 Smith & Wesson Model 637,
Chief’s Special
Airweight
.38 SpecialBy Syd
I have often asked myself why, after years of using
autoloaders, I found myself drawn to the Smith & Wesson Airweight
Chief’s Special revolver. There are some things about this that aren’t
the most scientific reasons for selecting a handgun. I guess I’ve been
fascinated by snub-noses since the first times I saw Humphrey Bogart and
Jimmy Cagney waving them around in old gangster movies. It was the
snub-nose which always appeared out of nowhere and changed the
situation. The snub-nose has a mystique about it just as surely as the
Luger, The Single Action Army Colt, the M1911A1, the PPK…you know the
list — the guns which have become icons. Actually, I’d like to own each
of these someday, but some lack the utilitarian value to me of the
snub-nose. So, while someday, I may own the Lone Ranger’s six-shooter, I
picked up a Model 637 Chief’s Special Airweight in .38 caliber.
The Model 637 is the 5-shot J-frame built with a
stainless steel barrel and cylinder and an aluminum alloy frame with an
exposed hammer. It has black rubber Uncle Mike’s Boot Grips. The two
greatest strengths of this gun are its excellent accuracy and 13.5 ounce
weight. Other strengths I would list are the rounded contours of the
gun, ease of concealment, its simplicity of operation, and high
production values in finish and fit. This particular model is the 637-1,
the “-1” indicating that it is rated to handle +p ammunition. When I
selected the 637 I really struggled with the choice between the 637 and
the 642, the Airweight Centennial which is double action only. I settled
on the 637 because its exposed hammer allows me to cock it for single
action fire which makes for greater accuracy. The 642 is “snag free”
and would be the better choice for pocket carry.
The snub-nose .38 Special is a study in trade-offs.
The .38 Special is an excellent cartridge coming out of a 4" barrel.
Launched from a 2" barrel, it can suffer velocity and expansion
problems. On the other hand, a .38 with a 4" barrel won’t fit in your
pocket. A snub-nose .38 can launch a bigger bullet than any other pistol
of its size and weight, a 158 grain slug, but it can only launch five of
them before you have to reload. Its small size and weight make it a
dream to carry, but a pain to shoot. Modern .38 Special +p ammunition
from Federal, Remington, and Winchester has addressed the velocity and
expansion issues fairly well, but the recoil of +p in an Airweight is
brisk indeed.
Shooting the snubby: I have medium large hands and
the small grip and fast muzzle flip makes the snubby uncomfortable for
me to shoot. One time I ran 150 rounds through it in a single session
and came away with a blister on the bottom of my trigger finger from the
trigger guard snapping up and hitting it. The trigger pull on the snubby
is relatively heavy which doesn’t make for pinpoint accuracy, but
provides a margin of safety for a gun that gets carried in pockets,
purses, fanny packs and all sorts of holsters. Since the barrel is so
short, the sight radius does not lend itself to tack-driving accuracy
either. However, if you do take the time to get a good sight picture and
have good trigger control, the inherent accuracy of the little wheel gun
will surprise you.
"Of all handguns probably none of them are
harder to master than the belly model. To begin with, it is short and
it is light. This coupled with a walloping big caliber spells a
punishing recoil. Only a plentitude of firing will accustom the user
to the buck and rear of the sawed-off.
A hard-kicking gun can be controlled in only
one way: it must he gripped with a powerful hand pressure. Practice a
grip on the belly gun that will crush granite. Such a heavy hand will
bring the weapon under control and keep it there. Practice on man
targets and do not fire at them more than 30 feet. Do not fire single
shots, trigger off bursts of 2 or 3. Extend the arm full length in the
beginning and simply look over the barrel. Later on commence to break
the elbow and hold the gun below eye level. Shots come faster.
Accuracy is just as good from this lower position – it is just a
matter of practice." – Col. Charles Askins, GUNS MAGAZINE,
May, 1955 [Editor's note: I don't necessarily subscribe to
this style of shooting, but Col. Askins was one of the most
experienced and successful gunfighters of all time and his methods are
worth considering.]
