NiB Taurus Model 942 3" 22lr

[Tallball]

I wanted a practice revolver similar to my 3" j-frames, but in 22lr.

I owned the precursor (a Taurus Model 94) in the 90's and it was so stiff and awkward that I let it go.

THR members have written that the Model 942 is improved over the previous version, so I decided to give it a try.

This one was $447 OTD. Won it on GB for something like $375. Paid a little extra for stainless, because IMHO the current dark Taurus finish is junk.

I've owned over a dozen Taurus revolvers. They're usually just a S&W with a slightly different action (such as a transfer bar safety), worse finish, and stiffer trigger. There are exceptions on both ends of the spectrum. One of mine never worked correctly. A few have been gems.

I'm extremely pleased with this revolver. Fit and finish are fine. Trigger is good: not real light, but a nice very smooth j-frame trigger. Nice DA trigger that's easy to shoot. Grips are decent enough that I won't bother replacing them. The sights are very good. They just protrude a little bit, just enough to make them easier to shoot than "gutter" sights. It holds eight rounds.

My friend and I shot maybe 150 rounds through it today at around ten yards. My worst groups were maybe fist-sized. My friend has younger eyes and I don't think any of his were bigger than a small lime. We were shooting standing, off-hand. Mostly two-handed, but some one-handed. Mostly SA, but some DA. The ammo was some new Remington that he had, and the junk 22lr that I scraped out of the bottom of my ammo can. It shot everything just fine. Zero malfunctions.

Chances are that I just got lucky, and that most of these won't have quite so nice a trigger. Still, based on a sample size of one, my buddy and I would definitely give this "two thumbs up".

What's your favorite (or latest) 22 revolver? Pictures or it didn't happen!

Taurus Model 942 22lr

• Tallball
• Feb 28, 2025

 

[tubeshooter]

Thanks for that review and glad it worked out well for you.

I have been thinking about getting one of these, but it's hard for me to justify right now. I would do well to just shoot what I already have. Maybe one day...


Glad to hear the positive report on it. I have a soft spot for .22 revolvers and will likely end up with one sooner or later. A modestly priced and decent shooter is a welcome addition to the market. In Taurus' case - it's an uphill battle with the track record of their old model 94.

 

[nofendertom]

Good to hear Tallball. Been looking at one of these myself.

 

[WestKentucky]

My only gripe with Taurus is that the adjustable sights on the older guns were a bit more prone to failure than they should be, and parts hard to get due to the common failure. They have all worked fine and have been well above expectations on accuracy. I wouldn’t be concerned buying one again. It’s almost like people have heard so many “brand snob” complaints that they expect issues when that’s just not the case.

 

[SterlingBullet]

In the last couple of years, many Taurus revolvers have come from the factory with lighter DA trigger pulls. Enjoy and get the speedloaders available for it.

 

[Cokeman]

Here’s mine. I love it

 

[Grunt]

I got a 3” 942 on the way from KYGunCo. I called to see if they got one on hand and got the last one they had in stock so I ordered it on the spot. Unfortunately, my FFL had to snail mail a new copy of their FFL to them so that’s delaying things a bit. My main purpose is for low-cost DA revolver training so I’m not all that concerned how heavy the trigger is. I figure if I can master a heavy trigger on the .22model, it will only be that much easier to work with a centerfire DA revolver trigger.

 

[TTv2]

I thought of getting one, but Taurus wasn't making their non .38/.357 snubs a priority for years after Covid and even today the .22 LR 942 is still tough to find in stock. I got tired of waiting and went with the LCRx and I think it is more worth getting than the 942 even at the higher price, but I have thought about possibly getting the 3 inch .22 Mag as all my .22 Mags are single actions and Taurus had no issue making them an 8 shot, unlike Ruger's LCR at only 6.

Good to hear the triggers aren't that bad.

 

[Gork10]

My favorite 22 revolver has to be my S&W model 18. Above average trigger but not super smooth. The same day I picked it up at my dealer they told on a model 17. Brought them both home. The 17 hand a better trigger but the longer barrel just didn't balance well for me. So it went down the road. my newest 22 revolver is my little Ruger Wrangler. Fun little gun. It's tucked away in my day pack on hikes occasionally.

 

[commygun]

Kit gun. Don’t shoot it a lot. It’s not nearly as fun as the P-22Q, but it’s a little beauty.

 

[Targa]

Very nice Tallball, I have been toying with the idea of a 942 in .22mag.

 

[ontarget]

I have a 3 inch 94 and a snub 942. I like them both, but they don't even come close to my M18, M17, or pre18 Combat Masterpiece.
I shoot ALOT of 22lr. I usually grab my M18 or one of my Single Sixes, or a 1911/22.
Holy crap, I just realized I have about 20 22lr handguns.

