Description
The Smith Wesson PC Model 642 Revolver is the Performance Center version of the most-carried snub revolver in America, a 14.5 ounce 38 Special with a tuned action, a cylinder cut for full moon clips and polished detailing.
Smith Wesson PC Model 642 Revolver What the Performance Center Changes
The standard 642 is already a benchmark carry revolver. What the Performance Center adds is hand work: a tuned action that is noticeably smoother than a production gun, a chrome-plated polished trigger, and high-bright polished cylinder flutes, thumbpiece and side plate screws.
The trigger is the part that matters most. A double-action-only revolver lives or dies by its trigger stroke, because there is no single-action mode to fall back on, and a tuned action makes the difference between a gun you shoot adequately and one you shoot well.
Custom synthetic grips with wood inserts finish the package. They look considerably better than plain rubber and they fill the hand properly without printing through a cover garment.
Moon Clips on a Revolver
The cylinder is cut for full moon clips and clips are included. That is unusual on a 38 Special revolver, since the cartridge is rimmed and does not need them for extraction, and it is done here purely for speed.
A moon clip reload is dramatically faster than loading five loose rounds or even using a speedloader, because all five rounds go in and come out as one piece. On a five-shot revolver, where a reload is a realistic possibility, that is worth having.
The revolver still functions normally with loose rounds if you prefer, so the moon clips are an option rather than a requirement. Treat any bent clip as a part to replace rather than straighten, because a distorted clip will bind the cylinder.
Carrying and Practising With It
A pocket revolver needs a pocket holster. Carried loose it shifts, collects lint in the action and leaves the trigger uncovered, none of which you want. A holster that breaks up the outline of the cylinder also does more for concealment than anything else you can buy for the gun.
Practice sessions are best kept short and frequent. Fifty rounds of standard-pressure 38 Special will teach you more than twenty rounds of +P that leave your hand sore, and the trigger stroke is the skill worth building. Dry fire costs nothing and this action tolerates it well.
Practise the moon clip reload too. It is fast once your hands know the motion, but the first few attempts are clumsy, and a reload you have never rehearsed is not a reload you have.
Specifications
- Manufacturer part number: 10186
- Caliber: 38 S&W Special, rated for +P
- Capacity: 5 rounds
- Frame: small J-frame
- Action: Performance Center tuned, double action only
- Cylinder: cut for full moon clips, moon clips included
- Trigger: chrome-plated, polished
- Detailing: high bright polished cylinder flutes, thumbpiece and side plate screws
- Grips: custom synthetic with wood inserts
- Weight: 14.5 oz
- Height: 4.3 in.
- Width: 1.3 in.
- UPC: 022188866360
Why Buyers Choose the Smith Wesson PC Model 642 Revolver
A tuned double action is the single most valuable upgrade on a snub revolver, and hand-fitting is not something you can buy off the shelf afterwards.
Moon clips turn the slowest reload in handgunning into one of the faster ones, and the clips are included rather than sold separately.
At 14.5 ounces this carries as easily as any pocket revolver, so the Performance Center work does not cost you anything in concealment.
Polished flutes, a chrome trigger and wood-insert grips make this a considerably better looking revolver than a standard 642, which matters if you enjoy the guns you own.
Who Should Buy It
The Smith Wesson PC Model 642 Revolver suits concealed carriers who want the best-shooting version of a proven pocket revolver, shooters who train with a revolver and want a better trigger, and anyone who values moon clip reloads. Expect sharp recoil with +P loads in a gun this light, and practise with standard-pressure 38 Special.
Learn more from Smith and Wesson, or browse the rest of our firearms selection.
Every firearm we list ships to your chosen FFL and is transferred there after a background check.
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