Good afternoon-

I've recently joined the revolver community with a Model 60-14LS. I find myself already looking for a second revolver to pair with it. With the rebate for military re-started I've been thinking about getting a simple 442. Last night while scouring the internet for the best price on a 442 I came across the 442 Pro.

There is an $80 price increase for the Pro model. If I read correctly the two changes are 1) No Internal Lock and 2) Cylinder cut for MoonClips. Are there other changes? Is the trigger/sear given more attention for a smoother action?

Is it worth the price difference to go after the 442 Pro? I appreciate any and all advice.

Mike

Not sure about the differences in the Pro or regular 442.....but I can assure you that I'd pay a premium for the "no-lock" version.


Luckily I didn't have to as Bud's Gun Shop had them for an excellent price. They have some "no-lock" 438's on there now, too. May have to add one of those, too.

Good luck with your hunt....I'm sure those with actual knowledge will be on here to help you soon.

6pack thanks for the feedback. Maybe I'm hoping for too much for my $80 to expect the trigger job.

Hopefully someone else has some insight into the differences.

I would get the regular no lock 442 #150544, I have been told the moon clip model is real fussy about what ammo will work with the clips

If you're not really into moon-clips, a set of snap-caps, and about 15
or 20 minutes spent over two or three days will give you a trigger job,
for the cost of the snap-caps. Worked for me, trigger really smoothed up! TACC1

That's still no reason to pass on the Pro, since it will still work with all the same ammo when not using moonclips. And I've tried the "not recommended" ammo in moonclips anyways and it still worked fine, so I'm not sure what thats all about...

But over the regular no-lock 442 (SKU 150544) , the no-lock 442 Pro (SKU 178041) basically just has moonclip capability and I think that's about it. I suspect both no-lock guns have stainless cylinder and barrel, where as the regular internal lock 442 has a carbon steel cylinder and barrel. This is based on the observation that the stainless barrels have the notch in the front sight, where the carbon steel barrels don't have this along with some other differences. This isn't 100% confirmed though...

In concern with the action of the Pro vs normal, I have no idea, but I don't think so. The trigger was terrible on my Pro at first, but after dry firing until both my left and right trigger fingers were in too much pain to go on, the trigger is now wonderful, like I couldn't ask for better. With everything smoothed out, I've found that I can stage the trigger to the point where I do not miss the single action of an exposed hammer at all. It's awesome. And after my marathon of dry firing, my trigger finger seems stronger and the heavy pull does not seem to be an issue for me at all.

I love my 442 Pro and can't recommend it enough, but only if you like moonclips. The regular no-lock 442 should be the same thing and if moonclips are not your thing, then I recommend that. But when you look at pricing at Bud's gun shop for the no-lock 442s, the Pro is going for $384 and the regular is going for $390...

Get whichever feels right to you. You can't go wrong with either. Then get your dry fire on. You will not be disappointed....

For what it's worth I picked up a no lock 442 last year and am really impressed with it's timeing, lock up and smooth trigger. Oh yeah, it shoot's very well too.

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Stay safe people!

I just got a S&W 442 pro a week ago. I have J Frame spring kits and have polished many S&W inards. Including J,K,L,And N frames. Call it luck as I have not opened this one up and it came quite acceptable. The moon clips are very flimsy compared to the moon clips for my 940 and my 625. Probably use on the carry load to ease extraction, as I carry a pair of 8 shot strips which gives me 3 loads more with minimum bulk

Where are you finding an $80 price difference? MSRP on the 442 Pro versus standard is $499 and $469, respectively -- $30 difference.

Get the Pro. For $30 you get the moon clip option and the stainless, PVC coated barrel and cylinder. If you love the moon clips -- as many of us do -- great. If you hate them, the revolver still works without them and the extra dollars are worth the barrel and cylinder that are less prone to rust.

Pricing was probably different in 2011, when this thread was originally posted.

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-Roger