Sunday, March 03, 2019

J-Frames, Gawd, I Love Them.

Back inn 1987 I began my love affair with the J-frame Smith ad Wesson revolvers.  It began with a used Model 60 that I acquired from a local judge.  I carried that gun, both on duty and as an off-duty piece,

I carried that Model 60 (in .38 Special) and stoked with with the Federal Ny-Clad ammo that was common in the day.  I still have a few cylinders of Ny-Clad left.  It served me well over the years, and had good reviews back in the day.  I carred that Mode 60 until 2012.  My daughter-in-law wanted a steel J-frame and I wanted an Airweight, so I happened upon a nice, clean Model 38 and gave her the old Model 60.  I never looked back.  I dropped the Model 38 in my pocket ad it has been a constant companion for over seven years.  It's a gun that is carried a lot and shot little, although I did qualify with it on the Sheriff's range three or four years ago.

Yesterday, my son did a detail strip on the Model 38 and we found some corrosion under the cylinder release, between the aluminum frame and the nickel plating.  Two sons inspected it, and declared that I should have the frame stripped and re-coated before putting it back into service.

Younger son is a pretty fair SW mechanic, and elder son worked for a while as a body-and-fender ma on aluminum aircraft.  They both recommended immediate repair and I trust their combined judgement.  So, my beloved Airweight is going to the body-and-fender shop.  Probably for a Duro-coat job.

As younger son was leaving, he handed me a replacement J-Frame.  "Here, Pop, carry this until your gun comes back from the shop."

"I've got carry guns, " I retorted.  "You might need this one."

"I've got two more at home." he said.  "I don't need this one right now."

So, I slipped it in my pocket and went about my business.  I noticed it was heavier than my Airweight, but that is the nature of steel vs aluminum.  It wasn't till this morning that I inspected it.  Holy-Moly.


This is the Model 640-1, in .357 magnum.  With Crimson Trace grips.  And, yes, the barrel is marked SW 357 Magnum.  It should be quite a handful if I ever have to touch it off.

On the other hand, it might be a lot of fun.  Thanks, son.  I'll try not to hurt it.

6 comments:

Old NFO said...

Yep, that one's gonna be a 'tad' sporty... But it'll get the job done!

Sport Pilot said...

That particular revolvers more of a belt gun than a pocket revolver. And yeah, it's a little snappy. You might want to look at one of the Ruger LCR's one day.

phred said...

The recoil of shooting 357 mag from my 640 Pro Series feels comparable to 38+P from an Airweight. It ain't fun, but it'll still be worse for the other guy.

I've about decided that if one of my carry pieces needs professional refinishing I'm going to try Robar's NP3 or NP3+ finish.

Anonymous said...

Shoot .38 +P+ in it, it will eat them all day long.

And if 5 rds of .38 +P+ won't get the job done, you are in DEEP KIM-CHI.....

Anonymous said...

I have taken a shine to the .38/.357 J Frames in rent years, have a 640 - as yours, a .357 Loaded with +P .38s, though I have shot it with factory .357 fodder. HUGE blast and intense fireball in an indoor range. Often carry a 442 Airweight, and a pair of speed loaders if I cant carry something bigger and flatter.

The Displaced Louisiana Guy said...

Glad you're happy with the 640 as a stand in. Looking forward to seeing the 38 once its redone.