I have narrowed my choices down to one of the following revolvers:
1. Taurus 445, a five round 44 special,
2. Smith and Wesson 642, a five round 38 special
with No Internal Frame Lock

So friends I would appreciate your help.

I like S&W revolvers much more than I do Taurus and I like 44 Special to defend my life much more than I do 38 Special

S&W!

Smith.


Travis

money no object?
It would be the Smith .38
or better a .357.

Seriously...?! The revolver you have with you when its needed. Everything else becomes irrelevant at that point. Just make sure the weapon operates reliably.

Although I generally prefer a Smith over a Taurus, I have a .41 Magnum Titanium Tracker that is every bit as reliable and accurate as the Smith 357PD Airlite, and is smaller. I only wish I had bought one of the Titanium snubbies when they were available...

As to the cartridge, when velocities are under 1200 fps I like a bigger caliber to make up the difference.

So with the two choices offered I would take the Taurus .44 Special stoked with Speer 200 grain Gold Dot HPs or better some of the Buffalo Bore ammo if the Taurus will handle it... BB has a 200 grain full wadcutter at 1000 fps that should stop anything on two legs....

Bob

I don't think there's much difference. The Smith is made here and that counts for a lot to me. I like the .44 a smidgen better than the .38. I think you've got a little better chance of getting a no-problem gun from Smith. I think you've got a better chance of getting a more polished gun from Smith. The Taurus is probably less expensive. The Smith doesn't have a pesky unneeded safety. I would put a lot of weight on which one felt better and pointed better. I'm not a huge fan of Double-action-only.

I luv my 642 with CT laser. Use Gold Dot Short Barrel or BB 150 gr. Flat Points. Perfect in my mind.

The one you can best hit with

Consider also the carry options and easy of carry for each one. A j-frame smith has a lot of carry options and is very easy to conceal. I'm not familiar with the Taurus.

642 in a front pocket.

S&W.

I had a Taurus .357 / 2 inch which every so often would hang up.
Sold and got S&W five rd 38 special.

So I'd go with the S&W M642

Smith over the Taurus any day of the week. And my choice would be at least a 44 Spl.

I'd take a 44 over a 38 any day.

Shoot that Taurus before you buy, if you can.

You might decide right away to go with the Smith.

Indeed!!!!!

If you look around you should be able to find a good, used S&W Centennial Air Weight for under $400. Probably the best "pants pocket" revolver eve made.

Yep. A dilemma.

You might as well throw the 38spl cartridges at the bad guy - you'll get more velocity than a 38 snub I think of 3-4 9mm autoloaders that are much better than any 38 snubbie.

The 44spl is a bazzillion times more effective round.

Ultimately though, the better gun is the one you have with you - think about that.

The Smith is the more reliable gun. The Taurus is the more reliable caliber.

I don't think you've given us enough information to give the best answer.

In terms of basic quality, I would say that S&W is a better quality gun than Taurus. I base this on the opinions of my old pistolsmith Teddy Jacobson who has worked extensively on both brands, and also on the opinion of Grant Cunningham, a well known and respected smith who works exclusively on revolvers and will not work on Taurus revolvers, as he feels their parts quality makes it too much of a hassle to work on them. My personal preference would be a pre-lock, pre-MIM parts S&W.

In terms of caliber, bigger is better although with the best modern bullet technology, which is more available in .38 Special than .44, the difference is minimized. I think the general consensus is that where you shoot the bad guy is more important that what you shoot him with.

No question, however that the.44 will kick your hand harder than .38. The question of whether this will adversely affect your ability to shoot fast and accurately, and how much, is a question only you can answer, and revolver weight plays into it also. For example, I have shot the Smith 642, Smith 640, Colt Agent and Colt Detective Special with .38 Special +P and I personally find that even from a rest, the 5 shot groups with an alloy frame revolver are about 50% larger than from the equivalent steel frame version. The most likely reason for this, other than the general unpleasantness of the recoil, is that the light weight leads to a stiff recoil which tends to magnify any variation in grip. Perhaps that is not true with others but it is with me and has definitely affected my choice. With the 640 or the Colt DS I have shot less than 3" groups at 25 yards from a rest but I find the Colt easier to shoot well, so that is MY first choice based on MY ability and experience.

Also, you have not stated whether you are choosing for home defense, concealed carry with a holster, pocket carry, etc. Obviously for pocket carry the Smith 642 is a logical choice, being the smallest and lightest (again, assuming you can shoot it well). However for belt carry with a holster a revolver with a 3"-4" barrel makes better sense. The longer sight radius makes it easier to achieve practical accuracy, actually helps with concealment by giving a bigger lever to push the butt in closer to the body, and dampens recoil a bit allowing faster recovery for follow-up shots. With a good holster and belt, a 4" revolver is as easy to conceal as a 2" revolver. Remember that many experts have stated that a short barrel handgun is one of the most difficult to shoot well and requires the most practice. That means that it is definitely NOT a good idea to choose a handgun that you find unpleasant to shoot and therefore will not practice with.

So if you haven't shot either of your choices you should make every effort to do so to see how you feel about them. It may be that after you shoot both the choice will be obvious based on YOUR comfort with the recoil and YOUR ability to shoot them. Or, it is possible after shooting them you may not feel comfortable with either and will want to expand your options. The takeaway point is that since it is your neck that is at stake you should try your options yourself and make a decision based on what is most comfortable to you based on your experience in shooting them, and NOT on the opinions of anyone else, no matter how experienced or well intentioned.

Get the S&W and learn to shoot it well.

Would S&W's Model 329 Nightguard be an option?

It is lightweight (scandium frame), has a 2.5" barrel, night sights and since it is chambered in .44 mag, you could shoot an easy shooting .44 special in it to your hearts content.

This seems like a logical choice based upon your intial post.

The only issue I see is: Are you willing to spend the extra money to protect yourself/family/home, since the Nightguards cost more than your two inital choices?

How about a Smith 396...if you can find one? Like an idiot, I traded mine off.

Of the 2 you list though, if solely for self defense, I'd pick the round that starts with a 4. The Smith is nicer; and if it were a 340 in .357, I'd go that route. But .38 Spl just ain't quite enough to make me comfortable.