The snub-nose .38 Special competes against guns
like the Beretta Tomcat .32, the KelTec P-32, the SIG 230 .380 and the
“baby Glocks”. Each of these have attributes which commend them, and I
wouldn’t hesitate to use any of them (well, except maybe for the Glocks
– sorry, I just don’t like them.). The case for the snub-nose includes
cheap ammo, big bullets, simplicity of operation, and excellent
reliability.
A while back, I had the opportunity to test one of
the S&W titanium 337’s which weighs in at a mere 11.9 oz. In my opinion,
the weight difference between the 637 and the 337 is not significant
enough to justify the $150 price difference between the two guns (or the
$250 difference you pay for the scandium versions). The stainless and
aluminum alloy versions seem to be much better values to me. I also
think the stainless steel of the 637 is better looking than the flat gun
metal gray of the titanium parts of the 337. The two guns shoot about
the same with brisk recoil and muzzle flip.
My favorite loads for the snubby include the 125g
+p Remington Golden Saber, the 135g +p Speer Gold Dot, the 110g HydraShok which is a very
soft-shooting load, and the 129g +p HydraShok. Favorite holsters include
the Galco
Concealable, Galco Pocket Holster, Galco Ankle Glove, and
Galco Classic Lite Shoulder Holster.
Conceptual Issues With The Little
Wheel Gun
Criticisms
 It’s
always entertaining to me to read the noise that gets passed off as gun
wisdom on the Internet, and no subject seems to collect more
ill-considered pseudo-truths than the snub-nose revolver. With the
disclaimer that if I were forced to choose one pistol for my life, it
wouldn’t be a snub-nose .38 Special, I want to address some of the
issues and criticisms often leveled at the snub-nose. The big one, of
course, is that it only holds five rounds, and I admit that this is my
biggest negative with the gun. But think about it a minute – unless you
are a soldier or a guy who kicks down doors for a living, how often have
you actually been in a situation (outside of an IDPA match) in which
there was a high likelihood of needing to fire 16-30 rounds? I have read
the gun news almost every day for years and the instances in which an
armed civilian has been called upon to shoot it out with a gang of
heavily armed adversaries are exceedingly rare. And further, the sad
fact is that if you have to go up against a half dozen armed people your
odds of winning aren’t very good even with a gun that holds 15 rounds.
Generally, violent crime is a matter of 1, 2 or 3 against 1 according to
Justice Department statistics. The overwhelming majority of people who
commit violent crimes against strangers are trying to steal something or
commit a sexual assault. These people are looking for a score, not a
gunfight. A .38 Special revolver with five or six rounds is quite
adequate to dissuade, or if need be, stop this kind of predator,
assuming of course that you can put the rounds somewhere that they will
incapacitate the attacker. Also, with practice, a revolver can be
reloaded as fast, or nearly so, as an auto using
speed loaders.
I don’t mean this as an admonition to play the
averages. I don’t believe in averages and statistics when it comes to
self defense. Murphy is alive and well, and it’s the thing you don’t
plan for that sandbags you. At the same time, real life is not like IPDA
stages in which a dozen assailants stand still and let you shoot them.
Groups of people, armed or otherwise, don’t behave that way. They
scatter, dive for cover, shoot back, or something, but they don’t stand
still. This gives you, the tactically-minded survivor, an opportunity to
run the other way or take cover and reload. And again, these situations
are rare, although not unheard of. Also, if you frequently find yourself
in the position of being alone in a gunfight trying to hold off a half
dozen armed adversaries, it might be worthwhile to stay at home tomorrow
night to reflect upon your life style and social skills. The point I’m
trying to make is that the snub-nose is enough gun for most civilian
self defense needs when it is deployed effectively. Nevertheless, if
your threat assessment tells you that you may be facing multiple
determined attackers, you should consider a higher capacity firearm. For
more discussion on this, see "Why Carry a
Revolver?"
(My personal choices of armament for a gunfight
include a belt-fed M-60, a company of Marines at my back and close air
support, but it's kind of tedious to get all of that together for a trip
to the grocery store. If it sounds like I’m talking out of both sides of
my mouth, it’s because I am. The snubby is an acceptable solution to the
problem. It’s a whole lot better than throwing rocks, but it is not an
optimal solution. A lightweight snubby is a trade-off of firepower for
light weight, ease of carry, and conceal-ability.)
