Taurus 942 22 LR 2 in. Matte Stainless 8-Shot Revolver – Superb Rimfire Trainer and Trail Gun

Description

The Taurus 942 is an eight-shot .22 LR revolver built on the same small steel frame as the 605 and the 856. That is the whole point of it: a rimfire that handles, weighs and shoots like a carry revolver, so the practice you put in actually transfers to the gun you carry.

This Taurus 942 is the 2-inch version in matte stainless, with a black finger-grooved rubber grip, fixed sights, an exposed hammer and a transfer bar safety. Eight rounds instead of the five you get in a centre-fire snub, and ammunition cheap enough that you will genuinely shoot it.

What the Taurus 942 is for

• The Taurus 942 holds eight rounds of .22 LR in a small-frame revolver, which is three more than the centre-fire guns on the same frame
• Identical size, grip and trigger geometry to the 605 and 856, so trigger time here builds the right habits
• 2-inch matte stainless barrel, cylinder and frame, a finish that handles damp hands and damp pockets
• Black finger-grooved rubber grip that fills the hand more than a wood panel does
• Exposed hammer, so you can shoot it single action for accuracy work or double action for practice
• Transfer bar safety, meaning the firing pin cannot reach a rim unless the trigger is all the way back
• Fixed sights, regulated at the factory, with nothing to knock out of alignment in a pack

Why a rimfire revolver still makes sense

• Ammunition costs a fraction of centre-fire, which is the only reliable way to shoot enough to improve
• A double-action revolver trigger is the hardest trigger to master, and the Taurus 942 lets you master it cheaply
• Rimfire recoil is almost nothing, so a new shooter learns the sights instead of learning to flinch
• Eight rounds of .22 LR is a genuinely useful small-game and pest load out of a 2-inch barrel at short range
• Rimfire ammunition is fussy. Buy three brands, find the one your gun likes and then buy it by the case
• Keep the chambers clean. Rimfire fouling builds fast and a dirty cylinder is the usual cause of sticky extraction

Specifications

• Manufacturer part number: 2-942029
• Caliber: .22 LR
• Capacity: 8 rounds
• Barrel: 2 in., matte stainless steel
• Cylinder and frame: matte stainless steel, small frame
• Grip: black finger-grooved rubber
• Action: single and double action, exposed hammer
• Safety: transfer bar
• Sights: fixed
• UPC: 725327618560

.22 Long Rifle is the oldest cartridge still in common production and it remains a standardised one, with dimensions and pressures published by SAAMI. What is not standardised is performance: velocities across brands vary by several hundred feet per second, which is exactly why testing a few is worth the trouble.

One honest limitation. A 2-inch barrel gives up real velocity with rimfire ammunition, more proportionally than it does with a centre-fire cartridge, because .22 LR powder is slow to finish burning. If you want the most out of the round, the 3-inch version of the Taurus 942 is measurably better. If you want the handiest possible package, this is the one.

Why this revolver earns its place

• Cheap practice on a gun that handles exactly like a small-frame carry revolver
• Eight rounds rather than five, on the same frame size
• Stainless construction that survives tackle boxes, glove compartments and general neglect
• The Taurus 942 is the right first revolver for a new shooter, because nothing about it is intimidating
• A serious trail and camp gun for small game and pests, at a weight you will not notice
• Simple mechanically, with nothing to adjust and very little to go wrong

New shooters, anyone teaching one, people who already carry a 605 or an 856 and want a matching trainer, and hikers who want something light for small game. The Taurus 942 is not a defensive handgun and .22 LR is not a defensive cartridge, but as a trainer and a field gun it is excellent value.

If you want more barrel and a little more velocity, the 3-inch stainless 942 is the better shooter. In matte black, look at the 2-inch black 942 or the 3-inch black.

For the magnum rimfire, the 942M in .22 WMR roughly doubles the energy on the same frame. And if you want both rimfire cartridges in one gun, the 992 Tracker ships with a cylinder for each.

Every Taurus 942 comes with the factory case, the manual and a lock. Transfers go through your FFL and our end of the paperwork is done the same day.