Customer Reviews for Smith & Wesson Performance Center 442 Custom Shop 38 Special Revolver

442 Custom Shop .38 Spc. was second S & W .38 revolver purchased from Bud's. Order shipped and was received @ local FFL dealer promptly.

Works well. Good price. Fast delivery. Good "pocket carry".

A light weight and super carry 38 revolver. Shot about 200 rounds through it. Being that its light weight expect recoil when shooting. But the gun and Buds are great.

I was not happy with this handgun. It is wildly inaccurate, printing 8" to 10" groups from 7 yards, all over the target. Absolutely no consistency, using lightweight wadcutters up to P 125 gr JHP's, all factory ammo. It might be good for contact distance, but no further. Very disappointing for a S&W PC tuned revolver. The "hip grip" was the first thing to go. It prevents proper indexing and gets in the way of a proper hold, at least for me. All shooting was done with the replacement Uncle Mike's grip. I have been shooting handguns since I was 11 years old (now 56), and have qualified as expert during a long law enforcement career, so I'm fairly certain the inaccuracy listed above was not me. As usual, the service at Bud's was top notch. No complaints there.

Great little snubby. Exactly what I wanted out of a small, lightweight carry revolver. Fantastic looking firearm and even better to shoot. You can tell this piece is from S&W performance center as the trigger is very smooth and the polished steel feels great against your finger. Put some altamont grips on her and turned her into a real beauty! First time ordering from buds and it really was a breeze.

purchased a Smith and Wesson 442 performance center edition 5 shot revolver very well built great for concealed carry

Gun looks great (and even better with some Altamont grips)! Quick and painless transaction with Buds. Would buy through them again for sure. Can't wait to take this little wheel gun to the range!

This is a great looking gun. I was looking for a small J-frame to carry in place of my little .380 LCP that I used to carry on warm days. I feel more confident in .38 +p, so I decided to make the change. This gun is so light it's easy to forget you have it in your waistband. It comes with a Desantis clip grip. I don't feel confident relying on the clip grip alone, so I carry it in a Galco IWB holster. I will be changing the grip out with a nice wood grip soon. The trigger is great. This gun has a very smooth double-action trigger. It's long enough to safely pocket carry, but smooth enough to place rounds on your target. I had a great time at the local indoor range with this gun and I quickly became accustomed to the trigger pull. I was very pleased with the service I received from Bud's. I ordered the gun on a Tuesday morning, and it was in my hands on Thursday afternoon. Very fast shipping! The price was great too, especially considering the fact that I couldn't find this particular edition of the 442 for sale anywhere else at the time.

Great little pistol. Nice smooth trigger on mine, locks up tight, and shoots great. Plus it's the best looking S&W Airweight in my opinion. First time ordering from Bud's but won't be last. Great service and great price.

The action is superb in this little revolver. It is also very light. I cannot tell a different in weight between this and my Bodyguard. That being said the cylinder does not release easily from the frame, and seems to drag a bit when being opened. I will write S&W and get their thoughts. Other than that, great pistol.

I totally love this Performance Center firearm. Buds shipped my order to my FFL dealer super fast and within 24 hours I received my tracking information. The quality of the pistol upon arrival was excellent. This 442 shoots very well it's light weight at only 15oz's and is very comfortable as a daily carry. I will be purchasing from Bud's for all my future purchases.

Very nice 38 spl that looks great and is hard to beat for the money. Trigger is as smooth as could be right out of the box. Never had grips with clip retainer but getting use to and starting to like very much. Considering some rosewood grips and that will set this piece apart. Bud's delivered as advertised and as promised.

Bud's did a great with a great price and past shipping. The revolver is great. Very smooth trigger. Fit and finish is what I would expect from Performance Center. My only complaint is the cheesy clip grip on this gun. It takes away from an otherwise terrific revolver. This was my first transaction with Bud's it will not be my last.

Another smooth transaction from Buds. Shipped out day after I paid at FFL in 2 days. The 442 Performance Center trigger job is great, very easy action now. The gun itself came in perfect condition. I will note the only thing I do not like about this 442 version are the grips. The clip grip might be good for some, but I found it to be very annoying. I kinda knew that going into this buy, and purchased a replacement set of grips in advance for it. All in all a great buy for the price I paid for a Performance Center enhanced firearm.

Recieved the Smith & Wesson 442 Performance Shop model in the normal, fast time from Buds. Always fast and professional service. The 442 has an excellent trigger pull, very smooth. Excellent fit and finish. Even came with a special hard case from the Performance Shop. Great price. I think this model will increase in value as time goes on.

excellent fit and finish and smooth trigger.accuracy at 7 yards was very good.

I wasn't disappointed at all, the trigger very smooth, very accurate. I like the finish, the cylinder has nicely polished flutes, the trigger received the same treatment as well. I never had a gun with a clip grip before, all I have to say about that is I love it! You can't go wrong with this little wheel gun, it's well worth the cost for this custom shop beauty!

First of all, buds was super fast with shipping and had a great price. I saw this gun going for $100 more on other sites. Got a performance center gun for the price of a standard j frame. I was ready to write a terrible review on this gun. The first day I got it, the trigger kept sticking and wouldn't reset. I'm glad I gave the gun a few days before forming an opinion. After a couple days of dry fire and 50 rounds at the range, the trigger has smoothed out nicely and is the best j frame trigger I've ever experienced. I hate the de santis grips, however. They're ugly, cheap, and the little clip gets in the way of a proper grip. I ordered some custom rosewood grips and now it might be the best looking gun I own. I find myself constantly pulling it out just to look at it. I use this gun as a backup gun in a pocket holster while on duty and it absolutely excels in that role. It's very easy to carry, quick to draw, and completely disappears in my uniform. Warning: This gun is a very nice carry gun, but it HURTS to shoot. Recoil is severe, especially compared to my full size 9mm pistol. After about 15 rounds and I'm ready to put it down and shoot my Sig P226. This gun is designed to be a "get off me gun". You're supposed to pop off 2 or 3 rounds and run to safety. If you're thinking about buying this as your first gun or for your girlfriend, consider something else that you/they might actually enjoy shooting because this ain't the type of gun you're going to enjoy practicing with.

This is a great little J frame. This gun looks absolutely awesome! The trigger is nice for a DAO gun. I tested it against a standard 642 J frame and there is a noticeable difference. Shoots 38spl great. plus P is a little snappy but totally manageable. Grips would be comfy for a right handed person, but being left handed, I changed them out with some smith and wesson boot grips. I wouldn't have used the clip grip anyway. Overall, this is a great gun. I have put around 200 rounds through it and the trigger has smoothed out nicely. Great summer carry option. Buds was fast as usual.

I have been carrying S&W J frame revolvers since the 1960's and this one is by far the "best bang for the buck" The run through the Performance Center and polishing the internals provides a great trigger to say the least. Rapid shipment to my FFL by Bud's was appreciated.

Buds was very fast on delivery of this gun. The gun itself had damage to the black anodizing around barrel, looks like a nice silver ring scratched into frame around the barrel. The price on the gun was great, but this is supposed to be a Performance Center gun so finish was a disappointment. I'm going to use it for a carry gun so I accepted delivery. I own 6 other S&W revolvers from varying eras, love them all. This one was just not up to snuff.

Was looking for a replacement for my old model 60. This deal was exactly what I was waiting for. 7 ounces lighter, P rated, better trigger and a clip grip already installed. Just got back from the range and guess what? Pull the trigger and it goes boom. Light recoil with standard loads and a little snappy with pressure loads but not terrible. I live in the south and this disappears under light clothing. My new every day every where carry gun.