Smith & Wesson 40 .38+P or Taurus 650 .357 Mag?
Smith & Wesson doesn't seem to have a blued steel frame 'hammerless' revolver in .357 Magnum, although they do have the S&W 40 in .38+P which is a steel frame 'hammerless' revolver. Taurus has the 650 steel frame 'hammerless' revolver in .357 Mag. My question is will the .38+P come close to .357 Mag power, as if it did I would be inclined to go with the S&W 40 in .38+P?
Thanks.
On a side note:
does it make any sense to 'Watch' BuyNow GunBroker auctions as they are gone once BuyNow is selected so there is no progression to watch really, now I can see it for Reserve or No-Reserve auctions though?
Thanks.
On a side note:
does it make any sense to 'Watch' BuyNow GunBroker auctions as they are gone once BuyNow is selected so there is no progression to watch really, now I can see it for Reserve or No-Reserve auctions though?
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The S&W 640 & 649 are steel frame shrouded hammer pistols available in .357.
.38 spec +P is a little more powerful than .38 spec. .357 mag is substantially more powerful than either of them. I avoid J-frames in .357 mag, as .38 spec with mild or moderate loads permits much faster follow-up shots, but YMMV.
I would not consider any Taurus for defense, as their quality control problems do not inspire confidence.
The only auctions I watch are COMPLETED auctions for which there have been bids.
Neal
EDIT: If you go to the S&W website, you can see detailed specifications on all their guns.
There is a huge selection of factory ammo in .38 spec, including a couple of loads specifically for 2" snubbies. Most folks on this forum prefer high power loads. For those who have trouble with recoil, .38 target wadcutters should work fine; they were used by the first US Air Marshals. I've had a number of customers who were not immediately incapacitated by .357 mag rounds that punched through, so my preference is for a slower round that stays in the body & delivers all of it's energy to the target. Pre-fragmented ammo like Glaser Saf-T-Slugs is a good choice in urban settings where ricochet or misses can be serious.
When I feel the need for a .357 mag, I'm going to get out my S&W 681:
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Can I get the S&W 640 & 649 in blued?
Even though I like the power of the .357 mag, I would agree that the .38+P would probably be more controllable as opposed to the .357 mag and in a 2" barrel especially as you say for follow up shots.
However is the .38+P more than adequate for self-defense or is it considered underpowered?0 -
Hmm, certainly wish that S&W made a blued model, don't care for stainless, nickel, etc, shiny weapons just don't work for me I guess.
Don't care for the light weight materials either, its got to be blued steel imo.0 -
quote:Originally posted by milsurplus
Hmm, certainly wish that S&W made a blued model, don't care for stainless, nickel, etc, shiny weapons just don't work for me I guess.
Don't care for the light weight materials either, its got to be blued steel imo.
If it has to be blued steel, then get the S&W 40, and settle for 38 Special +P. I would want to have a revolver that is going to work 100 % of the time, and you have no gaurantee of that with Taurus.
Best
EDIT 1
milsurp,
quote:Wasn't aware that Taurus quality was considered so bad, what exactly is the problem with Taurus as some seem to believe opposite?
That is it in a nutshell. The lack of consistant quality, and having to deal with their PITA customer service departmant. Having to send things back two or three times. Do a search on here for Taurus quality, and see what you come up with. I actually prefer a bobbed hammer, to a shrouded hammer..still no snag, and you can use single action if you must...provided the hammer is bobbed after the sale by a competant gunsmith.
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Wasn't aware that Taurus quality was considered so bad, what exactly is the problem with Taurus as some seem to believe opposite?
Concerning the Smith & Wesson couldn't a S&W 640 .357 mag 'hammerless' revolver be dura-coted or something, would that 'blacken' a stainless steel revolver and is it more or less permanent, would that work okay?
Actually while I am on that subject I was also considering dura-coating a Kahr MK40 .40 cal pistol as well. What do you think of Kahr and would dura-coating 'blacken' that stainless steel pistol equally well and more or less permanently too?
