Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns S&W 442

Looking around in a local shop today, and found this 442. It looks virtually unfired, but I believe it's an older revolver. It is a dash 1, and has no lock. There was no box with it, just as is at a very nice price.
I have a 442-2 that I bought NIB years ago and carry often. It's nice to have a back up now.

For some reason, you can buy the current 442 with or without the lock. When I ordered mine several years ago, I specifically ordered one without the lock. It's likely the only revolver they offer where they give you a choice.

Nice revolver . I have a 642 , Nice to put in a coat pocket or even a tackle bag while fishing.

Yep. Great coat pocket gun, because nothing to snag on.

I have a 642 with a kakabillion rounds through it. I filed the fs narrow. The most awesome of the bunch is the 340 M&P (not PD). I wish they made it in 38 spl only and 6 shot 32 H&R.
S.

I think Mannlicher has us all on ignore.

A friend of mine is an avid bass fisherman. He primarily fishes the swamps which are loaded with snakes, to include water moccasins. His primary deterrent is a 642 loaded with CCI snake shot. He had a local gunsmith mill a pined hole in the backstrap for a lanyard attached to his belt. That way he cannot lose the gun. The moccasins are known to drop into boats as they cruise by from overhead tree branches. The snake shot is very effective. I have a 642 that is carried as my summer/hot weather front pocket gun. Love that little wheel gun.

Love 'em.................change the grips & they become much more shootable. I carry one fairly often as a genuine "pocket" gun.

Don't leave home w/o it.

MM

Nice grab, Sam.

I'm a fan of the Airweight S&W Snubbies. My current favorite pop gun is a 642. In fact, I was telling my son over the weekend that he needs to grab him a snub airweight instead another plastic frame striker fired gun to throw on top of the half dozen Glock and M&P guns he already doesn't shoot very often. He would find that Snubbie a lot more useful than a neglected Glock in the safe.

I have had my 442 for more than 20 years.



Received it as a gift for graduating from a state academy.

Put literally thousands of rounds through it. It spent time as an ankle gun in the BUG role when I worked in uniform, then for years in my offside pocket when I was in investigations.

It may be a bit on the worn side cosmetically but it shoots very well and still gets used often in situations where a full size gun won't work. Stuffed with wadcutters, it is a great little reliable piece of gear.

I recently had a trigger job done on a 442 that had been in the safe a long time and added a Crimson Trace laser grip. With mild wad cutter loads it puts all 5 shots under an inch pretty much every time at 10 yards. I discovered that I can shoot it much more accurately when I place my finger on the trigger past the first joint. A normal finger position pinches my finger just before the trigger breaks.

Full power loads sting but the target level loads are a hoot. I ordered my first AA #5 for this project and have a stash of Speer 135 grain short barrel bullets to try.

I also added a shot timer app to my phone recently. I'm an old school bullseye shooter at heart and need to spend more time learning to shoot faster

Nice one, Mannlicher.

A man can't have too many S&W revolvers.

Sam,

That is what my eldest son carries daily. Loaded with Mac's +P wadcutters.

He could do far worse.

Looks like I'm not the only one that shoots high with these if ya choke way up un the grip. That spacer looks to be the ticket.

Sorta ironic, after 20 plus years I came to view my old school firing pin on the hammer Mod 39 as too cherished to be my carry piece.

So I picked up this 442-2, it does have the trigger lock, I don’t mind it that much. I check the action is unlocked most every day.

I actually paid $80 on eBay for that Uncle Mike’s Combat Grip, they used to come standard on j-frame .357’s but have been out of production for years now. I haven’t found a grip that fits my hand better and I find the longer grip positions it more consistently in a pocket (Remora holster) than the boot grip the 442 came with, indexes much more consistently in the hand when drawn quickly too.

I’ve been trying to warm up to the pocket nines, that Ruger LC 9 fits in my pocket about as well, flatter than a j-frame, is easier to shoot fast and well and with that nine-round mag provides twice the rounds on hand.

J-frames just seem so familiar in my hand tho, the 442 still gets the nod.

Got my wife a 442, thought the recoil might be a bit much for her, but she likes it.



MM, What grips did you put on yours?



Bird Watcher, I've got an Uncle Mikes K-frame square butt grip (on a Model 18), I like it a lot over the Pachmayr and Hogue's that I've tried.



Yeah, I don't get this... if they can offer the 442 without the lock, why not others? edited to add; If they did, I would buy more new S&W's vs. just pre-locks.


Jerry

Same here.

This is primarily a recoil mitigation and comfort modification, as I found that shooting the J Frame to be unpleasant at times, especially with extensive practice. I tried various types of material on the backstrap, including strips of thin rubber, before finally settling on the strip of leather that is currently on there. Then wrapping it up in Vet Wrap bandage or hockey tape. The combo I found helps soften the recoil a bit and shooting 50-75 rounds at a whack on the range is not too bad, and getting a good grip is easier.

My 442 no-lock is almost always with me in a Mika holster. For its “Get off me!” purpose it is ideal. Lots of trigger pulls have made a pretty smooth trigger. For me, doing timed drills I forget about recoil.

From the pocket holster I can draw and fire 1 to the head of a target from 1 yard in under a second.

carry a 642 or 638 a lot. great little pistols, at our gun club we run BUG gun matches and I frequently use the airweights.

Draw and fire in under a second from a POCKET holster??? Pants pocket?

Yes. Right front pocket. I start with my hand already in the pocket on the grip. It’s what I’d do in a threatening situation to appear casual. It still took practice, with lots of dry runs, to get the movement smooth and quick. Not as easy as it might sound.

