Thoughts on the 442

Got her out to the range and she ain't no one hole shooter, but to put 5 center of mass, it'll do the job every day. Love this little gun! I shot a cylinder of Gold Dots followed by about 70 rounds of 158gr SWC and 10 rounds of 158gr jacketed soft points, all over 5.3gr of SR4756. I love the soft points! I've got a set of Wolff springs coming, so we'll see how that works out. :D

I bought my 442 just to see if I'd like it, it was on sale cheap. It doesn't have the moon clips, silver cylinders, and it does have the "hole." But I love mine too! Congrats!

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I've never shot mine at paper, so I'm not sure if it's a one hole shooter or not, but it hits my 4" plates with ease. That's impressive!

I got the Apex springs. It was a huge difference. I'm sure the Wolf springs will do you right.

Again, congrats!
 

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Love all the Smith and Wesson revolvers. I own only 5 at the moment 3 are J frames. Don't know why everybody gets so wound up about the locks? 4 of my 5 had locks. They still look like they have locks, and they do not have locks. Literally a 15 minute job, no damage to the gun and easy to put back if you feel the need. Although I do not know why you would do that. Trade, or God forbid, a sale? Here's a link to a good video: [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVPYgohVCNM[/ame]
 
442

It's been said, but even with the Goodyear's the recoil is pretty stiff.

The 442 was bought for my wife, to be fair she barely weighs 95 pounds (soaking wet with her pockets full of rocks), and the recoil was just too much for her. I don't mind it, but the heavy DA only trigger is a chore to pull and hard to keep it on target without lots of practice. You should be doing that anyway for your EDC, but that's another story.

Consider the ugly humpback Model 49 or 649, I own two and love them both, smoother action IMHO, no snagging like the 442, better trigger, and SA is available when you want/need it.

To each their own...
 
I carried a 642 for a long time until I got my Glock 43. I ended up selling the 642 after that since I never carried it. I think the 442/642 is a great little revolver. I do wish that S&W would have made them with a pinned front site so you could swap out to whatever front sight that you want. I think a set of Crimson Trace grips is a great accessory for one.
 
I bought a 442 in stainless (not nickel) 30 years ago as a backup and have carried it as a CCW gun almost everyday since retirement. It has a CT grip laser sight and is perfect for an ankle carry. Love this little gun.
 
Consider the ugly humpback Model 49 or 649, I own two and love them both, smoother action IMHO, no snagging like the 442, better trigger, and SA is available when you want/need it.

While there can definitely be variances between individual examples, the centennial as a whole should have the better comparative action.

I've never heard someone complain about a 442 snagging.

It's fairly contrived to come up with a realistic civilian self-defense scenario where single-action is warranted or actually needed. The overall drawbacks of that capability in a snub usually far outweigh the benefits.

From Massad Ayoob and Grant Cunningham... Massad Ayoob: Hammer or… "-Less?" | The Daily Caller
 
While there can definitely be variances between individual examples, the centennial as a whole should have the better comparative action.

I've never heard someone complain about a 442 snagging.

It's fairly contrived to come up with a realistic civilian self-defense scenario where single-action is warranted or actually needed. The overall drawbacks of that capability in a snub usually far outweigh the benefits.

From Massad Ayoob and Grant Cunningham... Massad Ayoob: Hammer or… "-Less?" | The Daily Caller

Wow, I guess my opinion wasn't worth writing, thanks for straightening me out, on the other hand...

Why would the centennial have a smoother action...oh yeah, your opinion, kinda like I have an opinion among thousands of others.

Second, I suppose I should have said similar to the 442, instead of like the 442, what I obviously meant was neither are prone to snag by design, since they are virtually identical.

Contrived? Really? I find that one especially insulting. Mr. Ayoob's opinions aside, there are many people who find single action a valuable option, particularly for accuracy. But then who cares about accuracy in self defense or any other shooting scenario, I mean that's just silly, what was I thinking?
 
Wow, I guess my opinion wasn't worth writing, thanks for straightening me out, on the other hand...

Why would the centennial have a smoother action...oh yeah, your opinion, kinda like I have an opinion among thousands of others.

Second, I suppose I should have said similar to the 442, instead of like the 442, what I obviously meant was neither are prone to snag by design, since they are virtually identical.

