S&W, what is what?!?

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DanP

New member
First, if anyone has been to smith-wesson.com, *** excuse for a web site is that?!?

Anyway, coming to the conclusion that to complement home & office (which would both have primary guns) I'd settle for the lightest, least intrusive piece that I can wear in an ankle holster in a tropical climate. Min 38+.

*** is the difference between items like 337/340/342/360/637, and such? The site does not tell much at all.

I really like the idea of a 10.8oz 342PD from what I can tell, but then again the option of a 357 in the 340PD is appealing...

But how does a 342 differ from a 637 besides a hammer and 3oz? Lots of questions like this, and the website is useless here.

And what are the list prices for reference when I go shop them?

And does anyone know of another modern 5 shooter in => 38+p designation which is less than (or in the range of) 11oz?

Thanks!
 
C

C.R.Sam

New member
Suggest you try to borrow or rent assorted guns in the "light little feller" class and shoot em.

If a gun doesn't seem comfortable to shoot, you won't shoot it much, therefore you won't become proficient with it.

If you are not proficient with it, might just as well wear an ankle bracelet.

Takes a goodly amount of shooting to get good with a snubbie. Takes even more time and practice to get good at presenting from an ankle holster.

If you are in the true tropics, an ankle holster may soon be left home as it is going to try to rot your ankle off.

Sam
 
C

croyance

New member
Many of the firearms manufacturers have even less information available. What helps them is they have less models available.
 
B

branrot

New member
Well, I have a 60, and I traded my 342ti for a 340sc, so I'll tell you what I know. The 342ti is a titanium gun, very light and strong enough to shoot .38 +p. However, the scandium guns are even strong, almost as light, and can handle the added power of .357. The alloy guns are heavier than both but only handle .38, while the stainless guns can be purchased in .38 or .357.

Other options include different barrel lengths and hammer configurations (regular with the open hammer, bodyguard with the shrouded hammer, and centennial with the enclosed hammer). You can pretty much design the perfect J-frame in your mind (pick the material, caliber and barrel length) and chances are that S&W makes it.
 
H

HKUSPELITE

New member
Before you buy a Scandium model from S&W wait till I post what happened to mine!!!!!!!

I was going to post about it (including pics) today but I did not know Photopoint has been down so I need to find a new picture host.
 
B

Bottom Gun

New member
Take Sam's advice and try 'em before you buy 'em.

Sissies like me prefer the steel revolvers due to the recoil of the lightweights.

In a hot climate, you may want to consider belt carry rather than an ankle holster.
My summer carry gun is a .357 Mod 640 with Barami Hip Grips. It'll conceal under a tee shirt.
 
D

DanP

New member
All good advice, and it seems that in the 34x line it'd be smarter to get the 340 just to have the 357 option, even if its 10% heavier than the 342.

Can't wait to hear your story, HKUSPELITE.
 
T

Thor

New member
342PD in Ti. Excellent "carry always" gun, even in Summer weight shorts and a T-shirt. (When a lot of you steel guys will either have to uncomfortably overdress or will leave it home-be honest now! :8) ). If you believe that the abiliity to fire multiple rounds down range quickly is more important than the power of any single (missing) round, then you definitely wouldn't go for the 340PD. Even the best shooters can shoot more rounds from a .38 than a .357 in the same amount of time. Consistent accuracy usually involves lots practice and most of the guys I know with the .357s practice with .38s under the mistaken impression that in an emergency they will be able to handle the recoil and hit their target! Little practice and an adrenaline overload might likely prove them wrong. I'm not convinced that you pick up that much with the .357 in a 2 inch snubbie anyway. A lot of guys are into POWER though-look at all the giant SUVs around town that rarely have more than a few bags of groceries in them and NEVER leave the road! I'll keep my .38 with some proper ammo!.
 
T

Torpedo

New member
The problem with the light weight guns is they are harder to shoot well because of recoil. Also they are limited as to what ammo you can feed them. Most light weights don't recommend hot loads for a regular diet. And with a snubby you need to practice with what you intend to use as a defensive load. The model 60 is a nice snubby which can fire both .38's and .357's. It's always nice to be able to have the choice of caliber. I also think that a good set of grips helps a lot too. As for an ankle holster, it requires a lot of practice to be fast with it. An in the waistband holster (IWB) would be a better bet and it isn't that hard to conceal and is much quicker to get to. So to sumarize, go with an all steel gun and get some good grips and wear it in an IWB holster. Seems like a good plan to me! As a side note, I agree with C R Sam, that the best way to pick a gun to suit you would be to go to the range and try them out and see what fits you. Just my .02.
 
M

M1911

New member
For pocket carry, I can't see much point to anything lighter than the 642 (aluminum frame). The 16 oz 642 with .38 +p hurts, IMHO. The titanium models are lighter, but IMHO that just turns money into recoil. The scandium models allow .357, but by going to .357 1) I don't think you're going to get all that much extra performance out of that short little tube, 2) your follow up shots will be slower, and 3) I can only imagine the recoil.

For a belt gun, a 3" Model 60 is a nice piece. The extra inch of barrel and a real rear sight make a world of difference in accuracy for me. I'm pretty accurate with my 3" 60. I'm very inaccurate with my 642.

I say save your money and get an aluminum for pocket carry or stainless steel for belt carry.

M1911
 
D

DanP

New member
>> W(hy)TF don't you try this page

I did, that is what made me come here and vent.

Frustrating UI unless you are familiar with their models to begin with.

Looking forward for the search feature here to start working again, I'm sure that will answer all my Q's.
 
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