every day after school their whole lives, and felt bad if they dipped into the 280s in bullseye shoots. Anyhow, they are both hunters, and they got so bored using rifles, that they went to handguns, and after a while that seemed too easy, too. Last he heard, they had switched to using SNUBBIES to hunt deer!!!! And, they were still bagging their limit. Isn't that amazing??
 
Lugnut, congrats on the new gun. You're right, it can be a handful. You might want to work your way up to full +P loads, to avoid any kind of flinching habit.

I've found it just takes a lot of shooting to master a light snub.

I had trouble at first shooting my SW 640 .357, until I fired sever hundred .38 round to get the feel of it.

Same thing with your 642, you don't have to start with the master blasters right off the bat. Get some target loads or WWB, and shoot that a lot before you step up in power, and in the meantime, carry it with +P, you won't feel it if you need it for real.

Like Pilgrim said, dry fire the heck out of it. I'll bet you won't need a trigger job. It's a training experience. After you've pulled that trigger a few thousand times, taking care to aim, breathe and use proper grip and trigger control, you'll get better.

I've found my 442 and 640 to be very accurate, even out to 50 yards for me. I can hit a gallon milk jug at 50 yards with the 640. I did put Houge extended grips on it, and since I carry it with a good belted holster, it isn't hard to conceal.
 
It's fun to play with snubbies at longer ranges, but 35 feet is good enough for me. If they're 50 feet away I should probably be running, not shooting.
 
Every new revolver I get, I take it, make sure it's empty and while watching TV just sit there and pull the trigger, over and over. No pointing, aiming, whatever, just click, click click. It's amazing how many times you can pull that trigger in an hour or so!

It's also amazing how it improves the feel of the trigger.

Do it over several nights.

Only after I go thru that routine do I worry about being able to hit anything with it.

Wife thinks I'm nuts.
 
Lots of good advice. I appreciate it. I think I'll swing by friendly neighborhood gun shop and get some snap caps today.
 
Lugnut, how are you gripping it? The proper grip can have a big effect on both comfort and accuracy. PM sent.
 
EC,

I'd also like to know whatever ideas you have on grip. My shooting would benefit from a proper grip, as opposed to just doing what feels comfortable.

TIA
 
A 642 is not an easy gun to shoot. I agree with dry firing and lighter
loads, initially. It's also pretty easy to get fatigued on the gun,
too, given the level of abuse imparted with full power loads. Don't bother
going crazy shooting over a box or three per range visit, eventually your hand
gets pissed off and then your practice will end up being non or
counterproductive after that point.

Further, don't bother shooting (at least initially) at anything more than
about 10 feet or so... If you're still trying to get your trigger control
under control it makes things a bit easier if you can tell how badly you
missed. (it's easier to see this at 10 feet than if you miss the pie plate
or whatever completely at 25 feet. ) You could also use bigger targets,
too, I guess, but I'd rather just get closer to the paper plate.


-Mike
 
EddieCoyle said:
Lugnut, how are you gripping it? The proper grip can have a big effect on both comfort and accuracy. PM sent.
Click to expand...

Thanks Jim! I got it and I do grip it exactly the way you mention. Just going take some work. I could see some improvements toward the end of my practice but it's still tough.

Question: I assume you line up the top of the front sight with the top of the channel in the frame? (so it's even) And then the top of the sight is POI?
 
I've just cut my teeth on some 135gr Speer Gold Dot +P's. To call them robust is a bit of an understatement. Put it this way, I took a break by shooting Winchester +P 125gr PP and GDHP +P 125's... ;)

Everyone is on the money Lugnut - round count and dry firing. Try mine at the shoot - it's as smooth as butter. I have 650 rounds out of it and at least twice that dry firing. I could care less about trick shots at 25-yards though. I'm focusing at 0-15 feet and may look for another larger/longer J-Frame for reaching out beyond that.

Congrats on your new 642!
 
Lots of good advice. Here's some more from a 642 owner:

- Get some skate board tape. Cut a sliver off and tape to inside of trigger. My finger was sliding across the smooth trigger as I shot, thus repeatability is a problem. No longer a valid excuse after this little fix.

- Have the trigger pull checked. I just bought a Lyman digital gauge. Threw it on this gun and it pegged as "ouch . . . greater than 12#" every time! I called S&W and made special arrangements to drop it off as we entered the plant for the tour last week. They shocked me by having it done for me within an hour! It's now an 11# pull. Not great, but a lot better. Spec for this gun is 10-12#, but it shouldn't be >12#.

