The Taurus TCP was a micro-sized .380 ACP pistol released by Taurus in 2008. Taurus manufactured the gun until about 2014.
Aimed at the same market that was dominated by the Ruger LCP, Taurus’ attempt to woo buyers to the TCP 380 ultimately failed. Low prices are typically the major selling point for Taurus firearms, but the LCP was also very aggressively priced. Most buyers opted for the better regarded Ruger name.
Taurus introduced the “Public Defender” revolver, another in the line of the Judge revolvers, at the 2009 SHOT Show.
Chambering the same .45 Colt and .410 shotshells as the other handguns in the Judge line, the Public Defender is built on a smaller frame (the 85 series frame), and is clearly designed for concealed carry. The Public Defender still chambers five rounds, yet is smaller and lighter, weighing only 28.2 ounces for the stainless or blued versions, and 26 ounces for the blued steel/titanium cylinder model.
The modern Smith & Wesson 632 revolvers are a pair of J-frame revolvers chambered for the high-pressure .327 Federal Magnum cartridge. One of the 632 revolvers was discontinued within two years of introduction, while the other has been in continuous production since 2009.
Both revolvers target the concealed carry market but from different angles.
Officially introduced at the 2009 SHOT Show, details on the 632 PS leaked out in January 2008. It is a small-framed revolver that holds six rounds in the cylinder.
The 632 PS has a 3″ ported barrel using the Smith & Wesson PowerPort technology. The port is on the top side of the barrel, forward of the front sight ramp. Because of this, the sight radius on the gun is about 1/2″ shorter than one might expect on a 3″ barreled revolver.
Unlike some of the other J-frame revolvers, the 632 PS has a full-length extractor rod. The underlug is long enough to fully protect the extractor rod
Similar to the NightGuard line of revolvers, the S&W 632 PS has a matte black finish. The front sight is a pinned ramp. The rear sight is an adjustable, target-style sight.
This model 632 uses an exposed hammer, which allows the owner to shoot in double-action or single-action mode.
At the 2009 SHOT Show, I got a chance to handle this gun. I had been hoping to see a J-frame in .327 Magnum, but this was not the gun I envisioned. I was hoping for something more like the 642 revolvers, and this was not it. However, I found myself liking the gun more that I thought I would.
The first thing that struck me is the cylinder seemed much thinner than what I was expecting. I thought I would pick up the gun and see a cylinder roughly the same size as a Model 10 in .38 Special. Not so. The cylinder is definitely less bulky, and it still puts six of the magnum rounds at your disposal.
It had a decent trigger, good sight picture, and felt good in my hand.
However, I had a serious problem with this gun. Like most modern Smith and Wesson revolvers, it has the internal lock. There have been demonstrable problems with the internal locks, and I cannot recommend any of the company’s guns that have one installed.
I left the show thinking that if S&W made this revolver without the lock and with a non-ported plain 2″ to 2.5″ barrel with the internal hammer, they would not be able to keep up with demand. As it turned out, I had to wait until the 2010 SHOT Show to see the gun I wanted.
At the time I am writing this (September 2013,) this gun is still in the Smith & Wesson catalog. It is listed as the “632” though it is also referred to as “632 Pro Series – PowerPort.”
The 632 was a J-frame, “hammerless” revolver with a 2 1/8″ barrel. The cylinder held six rounds of the potent .327 Magnum. The frame was stainless steel and the guns weighed only 23 ounces (unloaded).
Unlike many other J-frames, the model 632 had tritium, three-dot sights which made for a good sight picture. Additionally, the sights were dovetailed, meaning adjustment or replacement was feasible.
This model 632 did not have an internal lock.
Smith & Wesson literature alternately referred to this gun as 632, 632 Pro, 632 Pro Series and 632 Night Sights. These various names caused an unfortunate amount of confusion. When talking about the 632, no one knew which gun you meant. For an added layer of complexity, there was another Smith & Wesson 632 revolver that saw production in the early 1990’s. Those guns were chambered in .32 H&R Magnum, and marked “.32 Magnum.”
The 632 felt good in my hand, as do all of the 640-style revolvers Smith & Wesson makes. The three-dot sights are a vast improvement over the fixed ramp front and narrow rear notch that many of the J-frames wear.
A lot of people are skeptical of the .327 Magnum cartridge, but I think this round has a lot of possibilities as a defensive load. This model 632 is exactly what I hoped S&W would introduce in 2009. MSRP was $916.
Unfortunately, this gun is no longer in production. I do not have an exact date the gun was pulled from production, but it looks like it was pulled in 2012.
The Smith & Wesson Model 57 Classic is a modern version of the original 57 that was introduced in 1964. The Classic Model 57 was introduced by S&W at the 2009 SHOT Show.
Two of the most popular Smith and Wesson handguns, the models 442 and 642, have been re-introduced without the infamous internal locks. These J-frame snubbies are the classic blued and stainless steel .38 Special revolvers with the internal hammers.
Perfect for pocket, ankle, and other forms of concealed carry, these revolvers have been great sellers for Smith and Wesson for many years. Like all S&W revolvers, in recent times, a consumer could only buy these with the internal lock. Unfortunately, these locks have had a few problems and consumer confidence in them is very low. Smith and Wesson have listened to their customers and brought these two classic J-frames back without internal locks.
Be sure to read my review of the Smith & Wesson 642.
If you have been wanting one of these sidearms, but have hesitated, wait no longer.
I am a proud owner of the model 642-1 that I bought more than 10 years ago. It is a great gun! I have carried it daily in a pocket and on an ankle. It has always performed perfectly and is very accurate. I have no doubt these new models will be outstanding revolvers.
Smith & Wesson updated the 442 and 642 line with “Pro Series” models. The difference: they do not have locks – the same as these revolvers. Here is what I wrote on the new Pro revolvers when they were announced in December 2009: