I own only 2 handguns both S&W made. I would like to buy a pocket revolver and was looking for a 442 until I read about the Ruger LCP. What about the handling and the trigger? Does it compare well against the S&W? How about the new design on the mechanics and the frame? Any recall or reliability issues?

I bought an LCP when they first came out. It was incredibly easy to carry but when it came to actually shooting it, for me a dismal failure. I carry a keltec 9 now and a 442 in my man purse and a 1911 in the truck;-)

If you are talking about Ruger's pocket revolver I think you mean the LCR. The LCP is actually a pocket .380 semi-auto pistol. Ruger makes two versions of the LCR. One in .38 special and the other in .357 Magnum. I have no experience with the S&W 442, but I do own the LCR .357. For a small DAO revolver it is pretty nice. I like the trigger pull. Shooting .357 magnums is a handfull, but you can also shoot .38 special and .38 special +P loads.

I am a die-hard S&W guy, but after doing a little research I chose the Ruger to use as a pocket gun. But again, I have never shot the 442 so I can't give you a comparison between the two.

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Mark

They're both good guns. Things like handling and trigger pull are very subjective, and you'll have to answer those questions yourself. I'd personally go with the 442 because I like metal guns. But either one will get the job done.

Both the Ruger LCR and the new S&W Bodyguard .38 are butt ugly revolvers with plastic parts that do nothing better than a S&W 642, 638, or 442. I have no idea why anyone would buy one.

Not sure if these help but I own a 442 smith and LCR, and they are different. I love them both but each have their own advantages. One issue with the LCR trigger return causing short stroking really bugs me most and hard to rid myself of this single issue. I think the 442 is in some ways a better point shoot tool but it's a back and forth struggle.

http://www.youtube.com/my_videos?sq=LCR

The LCR has a very, very nice trigger pull. I owned two. My next pocket carry will be a no-lock 642 with exposed hammer. Yep, exposed.

I had an LCR and currently own 3 j frames, including a 442. I liked shooting the LCR fine, but the thickness of the rubber grip made it uncomfortable for pocket carry. I sold it and still have the j frames. Hope that helps. BTW, I also own a Bodyguard 38.

My EDC is a 442, perfect SD weapon and fairly easy to shoot accurately w/lots of practice. I also own the Ruger LCP .380. The latter had so many reliability problems it has been returned to Ruger twice. They could not fix it and are sending me a new replacement LCP. For my money the Smith J's, chose the one you like best, cannot be beat.

I also had both the 442 and an LCR. The LCR gave me the same problem with "reset", especially when firing fast. I sold the LCR and now have 2 S&W 442's

Is this some kinda mod? If so, go into more detail. I know S&W makes a 637, an airweight J frame with exposed hammer, but it definately has a lock.

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NRA Benefactor

Well dont try to bring that LCR trigger reset issue up on the Ruger forum or call Ruger with the issue. You will basically be attacked insulted and ran away with tar and feathers. Evidentally the LCR fans can't stand to hear about the one glaring issue with it. The 442 on the other hand is a flawless Point Shooting machine in every way.

The short comings of the LCR are the fat bulky factory grip that everyone loves but really is not all that great in reality. Then the more sloppy feel the whole gun gets over time compared to the tight crisp 442, the trigger reset is the biggest issue and although people think it's all about target shooting and trigger pull the tighter 442 is actually the more effective point shooting machine. I hear people post about J frames being hard to master and I just shake my head. Both my wife and I get amazing accuracy with the 38+P rounds in the 442 and it's basically shooting better than ever.

If I had to buy one over the other tomorrow it would be the J frame, all black, with the CT short (not extended) grip.

I don't know beans about the Ruger lock-up and I really don't know about the 442 either. My assumption is the 442 is the blued version of the 642. If that be the case...the 442 needs to be heavily carried, but little fired. The recent 642's are very, very soft in the area of the recoil shield and I would assume the 442 is also. I am a die-hard S&W fan, but the metal in the recent lightweights just does not appear to be as strong as the older lightweights, such as the model 38 for instance. The thing I most hate about the recent lightweights is the pin-trail scar across the recoil shield. They are made for carry and not range use...consider this if you plan to do a lot of shooting with the 442. It could be the 442 is stronger due to the coating process. It bears looking into. The pin-trail across the recoil shield of a 642 that has been swung open-n-closed some 40-50 times....will scare you to death and it does not get any better.

