New 442 No-Lock

[Bamarama38]

Just acquired a new 442 No-lock for EDC. Happy with it for sure and have been dry firing the trigger a lot to work on getting used to a longer trigger again. Just sharing my fortune. Planning on carrying it in a Safariland 27 and was thinkin of runnin Underwood Extreme Defender. I have ran other rounds but not much of those, any thoughts?

 

[b737lvr]

My personal recommendation is to go with their 150gr hard cast wadcutter. The heavier bullet being set back into the casing results in absolutely phenomenal velocity out of the tiny 1.875" 442 barrel (850 FPS). Moving a 150gr 38 special at that speed out of that barrel is about as good as it gets. That lead cylinder will cut cleanly through flesh likely leading to at the very least a fast bleed out because the wound channel won't close up but rather work as a drain hole out of the body.

 

[Sgt. Buzzard]

I too am a fan of 148 or 150gr. hardcast wadcutters, they are loaded hot. Try Underwood, Buffalo Bore and Georgia Arms. Then pick what groups best or closest to POA. Also consider what you can most comfortably shoot two in the chest really fast with. I carry a speed strip with either SWC or Hornady FTX. The FTX reloads faster than anything with that pointy tip. On the other hand you probably won't need it.

For extended wadcutter practice sessions and yearly qualifications I like Fiocchi 148 gr. Wads. They are very soft shooting.

 

[mgriffin]

I love my 442 for EDC. I load up with Winchester Super-X .38 Special 148 Grain Lead Wadcutters. Luckey gunner gives them a pretty good review.

 

[S-W4EVER]

I own a lot of pistols & revolvers, many of them suitable for CCW and my absolute favorite is a M442-2 (No lock). I swear, if you practice with a J frame you're well armed. I've been packing one J frame or another for almost 50 years (& I still have them alll).

 

[BeachBumShooter]

Right now, I like to keep the Speer Gold Dot 38 Special +P short barrel defensive ammo in my 642. They seem to have a little less recoil and flash than other defensive loads. Law enforcement around the country use Gold Dots and they always rank very high in ballistic testing generally speaking. That is with the GD standard projectile design. The GD short barrel projectile is specifically designed for snubbies. I like knowing the hollow point design will most likely not exit the backside of the bad guy and inadvertently hurt an innocent. A wadcutter has a tendency to get really good penetration and could have and an increased possibility of pass through.
That being said. As I age and my hands become frailer over time I am planning on replacing hollow point defensive rounds with wadcutters. I shoot a considerable amount of wadcutters now for practice out of my 642 and its very enjoyable. I can comfortably shoot many rounds without any pain.

Underwood extreme penetrator defensive ammo? My experience with the solid copper rounds out of a snubby has not been good. The extra flash and bang with these types of defensive rounds was extremely noticeable! Not a fan. And, in a 642 will you achieve the velocity needed for this projectile design to perform? If so, will it over penetrate?

My advice for carry ammo in a 642 would be to either stick with proven hollow points designed specifically for snubbies or go with wadcutters. The solid copper rounds really need velocity to work well, with a 642 you are definitely going to less velocity than advertised.

 

[Bamarama38]

Thanks for the feedback folks. Got some new G10 grips on it which I really like. It shoots well and I have just been getting my dryfire in, testing some other ammo I had on hand and picking up more when I can for the next range session. Yall stay frosty

 

[mbinky]

Congrats on an excellent revolver!
Love my 442 no lock. If I carry it, it's in a Ritchie Leather ankle holster loaded with 135gr +P Gold Dots.

 

[Dump1567]

I lean towards HP ammo. Fed 129 gr. +P Hydra-Shok Deep is my preferred. Followed by Hornady Critical Defense (standard & +P), & Rem. Golden Saber 125 gr. +P. I also have some WC's available if I want more penetration (winter carry). I've never tried the screwdriver tip ammo.

I've got a few J's, but they usually serve in a back-up gun role.

 

[haywood]

I always say you can't beat a J frame. I have three lightweight J frames that I rotate regularly. One is always in my offhand pocket. Quite often I'll carry two of the J frames one in the waistband and one in the pocket. When I feel the need for more capacity, I've been carrying my seven shot 617 from Taurus in the waist and a J frame in my pocket. That's my latest carry the 617 in the waist and the 442 in my pocket.

 

[kelljor]

I too am a fan of 148 or 150gr. hardcast wadcutters, they are loaded hot. Try Underwood, Buffalo Bore and Georgia Arms. Then pick what groups best or closest to POA. Also consider what you can most comfortably shoot two in the chest really fast with. I carry a speed strip with either SWC or Hornady FTX. The FTX reloads faster than anything with that pointy tip. On the other hand you probably won't need it.

For extended wadcutter practice sessions and yearly qualifications I like Fiocchi 148 gr. Wads. They are very soft shooting.

Me, too. I don't necessarily use hardcast, though. I use whatever wadcutters I have on hand; usually MagTech. Dont like to carry Fiocchi because IMO it's kind of slow, the best ones (or so I have read) are Winchester Super X, Remington, Federal, and MagTech (listed fastest to slowest). I will shoot any of them at the range, though. I also carry FTX for reloads for the same reasons.
FWIW I get all my ammo (except for 9MM and .22) from Bud's. I normally order a bunch at a time; free shipping if you get over a certain amount.