MARYVILLE, Tenn. — Commemorative guns usually amount to a rollmark and a higher price. Smith & Wesson’s two America 250 revolvers do a little more than that, and the detail most shooters will notice has nothing to do with the anniversary.
Both guns ship without the internal lock.
The pair marks the country’s 250th anniversary. Each carries a USA 250 laser-engraved side plate and blue synthetic grips, and each is built on a no-lock frame—a change Smith & Wesson has been rolling out across its revolver line and one that has drawn steady interest from shooters who never warmed to the keyhole above the cylinder release.
Lighter of the two is the Model 642 America 250, a five-shot J-frame chambered in .38 Spl. +P with a 1.875-inch stainless barrel. Weight comes to 14.4 ounces on an aluminum alloy frame. Sights are fixed, a serrated ramp up front paired with a notch in the topstrap, and the enclosed hammer keeps the profile clean. In addition, a red thumb piece sets the commemorative version apart from a standard Model 642. Trigger is double-action only.
Heavier and considerably more capable at distance is the Model 66 Combat Magnum America 250. Built on the K-frame, the six-shot revolver handles .357 Magnum and .38 Special +P, runs a 2.75-inch barrel and weighs 33.5 ounces. Sights are the useful part here: a serrated ramp front with a red insert and a fully adjustable rear, which means a shooter can actually zero it for a load rather than living with whatever the factory decided. Ball detent lockup and a full-length extractor rod round out the package, and the trigger works in both double- and single-action.
Neither revolver is a match gun in the strict sense—barrel lengths in the two- to three-inch range are carry dimensions, not Bianchi Cup dimensions. But snub-nose competition has grown steadily over the past decade, and the Model 66 in particular has an established following among ICORE and steel shooters who appreciate a K-frame that will digest full-house magnum ammunition without complaint. Anyone who has shot a J-frame from a barricade knows the Model 642 will humble a good shooter faster than most guns on the range, which is part of the appeal.
MSRP is $579 for the Model 642 America 250 and $1,049 for the Model 66 Combat Magnum America 250. Find out more about both limited-edition revolvers at smith-wesson.com.
