I recently bought a model 642.  Since it is an airweight with an alloy frame, do I need to be concerned with shooting it to much.  I know the barrel and cylinder are stainless, but how does the gun hold up to use?

Also, anyone have a favorite .38+P round for defense?

As long as you don't do +P, shoot the hell out of it. S&W offers a lifetime warranty now, BTW.

If recoil is a concern, shoot .38WC from our sponsor, GA Arms. Very mild load.

As for HP load, any major brand should be good: Federal, Remington, Cor-bon, Hornady, etc.

This 642 has about 400 rounds of Federal 158gr LSWCHP +P, and about twice that in non +P 125 and 158gr.  Its had no noticable effect on the guns performance.

I have been using a 642 for a number of years now as my CCW with many types of standard and +P factory ammo. To this day I have not had a single problem with any ammo at all. I think the 642 is probably the best CCW weapon on the market if you consider size, weight, reliability, ammo selection, and concealability. You would be very hard pressed to find another weapon to fill all of these needs.

The odds are that the gun will last longer than the hand that holds it.