How do you guys like your 351c

6

66f100

Silver Supporter
Joined
Nov 26, 2010
Messages
121
Reaction score
51
thinking of getting one for casual summer nites and days. I have a 2" 651 that I like alot but I would not want to carry that one all the time. I like that one for woods carry. I think the 351c would work for other times I feel like packen lite. I carry a cs9 when I need, but that 351c seems like a nice lite summer gun:D
 
Register to hide this ad
I am also considering a 351C or 351PD. Leaning towards the C, because it would be strictly for carry. They are hard to find now.
 
I see one on GB going for $650, it's new but buy the time you add shipping & trans. fees I looking at $725. My LGS trying to find one. Out the door price with him is about $635. I called S&W to see when they'll be shipping out some, he told me a batch is on its way know, so maybe soon.;)
 
I have both, the PD is sweet, with a great front sight and beautiful wood grip. I shoot double action so I bought a 351c now my girl does not have to share when we go to the range. I have a 3-4k though the 351pd and its held up with out a single problem. I was concerned about the Aluminum Alloy would not hold up, but my feeling is theres something in that alloy that is darn strong. I'll post once i get a few more thousand rounds through it, assuming I can find ammo.....
 
What does the phrase 'casual nights and summer days' mean? When trouble comes, it comes, and often at night. I would not trade down from a .38 lightweight snub to a .22Mag gun. The weight difference is insignificant, IMHO. The 158gr LHP round has a lot going for it. By all means, buy the .22Mag gun, but perhaps as a back-up for your off-hand.

Has anyone else read of ignition problems with this lightweight .22Mag revolver?
 
I have had empty cinch up the cylinder but didn't check the brand....should of but was too impress with what it did to a watermelon...
 
I just picked up a 351C from my LGS. He just got 2 in stock. Not willing to budge a dime on the (list!) price. But I've been looking for one of these for a while and didn't want to walk away.

Impressions: Fit and finish are flawless! No blemishes on the finish and the cylinder yoke has a nice even seam with a good fit. Cylinder gap looks good on all chambers. There is some nice case coloring on the trigger. No IL!

Trigger is stiff, and pulling it makes the white dot waggle a bit. That's okay; it's a short-distance defensive gun. I don't plan to change the spring; I will work on improving my shooting technique and allow the trigger to lighten up with use.

I checked carefully for any hint of a canted barrel and saw none. A trip to the range is pending. Eager to see if there are any extraction issues, cylinder binding, or accuracy issues. I do understand that the aluminum cylinder heats up with frequent shooting and can bind. I will also monitor the cylinder front for any erosion over time.

The 351c has been my grail gun for a while. They have been hard to find since their release a few years ago, and money has been tight during much of that time.

I went minimalist when I got it home and changed out the black rubber for some nice wood grips for smallest carry profile and they won't catch on a loose pocket like the rubber may.

Sorry for the grainy pics; I didn't use a flash.

351c_a.jpg

351c_b.jpg

351c_c.jpg
 
LOVE it.
7 shots.
No weight.
No recoil.
No jams.
No lock.
With Hornady Critical Defense, about as powerful as a 380.
When I can find some, I want to try Winchester PDX1.
They claim 200 fps faster than either the Critical D. or CCI SB.
I ordered the 351PD grips from S & W.
 

Attachments

  • 351C-7-.jpg
    351C-7-.jpg
    171.2 KB · Views: 97
  • 351C-6-.jpg
    351C-6-.jpg
    172.9 KB · Views: 95
I would suggest also looking at a 43C. No magnum but many posts about how the ballistics from some .22lr are similar to .22mag. Also, far less blast and the noise is much quieter for inside range time.
 
Range Report

Range report on the 351c:

Essentially, there are no issues whatsoever. Shoots close to POA, though I'm still getting used to the lightweight frame and heavy trigger pull, so the front sight is still moving a bit.

