TheBigDog65
Amateur
Our local Bomgaars store ordered one straight away. A friend here in town couldn't wait and after visiting every other FFL in town with no joy, Bomgaars hooked him up, supposed to be here in the next week or so.
That is actually good to know, I had not heard that before. What are the added benefits of the Lipseys?You might already know this, but one of the things to be aware of when pocket/ankle/IWB carrying a 638 vs a fully shrouded hammer 6/442 is that lint will build up in the inner workings of the 638 considerably more easily than on a 6/442. One should be prepared to pull the side plate and clean out the innards of a 638 more often than on a 6/442.
As for the Lipsey's guns, part of what makes them attractive to me is that it does what I'd like a gunsmith to do to a 6/442 for less added cost than shipping it off to a gunsmith.
That is actually good to know, I had not heard that before. What are the added benefits of the Lipseys?
I get your first point, and stepping back to evaluate actual needs is absolutely the way to go. On point 2-I don't have any special info, but based on watching/reaching/listening to all the comments from Darryl and Bryan I expect their next project to not be a J frame. They talk consistently about wanting to keep the costs reasonable on the special projects (hence the aluminum frame an 32 H&R instead of a scandium gun that would be well over $1K). With doing both the 32 and 38 calibers, and the upgrades they already put into the UC guns, it would make sense for them to pursue another frame size as I think they really accomplished their goal of a smartly upgraded basic J frame that balances features and price. If I had to make a guess on the next gun, I could see them pushing a 3" 38 K-Frame, perhaps with similar upgrades like a dovetail front sight, better stocks, and possibly some minor internal work. Just speculation at this point, but I have to get it out there so if I happen to be right it's on record haha!I'm definitely interested in a 32 cal but two things are currently holding me back.
1) I have other niches that aren't filled as well as they should and they take priority over another carry revolver.
2) There was a lot of talk on the modcast about this just being the first of many things they were working on. I'm very curious to see what is next.
Otherwise I'm as happy as could be to see any new development in carry revolvers, especially usable sights because the gutter system is a pain for my eyes.
If I wasn't able to find a 642/442UC this month (currently at FFL since my background checks are usually delayed), I was going to buy a 340 M&P while the rebate was still going.These are selling for quite the mark up on Gunbroker right now. I’m sure their hotness will cool off as they become more available. My 340 M&P has been my long time go to. Front sight went out quite a while back, it’s got chamfered cylinder and action tuned a little already. I’m still very tempted by the 32 though.
Thanks for this, awesome follow up. Carrying the 640 and shooting magnums through it was not a pleasant experience for my hands, as the original wood grips gave me some nasty cuts inbetween my thumb and index finger (same spot as a poorly filed 1911 safety would rub.) However with the rubber grips I found (I wanna say they're actually SW grips) that has changed. That being said I mostly carry 38s in it now.
For me, the sights (similar to the 640 Pro) are the big deal, making the $759 MSRP worth the extra $220 over the 642's MSRP, or the $120 over a 642 Performance center.
Even if I found a gunsmith willing to replace the integral front sight on an aluminum frame gun, I probably can't have a rear sight added in any satisfying way. Chamfered charge holes and beveled cylinder are nice to have, but not as big of a game changer. This particular VZ grip isn't available as a separate part at the moment, but their other J-frame grips are $75-79.
However, if you don't care about the rear sight or prefer a ditch rear sight for a pocket gun, the scandium frame M&P340 is probably the hot ticket right now. With them, you get an XS front sight as well as the improved trigger pins and 2 piece barrel that they brought to the Lipsey's guns. They've got a steel cylinder instead of the titanium cylinder of the 340/360PD, so they weigh 2oz more, but crimp jump with lightweight bullets is less of a risk than with the 340/360PD, and the extra weight makes them inbetween those super light guns and a 642. They're .357 Magnum capable if you're a much manlier than I. They can be found for as low as $800, and there's a $50 rebate on most J-frames through the end of the month.
I haven't even checked my tritium vials. Maybe I should.Picked up the 642UC today.
Trigger is averaging 10 lbs, 6 oz on my Wheeler digital scale, weight is 16.45 oz on my kitchen scale. Cylinder gap is 0.003-0.004. Grips are smoother than I'd expected, but fill out my small-to-medium sized hand nicely.
Unfortunately, my front tritium sight is dead, so I might have one of the guns with the .32 H&R barrel shroud tensioned on to a .38 Special barrel insert.
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There were some issues with how the front sights were installed at S&W that resulted in broken tritium vials. Contact S&W and get a return authorization and it will get fixed.Picked up the 642UC today.
Trigger is averaging 10 lbs, 6 oz on my Wheeler digital scale, weight is 16.45 oz on my kitchen scale. Cylinder gap is 0.003-0.004. Grips are smoother than I'd expected, but fill out my small-to-medium sized hand nicely.
Unfortunately, my front tritium sight is dead, so I might have one of the guns with the .32 H&R barrel shroud tensioned on to a .38 Special barrel insert.
View attachment 9877
I emailed the regional S&W LE rep, so he should get back to me Monday or Tuesday (depending on how many weekend emails he's got to sort through).There were some issues with how the front sights were installed at S&W that resulted in broken tritium vials. Contact S&W and get a return authorization and it will get fixed.
If you have any issues with the warranty repair let me know please.I picked up my 642UC on the 12th. Sent it back for warranty repair on the 14th. After 40-rounds I had six trigger reset malfunctions.