The no lock option has been available for awhile. I'm relatively new to the S&W revolver world and first saw the no lock within the past year.

I own and like S&W revolvers and semi-autos so not bashing S&W. I purchased both a 442 & a LCR revolver and after carrying both daily (alternating), I actually preferred the LCR. 15oz. (442) compared to 13.5oz. (LCR) may not seem like much but I could tell a difference. I do just drop into my pocket and carry (no holster). If I used a holster would probably become a non-issue. Also, I have never had a problem with trigger reset. And with the Hogue grips, lighter weight no problem at all with recoil. P.S. I gave my oldest son the 442 as a gift and kept the LCR. So I must like it better. Just me.

Wow. A lot of super subjective talk, wild speculation, and some good old misinformation. At this point the OP's head should be spinning. I will only point out that if the 442's grip isn't to your liking then there are dozens of options to chose from. The same cannot yet be said for the LCR. And neither gun has what would be described as a short reset trigger. The rest is mostly petsonal taste. To that same tune, I prefer steel to alloy or plastic. But that is now me being subjective.

I will be subjective like Maximumbob. If you are going to shoot the gun a lot....go ahead and bypass all the aluminum and plastic. It is not going to hold-up under serious fire.....meaning thousands of rounds.

If you want one to carry only and maybe fire occasionally, by all means help yourself to a lightweight. If you want one you can shoot every day, get one made from steel (blued or stainless) and a good holster to carry it in. I personally hate holsters and prefer a belly-band. Like may others, I have a drawer full of holsters that I did not like, but you can put a 155 Howitzer in a belly-band, cover it all with a shirt-tail.....and even sit down very comfortably.

shot both, like both. my go to is the 442. the lcr is nice, but not too many grip options. the j-frame grip market is pretty whatever you can imagine. i dont shoot it regular, my mod 60 fills that role. same frame size, same grips, just heavier. i do put about a 100-200 thru the 442 just to make sure every year. good luck!

People, not trying to come off as a butt hole, but we need to get over the alloy/aluminum and plastic (polymer) thing. Guns have been using these materials for decades now. Glock, Beretta, and Mossberg shotguns come to mind with remarkable results. How many cherrished 1911,s can claim the round count many Glocks have on them without a overhaul or tightening up? And besides, a non-issue since most all gun manufactures warranty the firearm for life no matter the round count. I personally have never shot(nor can afford to) enough to wear out any firearm. My point is that the best gun is the gun that you will have on you when you need it for defense. I,ve heard it said a 44 magnum in the drawer or safe at home will do you absolutely no good when you need it on the street. A .22 you have with you will matter more. So saying that I carry my LCR everywhere I go because it is very comfortable. OK said my piece, so let me have it. I,m a grown man and can take it.

I'm a solid steel butt hole. I love steel in a gun. Stainless or carbon, I love steel. Forged or cast, but not that zinc stuff. That's on the no no list as well. And it's not a getting over it type problem. I have the utmost respect for poly frames and admit they work and aluminum alloy and the newer scandium additive aluminum alloy with a sideswipe at the titanium parts, they all work just fine if they are done right. But the secret of steel...

"Conan"The secret of steel - YouTube

Yep, good enough for Conan, good enough for me...

Valenc......EVERYBODY is entitled to their own opinion. One may be surprised to open up a cherished recent model Smith revolver to find a piece of plastic that use to be steel......I have.

I have to agree with that. And while I dont like the longer trigger reset as much with the LCR mine is the 357 model and I would not feel even slightly afraid to shoot it constantly at the range with 38 rounds doing 95% of the lifting and only shooting the 357 to dial myself in perfect with the carry ammo.

I admit I wobble back and forth on which is better our 442 which is a 42 model which by the way is black frame and stainless cylinder and barrel for the finish type.

While the lighter frames kill your hand with 357 they are very manageable with 38 or +P. Even my small wife shoots the **** out of the 442 with a perfect smooth pull. She's totally not afraid of it.

One thing for sure there are a lot of great guns and I agree if weight is not an issue the heavier duty guns are the way to go if that's what you like. But I'm not afraid of plastic guns, scandium whatever.

