Took the plunge on a 442

by Catoosa, Saturday, February 22, 2014, 21:27 (3933 days ago)

I picked up a Smith & Wesson Model 442 today at a local shop, and it's got about the screwiest trigger pull I've ever felt on a Smith. All glitchey and stagey. They had three of them, and they were all that way. One quit working while I was messing with it, so I dang sure didn't want that one. The one I bought has the darndest hitch at the end of the pull that I've ever seen. It rolls back pretty easy, and then STOPS. You can hold it there, and then pull it off just like shooting single action, except the last bit of pull stacks to about ten pounds. I'm hoping it will smooth up some. I will say that even with the horrible trigger, the little thing is accurate. I was chasing bullet holes by the time I got to the third cylinder full.

Little beast to shoot, but it carries mighty good. $445, and I was glad to find it at that price. The non-lock 442s are hard as the dickens to come by around here, but I decided that I absolutely didn't want one with a lock.

I guess I am spoiled by the triggers on the older Smiths. This is the first (and I hope the last) new S&W I have had. Would have preferred one of the old Centennials, but I can't pay collector's price to get one so this will have to do.

Dryfire it smooth.....

by John Meeker @, Sunday, February 23, 2014, 02:37 (3932 days ago) @ Catoosa

Take off grips (and perhaps the side plate if you like to do that)

Slather interior works with your fave thicker or grease lube. That includes ejector, star,cylinder, pins ends and sockets: all the 'go round stuff

Install snap caps. Now start what I call wet firing, every opportunity you get.

It took me a while to break in my old 442, but it's smooth now after twenty years or so. -- I did a lot of stacking the trigger to that last snap off. Eventually the muscles turned that into a smooth DA with just enough available slak to get a nice shot.

I do recommend Mr Leahy's pocket holster for these guns. Some sweat and wear and the are difficult to spot when in place.

Dryfire it smooth.....

by Fowler, Sunday, February 23, 2014, 09:34 (3932 days ago) @ John Meeker

Yup I dry fired the snot out of mine and had it serviceable in fairly short order. I can keep it in the B zone of a USPSA target out past 50 yards pretty easily now, although that's not the little guns job really. I fired a couple of cylinders of my carry +P load through it so I knew where it hit and now run strictly mild loads through it, no reason it make it nasty in practice.

Last spring I was at Tedd Adamovtich's BBQ and these two guys had shooting gloves on and they were gripping their 442s way low so the gun would roll a little when they would shoot them. They couldn't hit their ass with both hands as they were terrified of the little boogers. I asked them why they were shooting +P stuff, naturally I got the have to practice with what you will fight with BS. They were having a hard time hitting B zones at 10 yards. I took mine and range a 6" gong at 25 yards 5 times in about 3 seconds or so, not super fast just smooth. I think I made a comment about remembering that if the time comes to need the little guns and walked off.

If kept to what they are they are fun little guns to play with, a sorry second to a good 1911 in a fight but the. That is a sorry second to a good longgun if push come to shove. But they sure are easy to have with you always...

500 rds....

by Bud, Sunday, February 23, 2014, 18:26 (3932 days ago) @ Fowler

before it would shoot to sights. But its the bees knees now....its the one in my pack when I'm out hunting. It'll head shoot rabbits and blue grouse no problem.

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