S&W 5 shot 38spec +P

[bula]

A Sis about 500 miles away just picked up a SW 640 - ? 5 shot 38spec +P . Brother needs a piece of info, before advice given. Is it ok to dry fire these hammerless(bobbed) Smiths ?  Further info, a 642 - 1. So, can this piece be safely dry fired ? Need snap caps ? 

[strawhat]

I dry fire all of my centerfire S&W revolvers. Doing so helps smooth out the internals and, if done correctly, improves your skills.

Kevin

[flyingzebra]

Snap caps aren't a bad idea for a lightweight aluminum framed gun, and they're not hard to find or hard to pay for

[bula]

Got'cha. Wish she'd told me a bit earlier when I was still in Erie at Sportsmans Wharehouse. Doh ! 

[bradshaw]

Nov 19, 2022 18:58:54 GMT -5 bula said:

A Sis about 500 miles away just picked up a SW 640 - ? 5 shot 38spec +P . Brother needs a piece of info, before advice given. Is it ok to dry fire these hammerless(bobbed) Smiths ?  Further info, a 642 - 1. So, can this piece be safely dry fired ? Need snap caps ? 

*****

Having dry fired modern era Smith & Wessons many times, I long ago decided to limit such practice. Leastwise without snap caps or fired primers in place. Have seen a few broke HAMMER NOSE S&W firing pins, including broken rivet which holds pin in hammer. Had a spur break off the hammer while firing a Chief’s Special, which doesn’t need a hammer spur anyway. Don’t recall seeing a broken S&W FLOATING FIRING PIN. I count S&W firing pins as robust. Having broken firing pins in Colt Python and Freedom Arms M-83. (I do not do the fire-primer practice with Freedom Arms.) My experience sees Ruger with most robust firing pin; have yet to see a failure.

When S&W introduced its Airweight series of J-frame .38’s, the guns were considered to have a service life of 100 to 200 rounds of .38 Special. The advent of .38 Special +P brought warnings against its use in aluminum J-frames. Having put considerably more ammo through Centennial Airweight .38’s of later manufacture, I consider them more durable. Even so, I see the aluminum belly guns are intended for much carry, little shooting. Some folk repeat S&W promotional literature, which calls aluminum models “Scandium.” As articulated by Bill Ruger, Jr., the element scandium is used as a strengthening alloy----not the parent ingredient----in firearms grade aluminum.

The Model 640 (“6” denotes stainless steel) is a robust J-frame capable of sustained service. I’ve shot the M-640 Centennial .357 Mag considerable with .357 Mag and .38 Special. And, dry fired it a fair amount----more than I would a Colt of similar persuasion. Yet, for the owner who hasn’t put a lot of time into learning the J-frame, deliberate DRY FIRE is important. For that, might as well invest in SNAP CAPS.
David Bradshaw

[flyingzebra]

You can have them mail ordered to her door

Cheap insurance

[flyingzebra]

To add, on service and reliability of the current 642-1 etc guns, my pocket centerfire gun on the ranch here is a 642 Airweight

I'm actually on the second one, the first one always performed flawlessly and shot quite accurately, also patterned shotshells nicely

It was given to a neighbor rancher, a little old lady who wanted something for snakes and coyotes, as they'd had the habit of popping up on her while she tended to her livestock

It's still going strong for her, as is the 642 Performance Center replacement that I eventually got for myself

I haven't ever noticed an advantage to the PC model, but when I found it the price was right etc and the rest is history so they say

My neighbor had been talking about retiring her ranch and was thinking about moving away to be closer to the grandkids

I'd mentioned that if she was thinking about having something different for a handgun that I'd happily pay her for the little Airweight and find something else for her

She said that of all the things on the ranch, the 642 would be the LAST thing that she'd part with

Good

[bula]

Thanks folks. Snap caps it is.