S&W air weight 642/442

[Bill DeShivs]

And a mid range wadcutter will probably be just as effective as any hollow point from the short barrel.

[tallball]

I can shoot mine without any trouble, but my hands aren't damaged and I've had decades of practice.

My wife has bad hand/wrist problems, and she can shoot 32 S&W long (or even 32 H&R magnum) just fine.

I would much rather be carrying a 32 instead of a 22.

[Mr. Tettnanger]

I have had several of the 642/442 revolvers. I sold off my last one last spring. I never enjoyed shooting them. Every single one of them had lousy gritty triggers. Recoil was not fun....and I am not recoil sensitive.

I recently purchased a Ruger Redhawk Kodiak Backpacker 44 magnum 2 /34" snubby. Honestly, recoil on this seems less snappy and I actually enjoyed shooting it. The 642/442, not so much!

[JBB]

Rent or borrow one and let her pick her own firearm. Never a good idea to buy someone else a pistol.

[rodfac]

Rent or borrow one and let her pick her own firearm.

Excellent advice...and it applies to other items as well as guns.

[Carl the Floor Walker]

Totally agree. Many women would be offended and rightly so. You want to help anyone, have them join a NRA safety course, go to the range with them and let them learn the way you did. By shooting may firearms. Never could understand why so many Men behind a counter of a LGS will pull out a revolver for them or a small pocket gun.
Do not get me wrong, I love both. But the learning curve is long. More for advanced shooters.
I love the 642 for myself, easy to shoot, so simple in operation and light weight. But this is from years of shooting them and pocket guns. A newbie that chooses one will have to put in the time and money to become proficient. Learn the DAO trigger etc.

[MagDiddy]

Not sure about the LCR but we have an LCP which feels like a time bomb. Very light trigger and no safety. Scary to carry. We pretty much limit to home security.

[Carmady]

"we have an LCP which feels like a time bomb. Very light trigger and no safety. Scary to carry."

Is that an LCP II with the little thingy on the trigger?

[Doc Intrepid]

Originally Posted by Sigkid79

"Can anyone tell me about the recoil on these revolvers? I’ve read from some that it is a very snappy revolver due to its size and being lightweight, and I’ve heard from others that it was a joy to shoot in standard .38 special.

I’m buying for my wife who has very weak hands/wrists. It’s either this or the Ruger LCR in .22 magnum."

I own two of the Airweight S&W J-frames in .38 Special - the 642 and the Bodyguard Airweight. Must agree with the general comments above. They can be shot well, but it requires commitment. Many shooters - particularly those like your wife with weak wrists and hands - report that they are unpleasant to fire, particularly with heavy loads.

If you want her to practice (relatively) routinely with the firearm, she'd better not consider it unpleasant to shoot.

Rather than the Ruger, however, consider a S&W in the J-frame configuration that fires .22 Magnum. I've fired one of these, and it was not unpleasant at all - very controllable. If my wife fell into the category you describe, I would have no hesitation to having her try out a Model 351c:

https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/model-351c

Best with it.