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Hey, how'd you get that pic of my 442?

Great minds think alike, and so, apparently, do ours...

My 442 with CTC grips is my favorite pocket pistol, hands down. The Crimson Trace laser turned what used to be a very accurate 7-10 yard gun into a very accurate 25-yard gun.

Interesting observation: I was at the ILEETA conference a couple years ago and after one session a group of us old coots (three chiefs, a large-agency deputy chief, two fulltime gun-writers/trainers with extensive LE experience, and me) were standing around chatting about stuff and one of the chiefs (a little fireplug of a former prosecutor and total gun guy, if you know who I mean) looked around our circle and said, apropos of the topic at hand, "Okay, so what BUG are we all carrying right now?"

We all looked around the group, 6 guys in 5.11 pants and polo shirts, and every one of us had either a .45 ACP Glock or 1911 on our strongside hip. Six hands went into front pockets and six 442/642's came out, all but one with CTC grips on them. "Well, aren't we predictable," Chief Burt said, and we all had to laugh.

Somtimes the obvious solution is the right one. I'm just sayin'.

There is quite a difference between LEO/Military use and home defense. Mag capacity is certainly a consideration as is reload ease.
I like revolvers for self defense simply because if they go click you just pull the trigger again. And I ain't going looking for bad guys, I just gotta run them off.
I will say this about Glocks. I made fun of my buddies (.40 the model 19 I think) right up until I shot it. Still don't have one, y'alls generous contributions would help.

Very interesting thread, and I am also glad that our friends here, who went in harm's way, came out of those situations okay.

I think it was the notorious Col. Askins who commented that the military learned in severe conditions, the 1911 actually was more reliable; in the trenches of WWI, mud would jam the cylinder of a revolver, while the JMB design would keep running even if covered with mud. He also related once about a suspect he was fighting, who grabbed Askin's revolver's cylinder, preventing it from firing double action.

At one point 20 years ago, after a divorce, the only handgun I owned was a 629 S&W. I shot that thing with all kinds of loads, mild to heavy, shooting it enough to cut a slight flame groove in the top strap. I then bought a Colt 1991A1 in .45. Despite all the practice with the revo, it was no contest, I could easily shoot faster and more accurately with the Colt, plus with 8 round mags I had 9 shots on board.

I have owned a couple of high cap pistols; the jury is still out on the BHP, but the M22 Glock just never did earn my confidence. None of the double stack .40 and above auto pistols, that I have tried, fit my hand.

Now long guns for the house? ummm...yes they do have lots of rounds on tap

Mackay lives smack in the middle of God's country. Can't imagine why he would even consider it - and my opinion of him would slip a notch if he did.

On "The first 48" a young black male witness to a murder [as seen on the interrogation room video] described the handgun as an old fashioned cowboy gun.

When the revolver was recovered, it looked like a stainless K frame to me.

To those folks, if it ain't "a nine," it's a cowboy gun.

I don't know if Col. Askins commented on the 1911's ability to work in muddy conditions of the trenches in WWI, but I have read others' comments to the same effect. The loose frame-to-slide fit of the government guns, as JMB originally designed it, made the pistol less than a tackdriver, but it was damn reliable in filthy conditions. My late father-in-law served in infantry in WWII and told me that he liked the big .45 because, like the M1 Garand, you could always count on it to fire no matter how nasty the conditions were.

FWIW, when I took my first defensive tactics training course (late 1990's) one of the techniques I was taught to counter a DA revolver was to do exactly as Askins described: grab the revolver over the top with your hand and grip the cylinder hard. There is no way the shooter's index finger can overpower your hand to rotate the cylinder, and the revolver is effectively jammed.

Obviously won't work with a cocked single action, of course.

Or a cocked double action.

Yup. What I meant was a cocked revolver in single-action mode.

Hah, funny that this topic should come up. I was out yesterday shooting the 1955 S&W Combat Masterpiece 4" .38 Special. I'm cleaning it today and while it's off line I'm putting the S&W Model 27 4" .357 Mag. on line.

I'm not a "professional" when it comes to handguns but I can say that these 2 handguns, along with a Model 60 S&W, are completely satisfactory for any needs that I have, either real or perceived. I just never had an interest in semi auto handguns.

Why do you have to have a loaded handgun nearby? Are you paranoid?

I did something today I actually haven't done in a long time, which is shoot a double action revolver - double action I did of course use my S&W pre-27 5", from the early 50's, which was S&W's top model at the time, and has a fine DA and SA trigger.

They frown on even controlled rapid fire at this place, so I limited myself to a shot every couple seconds. Ammo was Hornady 140 gr .357's, which are said to make 1300 fps. Even though the grips don't fit me at all, I still managed to keep everything on paper at 7 yards. It's not my first choice for defense, but a bad guy would have been in some trouble.

Slow fire, it was no contest, the S&W easily outshot both 1911's I had with me. The first 4 shots in fact made a ragged hole in the target.

It sounds like you were hanging out with some guys who knew how to choose wisely.

It was quite a brain trust, I have to admit. Why they let me hang with 'em is beyond figuring.

FWIW, if you ever get a chance to attend the ILEETA annual conference the quality of the people presenting will blow you away. This is not a group of ivory-tower academics; it's mostly people who have BTDT in their field, and are dedicated to sharing knowledge. It's truly a humbling, and at the same time exhilarating, experience to participate in.

BU's... S&W 342 w/CTC grips & Speer Gold Dot SB +P ammo in an ankle holster. G27 w/Speer Gold Dot SB ammo in a vest holster.

G27's carried differently and the 342 is a 360 (same ammo).....but that matches my prescription....

I've been known to switch them up, with the G27 in an ankle holster and the 342 in a vest holster or pocket.

Outstanding thread! Just wondering if any of you 442 guys have had a chance to work with one of the new Ruger LCRs? I have been pretty impressed with the one my friend has in 38.

look at what is being sold.
autos out number wheelguns 2 two to 1

I've fired one, and I was impressed. The polymer frame soaks up some recoil, it seems, so it shoots softer than an all-metal gun. Accuracy was good.

A good friend who is also a very well-known gunwriter who is a very serious and accomplished handgunner has been a 442 man for decades, but he now carries a LCR much of the time. That speaks volumes as far as I'm concerned.