I've probably put 4-500 rds thru it and dry fired it maybe another 4-500 times since I bought it last Summer. I use WWB ammo in it.
 
Hi Lugnut,
I have the same model Snubby and I share your pain. After 10-15 rounds, the trigger felt like it was glued forward. When I dry fire about 20 times, finger fatigue would set in. When shooting more than ten rounds of +P, my hand would shake as I tried to "squeeze!!" the trigger. I bought gloves which helped a bit with absorbing the impact but did nothing to make the trigger less difficult. The sighting on the Snubby is interesting and can be a challenge. I have Crimson laser grips and I found when I tried to sight without the laser, my shot was a good one but not an X. I use the laser beam in conjunction with the front sight.
I decided to have the trigger weight reduced and I just got my gun back today. I can dry fire 24-30 times without flinching. The gunsmith charged $40 for this work and I believe it is worth every cent to be able to squeeze the trigger comfortably and not have to worry about my hand trembling from exertion on the trigger. He painted my front sight and now I can clearly line up my shots. The laser proves me dead on.
Best regards.
 
I'm having similar difficulty with my 360PD. If you think the 642 hurts with .38+P, try out a 360PD with full boat .357. The description, in a word, is pain. I completely understand that this is a revolver meant to be carried a lot and fired a little, but I would like to develop some competence with it before relying on it as a carry piece. I'm willing to give dry firing a try. I'm also considering installing Crimson Trace lasergrips which have a "pinky" grip and allow a slightly better hold. Any other advice from the snubbie experts here?
 
One thing Riverside said that I agree with a lot.

Paint the front site.

I bought some bright yellow fluorescent paint and coated the top of my site on the black 442. It makes it so much easier to see the front site in dim light or against mottled backgrounds. Fluorescent green, red and orange work well too.

Putting down one coat of fluorescent white before you put on the color you want will make it even brighter.

I buy my paint at fly fishing supply stores. Little bottles will last forever, costing about 2-4 bucks each. The paints are available at hobby and craft shops, hardware stores and model shops.
 
Executive, I know that it's a .357, but start with .38 target loads, work up to .38 +P, then try the .357 again. You don't want to develop pernament bad habits with that gun. Establish a good feel and good habits first before you move up. And in the meantime a .38 +p Hydrashok is nothing to laugh at.
 
Executive said:
I'm having similar difficulty with my 360PD. If you think the 642 hurts with .38+P, try out a 360PD with full boat .357. The description, in a word, is pain. I completely understand that this is a revolver meant to be carried a lot and fired a little, but I would like to develop some competence with it before relying on it as a carry piece. I'm willing to give dry firing a try. I'm also considering installing Crimson Trace lasergrips which have a "pinky" grip and allow a slightly better hold. Any other advice from the snubbie experts here?
Click to expand...

If any of you want to try the airlite ty with full mag loads and a proper set of grips see my at the Spring shoot. My airlite is also magnaported. It makes a difference but the grips are the most important part.

Crimson Trace grips are not sized properly for my hands. I have wood grips that I have used for some time on several different J frames. I will also have a couple different J rubber grips with me for you to try out.

The most important part of controlling any of these hard hitting little guns is proper fit of your hand to the stock and proper grip of the firearm. proper grip will vary from person to person depending on a lot of things.

Come and play. I will make sure I have a few boxes of full mag ammo or at least some hot +P.[smile]

regards,
 
Hi - I agree with Len S. about the trigger pull. Mine was 14# from the factory! Had a gunsmith at BRP do some work on it, it's made a huge difference.
 
Paint the front site.
Click to expand...
When I got my 642, I spent a pile of money to have a gunsmith cut in an orange plastic insert. Waste of money.

These days, I simply paint the front sight. You can get model paint at a hobby store for a couple bucks and if it wears off just paint it again.
 
Two comments:

Round Gun Shooter knows revolvers (hence the name). You could do a lot worse than follow his suggestions.

M1911 also has a good point. I paint my snub sights as well. I have gone so far as to buy the Birchwood-Casey paint pens, and like them a lot. There are some that say: It's a rip off to buy the pens when you can buy more paint for less money at a modeling store. But, when you factor in the time and convenience of using a paint pen over a paint pot, and the time cleaning the brush, and the cost of the brush, and the cost of the thinner or other brush cleaner, well, I'll take the pen.
 

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