M342 used, worth it?

[WestDivide]

So, I ran across what appears to be an older M342 revolver at what seems to be a reasonable price. I have little experience with the little snubbies, while having a M64 and M65 LS which I like.
This one is all silver metal colored, so I'm assuming it's an older pre-scandium alloy. I'll go examine it tomorrow or Monday. It shows some wear, looking at it in the case.
Anything specific I should look for? I know about cylinder wobble, markings, firecut top strap, (shouldn't be much of an issue on .38)
Not sure about the DAO, but if the trigger pull isn't too bad, could live it.
Thanks, -West

 

[Rpg]

The small Smiths have a coil mainspring which can't be made to have as nice a trigger as the mid sized revolvers which use a flat mainspring.

 

[s&wchad]

The gun you describe is a 342Ti. I've carried one daily for over 20 years and love it. They're very light and ideal for pocket carry. S&W also made a 342PD, which had a black finish on the frame and deeper cylinder flutes. Since these were both chambered for .38 Special, the scandium alloy wasn't required.

You should open the cylinder and inspect the bottom of the frame where the barrel threads in for a crack.

 

[WCCPHD]

I carried one as off duty and backup for many years. When we spoke about them we said "364 days of pleasure and one day of extreme agony."

Shooting 100 rounds of .38 +P ammo was brutal.

 

[Jconagher]

I bought one around 24 years ago. I have carried it many miles in an ankle holster and in a belly band when running. Several times I have tried to make the switch to a small semi-auto but always came back to the Model 342. Despite being carried a lot in somewhat harsh conditions it has never malfunctioned. The only issue is that most of the finish wore off and it ended up being a darker color than it was new. A friend, who does some gunsmithing on the side, couldn't stand how bad it looked so he refinished it. I have carried it some with the old small, wooden factory stocks for more concealability however have finally switched to a boot grip. My department used to require a 20 round backup handgun course but just recently switched to the same standard 50 round course for all handguns whether backup or primary. The thought of 50 rounds in a row with those small grips convinced me to switch to the rubber grips and it really wasn't bad at all.