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So, it's thinner except for where it's not? [wink]

I've got both the 642 and PM9. In my experience, the PM9 conceals better for pocket carry.

pretty much...

Unfortunately, unlike you, I don't have washboard abs and chiseled features. so, lumpy works quite well for me.. :)


Flat, block things tend to look like medical issues that are best left not spoken about..Oh, that, no really Dr's orders.. don't ask..
 
Both the 642 and PM9 weigh 16 oz. No difference there.

For pocket carry, the snub is significantly thicker, due to the cylinder. So it prints more than the PM9, in my experience. As for IWB, these are pocket guns. If you are carrying IWB you can carry a bigger gun that is one heck of a lot easier to shoot.

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So? Why do you think the 642 would be easier to carry during workouts than the PM9? Both weigh the same and the PM9 is smaller.

If you just want the 642 because it gives you warm and fuzzy feelings, go for it. But I don't follow your reasoning.

You're seizing on what works for you (which is fine). As I Indicated, among other things, I would like to get accustomed to other genre's of firearms. As far as I can tell, the revolver, with all it's short comings, is next to flawless - I like that. If you can project for me the exact bad guy scenerio, how'd I react to it under duress (how many changes of underwear that's advisable), and what gun would have performed best, I'm ALL IN! lol

I'm seriously looking at the Ruger LCR .38 (w/Tritium Sights), not the 642 (for now).
 
You're seizing on what works for you (which is fine). As I Indicated, among other things, I would like to get accustomed to other genre's of firearms. As far as I can tell, the revolver, with all it's short comings, is next to flawless - I like that. If you can project for me the exact bad guy scenerio, how'd I react to it under duress (how many changes of underwear that's advisable), and what gun would have performed best, I'm ALL IN! lol

I'm seriously looking at the Ruger LCR .38 (w/Tritium Sights), not the 642 (for now).

Everything is a trade off. Everything has it's strengths and weaknesses. And what woks for you may not work for me.
But.....
Nothing is going to be faster (if needed) than a gun that is already drawn.

If you have a jacket with an outside pocket, you can put the J in the pocket, and "draw" by merely having your hand IN the pocket. As there is no slide, you could fire from inside the pocket without ever pulling the gun.

Tons of scenarios here, Parking lot. Walking into convenience store, etc.

There is nothing overtly threatening, or even questionable about a person putting their hand into the pocket of their jacket. No one would ever question it.
 
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Everything is a trade off. Everything has it's strengths and weaknesses. And what woks for you may not work for me.
But.....
Nothing is going to be faster (if needed) than a gun that is already drawn.

If you have a jacket with an outside pocket, you can put the J in the pocket, and "draw" by merely having your hand IN the pocket. As there is no slide, you could fire from inside the pocket without ever pulling the gun.

I'm with ya brother.
 
Great discussion. My buddy at work has the LCR and he loves it. I have handled them but never shot one. The one I was looking at had a little rattle inside that the guy at the counter said was common for them. I own an SR.22 and love Rugers but I can only take so much polymer. I just like old school stuff, one of the reasons I went with wood on the grips. It prints less also and you can get three fingers on the grip. I tried it the other day and I did shoot a bit better. The first one I shot was an older model 36 and I loved it.With the extra weight I shot pretty good. I like pistols but revolvers have the reliability going for them.
 
You're seizing on what works for you (which is fine). As I Indicated, among other things, I would like to get accustomed to other genre's of firearms. As far as I can tell, the revolver, with all it's short comings, is next to flawless - I like that.

No, I'm seizing on your objections, which don't make sense to me.

I understand a desire for a revolver just for the sake of having a revolver -- I've got a bunch of revolvers and spent about a year competing in IDPA with a S&W Model 66 (awesome revolver). Revolvers do have an advantage of usually being more reliable. I'm not quite sure what you mean by "flawless" as revolvers, particularly snubbies, have plenty of disadvantages to go with their advantages.

Have you fired a small semi-auto and a snubbie? If you want to meet me up at Harvard Sportsmen's Club sometime I'll let you try out both. It is hard to know what works for you unless you've actually tried them.
 
No, I'm seizing on your objections, which don't make sense to me.

I understand a desire for a revolver just for the sake of having a revolver -- I've got a bunch of revolvers and spent about a year competing in IDPA with a S&W Model 66 (awesome revolver). Revolvers do have an advantage of usually being more reliable. I'm not quite sure what you mean by "flawless" as revolvers, particularly snubbies, have plenty of disadvantages to go with their advantages.

Have you fired a small semi-auto and a snubbie? If you want to meet me up at Harvard Sportsmen's Club sometime I'll let you try out both. It is hard to know what works for you unless you've actually tried them.

I seem to be able to shoot small semi autos easier, or more accurately. Snubbies are hard to learn to shoot for sure, especially the light ones. Longer barrels help too.
 
No, I'm seizing on your objections, which don't make sense to me.