Ok that makes sense. I just got a shot timer for my phone I’ll give it a try 0.70 seems like a tough time to beat.

A good trigger job and a laser turns a 442 into a whole different kind of gun though. My best time so far from low ready 5 shots at 7 yards is 6.60 seconds with a group the size of a silver dollar.

I’m interested in finding an outside the waistband cross draw holster for it it looks like Andrews leather makes two different versions one of which just snaps on and off a handy position while driving

That is some decent shooting. I find a timer really allows me to measure improvement, and makes the drills more enjoyable.

Yes, laser grips are a game changer.

642 with Crimson Trace laser grips.

Nice little revolvers. I've never owned a 442 or 642, but years ago I had a 640. Essentially the same gun as the 642 but made of all stainless steel, including the frame, so kind of heavy for a small revolver. It had the wood grips, and wasn't all that pleasant to shoot with heavy 38 Spl loads. I left it behind during my second divorce, along with a couple other guns.......stupid of me, but that's life.

Recently I picked up a Ruger LCRx 38 Special snub. It's not bad, but doesn't have the classic lines of the S&W. One thing though, Ruger got the grip dialed-in very well for ergonomics and recoil dampening on the little LCR.

Thanks Mackay,

I might fix my shooting high problem & get some comfort for my effort as well. Have found grips that cover the upper portion of the backstrap, but add unwanted length to the grip.

Tape of some sort might be the fix here too. The shooting high thing was realized when trying to snap shoot carpenter bees on the wing(w/shot shells of course)

Nice guns

I wife likes my or should I say hers, 642 and she wants to carry it in her front coat pocket. For what it is, it is a great carry piece. light and compact.

I’ve got a couple of 642’s, my wife carries one of them, the other is stashed in the house. I had a 640-1 but my daughter wound up with it. And I’ve got a 43c which is the 442 but in 22 LR, it’s a great gun to practice with and I carry it when I run.

Carry one in a Philster City Special holster. Everyday. Wadcutters and a spare 5 round strip in my pocket.

While not as weathered as Mackay Sagebrush's 442, this one has been around quite a bit. It still goes with me everywhere once I leave the casa.
Bob

Did I mention that its close cousin accompanies me to the hen house each morning to let the chickens out? I'm speaking of the good old S&W Model 38 Airweight. It's what they used to call the Bodyguard configuration, i.e., a J-Frame (aluminum framed), snubby, .38 with a round butt frame, and a humpback frame extension over the hammer spur to prevent snagging on clothing, but which still allows you to apply your thumb to just enough of the hammer spur to operate it if you wanted to take a more careful shot at a more distant target. Mine's a pre-82 example.

It lives in the pocket of my bathrobe, inside a pocket holster.

Those are recent production S&W brand rubberized boot grips it's wearing.

nearest petrol pump from me
These are great little revolvers. I have a 642 and a 640 now and I'm always keeping an eye out for others at bargain prices. I wouldn't mind having one for every room. 😀 I was amazed how accurate this one is if you concentrate on the tiny sights and stack the trigger just right.

442 no-lock. It's always in a Mika pocket holster, but I'm a sucker for nice leather. It handles Ted's 148 +p fine, but I don't practice with them much.

In my opinion I would prefer a handy 4” 6 shot revolver to a 2” 5 shot revolver. They point better and tend to have better triggers. Something to consider. I like the 2” revolvers for pocket carry. But my around the house I like the 4” Ruger Six Series guns. Absolutely point better!!!

Everyone knows there are lots of choices out there.

One of these days I would like to find a nice 4" Ruger Security 6 at a decent price.

Right now, right after Christmas is definitely not the right time though!


Super solid built guns built for a lifetime of use.

Yes, the old Ruger police and security revolvers of the 1970s and 1980s were great. They've become classics in their own rights. My very first handgun (purchased new in 1980) fell into that category, and I still have it, i.e., a stainless Ruger Speed Six .357 Magnum.

Leave aside the fixed sights as a advantage or a disadvantage, if you had to choose between a M66 and the Speed Six, what would you take?

Though not so much required for close up, it’s still nice to know they’ll go where pointed at 15 yards:

A more apt comparison would be between the Speed Six and the S&W Model 65 in its FBI configuration.

I went with the Speed Six. I went with them a couple of times.

Sounds interesting! And the reason is? Let me guess: durability.

I think he was attempting some kind of double entendre joke.

I think the 442 is about the only smith you can get without a lock now. I've ran across several new ones lately without it. I have one, but with the lock, I did put the oversized hogue grips on it, makes it much more enjoyable to shoot.

442, 642 and the 43C of all things, can be had without the lock.

I like J frames. I always have one in my front pocket. My wife carries one in her purse. I have one at my front door. When you reach for the door knob you can put your other hand on a 640-1. One is on loan to my wife’s sister. They all are on the job as we speak. Hasbeen

Durability is a good reason. I remember when Smith forcing cones were cracking and being blamed on the 125 gr jacketed HP’s. Ruger wasn’t blamed for that. The Rugers are bull strong. Another reason is I like 2-3/4” barrels compared to the 2-1/2” Smiths. But the other one is a 3” postal gun that is relatively rare.

Not saying I don’t like K frames but the new ones are for 38 Specials. Obviously a guy would need to buy an older gun In either version to get what you want.

Nothing wrong with the new 66-8’s. Improvements have been made.

Great carry piece. And the Simply Rugged holster just snugs it right to my hip