 One pseudo-truth I hear a lot is that snub-nose
j-frames are the best choice for women, beginners and people who don’t
want to practice with their handguns. Why? Loading and firing a Kahr or
Glock is not exactly rocket science. A 1911 is only slightly more
complicated. Are women and newbies too stupid to learn to operate an
autoloader? How do they manage to operate their cars and food
processors? I would argue the other way: let the newbies get a nice
medium size autoloader with a deep magazine and a full size grip so they
can miss a lot and not destroy their hands learning to fire the gun. A
larger revolver is also a good choice for a newbie. A snub-nose 5-banger
actually requires more skill to use effectively. With only five rounds
in the gun, there is a smaller margin for error – you can’t afford to
miss. The heavy trigger and short sight radius require more skill rather
than less to achieve accuracy. You have to practice with these guns.
Actually, you have to practice with any handgun, but that’s
another
rant. Especially with the lightweight revolvers, practice can be
unpleasant because of the brisk recoil and muzzle flip, so why saddle newbies with little pocket cannons that are going to discourage
practice? The only rational reason to put a newbie into a revolver is
that they like it better. There is a certain wonderful trustworthiness
about a wheel gun. Autos are mysterious with a lot of strange parts and
such. Revolvers are simple and obvious. If the newbie has confidence
that the revolver is going to work for them when the chips are down,
that’s the gun they should get. Then they should buy a case of ammo (and
maybe some shooting gloves) and learn how to use it.
Another criticism of the snub-nose is that it’s
underpowered – the short barrel doesn’t give the powder enough time to
burn to develop adequate velocity. While the short barrel certainly
costs you some muzzle velocity, I believe that this is a criticism based
largely on yesterday’s ammo, and it should be revisited. With modern +p
loads, the snub-nose can kick out a 125g bullet at 850 – 900 fps. It can
spit out the 158g at around 800 – 850 fps. At 900 fps a 125g bullet can
shoot clean through a normal sized human being. While the .38 Special
lacks the terminal ballistics of the .45 ACP and the velocity of the
9mm, its “power to weight ratio” is actually pretty good with the right
ammunition. It is capable of doing the job. The power factor of the .38
Special revolver is the main reason I prefer it to a small auto like a
.32 or .380 (and yes, I’ve read the Marshall & Sanow stats and I don’t
believe a word of it.). The snubby is still the only handgun I know of
that weighs 13 ounces and can launch a 158g bullet.
The last of the frequent criticisms of the
snub-nose is that it isn’t very accurate. This isn’t really true, but I
know why people think it. The snub-nose is not a gun that is easy to
shoot accurately, but it is capable of surprising accuracy. On an
episode of American Shooter hosted by
Jim Scoutten, I saw trick shooter Bob Munden (see
http://www.bobmunden.com/ ) hit a balloon the size of a saucer at
150 yards with a snub-nose .38. I think he had to fire twice, once to
get the range and then the second shot hit. I have proven it to myself
by consistently knocking down the small 18” tall x 6” wide pepper
poppers at 25 yards. Now, to do this, I have to really take my time, aim
carefully and fire single action, but I have established to my own
satisfaction that the snubby can actually hit things at “long range”
when I do the things I should.
 The Good Stuff
I'm an auto guy. With the exception of firing a few
old .38's when I was a kid, I cut my teeth on autoloaders – particularly
the M1911 and various 9mm’s. For serious business and matches, I still
prefer autoloaders. I like their speed in firing and reloading. I have
never found a gun that I shoot better than the M1911. With that said,
I'm not blind to the appeal of wheel guns. There is a certain solid
dependability about a wheel gun. It is simple and intuitive, and in its
own way, perfect. To my way of thinking, the auto is faster and has
better firepower, but there's no squirrelly jazz about a revolver. It's
pretty obvious that it's loaded, and there's no safety or de-cocking
levers to worry about. There are no magazines to fail, no research
project to find out which ammo runs reliably, no carefully tuned
mechanism to transfer cartridges to the chamber from the magazine – in
short, the revolver is a simple and dependable mechanism. While it is
technically possible for a revolver to jam, it is a rare event usually
brought about by a failure of ammunition to hold together under the
recoil cycle of the gun or crud build-up under the ejector star. I have
managed to jam almost every autoloader I own but I have never jammed a
revolver. I have seen every variety of autoloader jam and fail in match
and training settings. I can tell you particular models of autoloaders
that have never failed on me, but the possibility of a jam or magazine
failure is always in the back of my mind and we have to train for
malfunction recovery. It's just part of the course for training people
on autos. With a wheel gun, we don't worry so much about malfunctions.
