Verified answer

Concealment - Smith & Wesson 642 .38 Special

Accuracy - Glock 19 - has a lighter trigger

Power - In terms of just the regular 9x19mm round vs the regular .38 Special round, I'd give the edge to the 9mm. It has a little more punch and .38 Special is only slightly larger in diameter (9.2mm).

However, .38 Special can be had with more powerful loadings. There is 125gr, 158 gr, 180 gr... +P... That said there is 9mm +P, +P+, there are heavier loadings for the 9mm - I believe 115 gr, 124 gr and 147 gr...

It's really all inherently dependent on what type of a firearm you want. A double-action revolver, or a striker-fire double-action only.

Like the other guy said too, check out the Ruger GP100 or the SP101 if you are looking at a wheel gun. Lots of guys in my gun club carry the Rugers too.

I own and carry both... well the SW of mine is a M60...the root model of the 642.

Is a snub nosed SW a woman's gun? Only if a woman carries it. 38 special and a 1 7/8 inch barrel can be very effective from contact to across the room gunfighting distances. I have carried a 60 as my primary gun (only gun on occasion) and a back up.

I also own a Clock 19. If you own the right holsters and dress around the gun..the compact Glocks are no easier or harder to carry than ... a Commander sized 1911. The capacity and lighter weight give the Glock a little edge compared to the classic steel handguns.

For me.... waist carry of the K frame Revolver, 1911 and Glock Compacts are about equal. I have carried all of these platforms over the years...comfort is relative. Capacity is the real factor for most people who choose among the 3 basic handgun types.

Pocket carry? Front pocket with a J frame? Yep... your gun does get to the gunfight. If you wear trousers and a pocket holster... and train a little you can draw and present the gun nearly as well as a belt holster can perform. Sitting?... lets just say my pocket gun moves elsewhere if I have to drive or sit a long time.

Snub nosed 38's get pretty good real world ballistic effect using relatively simple projectiles. I still carry my snubs loaded with 158 grain lead semi wad-cutters. I have been know to carry Federal Hyroshock +P in the same pistol. All make a nice hole and bring trauma at "get off me distances" out to 7 yards.

9mmx19... any quality hollow point will do. I like 124-127 grain bullets... Winchester Ranger, Remington Golden Sabers...Federal makes some well tested service loads too.

S&w 642 38 Special

For accuracy and power, I would go with the Glock, but if you are going to CC, I would get the .38 special. The reason I say this is that in reality, the Glock does not have a safety (it does have a trigger device, but I wouldn't trust it and as Plaxico Burress found out, they can go off unless holstered properly).

If you are buying new, I would consider a Ruger over a S&W, and you might check out getting a .357 mag (Ruger SP100 or GP100, or S&W 686). These can shoot either .357 mag ammo or .38 special ammo.

If you have the money get both and decide yourself.

If I had to make a choice I'd go with the glock 19.

I own a glock 19 and a S&W. I will pick up the glock first because it feels better and i track faster with it.

S&W, because I like S&W and I despise Glock. You forgot one key category- reliability. Revolvers may misfire, but they generally do not jam.

Is a 642 a woman's gun? If a woman is holding it, of course. If a man is holding it, it's a man's gun. Anyone who says any different should be forced to allow both a man and a woman to aim a fully-loaded .38 Special at their forehead. Should change their minds.

And your final question makes me believe you're trolling. Offensively? Are you saying that you're going to go in the offensive? In other words, you're going to pull your gun out and start shooting people with no reason? Please tell me you simply used a poor choice of words.

A .38 Special will kill an intruder just fine. You don't need a dozen or more shots to drop a criminal generally, and rarely will you encounter a dozen criminals all at once. If you want a self-defense gun, you can choose either, but as I said, I despise Glocks. There's nothing bad about them, but I simply get sick of hearing Glock fanboys talk about how "uber l33t" their Glocks are and how horrible every other gun is.

EDIT: Thanks for the clarification. Both of your uses would be termed "defensive." And yes, it will work for both. While it's not a hard-and-fast rule, the "Rule of 3s" still makes good sense for most people. It says that most gunfights will average 3 shots, at 3 yards, and last about 3 seconds. A .38 Special generally carries 5 rounds, which is adequate for most people's needs. The high-capacity myth is just that- a myth. You DO NOT need lots of bullets for self-defense. You need to be accurate with one or two shots, otherwise you risk a "spray and pray" mentality that will end up getting a bystander killed.

That's especially true if you have children in your home, or if you plan on concealed carry in populous areas. Life is not like television; your assailant will probably not be the only person around, and even if you can't see anyone else, shooting nearly 20 bullets means that nearly 20 people could potentially be killed.

I own a high-capacity 9mm pistol, but I would prefer a revolver for home defense and for concealed carry. I already know that I may get into a "spray and pray" mentality, and I am doing my best work on that so that I don't shoot wildly.

All that being said, either gun will work fine for defense. A 9mm has slightly more power, but a .38 Special is more than adequate unless your assailant is wearing body armor- the .38 Special has been around since 1899 and has never stopped being adequate to drop the bad guy, despite people preferring "more powerful" guns. I say that in quotes because "more powerful" isn't exactly the best criteria for self-defense in all cases. Revolvers are generally more accurate than semi-autos, and concealment is going to be roughly equal- a revolver is wider (due to the cylinder) but it is not significantly larger or wider than a Glock.

For waistband or jacket pocket carry, either one will work. Get the right holster, and either one will almost disappear in your waistband.

My most significant advice: go to a gun shop that sells both pistols and hold them. The Glock has a somewhat awkward design, in my opinion. My pistol has a slightly different build, and I like the way it fits my hand. As such, I can accurately place rounds on target every time- even at fairly speedy rates of fire.

.38 does the job