S&W air light 38 opinions?

I

iblong

New member
Cabelas has these on sale right now for 349.00
Im thinking of buying one for summer carrie.rather than my auto.Any one have one?Opinions wanted.
Thanks Bob.
 
I think they are great for what they are intended for. Light carry for defense or emergency use. I don't believe they are meant to be used for target practice. I personally saw an older gentlemen purchase a Scandium model with ammo. He later came back into the store with the butt, trigger and a couple small parts. The gun was replaced overnight nicely & quietly straight from the manufacturer.
Now someone here called BS on that saying it had to be hot handloads. Not true. This guy simply wanted a gun around and tried it out. What a surprise. I have since seen other reports of the same type story.
I also notice more gouging and filings from the cylinder pin from opening and closing. Recoil is also more noticeable.

Would I buy one? Yes for limited use. That seems like a good price for a carry gun.
 
I had and carried one for several months but I replaced it with a Ruger SP101 while the .38 SPL is a fine round for occasional carry, the airwieght just don't hold up to a lot of use. At that time dept. regs had me qualify five times a year with what I carried that was 250 rounds just to show i could hit the dang target. plus the weekly practice sessions, and it just did not hold up. I also wanted somthing hotter than the .38 SPL. that the airwieght is limited to. Are the new models proofed for + P's?
 
I have the scandium 357 model that I carry all the time, its the ultimate carry pistol, its very light weight I hardly notice its in my coat, the regular airweight 38 is a few onces more, I would also suggest getting the hammer model, in SA mode I get a nice 3# trigger pull, with mine I can actually hit stuff with it, a man size target is in trouble out to past 50 yards. I have prolly put a couple hundred rounds through mine with no ill effects or problems, its a much tighter and well made pistol than what taurus is putting out in a similar model. I run magtech 125grn 357 ammo in mine, recoil is stout put not totally unbearable like some people claim.
 
I love mine, and most everyone I associate packs one as well including my wife, father and mother. I love the weight and not having a hammer to catch on anything. I figure that if I carry a large/heavy gun all the time, sometimes I might leave it at home. I figure 5 rounds of .38 all the time is better than having times I would otherwise have nothing.

Get yourself one and carry it every day.

Lt.
 
Carl,
He shoots 50 rounds five times per year. FYI, my department Q's require 60 rounds per session.

On topic, I've packed an Airweight BodyGuard .38 Special with 158 gr. LSWC-HP on my ankle on street patrol for a long time. I would have felt naked without it or my bullet resistant vest. It's a great gun and extremely useful. It still rides a pocket on occasion. I prefer old models with no lock hole in the side and zero MIM parts. But that's just me...
 
I have a S&W 638 Airweight using Speer Golddot 135gr +P ammo. I also have a Crimson Trace laser grip on it. This is my bedroom unit. It isnt something that you want to shoot alot of, since it does "Bite" at times, especially using +P ammo. Simple gun that the wife can also use.
 
Thanks guys for the imput.I carry every day and Im looking for something other than my auto for summer wheather carry.
Something light and easy to conceal ect.I usually shoot twice a month to maintain reasonable accuracy and stay familliar with my weapon.50 to 100 rounds per session.Hopefully it will stand up to that much use.
Thanks again,iblong.
 
Bofire, our department we have to shoot a whole 50 rounds to qualify(50 handgun, 50 M-4). I couldn't see having to shoot 250 rounds to qualify, that would be a long day if you had to wait for everybody to get done.

I have an air light in .38 Special and it is awesome. It doesn't have much recoil for how light it is in my opinion. It gives me something other than my .45ACP to shoot which is nice every once in a while.
 
Just bought a S&W 642 a month ago and it has stamped on the barrel "38+P". Our qualification for anything 2" or smaller is 50 rounds once a year. I don't know if I would want to shoot any more +P than that.
 
Most people will practice and qualify with less powerful ammo than full strength. Probably not the best ideal for realism, but maybe better for lightweight handguns such as the airweights for durability.
 
I got this one for the same reasons, the P-13 is alittle much in the summer, this one drops in the front pocket of shorts! Air Lite Ti 38 sp. Shoots pretty good to, I was surprised.
DSC00031.jpg
 
I like to remember something very graphic... I have a friend who finally retired after 36 years with his Department, always in the Patrol Division. He never fired his weapon once while on duty... On the other hand, three shootings over that time while off-duty. I participated in one of those when we found ourselves leaving a restaurant on a Saturday morning just as two armed robbers decided to exit the jewelry store next door to the restaurant. Steve carried the same Gov't model .45 on or off duty, 24/7. After that day I never again carried that very sweet little .380 Walther PPK/S. My only concession after that was to occassionally carry a Commander length...

Be sure what you have in hand can carry the load when it is called upon to deliver...
 
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