I do watch them to monitor how they wear, just in case.

I just purchased a new Model 442-1 (no internal lock) this past weekend at a local gun show. I wanted something primarily for concealed pocket carry. I recommend you go to a range that rents and test both before buying one. I shot quite a few makes/models, including a few of the subcompact semi-autos before making my decision on the revolver. I did compare the Ruger LCR to the S&W 642. The Ruger was noticeable lighter weight, and IMO it fared somewhat better in terms of felt recoil. But I chose the S&W over the LCR based on it being more proven (units in service, years in service, reliable track record, etc.).

Shot both. The LCR had CT grips and stung my hands. Didn't enjoy shooting it even with 38 +P. Bought the 442. Love the factory grips. Could shoot +P all day.

Here is a 642 with approx. 2500 rounds through it. Looks like yuk but functions flawlessly.

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Centennial Every Day

My 637 looked far worse before the frame cracked. And that finish was coming off all over it. I don't get why some run like a Timex and some just die early. But that feeling is what keeps me in my love of steel. Bring back the Model 60 version of the 36!!!

I went ahead and took some action on my own (against everybody's advice I may add) in an attempt to reduce this wear. Smith puts the very same strength center-pin spring in all the J-Frames. Mine happen to be 317's, but it's still a lightweight J-Frame. I cannot see the need for a +P center-pin spring in a gun that you may not routinely shoot +P ammo in....and you can't do that in a 22LR anyway.

I REDUCED the center-pin spring strength considerably and have fired several cylinders-full of every thing from rat-shot to Stingers and have had no issues at all. If you only plan to shot regular 38-special and not so much the +P...I certainly think the spring pressure on the center-pin can be reduced to prevent this degree of wear, or at least prolong the life of the gun.

Both mine are pre-lock and I doubt very much Smith would hand me another pre-lock on down the road under warranty. There is simply no need for a spring of this strength to be in a 22LR, or probably not a gun in which the use of +P ammo is rare. Solid lock-up can be achieved without a Godzilla-like center-pin spring.

snubbiefan said "The thing I most hate about the recent lightweights is the pin-trail scar across the recoil shield." I own a model 642 that resembles that comment. I have maybe 400 rounds through this model 642. I just took it to be the fact that aluminum is a lot softer than steel.

I own a model 642 that resembles that comment. I have maybe 400 rounds through this model 642. Auminum is a lot softer than steel.

Judging from Photoman's picture of his after 2500 rounds....I am pretty sure we could all safely say that weapon has another 3,000 to 4,000 rounds left in it, at least.

The whole situation may not amount to a hill-of-beans. I seriously doubt the average shooter would feed 5,000 rounds through one of these in a lifetime anyway. Surely...one would want a stronger gun for range-work and these lightweights are made for carry purposes....at least in my opinion.

Now, as for selling such a weapon on down the road.....I think you would be hard pressed to do so short of giving it away to anybody that knew anything abut guns. You don't seem to see this sort of extreme wear on many of the older lightweights, but that may be because they have been little used and just carried for the purpose intended.


If anybody is really interested, I will be happy to share what I did to reduce the center-pin wear on my lightweights. It cost less than $1 and a little time.

My 340PD has the pin-trail across the recoil shield, but it doesn't seem to be getting any deeper, and doesn't bother me. The gun has been my constant carry piece since it came out, probably has about 2,000 rds of .38 and +P through it; still as tight as the day I first fired it and a lot tighter than some of the J frames I owned back in the supposedly "good old days."

Recoil with the light guns is another issue, I use the factory Bantam grips because I only carry it in my pocket. The 130 fmj GI-style factory ammo or wadcutters are my choice if firing a full box, the +P stuff is only fun for the first 10 rds.

I have a 642 and my buddy picked up an LCR. He likes the LCR better, but then again he won't buy anything but a Ruger. I try to keep an open mind and try different things and go from there. I picked up his LCR and decided I best not shoot it. It felt like it sat so high in my hand that I felt like it would flip out of my hand if I shot it. Just my 2 cents worth. Handle both and see which feels more natural to you.

I guess I'll just have to try out both. After reading all the posts I just keep changing my mind. Thanks for all the input.