Thinking of switching to revolver..

[Shriner]

My bulldog 44 spl is a little bigger than a J frame , and you get 45acp balistics in a lighter frame.

 

[_CY_]

reason for lock failure is the tiny spring used in lock assembly ... after awhile even if lock is not used... the spring will fail, then pistol will jam.

one of the first things I did for my 340PD and 327PD was to remove the locking plate spring/assembly. not very hard to do... while I had it apart. went ahead and stoned every moving part... really smoothed out double action trigger.

to me if one has a J-frame with lock.... it's mandatory to remove the lock assembly....after looking at that tiny spring, just my opinion.... it's not a matter if it's going to fail... but when.

here's instructions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVPYgohVCNM

Yes it is. Some claim to have this lock the gun up at unintended times. I once had a scandium frame gun that locked up on the first trip to the range but never after that and I've never had one do it since. The no lock versions seem to be making a comeback. Smith and Wesson have the 642 and 442 available as a no lock option. I'd like to hear from anyone else who has "personally" had the lock fail. You hear a lot of internet talk about it.

 

[Glock 'em down]

Thanks for all the advice. I'm not exactly an experienced gun buyer and it helps a bunch!

With that being said, I'm going to suggest the Smith & Wesson "Bodyguard" series.

Here's why.

ANY Smith & Wesson revolver is NEVER a "bad" choice. The weapons bearing Horace and Daniel's names are among the best sellers ever. Millions of gun owner can't be wrong.

I've given my opinion on the mighty Smith & Wesson J frame over and over and over again but I reckon one more time ain't gonna hurt nuthin'.

Basically, there are three types of Smith & Wesson j frame revolvers.

The "original" J frame, the Chief's Special, which includes models 36, 37, 637 & 60.

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The Centenial, also called "hammerless" by many (even though it DOES have an internal hammer ) which includes the "Lemon squeezer" model 40 and it's stainless steel sibling, the 640 as well as the uber popular, 442/642 series.

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And. my personal favorite the Bodyguards, which are also called the "humpbacks" and they include the model 38, 49, 638 & 649.

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All the pics posted depict the Airweight versions of these revolvers, but all steel versions of all three variants exsist as well.

My take on the J frame? I love 'em. The Chief's Special have some awesome lines and curves, the Centennials have that no nonsense, drop in the pocket styling that makes them arguably the finest J frame (definitely the biggest seller) ever built, and then there's the Bodyguard series.

Ahhh! What can I say about the Bodyguards. The little humpback, IMHO, is the very best J frame ever. Obviously, many folks will argue with me, but here's why I love the little guy.

For apparant reasons, the J frame is gonna be a little harder to shoot that most revolvers because of it's size and weight. The Centennials are even tougher to fire accurately. Let me explain why. With the Chief's Special and the Bodyguard, you have the option of single action AND double action shooting. Which means you can fire a box of ammo or so thru it and find out where the little guy is hitting on the paper as well as get yourself accustomed to it's recoil.

After, you find your sights and establish your pattern, you can then switch over to double action, and guess what? You patterns hardly change! By the way, double action is DEFINITELY how you wanna do ALL of your shooting - both on the range and in a self defense situation. Single action shooting should not be used AFTER you find your sights and get used to the thump.

Here's why I loves me Bodyguard!

With the Bodyguard series, you have the best of both worlds! You can train in single action, find your sights, get used to the kick, switch to double action, and then after all is said and done, it slips into the pocket snag free just like it's DAO siblings, the Centennial series.

Sorry for the novel.

One thing I learned about carrying a snubbie in the front pants pocket is that (for me) it was sometimes difficult to deploy in some instances when wrestling with someone (self defense class). One instance i got my hand stuck in pocket and pinned on ground. My pants were too tight. Got some looser fitting ones (with bigger pockets) and it helped a little bit but still wasn't as fast as with OWB. There are pros and cons to both. Just something to think about.

Pocket carry absolutely sucks.

With that being said, I carry my J frame model 38 Airweight Bodyguard in my front pocket...

Every. Single. Day.

It may sound contradictory, but at least you accomplish rule #1...

Bring a gun!

For those of you who have never read "The Rules" click on my signature below.

 

[99TROUBLE]

This has turned into a very informative thread for me .Thanx for the info on the lock.

 

[Dbltap]

I have a S&W 642. Not my primary carry, but works well in an ankle holster and front pocket holster. Just make sure the jeans or cargo shorts have loose enough pockets for a fairly easy/quick draw. It has the lock, hadn't heard about the problems with the locks when I bought mine, so I didn't know to look for one without it. Never had a problem with it though. Don't believe the inaccuracy hype. With enough practice you can make body shots at 25 and 50 yards and head shots at 10-15 yards. Key word is practice.