Ti, Temperature and Texas.
We all read the gun rags about what handgun is best. However, in my opinion, for the TX CHL holder, two things are major determinants of what you carry: Stopping Power and the WEATHER. While, I have had the battery of 9mms and 40 SWs, belt slides and IWBs. I just don’t want a covering vest when it is 110 deg. Maybe I want to take off my sport jacket. My solution has been pocket carry of a SW 442 and later a SW 642 in 38 SPL. I found them to be reliable, comfortable in my pocket and esp. with the quality rounds designed for them – 5 seems acceptable and powerful enough as compared to 22 LR, 25 ACP or 32 ACP pocket guns. But then the siren song of Titanium started to lure me. SW came out with a 342 Airlite. Same J frame Centennial configuration but with a titanium cylinder and thus a couple or so ounces lighter. Lighter sounds good . However, if I was to trade my 642 and get a 342, I’m probably going to have to spend $150. Was it worth it? I decided to shoot a 342 vs. my 642 side by side.
The test was:
First a warm up of 20 Winchester 130 grain FMJ 38 SPL from each, from each gun in an alternation.
Then I fired 20 Federal PDA Hydra-Shoks (110gr.) from each.
The reason for this ammo choice was:
1. I had a bit that I got on sale
2. It is a common self-defense round
3. +P rounds are expensive and firing snubbies are painful enough without the +P.
In alternating, sequences of 5 rounds, I fired 10 rounds at 4 yards, 5 rounds at 7 yards and 5 at 15 yards. The target was a small silhouette (used by the GA State police). Largest dimension was about 1.5 ft from hand to hand.
My impressions:
Weight: Both guns are light as guns go but the 342 is noticeably lighter. I carry the 642 as a pocket gun. I don't find it uncomfortable. Sometimes, I notice the weight but usually I don't. Since the range would probably not like it if I put their gun in my. By the way for the stopping power fans, I found in the pas that the SW 640 SS in 357 magnum was just a little too heavy for me and just a touch too long for my pockets. Others mention this also.
Conclusion: Some advantage to the 342 but not overwhelming.
Accuracy: Caveat - all were shot with my right hand, one handed. I 'm left handed and my left hand is still screwed up from breaking my wrist this summer. So no two handed grips. Also, shooting cross dominance.
The guns were basically equivalent. At 4 yards, one can shoot touching groups (except for a flier due to gravitational distortion and UFOs). At 7 yards, all rounds were in a fist-sized group. At 15 yards, I was kind of crappy with a six inch / 8 inch group. All would have been in the target though. No advantage to either gun
Recoil I used to think the 642 was stiff but the 342 gives you a sock with a nuance of pain. The 642 pounds your hand hard but it doesn't give me sharp pain. After 50 rounds, my hand is sore. However, with the 342, a fired round can give me an ouch experience. I could definitely feel the trigger trying to dig a hole in my finger. I flashed back to a guy shooting a SW 41 magnum at an SDSI class and it eating up his fingers to the raw flesh. You might not notice it in the heat of an incident but practice would be a pain. In a way it was a good experience as now I regard my 642 as more of a pussycat.
Trigger: This might not be a fair comparison as the 342 was a range gun and my 642 has been shot for several years but I found the 342 trigger a touch gritty and stagy. One cannot generalize from one sample.
The Airlite 32 HR Magnums –Another Solution?
Given, I like the light weight of the Airlite frames (I love my little SW 317 22LR in the field but then I also have a 12 gauge with me), I thought about the 332s in 32 HR Magnum. Same lighter gun but with less recoil and an extra round. So I rented a 331 (has a hammer spur) and tried it out.
My impressions:
1. Trigger/Sights/Grips are typical J frame.
2. Light - same as 342 to my feel. Recoil - interesting, I tried it as I thought that the 342 was sharp as compared to my 642. The 32 was fairly sharp also (Federal 95 gr. semiwad). I was surprised. It was not that much better than the 642.
3. Accuracy - for some reason I consistently shot this gun about 2 inches higher at 4 yards than the 642. I only shot 50 rounds - see below. However, grouping was pretty much the same as the others.
4. Ammo price - %%#((@%@*@ - $21 a box. Two ranges wanted this for practice ammo. All they had was the Federal. With 38 SPL and 9mm in the $5 to 6 range - You ain't practicing much with this guy.
Conclusion: I see no reason to trade in my 642 for a 342. The lighter weight doesn't give me that much more in comfort. The recoil disadvantage was not to my taste. If I was buying a J frame new - maybe for the slight weight difference - but probably not due to the cost. The 342 isn't a bad gun. In fact, it's pretty neat. It's not a newbie gun. If someone buys it and gets +p rounds after reading a gun rag - they are going to surprised if they try it. You need some experience to deal with it. If I was buying a specific gun for ankle carry - maybe. Since I don't carry that way, I really can't judge. With the 32 HR Magnum Airlites (331, 342), you gain a round of a weaker round. Recoil is still sharp - at least to me. Ammo is expensive. Ergonomics/sights/triggers = to other Centennials. Thus - not for me. The 642 is still ahead. The one round difference doesn’t cut it. But there is still hope – what I want is for SW to make a 942. Alloy frame, SS cylinder and in 9x19mm. Work on extraction technology to dump the clips. There have been three solutions - Ruger's, SW's and Phillips and Rodgers’ Medusa. Surely one can work. I once asked SW if they would do one and they said the alloy frame wouldn't take the round. Maybe a Ti frame would work and I’ll have to test again.
Originally Posted by Clusterfrack
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