Source: ATF P 5300.11 · Curios or Relics List · Jan 1972 – Apr 20253,573 entries · 4 sections
The C&R RegisterA finding aid to the ATF Curios or Relics List, for Type 03 collectors
C&R · II · 510

S&W Model 42 Centennial Airweight, alloy cylinder

Section II: curio or relic, still subject to the Gun Control Act

Official wording

ATF P 5300.11 · APRIL 2025 EDITION · SECTION II · VERBATIM · PDF P. 16 ↗

Smith & Wesson, Model 42 Centennial Airweight, cal. .38 Special, 5-shot revolvers, with aluminum alloy frame and cylinders.

What this entry requires

  • ATF REQUIRESYour firearm is this edition: “Model 42 Centennial Airweight”
  • ATF REQUIRESConfigured as the ATF wording states: “with aluminum alloy frame and cylinders”
  • INFOATF states no date; production was about 1952–1957.

Editorial facts · Our research

Country
United States
Manufacturer
Smith & Wesson
Type
Pistol
Action
Other
Caliber
.38 Special
Made
c. 1952–1957production; ATF states no date¹
Service
Commercial
Search listings ↗Check a specific gunReport an error ↗

Source

Official wording
ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section II · PDF p. 16 ↗ · ATF original ↗
Entries
1 line
Verbatim check
Checked against the PDF text before every release
Editorial facts
Confidence: Medium · Last revised 17 October 2026 (Data-trust review) · How we rate confidence
References
  1. Wikipedia, “Smith & Wesson Centennial” ↗, years: Airweight Centennial came out in 1952, renamed Model 42 in 1957, aluminum-alloy frame; discontinued 1974
Fact tags
  • ATF the ATF wording states it.
  • REF ¹ an outside reference supports it; the number points to the list of references.
  • ESTIMATE an approximate or indirect reading, for example the production range of the base model.
  • NO CITATION we haven’t attached a reference for this fact; it’s our editorial reading, not ATF’s.
Source checked
20 October 2026: ATF’s page still lists the April 2025 edition
Corrections
1 change · see below

Correction history

  1. Data-trust reviewEditorial confidence: Low → Medium. Re-rated after supporting references were added or re-checked.

All corrections · How corrections work

Historical context

Smith & Wesson Centennial (base model shown for S&W Model 42 Centennial Airweight, alloy cylinder)
Shown: a later stainless Model 642 Centennial Airweight, not this Model 42 with grip safety.

Image: Wikimedia Commons, “S&W642.jpg” by No machine-readable author provided. Dbooksta assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0. Retrieved October 2026.

Summary: Wikipedia, “Smith & Wesson Centennial”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.

FROM WIKIPEDIA

S&W Centennial is a family of revolvers made by Smith & Wesson on the "J-Frame".