S&W 640 Pro Series

[SLG]

Yup, it's called dry practice or dry fire. 15 minutes a day spent on reloading skills will pay big dividends in a month or so.

I'll second that, but only if you are practicing the right things.

When i reload a revolver (I hate moon clips, and do not use them), I invert the gun fully. One hand holds the cylinder in the fully out position, the other hand hits the ejector rod. I never have the issues you have described.

I was vague on what hand does what, because it really doesn't matter. If you like to eject them with your support hand thumb, while holding the gun with your support hand as well, have at it. It works fine, but it is not a technique I favor.

[Digiroc]

... only if you are practicing the right things.

My practice is going to be just not using them.

When i reload a revolver (I hate moon clips, and do not use them), I invert the gun fully. One hand holds the cylinder in the fully out position, the other hand hits the ejector rod. I never have the issues you have described...

Now that I'll practice.

Digiroc

[BehindBlueI's]

One of my 640 Pro's "features" is capability to use full moon clips. I thought this was a good idea, instant speed loader. In practice, for me at least, I find both ejecting and loading the weapon tricky and slow. The problem being that the rounds are not stable as they are in conventional speed loaders. Also they bend easily and if bent could that cause insertion problems.

Ejecting all five at once causes hang-ups if the cylinder is not fully open, hitting the plunger often moves the cylinder enough to retain the rounds. Inserting a fresh clip is also slow if the bullets don't line up perfectly. Is there a way to deal with this?

Digiroc

Well, to an extent there is. As Jared said, it requires practice but you never hear "holy shit, did you see that blazing fast j-frame reload?" for a reason. Keep in mind I'm speaking in general, as I don't own a 640. Snubby reloads tend to be slow, that's not their strong suit.

Snubbies have short ejectors because they have short barrels. .357 brass is long. You need inertia to get the brass to clear, and that means whacking the ejector with authority. If you're thumb punching it, you probably are going to get hanging brass. Switching to .38 may allow more consistent ejection. You should also be holding the cylinder all the way open.

Thin moon clips are a weak spot in the reliability of revolvers. Bend one and you've tied your gun up.

As far as reloading, I use speed strips for small revolvers. Wiggling in speed loaders is more pain than it's worth and I don't have any little guns cut for moon clips. As a rule, round nose ammo is easier as it will be more forgiving and funnel itself into the chambers vs flat point or hollow point. Using an index finger along side one bullet to guide it works well with speed loaders, not sure how well it would work with little moon clips, but you can give it a try.

As I recall, you routinely carry two guns. I do as well. Transition to another gun if time is of the essence.

Now, if it was me I'd not dick around with the moon clips and would just carry a speed strip. That's what I do for my LCR for the unlikely event I need to reload it. I do it like this:



There's more than one way to skin the cat of getting the gun empty, but start here:



Now, the bad news is it's difficult and requires frequent training to be smooth and consistent with your revolver reloads and the smaller the revolver the more that's exacerbated. The good news is it's a skill that's very seldom tested in random violence situations. If you're willing to make dummy rounds (or buy them) and practice you'll get better...but don't expect miracles.

[NEPAKevin]

As I recall, you routinely carry two guns. I do as well. Transition to another gun if time is of the essence.

For S&Gs, one more Mas video.

[Zeke38]

Just wanted to add a pic of my 640 Pro! Because I'm playing with image size on Photobucket and trying to get them to transfer at max size! Love the 640 Pro bought mine when it was first announced!


Nope staying at 320 size not bumping up to 800? Back to drawing board!

[Digiroc]

I've added a CT laser grip to my AirLite and it works well to reduce felt recoil. I can actually shoot +p .38's without much pain. The rubber CT grips have an air channel over the backstrap that absorbs much of the recoil:



Note the "tactical pen" that the S&W rep gave me in case my 640 Pro fails again. Also note the self bobbed hammer that I ground off with an angle grinder. The shine from the cut actually helps with sight alignment when putting the weapon up. Of course the laser does too, especially in dark conditions.

I consider the AirLite as my primary CCW, it is always on me in AIWB and just feels natural there. Very unobtrusive even with only jeans and a T-shirt over it. I also carry my Kimber Ultra II or a recently acquired CS9 when I feel a backup to the 5 shot AirLite is prudent. Although I carry a speed strip with 5 more +p (Rem Golden Sabers) I consider trying to reload the J frame as a good way to lose a gun fight.

I'm getting away from "mexican carry" after the derision I received in the romper room posts and now use a clip on IWB carried at the 8 o'clock position so my left hand can get to my backup before I need to do a "NY re-load". Having a gun in both hands can be an advantage in some situations, one being if my right arm becomes disabled I can carry on the fight with my weak (left) hand.

Some talk in this thread about aged pistoleros resorting to J frames as carry guns and I am in that category, turning 69 in about a month. I no longer venture into dangerous territory much now, so a snubby should suffice for personal protection. Carrying a second weapon as a backup is probably overkill for me at this point in my life, but after all it is my life so overkill is not a bad practice.

A word about situational awareness. Knowing what could be coming and if possible avoiding it is my prime directive. If it can't be avoided having a gun in hand is better than any fast draw, especially from concealment. If I am ever in a gunfight I want to have the advantage of the first shot, and the last.

Knives. I'm a fan of edged weapons and have a good collection of same, but I don't consider them as defensive weapons. Never bring a knife to a gunfight is good advice, and one I adhere to. This is why I carry a gun, having one in hand defeats the bogus "21 foot rule" every time.

To get back on topic, my purchase of a 640 Pro Series has been a great investment, it's my shooter and great bedside gun with it's night sights. It's a pretty thing, stainless and all and a nice shooter that enhances my capabilities with my somewhat ugly AirLite. Kind of like comparing my Kimber to the CS9 which is, in black finish, an all business weapon that's lighter and easier to carry.

Digiroc

[FotoTomas]

I realize after reading through the entire thread that I am somewhat late to this party. So much written and so much to comment on. Alas I will simplify since most has been written in this thread already. I want a 640 Pro. Never gave them much thought till this thread. Probably not get one since as I head to my permanent "J" frame lifestyle I am looking to simplify the collection not add more. The 638 is my primary EDC now in a DeSantis Nemesis in my strong hand front pants pocket. The 642 in the house resides in an identical holster in my weak side cargo pocket. Two HKS speedloaders in the strong side cargo pocket. I find those revolvers to best fit my current lifestyle and having a New York Reload is the best option when it comes to continuing a fight past 5 rounds. For me the 158 gr lead SWCHP in +P is the ammo on board and at present 148 grain wadcutters give me good training options without the abusive airweight +P recoil. I have sold off all of the little semi pistols the PM9's, SIG 290Rs, KelTec P3AT and Ruger LCP. Small revolver is my only plan for pocket carry now. Speaking of revolvers I let the Colt DS and Cobra go as well. I want current in production handguns for my EDC. Something that will be easy to maintain and repair. I also do not want as many shooting irons around as my retirement plans have me looking hard at a RV style retirement. Getting rid of lots of the excess "stuff" I have accumulated due to space and security concerns has me looking at a very simple battery of personal arms. It will be struggle to control my "IGOTTAHAVEIT" addiction.

[Nephrology]

It will be struggle to control my "IGOTTAHAVEIT" addiction.

The story of firearms ownership summarized in one sentence

[LockedBreech]

My gottahaveit is costing me $380 in two weeks. 64-1 from the mid 1970s.


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[rainman]

My gottahaveit is costing me $380 in two weeks. 64-1 from the mid 1970s.


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If in nice shape, that sounds like a bargain from what I've seen of K-frame prices recently.

Remember to post pics!


-Rainman