I understand a desire for a revolver just for the sake of having a revolver -- I've got a bunch of revolvers and spent about a year competing in IDPA with a S&W Model 66 (awesome revolver). Revolvers do have an advantage of usually being more reliable. I'm not quite sure what you mean by "flawless" as revolvers, particularly snubbies, have plenty of disadvantages to go with their advantages.

Have you fired a small semi-auto and a snubbie? If you want to meet me up at Harvard Sportsmen's Club sometime I'll let you try out both. It is hard to know what works for you unless you've actually tried them.

Thanks for the offer! Would love to see the club, as well. I understand its top shelf.
 
Great discussion. My buddy at work has the LCR and he loves it. I have handled them but never shot one. The one I was looking at had a little rattle inside that the guy at the counter said was common for them. I own an SR.22 and love Rugers but I can only take so much polymer. I just like old school stuff, one of the reasons I went with wood on the grips. It prints less also and you can get three fingers on the grip. I tried it the other day and I did shoot a bit better. The first one I shot was an older model 36 and I loved it.With the extra weight I shot pretty good. I like pistols but revolvers have the reliability going for them.

They are NOT for everybody. I have been through a bunch of them. My humpback (steel) with the boot grips and relatively hot 38 loads is ok to shoot and with standard 38spl is actually pleasant to shoot. The M&P with anything is not fun and w/ 357 is absolutely miserable.

I have found that all of the snubs are EXTREMELY accurate. That said... It has taken me a LOT of practice to get any sort of consistency out of it. It was not until I found the combo of the steel with the boot grips (worked for me) that I actually started to appreciate these guns (and subsequently take them seriously) and consciously practice, analyze, fix and practice. With Snubs it is all about getting the grip right. and then dialing it in and getting consistency. These are NOT beginners guns and they are not ladies (or non shooters) guns. Unfortunately, they do tend to get marketed that way, which, I think, is a huge mistake all around.
 
They are NOT for everybody. I have been through a bunch of them. My humpback (steel) with the boot grips and relatively hot 38 loads is ok to shoot and with standard 38spl is actually pleasant to shoot. The M&P with anything is not fun and w/ 357 is absolutely miserable.

I have found that all of the snubs are EXTREMELY accurate. That said... It has taken me a LOT of practice to get any sort of consistency out of it. It was not until I found the combo of the steel with the boot grips (worked for me) that I actually started to appreciate these guns (and subsequently take them seriously) and consciously practice, analyze, fix and practice. With Snubs it is all about getting the grip right. and then dialing it in and getting consistency. These are NOT beginners guns and they are not ladies (or non shooters) guns. Unfortunately, they do tend to get marketed that way, which, I think, is a huge mistake all around.
You are right about that. I only shoot semi wadcutters. I won't use +P's. I dry fire a lot, sometimes with a dime on the barrel. My range you can only shoot at 50 feet so I am averaging hitting the target 3 out of 5 (small pistol match targets). I shoot better at my Brother in Laws range, where you can shoot at 15- 20 feet. You are right. theses are not for the ladies.
 
They are NOT for everybody. I have been through a bunch of them. My humpback (steel) with the boot grips and relatively hot 38 loads is ok to shoot and with standard 38spl is actually pleasant to shoot. The M&P with anything is not fun and w/ 357 is absolutely miserable.

I have found that all of the snubs are EXTREMELY accurate. That said... It has taken me a LOT of practice to get any sort of consistency out of it. It was not until I found the combo of the steel with the boot grips (worked for me) that I actually started to appreciate these guns (and subsequently take them seriously) and consciously practice, analyze, fix and practice. With Snubs it is all about getting the grip right. and then dialing it in and getting consistency. These are NOT beginners guns and they are not ladies (or non shooters) guns. Unfortunately, they do tend to get marketed that way, which, I think, is a huge mistake all around.

I agree completely. My 642 has minimal sights -- the rear sight is simply a gutter in the top strap. Shooting it accurately takes a lot of practice and for me, the 642 hurts when I shoot it. If I put on boot grips, then it is much easier to shoot, but then it won't fit in my pocket, defeating the purpose of the gun for me.

Also, reloading a revolver takes a lot more practice than reloading a semi-auto. During IDPA competitions I've dumped six rounds at my feet more than once.
 
I agree completely. My 642 has minimal sights -- the rear sight is simply a gutter in the top strap. Shooting it accurately takes a lot of practice and for me, the 642 hurts when I shoot it. If I put on boot grips, then it is much easier to shoot, but then it won't fit in my pocket, defeating the purpose of the gun for me.

Also, reloading a revolver takes a lot more practice than reloading a semi-auto. During IDPA competitions I've dumped six rounds at my feet more than once.

I have thought about putting a dab of nail polish on the sights th help out. I found I got used to the recoil. the thinner wood grips seem to help me. I don't use +p either. I shot my brothers with Hornady critical defence. 5 shots was enough. I need to get a speed loader also and start practicing with that.
 
