In the 1950s, some revolvers were expressly designed and marketed for police detectives to conceal carry, though shooters had been cutting down the barrels of full-size revolvers to make them more concealable since Sam Colt was alive. Small, compact revolvers were called snubnose revolvers and have been and continue to be a staple defense weapon. They can be small and snag-free for easy concealment, and they can be drawn smoothly from pockets, purses, and ankle and belt holsters, among other conceal-carry modes. Of the more concealable types of snubnose revolvers, some are DAO (double action only), wherein the revolver is only able to fire with a double-action pull of the trigger. There is no hammer to thumb back and fire the revolver single action, and no hammer spur to snag and impede a draw.
Rugers LCR has helped create a new interest in these compact five-shooters, so we wanted to see how a good, old S&W with comparable features – a Model 42 – would compare. If the LCR is the iPhone generations revolver, then the Model 42 would be the gun for those who grew up using rotary-dial telephones.
Smith & Wesson M42 15050238 Special +P, $635-798
S&W has been manufacturing short-barreled revolvers with grip safeties since the late 1800s. Officially, they were catalogued as a safety hammerless double-action revolver. Informally, they are known as a lemon squeezer for the fact that a grip safety is built into the backstrap and must be depressed to fire the weapon. In 1952 S&W debuted the Centennial, a hammerless steel J-frame DAO revolver. The Airweight Centennial debuted the same year and later was renamed the Model 42. It was constructed of a lightweight alloy. S&W has since had the Centennial model in production without the grip safety. Current models include the 442 and 642. Original Centennials are scarce, and Airweight Centennials even more rare. We were able to find a LNIB (Like New In Box) Model 42 manufactured as one of S&Ws Classics line of revolvers, distinguished by being made of blued metal and checkered wood.
The Model 42 was finished in matte black with checkered walnut grips embedded with a silver S&W medallion. The frame is an aluminum alloy with a carbon steel cylinder. The matte finish was a bit of a letdown. It was well executed, but it didnt have the exquisite blue S&W is capable of. The trigger looked case hardened. It is a traditional and classic J-frame in its own right.
On picking up the revolver, most testers noticed how skinny the grip felt in their hand. To some it felt like holding yellow No. 2 pencil in their fist. The revolver was very light unloaded and light when loaded with five cartridges. The space behind the trigger guard has always been an issue with these small revolvers. Some shooters fingers felt jammed behind the trigger guard. Current models, including the LCR, fixed this issue with a more hand-filling rubber grip. In the old days they used a Tyler T-Grip (t-grips.com), which are still available. The checkering was very sharp and irritated some shooters palms after a few cylinders of regular 38 Special ammo. We tried rubber replacement grips on the 42 from a Model 637, also a J-frame, but they did not fit.
The grip safety seemed redundant as this newer Model 42 had a transfer-bar firing system, and the DAO pull was well over 12 pounds. A tester with large hands sometimes had a hard time engaging the grip safety and needed to think about it to ensure the safety was engaged and the piece would fire. No doubt this may be one reason why S&W omitted this feature on newer Centennial models. The cylinder latch is the traditional full size, which gives the user more surface area to grip. One shooter, not familiar with small J-frames, had the knuckle of his thumb from his shooting hand rammed with the cylinder latch. It only took once and he learned to tuck his thumb down. Because of the heavy DAO pull, most right-handed testers found the revolver shooting to the left because their trigger finger not only pressed back but a little to left to complete the pull.
Our Team Said: The Model 42 is a classic and its still available on auction sites and at gun shows, but the trigger pull was heavy and the grips were too sharp and too skinny. It performed as desired, but the design felt dated and it is more of a nice piece of revolver history to collect.
Ruger LCR No. 540138 Special +P, $529
While many old-timers in the test group thought the plastic Mattel or Hasbro Ruger would not be their first choice in a compact DAO revolver, their tainted opinion changed. The LCR (Light Compact Revolver) was a radical departure for Ruger when it debuted in 2009 with its use of polymers, aluminum, and steel construction. What is also radical in the LCR is that there is no hand-fitting of parts, which helps keeps the cost of labor down, as well as the price. The polymer fire-control housing makes up the grip and trigger guard, while the frame assembly is aluminum. The barrel is a stainless-steel sleeve in the frame. The cylinder is stainless steel that is radically fluted. Only an ounce or so separated the LCR and 42 in weight, but the LCR was slightly bulkier.
Like the Model 42, the LCR can handle +P loads. If the looks did not shock some testers, the trigger stunned them. The LCR uses a friction-reducing cam-fire system that results in a smooth trigger pull without stacking effect. The trigger pull on the LCR was much easier to use than the Model 42s. Testers were better able to control the trigger, and that showed in accuracy. The larger rubber grips also aided in accuracy, though shooters with large hands will have a difficult time using the finger grooves.
The grip in both revolvers was the rub. Shooters with average-size hands thought the grips worked well. All felt the grips were too large for pocket carry in pants. In a coat pocket or cargo pants pocket, the Ruger was OK. A Hogue Bantam/Boot grip is available, and we would most likely invest in this grip for conceal carry. It has no finger grooves and is smaller, much like the boot grip on current Centennials. In our testers opinion, the LCR grip was too big for the deep-conceal pocket carry, though it was fine for an IWB or ankle holster rig.
In rapid fire, the LCR pulled away from the 42 because the polymer gun offered more control and easier trigger movement. Recoil was a non-issue with standard 38 Special loads. The sights on both revolvers were rudimentary, but adequate for defensive purposes. The LCR had a slight edge, as its rear sight notch was more of what todays shooters are accustomed to.
Our Team Said: The design, trigger, and performance of the LCR changed nay-sayers minds. We vastly preferred the more-modern Ruger over the blued-and-wood Smith & Wesson Model 42.
Written and photographed byRobert Sadowski, using evaluations from Gun Tests team testers. GT
