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[CombatEffective]

Picked up a S&W 642 today. A local shop had them on sale for $319. While I have owned many S&W products this is my first venture into the J frame. It shoots pretty good. It did well with some 125gr FMJ stuff I had, and it did good with the 110gr Remington Express semi-jacketed hollowpoint ammo the sales guy suggested. I tried some 158gr +P I had, and that stuff HURT.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[The Tourist]

My wife had a 442 and she fired .38SPL Starfires. Yeah, the thing has a nasty bite. My guess is that the other end is worse.

I'm looking for another one, or 642 or a 342. While it is not my firearm of choice, it is for my wife. On a vacation our speed loaders and strips can interchange.

[CombatEffective]

I was pleased with how it shot. I'll just have to train myself not to put all 5 into the first target. :)

I really needed a pocket gun. The only other thing that I had that fit the bill was a Beretta .25ACP, and just don't want to trust the lifes I hold dear to .25ACP. I do have a G27, which I guess I could carry in a pocket if need be, but this fits the bill well, and it will also serve well as a BUG, especially now that I wll be carrying my S&W 13 and 64 a lot more.

[KC135]

My 642 is a third gun, carried in left hand pocket holster.

Great shooter, practice load is often 158grLRN, or equal handload.

Carry is Cor Bon DPX.

[Bud White]

Sounds like ya got a good deal on it for sure... all then little subbies seem to recoil pretty well btu since you wont be running 4-5000 rounds though it a year you just put up with it

[CombatEffective]

Well, I had other wants, but this was a need. Several times I have planned on purchasing one only to buy something else I wanted.

I'll shoot it enough to be proficient with it, but that'll be about it.

[QKShooter]

[V-fib]

Good price on the 642. I really like to shoot mine and really don’t mind the 158gr. SWC’s.

[Ex-MA Hole]

"all then little subbies seem to recoil pretty well btu since you wont be running 4-5000 rounds though it a year you just put up with it"

Sounds about right to me...Mine got about 300 the first year (breaking it in). Now, I take it to the range and put about 10-15 through it, and put it back in my pocket (In one of K-Man pocket holsters, incedently).

[Charlotta Jorgenson]

I just bought one for myself yesterday as a BUG...Im anxious to try it out with some different loads. I will start with the new 135gr. 38 Spl. +P Gold Dot and the some Rem 158gr +P SWCLHP.

-Charlotta

[Euclidean]

How'd I miss this thread?

I love my 642.

[QKShooter]

I am REALLY thinking that the 642 with a DA action Job to make the trigger pull "Smooth~as~Silk" in combination with some zippy GOLD DOT & a pair of Crimson Trace laser grips would be THE ultimate BUG.
THAT WOULD BE ONE AMAZINGLY EFFECTIVE LAST DITCH BELLY BUTTON GUN!

[Euclidean]

It actually is a surprisingly diverse in its appeal.

I bought mine for $310 with the intention of leaving it bone stock, as I wanted an inexpensive gun that could go anywhere with me and still provide a useful amount of firepower. I don't like the small plastic semiautomatic pistols to be had around this same price point. I did have to change the grips however.

However with some gunsmith work and accessories, it could be something altogether different.

I think the Ultimate BUG is probably the R9, but it costs 3 times as much as the 642, and even if you tricked your 642 out the R9 still costs a lot more. No disrespect to this or any other gun is intended, but it's not worth that kind of money to me for such a dimunuitive (sp) amount of firepower.

However, considering most of us settle on a single action or DA/SA semiauto for our primary, a DAO revolver makes a lot of sense for a BUG. A lot of us, myself included, are revolver lovers and will always feel better armed having one available. If nothing else, we can all appreciate that both formats offer clear and distinct advantages so carrying both makes a lot of sense.

One thing I've heard of recently with some other pocket type guns like the PM9 is that while the gun itself is of excellent quality, the Achilles heel is that often a basic control like the magazine release can be depressed in pocket carry. Now obviously not everyone experiences this problem, but I can see something like that happening.

The way I look at it, 2 COM shots at social distances even without using the sights is a realistic goal with the 642, and I don't care who you are, that's going to ruin your day when you're on the wrong end of it.

Not to mention I've perused some materials myself which discuss the role of small handguns in extreme CQC, and the snubnose revolver is a consistent winner. The police have been using them in this regard for decades now in both on and off duty carry, and when it comes to practical firearms and their application, patrol officers wrote the book.

I personally want to digest this book sometime:

http://www.paladin-press.com/detail.aspx?ID=775

[CombatEffective]

I've been very pleased with the 642. I put off buying one for so long. Now, I carry the thing so much I wish I had bought one a long time ago.

[QKShooter]

Mr. CombatEffective really knows his firearms so....when CombatEffective really likes a specific firearm...everybody had best hurry up & buy one!

I really like mine also.