We worry about learning to reload fast enough to survive a fight. We
worry about finding ammo that will achieve the necessary velocity and
expansion, but malfunction recovery just isn't high on the list of
worries when it comes to wheel guns. A lot of people like these
characteristics of revolvers.
Recently, I suffered a pair of painful back
injuries – one was the result of moving a load of drywall, and then a
serious exacerbation of the injury happened in a fall on a set of
stairs. I could scarcely tighten my belt enough to keep my pants up,
much less endure a two pound gun and spare magazines riding on my belt
and pressing against my lower back. In this sad state of disrepair, I
was suddenly seeing my Airweight 637 in a whole new light. At 13.5
ounces and endowed with a really simple manual of arms, the snub-nose
was a viable solution. I ordered a Galco Classic Lite shoulder holster
so I wouldn't have to endure a chunk of metal in my belt, and I had a
rig that I could wear without discomfort.
The small snub-noses have ergonomics that even the
smallest auto of comparable caliber fail to achieve. I have talked to
police officers who have actually traded their baby Glock backups for
j-frame revolvers because the small Glocks just don't conceal or carry
as well. The snub-nose remains to me the most concealable of guns of
significant caliber. The rounded grip and small front end allows the
gun to blend itself into the natural curves of the human body, making it
an extremely easy gun to make disappear. It is comfortable to wear
because it lacks the corners and levers which can dig into your body,
and it’s light.
Tying the Threads Together
The snub-nose .38 revolver is an
under-appreciated and overly criticized personal defense handgun. I
suspect that in our haste to justify our lust for the latest whiz-bang
autoloader, the snubby has taken a critical pounding that would leave
the casual observer with the impression that the gun couldn’t stop a
rampaging grasshopper and is as slow to reload as a Brown Bess musket.
Much of this is undeserved. Its days as a primary sidearm for law
enforcement are surely over, but it remains very popular among peace
officers in the backup and off-duty carry roles. A non-scientific survey
of gun shop display cases revealed to me that that compact revolvers
remain very popular with the public. Their prices have gone up in recent
years, and few “deals” can be found on nice used specimens, especially
on the lightweight +p rated models.
A lot of misinformation goes around about the
snubbies, particularly that they are the ideal gun for beginners and
“non-dedicated personnel” (meaning folks that don’t want to practice). I
would argue that the snub-nose is not the best “first gun.” It is
actually more demanding of the operator in the tactical context. The
snub-nose is capable of significant accuracy and is possessed of
adequate stopping power to perform the self defense role. For the person
who adopts the .38 snub-nose as their personal self defense tool,
extensive practice at rapid shot placement and reloading is encouraged
in the strongest terms. Firepower (meaning the art of putting a lot of
lead in the air quickly) is this gun’s weakness. One might even consider
carrying a pair of snubbies so that an emergency reload is less likely.
Its days as the detective’s best friend may be
over, but the snub-nose .38 Special remains a dependable, effective
handgun, a delight to carry, and a classic realization of the fighting
handgun. And besides, it’s the only handgun my girlfriend ever called
“sexy.” (I still haven’t figured out what she meant by that, but far be
it from me to look a gift horse in the mouth.)
Additional
Reading: Why Carry a
Revolver?
The Snubnose Files
Making the J-Frame .38 Snub Work
The
.38 Snub – Old Fashioned Or Old Faithful?
Self-Defense loads for the 2-inch .38 Special
Is A .38 Snub Enough
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