Contrived? Really? I find that one especially insulting. Mr. Ayoob's opinions aside, there are many people who find single action a valuable option, particularly for accuracy. But then who cares about accuracy in self defense or any other shooting scenario, I mean that's just silly, what was I thinking?

No insult intended. Just a differences of opinion.

I think some people just like seeing the hammer move. Based on comments I've come across on other forums, it's as if it kind of lets them "see" their trigger press and perhaps why they believe the action is better on a gun with an exposed hammer vs an internal one.

As to why the Centennials may actually have better actions, it was in the article I shared...

"Grant Cunningham, master wheelgun-smith and author of the excellent Gun Digest Book of the Revolver, writes the following at his blog at Personal security training and advice - www.GrantCunningham.com www.GrantCunningham.com "… the Centennial models simply have better actions! The enclosed hammer Centennial models have slightly different sear geometry than do the exposed hammer models, which gives them a pull that is more even—more linear—than the models with hammer spurs. For the savvy shooter it's a noticeable difference, making the Centennial a bit easier to shoot well."

Grant continues, "The Centennials also have one less part than the other models: since they have no exposed hammer, they don't have (nor do they need) the hammer-block safety common to all other 'J' frames. That part, which is quite long and rides in a close-fitting slot machined into the sideplate, is difficult to make perfectly smooth. Even in the best-case scenario, it will always add just a bit of friction to the action. Not having the part to begin with gives the Centennial a 'leg up' in action feel. (In fact, at one point in time a common part of an 'action job' was to remove this safety, in the same way that some 'gunsmiths' would remove the firing-pin block on a Colt Series 80 auto pistol. Today we know better!) So, if your criterion is action quality, the choice is clear: the enclosed hammer Centennial series is your best bet!"

And in terms of single-action capability, Ayoob mentioned it in the article as well. I would add extreme close-quarter and contact distance functionality to the reasons why an enclosed hammer makes more sense. Michael de Bethencourt and Grant Cunningham also advocate that defensive revolvers should be DAO since single action capability presents more overall problems than it does benefit, especially with pocket snub-nosed revolvers. There's plenty of articles out there going over the issue in detail. There may very well be some instructors who recommend it, but none that I'm aware of or follow and I think there are very valid reasons why that's the case. It's obviously yours or anyone else's prerogative to disagree.
 
I have 442 and wife has 542

We bought a pair of J frames no locks in 2006. I have a 442 and my wife has a 642. I installed Crimson Trace lazer lights on both to take the guess work out of operating them.
They are loaded with +P ammo and are permanent residents of our cars.
Great little revolvers but they are not plinkers.
 
We bought a pair of J frames no locks in 2006. I have a 442 and my wife has a 642. I installed Crimson Trace lazer lights on both to take the guess work out of operating them.
They are loaded with +P ammo and are permanent residents of our cars.
Great little revolvers but they are not plinkers.

I practice at the Range with mine. With the right grips you can enjoy shooting and carrying. I can easily go through 200 rounds in an hour. That's not just spraying ammo. I'm shooting at a 9" plate 30 ' away, getting decent groups. I just shot a 442 yesterday, didn't think to take target pictures.
 
No insult intended. Just a differences of opinion.

I think some people just like seeing the hammer move. Based on comments I've come across on other forums, it's as if it kind of lets them "see" their trigger press and perhaps why they believe the action is better on a gun with an exposed hammer vs an internal one.

As to why the Centennials may actually have better actions, it was in the article I shared...

"Grant Cunningham, master wheelgun-smith and author of the excellent Gun Digest Book of the Revolver, writes the following at his blog at Personal security training and advice - [url]www.GrantCunningham.com www.GrantCunningham.com[/url] "… the Centennial models simply have better actions! The enclosed hammer Centennial models have slightly different sear geometry than do the exposed hammer models, which gives them a pull that is more even—more linear—than the models with hammer spurs. For the savvy shooter it's a noticeable difference, making the Centennial a bit easier to shoot well."