I tried the 351c with the Speer Gold Dot, Hornady CD, Winchester PDX1, and some Remington 30gr rifle rounds. I had a FTF on 1 chamber of the PDX1, but it fired on the 2nd try. No idea why it didn't light off on the first strike, but that was my 1st box of those. I cannot believe it was a "light strike" the way that internal hammer was whacking the rims. That was the first round of .22M that has ever FTF for me. I do consider the Gold Dots the most reliable of the .22M short barrel ammo.

No ejection issues with any of the ammo. The cylinder never got hot, but I wasn't running a lot of ammo through it quickly. I traded off shooting the 351c and my NAA Black Widow .22M, which has seen thousands of rounds down the pipe, and which I shoot pretty well out to 7 yards.

I am delighted to report that, heavy trigger and all, I was able to match the accuracy of the NAA at combat distances. This to me is a fine start, as I'm certain my accuracy will improve with the Smith, while I'm probably about as good as I'm going to get with the Black Widow.

After shooting, I stopped by the adjoining gun shop, and there in the used case was a nice looking 351PD priced at $499! You gotta be kidding me...I don't see a trace of either model for 2 years, then find 3 in 2 days? Maybe my wife will want it...when she handled the 351c she wished it had a hammer. The 351PD looked good and the fiber optic sight really pops.

I'm very happy with the 351c. I think the Black Widow's days are numbered as a carry piece. My confidence in the 351c took a large leap today. I've been leery of the quality control coming from Springfield recently, and it's good to see them spit one out which is near flawless in fit, finish, and performance.
 
I sent mine to Terry Gardner and now the trigger is much smoother. I carry this gun everyday and could not be more satisfied. I'm going to add a tritium big dot eventually but for now I love it!
7D314F82-8FBD-4F77-A572-6A89316CC9E9-764-000000727CC309A6_zpsfd673237.jpg
 
I love those black walnut laser cut tung oil grips, Tandoc. Very subtly distinct.

I consider the 351c to be the fulfillment of Bill Jordan's dream of an ideal backup gun - a 7 shot airweight centennial in .22 Magnum.

Backup gun ??? It's my Primary!

Yeah, and I'm not running Border Patrol with a full-size .357 in an open holster and a 30.06 in the truck. I 'm sure Bill meant an ideal pocket or ankle gun.

The 11-oz AirLite mates extremely well with the .22 Magnum cartridge. There's some recoil and a sharp bark, enough of each to remind you this is lethal in the right hands.

I forgot to add to the range report - I tried the 351c with 7 rounds of CCI's .22M shot shells. Shooting at 3 yards, the effect was impressive. There was a nice spread at that distance, roughly cantaloupe sized. Ideal for snakes and possibly, dogs. Likely to blind a human at that distance with a face shot.

With 7 chambers I may want to incorporate 1-3 shot shells. In a forum thread from a few years ago it was asked if any concealed carry holders had found the need to pull their weapon and if so, could they relate the circumstances?

What was interesting to me was that among the respondents who said they had drawn their weapon, there were about twice as many reports about drawing against DOGS than HUMANS.

Even more interesting were the reports that dogs aborted their attack when confronted by a human who was not running away but standing steady with bead drawn and finger twitching on the trigger. Apparently dogs are quite good at reading body language.

Anyway, all of that considered, I think shot shells in a few chambers could be a non-lethal deterrent, with the ability to possibly:

kill a dangerous snake too close to run from.

discourage 1 or more feral or escaped dogs.

blind a human attacker to facilitate an escape or to gain a tactical advantage against a determined attacker.

I will give it more thought. Maybe a larger discussion could occur in the concealed carry forum. Somehow, 7 chambers make me want to consider a blend of ammo.
 
