{"id":10097,"date":"2015-07-23T16:47:44","date_gmt":"2015-07-23T20:47:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thinblueflorida.com\/?p=10097"},"modified":"2015-07-23T16:47:44","modified_gmt":"2015-07-23T20:47:44","slug":"smith-wesson-centennial-revolvers-revisited","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thinblueflorida.com\/?p=10097","title":{"rendered":"Smith & Wesson Centennial Revolvers Revisited"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Smith<\/a>Does the pervasive plastic pistol have you feeling a bit listless and melancholy lately?\u00a0 Striker-fired boredom setting in?\u00a0 Well, perk up your life with a Smith & Wesson Centennial revolver!\u00a0 Sometimes going \u201cretro\u201d can get you caught in a new frame of mind that will liven your dreary modern existence.<\/p>\n

The quintessential J-frame revolver by Smith & Wesson has been around since its birth in 1950 as the Chief\u2019s Special or, later, the Model 36.\u00a0 Designed as a small, concealable handgun with moderate power from its .38 S&W Special chambering, the platform has morphed into many versions during its 60-plus years.<\/p>\n

In Smith & Wesson-ese<\/em>, the \u201cCentennial\u201d model, introduced in 1952 for S&W\u2019s 100th<\/sup> birthday, was renamed the Model 40 in 1957.\u00a0 The Model 40 series, known generically as Centennials, have an internal hammer, so they are visually distinctive by their lack of a hammer spur.\u00a0 Without the spur, the 40\u2019s are fired double action only.<\/p>\n

The original Centennials were five shot, steel-framed guns weighing 21 ounces with a 1 7\/8\u201d barrel.\u00a0 In an effort to trim some of the heft, the Centennial Airweight was introduced in 1952 with an aluminum alloy frame.\u00a0 This dropped the scale\u2019s reading by 6 ounces to a mere 15 ounces.<\/p>\n

Further feathering was achieved when Big Blue introduced a Scandium alloy frame and stainless steel cylinder to the M&P 340 (13.3 oz\u2019s).\u00a0 But the ultimate weight reduction was a Scandium frame and titanium cylinder that caused the Model 340PD to dance over a scale at just 11.4 ounces!<\/p>\n

\"S&W<\/a>Today\u2019s very popular Models 442 and 642 are Centennial Airweight revolvers.\u00a0 The 4 in 442 denotes a matte black finish and blued carbon steel cylinder, while the 6 in 642 SKU\u2019s up a matte silver finish and stainless steel cylinder.\u00a0 Either flavor is a handy, lightweight bellygun for back-up or concealed carry.<\/p>\n

In the dark ages when I first became a cop, we were taught to gunfight with revolvers.\u00a0 Because of this, I have always loved a wheelgun\u2019s simplicity, but that simplicity should not be mistaken for ease of operation.\u00a0 A snub-nosed handgun is not a tool for the beginner.<\/p>\n

Owing to its short sight radius and scant mass, a Centennial Airweight can be difficult to shoot well.\u00a0 As you progress up the power table from .38 Special, to .38 Special +P, and on to .357 Magnum, these J-frames can be an unpleasant fistful of metal to fire.<\/p>\n

And then there is the reload. With only five bullets in the cylinder, a Centennial\u2019s owner must master ejecting the spent brass and refilling its chambers.\u00a0 This is done with loose bullets, speed strips, or speed loaders.\u00a0 The word \u201cspeed\u201d here is a misnomer.\u00a0 They should be called \u201cspeedier-than-loose-bullet strips\u201d or \u201cless-than-speedy loaders.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"HKS,<\/a>There are slightly different techniques for re-upping a revolver properly.\u00a0 Whether you achieve it with your dominant hand cradling the gun as the support hand gets the bullets in or the reverse, it is all a matter of personal preference.\u00a0 Use whichever is most reliable.\u00a0 The mantra<\/em> is to practice, practice, practice.<\/p>\n

With a right cargo pocket full of loose bullets, I was able to run a Centennial through my department\u2019s off duty gun qualification (which is actually same as the state standard qual) alongside a gaggle of Glocks, Kahrs, and S&W auto pistols.\u00a0 Surely, I was not as quick, but I finished each course of fire in under the mandated time limit.<\/p>\n

A Centennial\u2019s asymmetrical profile tends to break up its gunnish outline, so if it is carried in a pocket holster or on the waist, this revolver tends to disappear better than some blockier autoloaders do.\u00a0 Without the hammer spur, a Centennial will not snag clothing.\u00a0 As a revolver, it can be fired with little chance of malfunction.<\/p>\n

\"Smith<\/a>I own a Smith & Wesson Model 442 Centennial Airweight and an M&P 340.\u00a0 I outfitted both guns with Crimson Trace LG-305 laser grips as soon as my credit allowed.\u00a0 A properly installed and sighted laser adds to the combat effectiveness of a handgun, especially one with very few bangs on tap.<\/p>\n

The Crimson Trace LG-305\u2019s are compact for concealment.\u00a0 They have soft molded front and backstrap inserts that help to absorb recoil\u2014another plus to upgrading the stock grips on the Centennial.<\/p>\n

Although the front ramp sight on the 442 is adequate, I really like the XS Standard Dot tritium front sight that came as original equipment on the M&P 340.\u00a0 If the laser goes down, the XS sight remains as an aiming reference in low- and no-light situations.\u00a0 Redundancy rocks.<\/p>\n

\"S&W<\/a>My opinion is that revolvers like the Smith & Wesson Centennials still have an important place in today\u2019s daily loadout.\u00a0 If you have the striker-fired, polymer frame doldrums, consider spicing things up with a return to the Old School.\u00a0 I have the feeling you will enjoy the trip.<\/p>\n

Randall<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Does the pervasive plastic pistol have you feeling a bit listless and melancholy lately?\u00a0 Striker-fired boredom setting in?\u00a0 Well, perk up your life with a Smith & Wesson Centennial revolver!\u00a0 Sometimes going \u201cretro\u201d can get you caught in a new frame of mind that will liven your dreary modern existence. The quintessential J-frame revolver by Smith & Wesson has been around since its birth in 1950 as the Chief\u2019s Special or, later, the Model 36.\u00a0 Designed as a small, concealable handgun with moderate power from its .38 S&W Special chambering, the platform has morphed into many versions during its 60-plus years. In Smith & Wesson-ese, the \u201cCentennial\u201d model, introduced in … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[6,33,4,10],"tags":[198,93,522],"class_list":["post-10097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-firearms","category-off-duty","category-officer-safety","category-street","tag-back-up-gun","tag-smith-wesson","tag-smith-wesson-police-revolver"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t