Smith & Wesson 642 Airweight Carry 38 Special, 1.87" Barrel, Internal Hammer, 5rd

I bought this for my wife and she loves it. We bought it new but after only 2 weeks the trigger started stacking on about the 3rd shot and if it was rapid fired the cylinder would hang up a little. The trigger pull was awful. The dealer sent it back to S&W and 5 weeks later it is a fine operating tool.

I've owned a number of S&W firearms over the years and they have always been excellent. This J-frame is no exception. For years, it has been THE carry pistol of choice, and even today, with all the compact and sub-compact semiauto options available, a great many knowledgeable shooters still carry this one. I own two. One for my wife, outfitted with Pachmayr Grippers to help absorb recoil and give her more grip surface, and one foe me, which I outfitted with finger-groove rosewood combat grips. The grips have made a huge difference in my ability not only to carry it concealed, but to shoot it more accurately. In my experience, while rubber grips do help to absorb recoil, they tend not to carry as well, and also have a tendency to move slightly in your grip while shooting, which can affect accuracy. The grips I have are similar to what S&W provides on their Ladysmith revolvers (in fact, the same company makes them)and I don't believe they can be improved on. I've had many full-sized pistols and revolvers over the years, all of which have eventually been sold or traded. (And some of those I wish I still had! You know how that goes.)This one is a keeper.

I have own my 642 for over 8 years now and I love it. When I go to the range I put thirty rounds through it and I am done. It is uncomfortable to shoot. The most comfortable carry gun I have ever had with no worries of a misfire and with practice deadly accurate up to fifteen feet. Always goes bang. Easy to see why more people have depended on 642 for so many years. Benefits of this gun are they are small, concealable, basic mechanics, and deadly accurate at short distances, and always goes bang when it counts. I have put more than 800 rounds through this gun with zero problems.

Borrowing words from others, light, dependable, easily concealed. Has always gone bang when I have pulled the trigger, if I remembered to load it!

I just got my 642 Airweight. I spent the day shooting a variety of guns on the range. I shot this pistol with the standard grip and then the same pistol with a padded grip. I almost wasn't going to buy it after shooting it with the standard grip as it hurt my hand. I recommend getting the grip changed out as the padded grip made it 50% better! I don't have my CWP yet but decided that I wanted a gun that I could count on in an emergency, one that won't misfire. I feel comfortable handling it when needed as opposed to my husbands semi-auto, because with his you have to make sure that the safety is off and the gun loaded. With mine I just have to look and I know if its loaded or not.

Nice light weight easy to conceal revolver. Very happy with it. +P give a bit of a kick since the J frame is so light (not a lot of mass to absorb the kick), I shot one Buffalo Bore through it and that is too much of a kick. For the guy hunitng rattlesnakes in the review (lehigh acres - Florida), there is a mechanism lock on the side that locks the mechanism. If it is locked, it will not cock or shoot with a trigger pull, that's what a lock is for. Unlock the gun and it will fire much better.

I am very happy with this revolver. It handles great, is accurate and not hard at all to conceal. I carry it most of the time. I especially like the dependability of this revolver over a pistol. It's plenty light enough to carry all day every day and I rarely even know it's there. I have an IWB holster I use when going out, but I simply carry it in my front pocket when at home. I'm an old man and can't get around as we'll as I used to. I do NOT want to have to run to get a gun if I need one quick. With my 642 in my pocket , I don't have to worry.

This is not a fun gun at the range. I am very disappointed in its accuracy however I do not have a large strong hand. After fifteen rounds its a pain. Did not see much difference in the kick between target and +P hollow point. I do not feel confident in my accuracy beyond belly gun range. My cousin's niece has one and now gets good results with hand loaded lead casts and she is able to hit the black at twenty five yards. Unfortunately he is in New Jersey cannot send ammunition through the mail. I would like to see a more accurate, less kick, albeit lower velocity available OTC. I would get a 380 but I like the safety and dependability of a hammerless J frame and have no confidence in a 22 mag at all.

Great gun for hunting deer. Its light enough that you can really chase the deer on foot and squeeze off rounds as you give chase. Its a fun way to hunt deer.