 

[GooseGestapo]

Due to always wanting a M-63, I recently acquired an older Taurus M94 stainless 9-shot.w/4”bbl. Similar price.
Action is actually very good. Whoever owned it before couldn’t shoot! Sight was run all the way down and right!
It shoots remarkably well with some accurate ammunition. It prefers standard velocity target grade rounds. (Aguila and CCI target and CCI Sunsonic -hp’s)
I replaced the large Walnut grips with Hogue’s to match my M856. Two HKS speed loaders accompany it in a Fanny bag I wear when out and about. Carried it while bush hogging yesterday!
My S&W M34 2” is just too nice to “carry”… But I did nail a Ruffed Grouse at 40yds with it while elk hunting in Wyoming in ‘09..

 

[kje54]

The only .22 revolver I own is my Chiappa 1873.



All the rest are rifles and semi autos.

My Taurus revolvers are an old (Brazilian PD trade in) Model 82 and a 856 2" snubby

 

[Riomouse911]

Neat! Glad to read that you got a winner. My biggest fears when I was regularly buying off GB is a horrid trigger that you can’t test until after all is paid and the gun is shipped and arrives.

Like you, I also had a Taurus 94 .22 LR and a 941 .22 WMR, both stainless 4”. Also like yours, the triggers were stiff, and the 941 had a tendency to light strike one chamber. Looking back I think the cylinder wasn’t perfectly straight, but I never measured so that’s just a guess.

I want to really like my S&W Model 34 .22/.32 Kit Gun, but the J frame size and rimfire trigger action isn’t the best for great shooting. It’s a sweet little gun like your new Taurus, easy to tote and doesn’t take up much room. (I wish it were a stainless Model 63 for the ease of finish maintenance but MAN did those get expensive!)



You asked about favorites and least favorites. Of them all, my S&W Model 17-3 6” (at top) is a fantastic.22, with a super smooth DA trigger stroke and a great sight picture. Of my three 6” DA revolvers, this one is my favorite.

The Dan Wesson .22 LR (at bottom) is good, but not great. The 17-3 is more accurate in my hands. (Same goes for my Model 18 4” and 6” & 4” Model 48’s in .22 WMR.)



The S&W model 617 (middle) is my least favorite of the 6” .22 DA revolvers I own. The DA trigger is heavier than the others, with a mid-pull “wall” that gets stacky, then lets go with a bit more of the trigger travel still left to go. This makes DA shooting really hard, and I do not shoot this gun very much lolwell at all.

Again, glad to see your new Taurus is a keeper! You can’t beat that price for a nice fishing or campsite companion at all.

Stay safe.

 

[Tallball]

TYVM for all of the kind comments.

My Model 94, bought NiB in the early 90;s, was a special model with a 5" barrel and full barrel lug. The balance was terrible.

My favorite 22 I've owned is my K22 Masterpiece.

Unfortunately, the trigger is so nice that it's not really a good practice piece. Not very much like shooting a 2" or 3" 38 snub.

Smith And Wesson K22

• Tallball
• Jul 30, 2018

 

[Dave Markowitz]

Nice find. I'd like to try one out some day, possibly in .22 WMR.

In .22 revolvers, I have a 1951 K-22 Masterpiece along with a Model 18-3. I also have two High Standard Sentinels. For whatever reason, I'm a fan of these 9-shooters.

I just got the blued R-108 snub on top last week and haven't shot it yet. I found it on Gunbroker and it came with the original box and papers. The nickeled one is an R-101 that I bought a few years ago and sold me on the Sentinels. Like most .22 DA revolvers they have heavy DA pulls. Unfortunately they also were built with grooved triggers which chew up your trigger finger when practicing DA, so I used a diamond half round file and a round Arkansas stone to dull the edges of the serrations.

Unlike most rimfires these are designed so that it's safe to dry fire them.

Apparently, many Sentinels shoot a little high. The R-101 did until I found the right ammo: CCI Stingers or Federal Punch. I'll try several loads in the R-108 to see what it likes.

 

[12Bravo20]

I have a 2" 942 and it is a nice match for my 2" 856. I do wish that I would have gotten both in stainless. The current matte black finish is not the best. I also have a blued and ported 3" 85 that does well.

I don't care for the current rubber grips that come on the 856 and 942 so I replaced them with wood 85 grips.

 

[Pat Riot]

I have a S&W model 63-5 3” .22 LR. It’s not an accurate revolver. I am selling it and one day later, probably a fewmonths from now I think I might pick up a Taurus 942 3” and give it a try.
The 63 has had mediocre, at best, accuracy from day one. The barrel to cylinder gap was awful for a brand new gun, .010-012” Back to S&W it went. They replaced the barrel. The new B/C gap is .005”. The tighter gap made no deliverance in accuracy regardless of my shooting it SA or DA and regardless of ammo. I tried 24 or more different ammunitions.
Down the road it goes. Another disappointment.

 

[someguy2800]

I have identical 4" taurus's, a 94 in 22lr and a 941 in 22 magnum. Love them both and they are very very accurate. My buckmarks stay in the safe since I got these and I also sold my other 22 revolvers.

 

[pharmer]

Can't really expect "precision" from these guns. They are created for fun. Joe

 

[Terry G]

I've got an old timey one and it's been a pretty good gun. More accurate than I expected and I think it was like $70.00 used. I have had that thing for forty or more years and haven't worn it out.