New production 442-2?

[M2CattleCo]

My dad is looking at a new 442-2 no lock and asked me about it.

I have no clie as to the quality of a new S&W revolver. I haven’t owned one in a decade or so.

[Willard]

My dad is looking at a new 442-2 no lock and asked me about it.

I have no clie as to the quality of a new S&W revolver. I haven’t owned one in a decade or so.

I am generally a "no MIM" guy. Will never own a lock revolver. All of my S&Ws, with the exception of my no lock 442, 642, & 640 Pro are older generation pinned barrel models. All that said, I'm impressed with the tightness of the tolerances of these newer guns as well as the lock up, timing, and mechanical function. I've had S&Ws from previous generation that had to have attention, but these are just right mechanically. I am not endurance testing them, but they are as accurate as their older counterparts, and as much as I wanted to find fault with them, I have not yet.

There is a thread on here from 03RN with a 66-8 that almost had me considering one. I would want to inspect first. However, for a gun that you are going to carry, has good parts availability and service if needed, and is very affordably priced, I don't think he'll go wrong. GregBell posted a thread on destroying his 642 or 442 on either this forum or M4carbine.net and the round count he had before he stopped testing or I lost track was impressive.

[FrankB]

Do not fear newer Smith&Wesson revolvers. They make them by the truckload, and their owners aren’t losing gunfights because of mechanical issues. 😁
I’ve owned several S&W revolvers made from the 50’ through the 70’s, and about an equal amount that have been made in the past few years: two M686, two M642, and a Model 36 “Classic”. They are all fine revolvers, and I no longer even see the locks.

[03RN]

If I wanted and could afford a s&w I'd rather buy a new one.

Yeah the lock is ugly, same with the 2 piece barrels but they're tolerable

[M2CattleCo]

A shop local to him has two brand new ones, no lock.

He’s been waiting for an SP101 or a small S&W for awhile.

[deputyG23]

I ordered a new 442-2 from a cop shop in NOVA in 2013 sight unseen.It has been regularly pocket carried and fired about 850 times with no issues except for finish wear which is to be expected. Buy with confidence in my humble opinion.

[Mitch]

I bought a new 442 last year before everything went crazy. It’s been fine. I would buy with confidence again.

[lee n. field]

A shop local to him has two brand new ones, no lock.

He’s been waiting for an SP101 or a small S&W for awhile.

If he's looking at a 442 for the small light snub .38 niche, is there any reason he's not looking at an LCR?

[M2CattleCo]

If he's looking at a 442 for the small light snub .38 niche, is there any reason he's not looking at an LCR?



I mentioned that one too but we haven’t seen one in stock anywhere.

[L-2]

For clarification the 442-1 will be a no-lock; the 442-2 will have the lock.

SKU 150544 is a basic 442-1.
SKU 162810 would be a 442-2.

There are other 442 SKUs which will have some other features/options.

[OlongJohnson]

It's going to be more money, but I'm fairly happy with my M&P 340 no-lock...after sending it back to S&W to have a new yoke put on it and then spending a day or so (maybe more - I spread it out over a weekend and evenings of the following week) going through it and unkittening it. Much of it was remarkably poorly done. I might run out of better things to do one of these days and put together a thread. I definitely wouldn't put a J (or any S&W) into service in the future without going through its guts comprehensively, and I'm not going to make that investment in a gun that doesn't have steel pivot pins for the hammer and trigger.

[JAH 3rd]

I have the above mentioned J-frame no lock revolver. Guess I've had it about 7 years or so. It has the two piece barrel and red ramp front sight. It's the scandium frame and titanium cylinder version of the 442. Looked good from the factory and have had no issues with it.

As with any firearm, if you can see it, inspect it before you buy, that would be a big plus.

[Duelist]

I have been running a 642-2 as my main pocket gun, most carried carry pistol, and sometimes the only centerfire pistol,I owned since 2004. It has never had an issue in thousands upon thousands of rounds and even more dry-fire, though most of the finish is worn off.

[Ivantheterrible]

Proud owner of a 442 no-lock. Learn the oiling points and you'll have a surprisingly good (relatively) trigger pull.