Test Driving a S&W Airweight

[knotquiteawake]

Because of the warmer weather and also the increased mobility of my 15 month old son (that boy can move fast!!! and I've gotta bend over in all kinds of ways to try and pick him back up) my glock 19 was getting a lot harder to conceal and I was getting really self-conscious about it. I had been carrying it OWB which was really comfortable (doesn't hurt my back) but not concealing so well in the warmer weather, the IWB (CB Supertuck) was hurting my back for some reason too. So I knew my father in law had a S&W Airweight (.38 special +p one) he wasn't using and I asked to borrow it along with the "Sticky" holster for it. He didn't even make me put up any collateral (We already have his Taurus model 85 that he gave to my wife when she lived alone)! I seriously married the Best Wife ever to have a cool Father in Law like that.

Day two of carrying it and I love it. I might not give it back. I even had to play Mr. Mom yesterday because of childcare issues and had no problems concealing IWB, no back pain, hardly noticed its there. A much much smaller bulge. I understand the drawbacks, less ammo, slower reload, etc. For me though its doing a nice job of bridging the gap between the tiny (and slightly unreliable) .32 auto I can pocket carry, and the larger Glock 19. I had no idea how much more comfortable carrying the revolver would be.

[v-rog]

Between the recoil and the heavy trigger-pull, the airweights are a challenge to shoot. Hopefully your able to put a couple-hundred rounds through it while you have it. Best of luck.

[carlson1]

I never have felt "under armed" with a J Frame S&W. Carry a speed strip or speed loader and you have it made. I carry a 340PD from time to time with full load of .357.

[cbunt1]

Between the recoil and the heavy trigger-pull, the airweights are a challenge to shoot. Hopefully your able to put a couple-hundred rounds through it while you have it. Best of luck.

They do require practice, but its mainly a function of the short sight radius. The trigger pull can be a bit heavy on some of them, but they always loosen up with use and dry fire -- and if the trigger pull is still a burden, they can be safely lightened and smoothed with no loss of functionality if done correctly.

IMHO a j-frame is *never* the wrong answer. And for a self-defense standpoint, good quality .38 spl ammunition in a j-frame revolver in the hands of a reasonably competent user is not under-gunned.

[gthaustex]

A SW442 bridges the gap for me from time to time between comfort and concealing. As stated above, beware the heavier trigger pull. Standard Glock is around 5.5 lb. That revolver is probably going to be somewhat heavier, I'm guessing. If you keep it as you alluded to, you might try the Apex trigger kit to reduce the trigger weight some. Not bad to shoot for me, just different than my Glock, with some range practice necessary to know there is a different feel....

Good luck in keeping up with the young one. They grow awfully fast....

[knotquiteawake]

Between the recoil and the heavy trigger-pull, the airweights are a challenge to shoot. Hopefully your able to put a couple-hundred rounds through it while you have it. Best of luck.

I've put about 150 rounds or so with it over the last year. Whenever we go to the range together I put rounds through it. So I'm familiar with its operation and point of aim. The trigger pull is heavy and it IS snappy.

I figured I should also carry one for a little bit because for any of my friends who are not very familiar with guns but are interested in getting a CHL I suggest they look seriously at the revolvers since they seem a little easier for them to understand and use.

[TexasGal]

The little J frames are great.
I think they are still considered the number 1 carry gun for the good reasons you are pointing out.

[Dan20703]

Summertime is J-frame time! Get a Mika pocket holster and some 158 grain +P LSWHP ammo. They were made for each other.

[The Annoyed Man]

I carry a scandium .357 Magnum sometimes, which is even lighter than the Airweight pistols by 2 or 3 ounces, and far more powerful than .38 +P.......and I carry it with for-realz .357 ammo on board, not .38 +P like a lot of other people with pocket-sized .357s do. My wife owns a 642 Airweight (.38 Special +P), which she doesn't carry because she prefers her Kahr CW9, and I used to own another 642 Airweight of my own, which I traded with another forum member for a stainless steel 640 .357. The trigger pulls on the .357 guns are noticeably better than triggers on the .38 Special models.....at least that is my experience. The pull weight seems to be marginally lighter and a little smoother on the .357s, not stacking up quite so much toward the end of the stroke.

Anyway, there are two issues to be considered in carrying lightweight revolvers in .357 Magnum/.38 Special. One issue is mastering the trigger, and the other is mastering the recoil. v-rog is right, recoil can be stout on these little guns. There just isn't anyway around it. You can't really tame it.....it's a big bang going off in a small gun. But, you CAN moderate its effects somewhat (but not entirely) with good technique (which comes from studious repetitive practice). You just have to get used to it, and there's only one way to do that, and that is to go out and shoot the little darling.

