The right side view of the S&W Performance Center Pro Series Model 642 Revolver on a wight background.

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The Smith & Wesson Model 642 Centennial Airweight Stainless was introduced in 1990 as a round butt, fully concealed hammer, double action only, revolver built on a three screw alloy J frame. It came with a two or three inch stainless steel barrel and a five flute 1.53 inch 1 stainless steel cylinder chambered in .38 Smith & Wesson Special.2

  • production3
    • introduced – 1990
    • discontinued 3″ barrels – 1992
    • discontinued – 1993
    • reintroduced as 642-1 w/ J magnum frame – 1996
    • master trigger lock added – 1997
    • barrel markings move to left side – Aug 1997
    • 642-2 introduced w/ internal key lock system – 2002
    • two line address adopted – 2002
  • variants
    • LadySmith4
  • related
  • gunsmith notes

Featured Image: The right side view of the S&W Performance Center Pro Series Model 642 Revolver.5

footnotes/sources:

  1. Nominal.
  2. Supica, Jim, and Richard Nahas. Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson. 3rd ed., Krause Publications, 2006. Print. p. 264.
  3. Supica, Jim, and Richard Nahas. Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson. 3rd ed., Krause Publications, 2006. Print. p. 264.
  4. Supica, Jim, and Richard Nahas. Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson. 3rd ed., Krause Publications, 2006. Print. p. 265.
  5. “Dealer Resources: Images.” Smith-Wesson.com. Smith & Wesson. Web. Accessed 13 Oct 2018.