You're seizing on what works for you (which is fine). As I Indicated, among other things, I would like to get accustomed to other genre's of firearms. As far as I can tell, the revolver, with all it's short comings, is next to flawless - I like that. If you can project for me the exact bad guy scenerio, how'd I react to it under duress (how many changes of underwear that's advisable), and what gun would have performed best, I'm ALL IN! lol

I'm seriously looking at the Ruger LCR .38 (w/Tritium Sights), not the 642 (for now).

The LCR is a great choice. Personally I found it met my needs as far as weight, grip, trigger pull, size, etc.... I did however go for the 357 not the 38 for a little more power. You can find various rounds that won't mule kick your hand every time you pull the trigger. Plus you can practice with 38's which are very manageable with the extra few ounces the 357 offers.
 
I think the worst thing they ever did was marketing the "Lady Smith". That instantly turned a lot of people away from them as they were now "ladies" guns. And it is a huge disservice to put one of these guns into a presumably less skilled or potentially frail fragile hand. A first time shooter will shoot this once, put it down and be turned off of shooting forever, it happened to me with a girl who had seen all of the Lady Smiths and wanted to shoot that as it was a "women's gun". Never tried shooting again, completely turned off..

First time I shot one of these with the standard wood grip and standard loads, it bit, surprisingly hard. I was a fairly new shooter at the time. Not being used to anything much other than 9mm autos, I was instantly turned off. As it was cheap (@150-200 used) I assumed the gun was a POS (obviously it couldn't by MY lack of skill). quickly sold it off and forgot about them for a few years..
 
I thought that too having second thoughts and maybe getting an SR9c instead because it didn't seem fun to shoot. I like shooting it now. I let my Brother in Law shoot it. He has an MP9. 5 shots and he handed it back to me and said no thanks. Like I've been told before. Practice, practice, practice. I agree about the ladysmith too. Turns people away. Guns shouldn't be pink anyways. Draws too much attention.
 
I have the 442 and find it to be comfortable and accurate. It is not bad to shoot with regular 38 but is quite snappy with plus P but not terribly so IMO.
 
Well, I did finally purchase the Ruger LCR .38 +P w/night sights and had the opportunity to shoot it for the first time over the weekend. I have to say, the punch was "as advertised", but very manageable. I shot 2 loads: American Eagle 38 Special 130 Grain FMJ & Hornady Critical Defense 38 Special +P 110 Grain FTX. Honestly, I thought the AE 130 Grain had equal / greater punch.
 
Well, I did finally purchase the Ruger LCR .38 +P w/night sights and had the opportunity to shoot it for the first time over the weekend. I have to say, the punch was "as advertised", but very manageable. I shot 2 loads: American Eagle 38 Special 130 Grain FMJ & Hornady Critical Defense 38 Special +P 110 Grain FTX. Honestly, I thought the AE 130 Grain had equal / greater punch.

I know a couple of people that have purchased the LCR and like them for CCW......not for a range queen as they are designed as a CCW fire arm. Glad to hear you like yours. I would like to try an LCR in 357 mag some day.......I own an sp101 in 357 mag and have to admit the snap with 158 grain magnum loads is definately an eye opening experience......but for me in a good way. I love shooting 357 mag through that thing.......I've put about 500 rounds through it and only 50 of them were 38 spec. Holding onto a j frame or lcr in 357 sounds like it would be COOL!
 
I got a chance to handle a Chiappa Rhino at KTP. Wow! I am impressed, I want one. It was bigger than the J frames. Definitely more weighty as it was all steel. But, handled and pointed really nicely!!!

if anybody has one they don't want.... PM ME!!!
 
I know a couple of people that have purchased the LCR and like them for CCW......not for a range queen as they are designed as a CCW fire arm. Glad to hear you like yours. I would like to try an LCR in 357 mag some day.......I own an sp101 in 357 mag and have to admit the snap with 158 grain magnum loads is definately an eye opening experience......but for me in a good way. I love shooting 357 mag through that thing.......I've put about 500 rounds through it and only 50 of them were 38 spec. Holding onto a j frame or lcr in 357 sounds like it would be COOL!
My guess is that shooting a .357 LCR (on a regular basis) would not necessarily be a joyful experience. But, as you said, it's built for CC, not ad nauseum target practice.
 
I've owned both, and they're both fine guns. LCR Pros: Light, comfy stock grip (if you can handle a smaller grip with a +P round), accurate and easy to shoot, disappears into a front pocket pretty easy, nice trigger. LCR Cons: Very limited grip options, limited holster options, will a polymer frame stand the test of time? 642 Pros: Light, many grip options, design has long track record of reliability, lots of holster options, accurate and easy to shoot, decent trigger. Cons: Internal lock (on newer ones), stock grips are undersized and not that comfortable. Both the LCR and the 642 will pound your palms with hot +P protection rounds, but they're not meant to be "range" guns, anyhow. You can't go wrong either way, unless you're fussy about holsters and grips, which would make the 642 the one to go for.
 
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