Load selection is really important, maybe even more important than it is in any other kind of pistol. If you don't believe me, read this little gem: viewtopic.php?p=490416#p490416" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. You'll need something grunt to achieve the maximum velocity you can attain in the minimalist 1.875" barrel you've got to work with; but you need to be able to shoot it without breaking the small bones of your hands, or blinding yourself with a fairly impressive fireball in low light, due to incompletely burned powder igniting on its way outside the barrel. I often refer to my own experience, because that's all I can knowledgeably describe, but in these light pistols, I found that the difference in sensation between shooting light/fast bullets versus heavy/fast bullets was this: light and fast stings your hand; heavy and fast hits it like a ball-peen hammer. One of them is merely a distraction. The other actually hurts. Again, read the link I've provided above.

I own a .44 Magnum which I LOVE to shoot, and most of my carry guns are .45 ACP. The one 9mm I carry is an itty-bitty thing (Kahr PM9), so I am no stranger to recoil, and it really doesn't bother me that much......but it took some getting used to it, many years ago. My own experience with carrying a +P .38 Special was to settle on bullets in the 125 grain range, and specifically, I carried Remington +P Golden Sabres. That was what I could shoot best then, but there are loads in existence now that weren't offered back then. Today, I'd start with something like the Hornady 110 +P Critical Defense load. I carry the 125 grain .357 version of this load, and in that caliber Hornady claims 1200 fps and 400 ft lb out of a 2" barrel for it. They claim 1090/290 out of a 4" barrel for the 110 grain .38 Special +P, so I'm guessing something like maybe 900 fps out of a 2" barrel, and that is substantial for a .38 Special.

Other's may prefer to carry a much heavier bullet.....stuff in the 158 grain range. Not a thing wrong with that, but this is my observation, again from my own personal experience: you've only got 1.875" of barrel in which to develop enough velocity to propel the bullet to within its terminal performance envelope. If you want to shoot 158s, that means a REALLY big bang! If it actually hurts your hand to shoot it, will you take the followup shot that is almost certainly necessary? OTH, if all it does is sting your hand a bit like a lighter +P, then you many not even notice it in a shooting situation. Typically, you'd want to carry the heavy bullets in a longer barreled gun, but snubbies force you to compromise in the interest of concealability. Others may disagree, and I'm not even saying they're wrong, but my own opinion is that +P .38 snubbies (or .357 snubbies stoked with .38 +P ammo.....which is one of the reasons I bought a .357 for its flexibility, and not a .38) are best carried with a load in the 110 to 130 grain range....but that's just me. YMMV.

[PUCKER]

My everyday carry is the S&W Bodyguard .38 Special +P...not sure if it's lighter/heavier than the others...I can tell you this...I LOVE to carry it...lemme repeat...I LOVE to carry it! However, I do NOT LOVE to shoot it...lemme repeat....I do NOT LOVE to shoot it. I put 70 rounds through it the first range day...shot it very well...however I could have just put my hand in a vice or beat it with a mallet and probably had a better time...LOL...yes, it HURTS to shoot it more than just a few rounds...so...subsequent range time has just been with a few rounds.

I carry mine in shorts every day using a pocket holster. Even in a swimsuit sometimes.

[CC Italian]

Chronograph results on the critical defense .38 special +P 110 grain from what I have seen is right around 950fps from a short barrel. I either carry these or the gold dot short barrel 135. They do about 850fps or so. The Remington 158 SWCHP Treasury load is noticeably hotter and they do about 860fps. The difference between the Remington and Gold Dot load is very noticeable to me but the 110 Hornady and 135 are close in recoil imo. Hope this helps.

Edit: Here are some good articles on them

http://mousegunaddict.blogspot.com/2012 ... er-38.html

http://www.shootingillustrated.com/inde ... l-defense/

[RAM4171]

I LOVE my 642 Talo. Definitely the most versital gun I have, I've 3 holsters for it. I'm pretty sure I saved my 2 puggies, as the missus calls them, from a growling bobcat out at The Place this past weekend but thats a story for another thread. It does make a difference to have a grip that accommodates your pinky though. I carry the Horrnady CD 110 +P.

[SC1903A3]

I have an Airweight that I use in the summer as a boot gun when I'm on my motorcycle. The pocket holster fits nicely inside my Red Wings and I put a couple of speed strips in my back pocket.

[Sputz]

Between the recoil and the heavy trigger-pull, the airweights are a challenge to shoot. Hopefully your able to put a couple-hundred rounds through it while you have it. Best of luck.

Trigger pull can be adjusted with just 12.95 for a Wilson spring kit and a smithing stone you can get a really nice trigger that's got enough power behind the hammer to stay reliable. My wife loves her air weight.


Sputz