The best light weight 38 spl revolver

[skoro]

For me, it's the S&W 642. Light, compact, easy to pocket carry.

[The Happy kaboomer]

My S&W 642.

[Hawg]

For me it's a S&W 637. I don't like hammerless.

[smee78]

I also suggest a Ruger LCR/LCRX or a Smith 638/637 as excellent choices for a lightweight revolver. Your choices will depend on whether you want a hammer and what you're looking to spend.

I'm also in the same camp as you about copper heads, water moccasins, and rattlers.

[Ricklin]

Not a fan of snakes, poisonous ones especially. That said I don't make a point of killing every poisonous snake I see.
They serve a useful purpose keeping down the rodent population. My friend killed a bunch of big rattlesnakes at a property he bought. He was concerned about his dogs getting bit. Better to train your dogs.
Eliminating those big snakes caused a population explosion at my friend John's place, we shot pocket gophers till we were tired of shooting them. That population explosion cost him a couple thousand bucks, the rodents chewed up the wire harness on their new Range Rover. Apparently peanut oil is part of the formula for the wire insulation. Of course not covered under warranty.

[gwpercle]

S&W model 637 Air-Weight , 38 Special +P , stainless steel, 5 shot , 11 ounce weight ...
is my J-frame of choice !

Double Action Only handguns ... No Thank You ... Hammers Rule !
Gary

[toxophilus]

If you go with a K6xs check it to ensure the barrel is clocked correctly; I had to send mine in twice to Kimber to fix it. Love the sights though and it's really accurate now!

I also have the LCRx 3" in .38 special, great trigger and vert light.

[LAH]

S&W model 637 Air-Weight , 38 Special +P , stainless steel, 5 shot , 11 ounce weight ...
is my J-frame of choice !

[Pumpkin]

A 642 with a Monogrip no less.
I have a nylon one on mine.

[Jack Ryan]

I carried my S&W 38 mod 10 today.

[Nathan]

Eliminating those big snakes caused a population explosion at my friend John's place, we shot pocket gophers till we were tired of shooting them. That population explosion cost him a couple thousand bucks, the rodents chewed up the wire harness on their new Range Rover. Apparently peanut oil is part of the formula for the wire insulation. Of course not covered under warranty.

Insurance will cover that! Ask me how I know. . .ugh


That said, I think we found what we need from S&W. A scandium no lock 640 with good sights and a 4" barrel! Throw some melonite on it for good measure!

[fastbolt]

"Best" is a subjective decision.

Personally, I stopped using snakeshot as a young man. I experienced some of the shot coming back in my face when it encountered just the wrong bits of rock/gravel on the ground. Fortunately I was uninjured, but lost interest in such ammo for hiking.

On the matter of lightweight snubs, I tend to favor the S&W variations that have aluminum or scandium aluminum frames and steel cylinders. That's why I own a pair of 642's and a pair of M&P 340's. My 37DAO is built on the older Airweight frame, and it's also a nifty lightweight snub. I rather like the way the lighter models rest a bit lighter than my all-steel models, although my 80's vintage 3" M36 is a joy to shoot using loads which are harder recoiling in the lighter models.

Today's growing snub revolver market offers a lot of choice. Suit yourself.

[Ricklin]

John could ill afford the insurance claim, thus he paid to have a piece of the wire harness replaced and repaired. The Range Rover was a leased vehicle, his wife did real estate. Hell of a nice truck.
The population explosion was pretty amazing, in fact I had a hard time getting my scoped Ruger Mk. 2 back from him. Perfect for the pocket gophers.

[Super Sneaky Steve]

If you're shooting snakes with snake shot it really doesn't matter.

[Pumpkin]

Non poisonous snakes like Mickey too, and the bigger non poisonous varieties like Indigos and Coachwhips will eat poisonous snakes too.
One instance of shooting a copperhead next to a plastic cattle water trough left a dead snake and some light scratches on the side of the trough. As far as I’m concerned, the shot shell worked perfect.

[Algunner]

Consider the all polished SS 3” Charter Arms MagPug. They polished the hammer and trigger including sear and it has a really slick trigger even in DA.

https://charterfirearms.com/collecti...ts/model-73539

[jstert]

7-8 years ago i got a s&w 642. only $200 because its skin is blemished and grip was toasted. i replaced the grips for $20 and cleaned it up as best as i could. mechanically perfect. i didn’t plan on carrying it while hiking public trails but it serves me well: while open carry isn’t unlawful here it draws unnecessary attention. had i bought my 642 specifically for hiking i would prefer a 637 or 638 with a hammer for accurate single action shots.

the ruger lcr 38sp snubbie works fine but is a different geometry, which i didn’t like and it’s gone.

for $300 new i would get a taurus 856 ultraweight.

[Armybrat]

I have only one….a S&W Model 38 Airweight.
But it is a safe queen.

https://thefiringline.com/forums/att...9&d=1696383455

[Mosin44az]

Ruger LCR in .357 is by far the most comfortable lightweight revolver I have tried. The extra 3.5 ounces makes a big difference over the .38.

I shoot only.38s out of it.

[Kreyzhorse]

Hard to top the SW 642.

[Adventurer 2]

I own a S&W 340 PD - i don't find full power 357 rounds painful to shoot in this lightweight revolver as the grip is wide enough and fits my hand well enough to prevent pain. I find the Bond Arms Snake Slayer a taxing handgun to shoot as the grip doesn't fit my hand as well.

[skoro]

My vote goes to the S&W 642/442. Easily pocketable, lightweight, reliable and stoked with +P ammo, it's an effective option.

[TheFlash]

About a year ago, I bought an all stainless Taurus 856. Accurate, reliable and a 6-shot cylinder! (1 more than the J-frame S&W's).
Check out the Ultra-Lite versions of the 856's - definitely light but solid revolvers for the price.