I tired of the wait for a 351C and bought one of at least two NIB 351PD's a LGS had in stock early in January ($666 - $629 + s/t). Having a poorly made extractor star made it skip two empties, so back to S&W it went. It was back in ten days - perfect! Flawless operation ever since. Hits coincident POI/POA from 7-12 yd with both Hornady 45gr FTX CD and CCI MaxiMags 40gr JHP/TMJ. Fear of catching that hammer as I retrieve the pocket revolver was unwarranted, it pulls cleanly from both the suede holster shown and my 642's Mika pocket holster from khaki's, jeans, and cargo pants. Unlike the 642, you soon forget it's there. Loud and flashy - but no recoil - easy follow-ups.

IMG_5044_zps457cb486.jpg


Love the little wood boot grip - slips out of the pocket easily. The HiViz front sight lights up like a searchlight. I've used the SA capability in verifying POI/POA with several ammos. DA is stiff - smooth, but stiff. Probably no worse than my 4" 651, but the extremely lite weight makes it seem more stiff. As others have said, without care, the muzzle wanders as the DA trigger is pulled. Still, at 7yd, rapid draw and fire at a BG COM yielded 6/6 torso shot hits - albeit all over the torso - the head shot got his ear - definitely a decent showing - and 7 from it was faster to shoot than 5 from my 642. Mine was a dear purchase - but worth it.

Stainz
 
One option that lends itself to the lightweight 351c and 351PD may be the "Clipdraw". I tried one of these with a steel J-frame and the weight was too much for many styles of pants. With the 11-oz 351 it might be an easy solution for carry. It would allow for a variety of carry positions.

jframe2.jpg
 
nutsforsmiths said:
I have the 351PD (exposed hammer version) and when loaded, weighs 11oz! It is very accurate as well and I really like shooting it.

I am sure the 351c would be a wonderful carry gun.
Click to expand...

Saw a 351PD at a local store today-did a double take because I've been looking for this particular gun for awhile now and was even considering ordering it-which would have probably taken ages(one distributor is not even taking orders until the gun buying madness settles down).

Total cost: $649 + $10 background fee.

An hour and a half later was at the range. Fired off 28 CCI Maxi Mags(took the rest home 'cause these are getting harder to find in my area)and had no problems at all.

Liked the results. As stated above, the front site is great although am not as accurate with it compared with my M48 but I chalk this up to its much lighter weight-am more accurate with a heavier gun.

Anyway-like my 351PD very much. Have it loaded with Hornady
CD 45GR FTX and although the grips are stunners am thinking about putting on a pair of Hogue(?)or whatever rubber grips like Lobster Picnic's above. Next stop:hip holster.

351PDout_zps138bea01.jpg
 
Last edited:
With the new 22 Magnum loads designed specifically for short barreled revolvers, these small revolvers are now viable for self defense. Some say that there is not much difference velocity wise between the 22 magnum and the 22LR. The difference is the much better bullet designs available in the Magnum. I still think the 22 Magnum has a lot more horsepower than any LR load out of a similar length barrel. The 351s are an excellent choice.
 
How is the lanyard incorporated into the carry strategy, fotoman? I am wondering about how to use the lanyard ring myself.
 
fotoman12001 said:
By the way, these guys make a speed loader for the 351s.

1024.jpg


1024.jpg


1024.jpg
Click to expand...

Nice!

Just ordered the Hogue Monogrip(as opposed to your Ultra Compact Bantam)for mine and as well as the Desantis pocket holster.

[Note:anyone taking off the beautiful factory installed grips for the first time-be careful not to let the two metal dowels holding the grip together go missing-I almost did].
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

T
model 351c
Replies
2
Views
355
afret
afret
D
Do you carry a spare magazine?
6 7 8
Replies
150
Views
7K
MikeOrick
M
M
S&W J frame vs. Glock 42
5 6 7
Replies
121
Views
7K
Malkovich
Malkovich
Kanewpadle
Which Forum Members Would You Visit?
2
Replies
29
Views
1K
Faulkner
Faulkner
E
1006...They don't make em like they used to...
2
Replies
20
Views
776
Ethang
E

Latest posts

Back
Top