Grant continues, "The Centennials also have one less part than the other models: since they have no exposed hammer, they don't have (nor do they need) the hammer-block safety common to all other 'J' frames. That part, which is quite long and rides in a close-fitting slot machined into the sideplate, is difficult to make perfectly smooth. Even in the best-case scenario, it will always add just a bit of friction to the action. Not having the part to begin with gives the Centennial a 'leg up' in action feel. (In fact, at one point in time a common part of an 'action job' was to remove this safety, in the same way that some 'gunsmiths' would remove the firing-pin block on a Colt Series 80 auto pistol. Today we know better!) So, if your criterion is action quality, the choice is clear: the enclosed hammer Centennial series is your best bet!"

And in terms of single-action capability, Ayoob mentioned it in the article as well. I would add extreme close-quarter and contact distance functionality to the reasons why an enclosed hammer makes more sense. Michael de Bethencourt and Grant Cunningham also advocate that defensive revolvers should be DAO since single action capability presents more overall problems than it does benefit, especially with pocket snub-nosed revolvers. There's plenty of articles out there going over the issue in detail. There may very well be some instructors who recommend it, but none that I'm aware of or follow and I think there are very valid reasons why that's the case. It's obviously yours or anyone else's prerogative to disagree.

Reading those Authors, and others, got me to shooting double action only. I practice at the Range with my 442 getting good groups at 30' on a 9" plate. After many dry fires and a lot of Range time, the action is smooth and easy to shoot accurately. I practiced with my 36 last month and found I am just as accurate if not more, shooting double action.
 
An 8lb hammer spring, 14lb rebound spring, very smooth and minute of 9" pie plate all day long. It's scary, I've carried it in a pocket almost daily since day one. I love it more each day. Thanks guys....and gals, this has been one of my better purchases in a long time. I think the Glock 26 is getting jealous, I may have to take her out for a day. ;)
 
Different strokes & all, but some folks rely on the J-frame for more than just bad-breath range self-defense or backup.

And while I practice most all my revolver shooting double-action, a single-action option will be superior to DA for longer range shots requiring more precision. Especially with the J-frames (relative to K, L, & N), given their lockwork. The physics of the action and the human interaction with the mechanical system dictate that. I advocate training on DA extensively and getting your DA technique as good as reasonable, but SA technique also benefits from DA trigger time. And then polishing off with some SA technique allows the user to get the most out of his gear.

If his interviews are to be believed (I think they are), the thing about Ayoob that you must consider is that he totes the J-frame mostly as a backup to a primary service auto. The service auto differs depending on his travel, competition, and training schedule (with the 1911 being his preferred primary carry). If you have a service auto there is less need for your backup to have longer-ranged capability. Same way the availability of a rifle makes handgun choice less important.

Other folks tote a J-frame as their primary by choice or necessity. In that case, being able to shoot a bit farther with more precision is not something to dismiss lightly. Heck, my 638 is often my "woods gun," and loaded with HCWC or HC LWSC. I am not going to deliberately give up range capability that SA fire enables vs targets way out there beyond what most think of as snubby range.
 
Love all the Smith and Wesson revolvers. I own only 5 at the moment 3 are J frames. Don't know why everybody gets so wound up about the locks? 4 of my 5 had locks. They still look like they have locks, and they do not have locks. Literally a 15 minute job, no damage to the gun and easy to put back if you feel the need. Although I do not know why you would do that. Trade, or God forbid, a sale? Here's a link to a good video: S&W Internal Lock Removal - YouTube

I feel it needs to be said: following this video is a terrible idea. If you're going to remove the lock, remove the entire lock. Don't leave the lock barrel so it looks like the lock works, but doesn't. A future owner of your gun (sorry, but none of us will be here forever) may not know the lock doesn't work.

You can fill the hole with a plug, or just leave it empty. Regardless, it should not look operational if it isn't.
 
Smart move. Always a good option when you need something super light. No IL is nice.

I often pocket carry my 342PD when I am wearing light, summer clothes, riding a bike or I don't feel like wearing a belt and holster, especially when the combo weighs more than the gun.
 

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Bought mine in 1995 and still carry it today.The finish is very well worn but it still carries and shoots like a champ.I would buy another without any hesitation.
 
C'mon guys....help him out. Yes or no?
LOL!!! :) I think mine was the only negative review (other than recoil-related) and it was only because I bought it on-line instead of locally. Had I found it in a local shop I would have quickly detected that something was wrong with it and possibly gone with a different one instead. :confused:

The take-away from my bad (and rather costly) experience was more about the risks of buying on-line than anything else. :cool:
 
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