1) Whoever told you that a trigger job on a Smith will not lighten (and, just as important, smooth up) the trigger pull doesn't know what he is talking about. Both a K-Frame and a J-Frame can be safely and reliably lightened to a crisp 3-4 lbs. by someone who knows what he is doing. Back when, I had trigger jobs done on a lot of my Smiths by the factory, no charge; don't know if elective work is still done for free, but that is a good place to start.
2) If the revolver is a J-Frame, what sometimes seems to be a heavy trigger pull is a result of the dimensions of the frame, which is much shorter between the center of the trigger and the back of the backstrap. This tends to cramp the average hand and can cause problems that are sometimes mis-diagnosed. Hence my recommendation to try a bunch of after-market stocks. On one of mine, I have a pair of original S&W wooden "Snubby Combat" stocks that make the revolver much more like a K-Frame to shoot, and on another I have a pair of Pachmayrs that does much the same thing.
3) I am unconvinced at that a load of five rounds is insufficient for a self-defense carry gun. Remember that the sort of gun fight you may someday face is not ended with the first shot, or the most shots fired, but by the best shot fired. Carry a speedloader so that you can tank up after the action is over, but if five isn't enough then, frankly, you need more practice.
4) I also think that it is far easier to develop genuine skill with the revolver than with the pistol. To which I add: if you really want to develop your revolver skills, acquire another of the same frame size (and stocks, which can be shared) in .22 and learn with the rimfire first.
Now that's some great advice. There's not much to add to it, except my own thoughts and experiences, which pale in comparison.
My decision to carry a revolver came mostly by an accident - a twist of fate if you will. I purchased the 642CT as a failed attempt to prod my wife into finally getting her Class-A LTC. After the realization that we were just worlds apart on the "gun issue", I was left with a choice to either sell it, or keep it. Like any red blooded American gun enthusiast - I kept it...
![[wink]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/002.gif "Wink [wink]")
After nearly 20-years of carrying a 1911 in one form or another and a stint with a Glock22 - my first range experiences with the 642CT were disappointing at best. I could not hit the broad side of a barn with this gun. The trigger pull was a stunner, the CrimsonTrace bounce had me feeling like I was in at a Pink Floyd Laser Show....
![[shocked]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/007.gif "Shocked [shocked]")
However, the power and compactness of this gun had me intrigued, so I pressed on, did some reading, asked some questions, did some more research and increased my range time.
What I found, was that the trigger pull could certainly be settled a bit with some gunsmith time, but the easiest option was range time and a lot of dry firing. I drove my wife, daughter, dog and cat, (who both love chasing that laser
) nearly insane with the snap caps and siting in my chair dry firing until the cows came home. The side benefit to this was using my television as a poor mans police simulator. I learned trigger control, follow up and recovery - all in the comfort of my own living room. This translated to a tightening of the groups and a smoothing out of the trigger pull on the range. So in short - a trigger job is an option, but likely unnecessary. Endeavor to dry fire grasshopper and the snubby will set you free....
Next came mindset. I had to take this 642 for what it is: A snub nosed defensive revolver. I had to clear my mind of popping clay pigeons off a fence-post at 25-yards. I had to erase visions of 3" groups in the X-ring and stop envying the posters who claim, (and likely make) 50 and 100-yard shots with their old Detectives. I had to think about what the ultimate use for this gun would be and that was street defense - up close and personal. I needed to pull my eyeball out of the sight channel and off the front ramp and the only way to do this was point shooting. That really set me free. Once my target grew from a tiny X in the center of a target at 25-feet into a chest cavity at 5-10 and my 642 became an extension of my finger - the world was mine. "Draw, point, shoot, follow-up, retreat" that is my mantra...
One must also look at the most likely of street scenarios. It won't generally be a shootout at the OK Corral from across the street. You won't likely be diving for cover behind a horse trough and popping a guy off the hotel roof. Hell, you likely won;t even need a magazine change. If you do some research and some reading, most street level confrontations happen from zero to five
feet not yards. Most confrontations involve anywhere from one to three rounds and last seconds not minutes. I typically do most of my live training from 2-feet to 10-feet and practice with 5 in the cylinder and 5 in a speedloader. In the indiscretions of my youth, I walked around like an ammo plant - I had mags everywhere. Why? That type of preparedness is more suited to home defense in my eyes and for me personally, has no business on the streets except to encumber. With 5 rounds riding and 5 rounds on deck, I feel more than adequately gunned on the streets. The Speer 135gr +P is no joke, (trust me, I have 2,000 of them) and a double dose will ruin your day for certain.
I think in the end, I'm not trying to dissuade you from changing your carry piece, but at the same time, I'm hopefully giving you food for thought. I'm not sure how much range time you've given your snubbie or if perhaps you've given up on it too soon - I almost did. I was never a crack shot, but was proficient for a long time and switching to the revolver humbled me for a while. Range time and research was my friend and now short of a nuclear phaser, I cannot conceive of carrying anything else - especially a drastic step downward to a .32, .380 or even a 9mm.
Good luck with your choices....
