Arrived!

Last week I dropped a few hints on a pistol I'd stumbled into. To the best of my knowledge, only two people correctly identified it (JayG and LokiDude).

Here are the posts I was originally referring to:
Tam posted its big brother.
JayG lusts.

I quite literally stumbled into this one. A fellow had posted on the S&W Forum that he had seen one at his local shop in "pretty good condition", but was having trouble finding any solid information on it. I grabbed my SCSW3 and checked that, and posted a reply suggesting he buy it ASAP. The next day, there were eight or ten more replies of a similar ilk, and I took a chance. I asked him to pass along the shop number if he didn't buy it.

He emailed me the next weekend and said he'd been in there again, the shop still had it, and he wasn't going to buy it. I called them the next day after the aforementioned negotiations with the CFO, and the first answer was, "We don't ship guns to New York." I talked with the owner some more, and he decided he could ship to my dealer after all. Paid with my credit card, my FFL sent down information, and it was shipped out.

All of this sight unseen by me. Yes, I took a chance, but the model and price were worth the risk, IMHO. I picked it up this morning. Looks like it was "carried lots, shot little". Rifling is crisp and clean, cylinder is clean, finish shows some minor nicks and scrapes and shiny spots. I'm already considering modifications - VERY high on the list is replacing the front sight blade with a tritium dot - either an XS, or a Meprolight, or possibly Trijicon, depending on who actually makes one to fit.

So, without further ado, the latest addition to the Z collection:




A Smith & Wesson 242Ti. Produced for about six months in 1999, there just aren't that many out there. L-frame, titanium cylinder, sleeved 2.5" barrel, and seven shots of .38 Special +P.




Shown here with my 642, which is a J-frame 5-shot .38. The extra two shots and the switch from steel to titanium carry a weight penalty of about 2oz, along with an extra inch or so in length and about 1/4" in cylinder diameter.




And last but certainly not least, the family portrait. From left to right:
21-4 .44 Special, 4", nickel, with S&W laminate combat grips. N-frame.
28-2 .357 Magnum, 4", nickel, with S&W "football" target grips. N-frame.
242 .38 Special +P, 2-1/2", alloy/Ti, rubber grips (Uncle Mike's). L-frame.
67 .38 Special, 4", stainless, Ajax grips. K-frame.
642 .38 Special +P, 1-7/8", alloy/steel, rubber grips. J-frame.

Obviously I need to work on acquiring an "I" and an "M" frame...