air weight revolver shopping

[DUBSY]

I'm really interested in the LCR in .38 special but I can't find one locally to rent. The closest comparison I have found to rent has been the Body Guard and I liked it. I was surprised at how easy it was to shoot well. It felt good in my hand as I was able to get my other three fingers on the grip and I didn't have to fidget between shots to re-grip. I currently own a SW637 and after 1000 dry and live fires I don't shoot it nearly as well. To anyone with experience how similar are the LCR and the Body Guard? 

[Valmet]

I don’t know all of the in and out differences between the Airweight and Bodyguard in the S&W line (believe the BG has hammer shroud), but I’ve ccw’d a J-frame Airweight off and on for years and have always liked them. 

Cant speak for the LCR as I could never wrap my mind around a plastic revolver mfg’d by Ruger.  

[Booker]

This one?

 

[Booker]

or this one?

 

[DUBSY]

38 minutes ago, Booker said:

This one?

 

That one

[Booker]

I think that the Ruger has the better trigger and better stocks.  The S&W is a little stiff when new but range time and plenty of dry-fire practice smooths it out.  The S&W wins on price!  Either one will serve you well!

[DUBSY]

15 minutes ago, Booker said:

I think that the Ruger has the better trigger and better stocks.  The S&W is a little stiff when new but range time and plenty of dry-fire practice smooths it out.  The S&W wins on price!  Either one will serve you well!

Yeah, if I can hit the trifecta which is: in stock, my price and I have the money I’ll probably get the LCR. Thanks for the replies. 

[Spats McGee]

I've had an LCR for several years.  Mines the .357, but I carry .38s in it.  It's a great little gun.  The trigger is kind of long, but smooth, and it just disappears into a pocket.  Great little pistol.  Sadly, I have no experience with the Body Guard, so I can't offer a comparison.

Edited August 9, 2019 by Spats McGee

[DUBSY]

Finally got to try out an LCR. The trigger was as others have said “light but takes getting used to”. I was shooting 158gr Federal .38 special. Was able to shoot quickly and keep a decent group at 10 yards. The big trigger guard  is kind of in the way. Maybe not a deal breaker.

[TeaDub]

The LCR seems to be a solid design. Ruger is definitely a solid company if there's a problem.

I have FAR more experience with the Smiths. The triggers on the LCR are slightly sluggish on their reset compared to a J-frame. Also, there seems (to me) to be a false reset that will make the gun not fire unless you fully clear it. It's mostly felt when shooting a little faster. All of that is training related to MY experience. If I were just starting out, I'd likely just get the LCRs.

I still may and just spend a lot of time learning the trigger. Ruger now offers a 3" LCRx in 357 Magnum. It also has adjustable sights and a hammer for that single action option. I want another 3" revolver. The Ruger has everything I want except that 6th shot that others like the Kimber have. We'll see. 

[VIENNAGAMBIT]

I have had a 642 in my carry rotation for over 10 years now. I tried out the LCR when they first came out and would short stroke the trigger consistently. Deal breaker for me.

The 642 was also slightly easier to pocket carry due to the footprint.

[minervadoe]

I've had a S&W Model 36 for about 25 years.  It is a very nice gun.  But, I ended up buying a Ruger LCR for concealed carry.  It just seemed like the double action trigger worked better for me than any of the Smith's.  It's just me.  I ended up putting a pair of Pachmayr's on it to make it more recoil friendly, and then it got kind of bulky.   

[Al Czervik]

I don't think you can beat a 340 PD.  I usually have one in my pocket.

[Borg warner]

The original S&W "Bodyguard" was the Model 49 followed by the mode 38, which is the airwight version of the 49. both have the distinctive shrouded hammers and are sometimes referred to as "Humpback" revolvers. both the 38 and 49 were available both Blued and nickeled. later, they were available in stainless as models 638 (aluminum frame) and 649 (Stainless steel frame".

In 2014 S&W came out with a polymer framed version of the pistol and called it a bodyguard and a few years earlier they came out with a small 380 semi-auto and called that a Bodyguard, too.

The Model 38's  have been used throughout History by notable individuals. Clyde A. Tolson, special assistant to FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover, owned a Model 38 Airweight, serial number 512236, with his name engraved on the side. Nguyễn Ngọc Loan, South Vietnam's chief of National Police, was photographed using a Model 38 Bodyguard to execute a Viet Cong prisoner, Nguyễn Văn Lém, during the Tet Offensive of 1968. And Bernie Goetz used a Model 38 in a 1984 shooting on the New York City Subway.

I like the model 38 and have one that is blued but would rather have the nickeled version. It id perfect for pocket carry with the skinny service grips and a Tyler T-grip adaptor.

The problem with any airweight  J frame is recoil. You can add bulky rubber grips to help with recoil but they make the gun harder to conceal. I use the Underwood 150 grain hardcast full wadcutters in my 13 ounce airweight bodyguard and they do an honest 850 fps out of the short barrel and yeat they are not Plus+P and recoil is manageable with the skinny grips and the T-grip adaptor.

A friend of mine has a wife who is very recoil shy but she shoots his Ruger LCR 38 Special with target wadcutters, which only produce 700 fps or less out of a short barrel yet have been shown to be effective for self-defense.

 

 

[Gray Dood]

Model 38s are "the shiznit".

 

And I never liked Airweights for most of my working LEO life,  preferring the SS 649 as ankle carry.  Inherited this 1972 variant,  in the box, when my Dad passed.  Great pocket gun and like a drill out to 15 yards with 158 grain SWCs. Though I'd need a grip adapter but this one works just fine right like it came out of the box.