Smith & Wesson Model 642 Reviews

by **edteach2u** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 10:56 am

Just bought this gun after selling an old 37 air weight that had some wear to the alum. frame. I bought it for 380 and got a 50 rebate from smith. all in 330 for a new gun. I love Smith revolvers and have a 686 and colt King Cobra. Have sold my 66, 629, victory model. Loved them all. Some do not like the lock but it does not bother me. At first I did not like the hammerless design but I now see how it is superior to the hammered version for CCW. Great gun and some dealers are a bit high. I cannot see it being worth 650 as some try to charge.

by **fletchwe** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 11:18 am

Bought my S&W 642 for $429. Have since seen them sell on gunbroker.com in the range of $380 - $390. That's an extraordinarily good price. In general, the auction sites appear to be in the $400 - $450 range. Great firearm intended for self defense at 7 - 10 yards. In that range, it will serve you well.

by **gunpoor** » Sun Mar 13, 2011 3:45 pm

I just purchaced one of these yesterday. The action felt smooth and a little tight. Perfect! This gun being as light as it is and with it's small size there will never be a reason not to carry. .38+p is more potent than .380 even if there are only five rounds on board.

by **fletchwe** » Sun Mar 13, 2011 4:09 pm

You won't regret your choice. Uncle Mike's has a pouch that carries 2 speed loaders. If you watch the videos of the pros on youtube, you'll see that they strip the spent cartridges holding the gun in their left hand. If they're not wearing a tactical vest or jacket, they carry speed loaders on their right side simply because that hand is free. After a little practice, it's fairly fluid to pull a speed loader with your right hand, reload and be back in the game. Like shooting, it's a matter of practice.

by **gunpoor** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 11:01 am

I've been told that using normal gun cleaning solvents like Hoppies #9 can leave staining on the alloy surface of this gun Has anyone else heard this? If so what brand of cleaner works best?

by **fletchwe** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 8:52 pm

>gunpoor Hoppes is what I've used for 40+ years on all of my handguns, rifles & shotguns. Your 642 is not a ferrous alloy - meaning simply it contains no carbon. It is constructed of a hardened stainless alloy and should never stain.

by **Maluus** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 11:04 pm

[gunpoor]

I've used Hoppes to clean ours and had absolutely no problems - where did you hear of this issue?

by **gunpoor** » Sat Apr 09, 2011 2:33 am

The guy at the gun store where I bought the gun told me to be careful about using typical solvents on the finish of the gun. Due to the alum. alloy. I also have been using Hoppes more than 30 years without a problem and I'm glad to hear that it doesn't effect this gun. Thank You!

by **gunpoor** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 12:39 am

OKAY! I finally got this gun to the range today. As usual Smith & Wesson has made a very accuate quality gun. The 642 is fun to shoot, conceals easily, recoil not bad at all with 147GRN +P Federal Hydroshocks. Great little gun!