Edited to remove bogus S&W product website url. If you go to smith&wesson website and do a search by model for the 442, you will see that it is rated .38 special +P.
442's seem to be very popular. People who I know carry and love them. I've just never asked this question before, so this is just a "question". So, why do you prefer the carbon steel cylinder of the 442 when you can get a stainless cylinder in a 642?
I've got a 442-1 that doesn't have the lock, but has the newer
cylinder release. I snarfed it up as soon as I saw it; airweights are
kinda rare around here. The thing about my 442 that I like is the finish; it's not blue, but flat black....sharp lookin'..
Haven't had any problems with the carbon steel, other than some
finish wear on edge of cylinder...
It is light, concealable (I have a Barami Hip Grip on mine) and really good looking little gun. Why did I get mine? A guy I know bought one NIB and two weeks later offered it to me for a $100.00. He hadn't even filled out the warranty papers yet. What's not to love? Good shooting
Because my sweat isn't corrosive and it was like new, maybe 6 months old, and saved me over $100 compared to a new 442 (that I wouldn't have bought anyway.) And I couldn't find a used 642.
And it had a perfect action for a stock S&W. (This was confirmed by the Performance Center gunsmith the last time he was working on guns at the local shop - they do this S&W sale weekend thing and bring a gunsmith. Nice guy. I'm trying to get him to retire and open a shop here.)
And it was 5 minutes til 4 on Sunday and the gun show was over and I still had enough money to get it.
As someone said, an elegant little gun and one of the most sensible products S&W ever made--everything you need and nothing you don't. Came with a good DA and probably the only revolver I never felt a need to pull the sideplate on.
Hard to believe that the company actually dropped the original M40 for all those years before reintroducing it.
Sometmes a simple question is misconstrued as a slur against a particular weapon. On thing that I forgot to mention is that the carbon steel cylinders of my older S&W's (say late 60's and early 70's models) still lock-up better than my newer models. I'd always wondered if the carbon steel cylinders had something to do with that.
I did notice a little wear on the cylinder stop on one the other night, but not enough to effect the perfect lock-up.
The 442 and 642 are excellent little revolvers, just about the ideal civilian CCW piece. I do prefer the look of the 642, and stainless is easier to refinish than blued steel. And yes, they do hold up to +P loads.
The key is whether it says 642-1 or 442-1 rather than 642 or 442. The intial versions (442 and 642) can not take +P. The first revision2 (642-1 and 442-1) can take +P.
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