Smith & Wesson J-Frame – 642
When you’re shopping for a budget-friendly revolvers, finding a candidate for a great concealed carry that’s also fun to shoot and has a trusted name on the side seems like too much to ask. But then you discover the S&W J-frame series.
The concealed hammer on this gun makes it a double-action only, of course, and thus it has a naturally longer trigger pull. As the shooter, you can count that as a positive or negative depending on your own preferences. For self-defense situations, most experts say you should never cock the hammer (for courtroom purposes).
The Model 642 is a nicely finished out revolver and is plenty lightweight for carrying purposes. It’s also got some fairly light recoil. As a 5-shot snub nose, it’s actually very shootable and accurate. With practice, you can get quite accurate.
RETAIL: $429