I recently picked up a nice used 242ti, the book says it was only produced from early 1999-january 2000....so a year or less of production, the 296ti appears to have been mfgd for 3 years.......got to thinking, how many of the 242ti and the similar 296ti might have been mfgd? Any way to know? Would a letter get production numbers?

I don't think the production numbers have been quoted; if they are available, the factory letter may quote them.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

I believe it was 5K each.

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I'm with the banned ...

Thanks for the responses.

I would think that more of the 296 were made considering it was manufactured for 3 years vs the 242 that was only made for 1 year.

Anybody else have any knowledge on the subject?


Here's a pic of mine.

I have a 242TI, but no 296.

I've seen production numbers like 1800 for the 242Ti quoted but that's only Internet hearsay.

You see ads for the 296 much more frequently than for the 242 so that also leads me to think there are more 296's out there.

The 242Ti is a great gun. Easy to shoot, good trigger, accurate, and light. Plus 7 shots.

I'd like to find a 296 to go with it.

Neither comes up often here in CA and we can't mail order handguns so finding a 296 is tough.

See what I've been saying all along? My Buddy KLYDE is all over any and every desirable gun that might reach me in Vegas. Maybe if I threaten him with another winter like the one just past, he might let 1 or 2 get through.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103
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Best $1.80 I ever spent!

39 degrees this morning, we all need to move to Vegas!

Sorry for hijacking

I sent my 296 to some guy named "Hamilton Bowen" to work on......hope I didn't ruin its collect ability.....;-)

296s are out there, but don't show up as often as you might think. People who have them tend to like and keep them, so you have to move fast when you see one come available.

I find a stock 296 a little uncomfortable to shoot, so I put a steel 696 cylinder in mine to heavy it up. I also put a Big Dot sight on top for easy target acquisition. It's almost right, but I keep toying with the design of some custom stocks I will put on it some day. My hands are kind of malproportioned, and I have some hardened tendon sheaths down the middle of them too. Stock grips are hard to use comfortably, particularly when they are on lightweight high kickers.





I too have heard that the production run was 5000 of each model, but that might have been a production goal, with actual assembly coming in somewhat lower. They couldn't sell these things when they were new and ended up selling off retained stock at a discount.

I haven't come across a 242. I long thought I might buy one if I did, but I am so happy now with the much heavier "Blood Work" 627 that I might just let the opportunity pass me by if it ever shows up.

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David Wilson

Love customs, what's on the agenda for your 296?

Sight-Perfect Snubbies - Personal Defense World

It's the one in the above article. I love the 296, which may be the ugliest Smith ever, but sure works great. I love the thing.

My 296 is my usual "walking the dogs, going to the gym, not really carrying a gun" choice. For myself, I find the 200 grain Gold Dot JHP to be less obnoxious than a hot .38 in a J frame. It's a niche gun, IMHO, but in that niche, really outstanding. I like those sights ... hmmmm. (All I did to mine was a few light layers of model airplane paint in a bright orange on the front sight.)

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NHI, 10-8.