Friday, November 25, 2011

Friday Gun Pr0n #242

I had another T&E gun to reveal today, but Brad_in_MA reminded me that I had a very fitting numerical picture for the day:

Centennial L-frame

Smith & Wesson 242ti, a medium-framed hammerless revolver in .38 Special. This is only one of two hammerless L-frame models made by Smith & Wesson, the other being the 296 such as the one owned by Tam. It's one of my grail guns, an oddity in being the only hammerless L-frame 7-shot revolver ever offered by S&W, and only for one year at that. I picked it up at the start of the year from a gentleman in western MA for a price that can only be described as hefty - but it's worth it.

It's a great gun for carry, tipping the scales loaded at a weight less than most empty polymer semi-autos. With an 8-round speed strip there's 15 rounds of .38 Special at the ready, the equivalent to the Colt Officer's model 1911 with one extra magazine. The medium frame makes it eminently controllable, and the 2.5" barrel yields excellent accuracy out of a DAO revolver.
I've been talking with Michael about having an IWB holster made for it similar to the Executive II I reviewed last year (well, no pocket carry for the 242!).

It's neat having such a unique firearm in the armory - especially one as useful as the 242ti!

That is all.

3 comments:

Bob said...

Looks like a Bodyguard in profile. Are you sure that S&W calls it a Centennial?

Jay G said...

Centennial is the hammerless (internal hammer); Bodyguard is the shrouded hammer. The 242 is very much hammerless. :)

Bubblehead Les. said...

You know, that would be an EXCELLENT Winter Parka Gun. Get a pocket holster, big enough to get a holt of it with Gloves, put into the outer parka pocket when you are shoveling the Global Warming out of the Driveway, Bob's your Uncle.

Currently, I have my Dan Wesson with the Shorty Barrel attached riding in a Modified Galco Pro 158 for that exact scenario. Some of our Southern Friends don't seem to understand that it's a Bitch to get to your IWB when one is swaddled in 15 layers of warmth in February.