Smith & Wesson Model 637 Airweight .38 Special
Model: 163050
Smith & Wesson Model 637 Airweight .38 Special
Model: 163050
Full Specifications
About This Firearm
The Smith & Wesson Model 637 Airweight is an aluminum-framed single and double action .38 Special built for belt and ankle carry. It has an MSRP of $569. Its hammer carries a full spur, so this Airweight can be cocked for a deliberate shot where its double-action-only siblings cannot.
The sights are integral, a ramp on the barrel and a notch in the top strap, with nothing to adjust and nothing to replace. The grip is synthetic. The frame is aluminum alloy in a matte silver finish, with a stainless barrel and cylinder, so the two parts that see powder residue are the rust-resistant ones. The barrel is 1.88 inches turning 1:18.75, the gun is 4.3 inches tall and 1.3 inches wide, the cylinder holds five rounds, and no dot can be mounted without machining.
If you're cross-shopping, the Smith & Wesson Model 638 Bodyguard Airweight has the same MSRP and shrouds its hammer in a humped frame with a cutout, so it can still be thumbed back but has no spur to catch. The Smith & Wesson Model 642 Airweight has an MSRP of $539, weighs 14.6 oz and encloses the hammer completely, giving up single action for a clean draw. The three are the same revolver with three hammer arrangements, and the 637's is the full spur.
Best For
Strengths & Limitations
- The full hammer spur is easier and faster to reach than the shrouded cutout on the Bodyguard version of the same gun.
- Stainless barrel and cylinder on an aluminum frame puts the rust-resistant metal where the fouling and the pressure are.
- Holsters, grips and speed strips built for any 1.88-inch J-frame fit it, apart from pocket holsters that assume a hammerless gun.
- The hammer spur snags on pocket fabric, which rules out pocket carry without a holster shaped to cover it.
- A shooter who never uses single action gains nothing here over the enclosed-hammer guns and keeps the snag.
- Both sights are machined in place, so there is no route to a brighter front sight.
Category Rankings
How the Smith & Wesson Model 637 Airweight .38 Special ranks among compact .38 Special handguns.
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| NAME | BEST PRICE |
|---|---|
|
Smith & Wesson Model 642 Airweight .38 Special
Smith & Wesson
|
$499.99 |
|
Smith & Wesson Model 442 Airweight .38 Special
Smith & Wesson
|
$539.99 |
|
Ruger LCR .38 Special
Ruger
|
$607.99 |
|
Taurus 856 .38 Special
Taurus
|
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is it rated for +P?
Yes. Smith & Wesson lists the chambering as .38 S&W Special +P.
How does the hammer compare with the Bodyguard's?
The 637's spur is exposed along its whole length, so it can be cocked with the thumb in one motion. The Bodyguard's sits in a shroud with a cutout, which works but takes a more deliberate reach.
What is the twist rate?
A 1:18.75 twist, the same rate across this family of J-frames.
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