Thanks.0 -
yeah that kind 'quality' wouldn't work for me either, good to know, no taurus for me, thanks.
What do you think of Kahr Arms, I think I will go with a Kahr 40 .40cal pistol and a S&W 640 .357mag revolver as I can shoot .38+P out of it and .357mag once in a while too.
I want to dura-coat the 2 pistols as they are stainless steel; what do you think will it 'blacken' them permanently 'more or less'?0 -
quote:Originally posted by milsurplus
yeah that kind 'quality' wouldn't work for me either, good to know, no taurus for me, thanks.
What do you think of Kahr Arms, I think I will go with a Kahr 40 .40cal pistol and a S&W 640 .357mag revolver as I can shoot .38+P out of it and .357mag once in a while too.
I want to dura-coat the 2 pistols as they are stainless steel; what do you think will it 'blacken' them permanently 'more or less'?
I bounce back & forth between a Smith Model 49, a Kahr Mk9 and (oh, oh ...) a Taurus 415 - 41 Mag, 20 oz. I'm aware of Taurus QC issues, this one works.
I think the Kahr Mk or PM series is a great choice if you don't take a J framed Smith. It's about the same size, weighs a touch more and is excellent quality. Can be had in blackened stainless or Poly framed in 40 cal.0 -
Thanks dfletcher, that is what I needed; although I will stick with the steel and will dura-coat 'blacken' both the Kahr MK40 and S&W 640. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by milsurplus
Smith & Wesson doesn't seem to have a steel frame 'hammerless' revolver in .357 Magnum,
Yes it does. The model you describe is the Smith 640:
The shrouded hammer "bodyguard" version is called the 649 and looks like this:
quote:My question is will the .38+P come close to .357 Mag power.
Define "close".
.38+P is really only slightly more powerful than "ordinary" .38 special, and its a good bit LESS powerful than .357 even from a snubnose.
Here is a relatively good summary for you to look at:
http://www.snubnose.info/docs/38-snub_vs_357-snub.htm
The question you SHOULD be asking is, "Does a .38+P have enough power to merit consideration as a defensive concealed carry gun?".
I think the answer to that is "yes". Its not tremendously powerful, but I think its good enough if you do your part.
quote:Can I get the S&W 640 & 649 in blued?
No. By definition, those models are stainless steel only.
Note, apart from greater cost, I see zero downside to having one of these guns in stainless steel.
A defensive gun is **NOT** a "tactical stealth" gun. Not only do you WANT the bad guy to see it, some people think that light colored guns are MORE effective as defensive guns since they appear larger (and more threatening) to assailants.
Note if you don't like "shiny" putting a matte finish on a stainless gun is trivial. Just bead-blast it. Or heck, just rough it up with a piece of scotch green abrasive cloth.
quote:I want to dura-coat the 2 pistols as they are stainless steel; what do you think will it 'blacken' them permanently 'more or less'?
Sure, that could work, though I question both the necessity of doing it in this application, as well as the cost-effectiveness.
There are other ways to blacken stainless steel as well; see above.
quote:
does it make any sense to 'Watch' BuyNow GunBroker auctions as they are gone once BuyNow is selected so there is no progression to watch really, now I can see it for Reserve or No-Reserve auctions though?
If you want to buy it, buy. If not, then don't.
There is nothing to watch, since if someone else buys it the auction will end.0 -
Some good info there beantownshootah, thank you.
I meant to say 'blued' Smith & Wesson steel frame 'hammerless' revolver in .357 Magnum in the first post, although its fixed now.
I will look into some of those suggestions although I am a blued/blackened steel firearm person and don't own any shiny weapons must be so they cant say I am prejudiced.
The 'watchers' comment was for stuff that I have sold on GunBroker and was wondering why some people would put 'BuyNow' auctions on their 'watch' list since there really isn't anything to watch; although I guess they could use it to see if its still there I suppose, not the way I do that, but to each their own.
Appreciate all the help and advice from everyone, thanks.0
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