Sufficient tangent to warrant a new thread:
Been wondering about this. In the X42 "Pro" thread, there has been some discussion of the 642 et. al. built in 2010 with 2.5-in steel barrels, including full underlug and full-length ejector rod. It was enough to get me to drag out my SCSW, and read about the 3-in Model 37s. Seems like they'd be a pretty sweet combination, an aluminum frame with a 3-in steel barrel. Full-length ejector rod, non-lugged barrel. Just wondering if the extra weight out front and additional sight radius make for relatively excellent shootability. The length could be an issue for pocket carry, but for a J-frame lifestyle AIWB shorts-carry, probably a lot less of one. It's at least comparatively skinny compared to the scandium gun shrouds.
It's also possible to find some old Model 37 take-off barrels around. Does anyone know if they could be installed in a current 442/642, which would at least mean a known history for the rest of the gun, and possibility of no-lock Centennial configuration? (There would still be the issue of aluminum pins, though.)
There's also the rare-as-hen's-teeth 337 Ti with 3-in. barrel, which was available for a year or two in no-lock configuration. Any comments on that compared to a 2-in barrel would be interesting. Do I remember correctly seeing @
GJM post a pic of one?