Looking hard at one for the wife is why I ask. She has a 637 Airweight now but is pretty recoil sensitive and can't handle much time on the range with it.
Have not so far found a small auto she works well with. She stovepipes my Glock 42 shoots my Taurus TCP well but the ejection pattern hits her in the face at times.
She does well with my 3rd gen Smith autos but even the CS9 Chiefs Special and my 3914 are a little large for her to comfortably carry.
She carry's the 637 well so looking hard at the little 351 in the .22 mag.
Are these pretty accurate? We had a little North American Arms .22 mag for a while but flat could not hit with it so---.
She handled one today in a local shop and liked the 351 a lot so thinking of going back and grabbing it for her.

You might want to do a search of recent posts on the shootability of this model. I recall a recent thread where multiple posters stated the double action trigger pull was more than most grown men could manage. That's not an exact quote, just the gist of what was stated. It should be worth your while to search for the thread and see if you come away with more information.

Best of luck in your search for something your wife can manage.

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Dave Brown
SWCA #3279

A decent double action trigger + a spur hammer and crisp SA was one factor for us. The pistol I looked at today had a decent double action and VERY crisp and light single action trigger. It was on par with the 637 .38 Airweight we have and maybe better in SA, DA was a little heaver but smooth and manageable. The Ruger LCR in .22 mag we looked at today however was a DAO and I bet the trigger pull was at least 20LBS. Just a nasty heavy gritty trigger on that pistol!
On the other hand the little Smith was I would guess in the 10-15LBS range in DAO and quite smooth. Single action I would guess would be in the 5 LBS range very smooth and quite crisp. It was the nice trigger on that little Smith that first got my attention!
Thanks for the response as yep a gritty super heavy trigger pull in DA is a deal breaker!
This is the gun we are looking at.

That's interesting about the trigger. Is this a new gun? The reason I ask is a certain amount of main spring tension is usually necessary for .22 RF revolvers. By the way, I found one of those recent threads if you want to take a look.
Any opinions on the 351 PD 22 mag?

The gun you found sounds really nice. Please don't get the wrong impression about my posts, I'm just trying to assist, not dissuade you.

Again, best of luck.

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Dave Brown
SWCA #3279

Yes it was a new gun. I can get it for $685 OTD so it's not cheap but nice. That's also right at the same $ as the Browning 1911 .380 we had been looking at for her. Doesn't hurt that .22 mag has a higher muzzle energy than a .380 does but almost no recoil ether.
The nasty heavy gritty triggers on every other .22 mag snubby we have looked at has been a deal breaker. This little gun has a really nice trigger in the single action side + smooth and manageable on the DA so got my attention. If it was DAO would likely pass but she REALLY had a nice SA trigger and a spur hammer. The wife has really struggled to find some thing she was comfortable both carrying daily and shooting on the range. She really liked the look and feel of the little PD and now carries a J frame 637 Airweight with 95 grain Hornaday CD Lites in it. I will likely go back tomorrow and at the least put that one on lay away.

I would make sure this 351 is factory new..inside too..make sure no one has done any work lightning the trigger pull. The heavy trigger is there because S&W wanted reliable rimfire ignition, a trigger job would be ok for a strictly plinking 351. On a 351 that will possibly be used for defense, definitely make sure that you get reliable primer ignition.

I think if I were you, I'd be down there first thing tomorrow getting that gun reserved.

All the best.

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Dave Brown
SWCA #3279

It's brand new know these guys well. Bought a BUNCH of stuff from them over the years. Know them so well that when I walk in the door they will normally head for the case where all the old 3rd gen Smith Autos and Browning Highpowers are but today threw them a curve LOL!

After looking at some reviews on Youtube + here that's the plan.

Another gun you might consider is the 432/431PD. These are very light weight end can fire the 32 H&R magnum rounds. Pleasant to shoot and, and a step up from .22

Hello Ascension,

Two quick comments...

As already mentioned several places in this thread, trigger pull on at least SOME of the 351PDs can be brutal. That's how mine is, incredibly heavy. There is no way on earth my wife could ever fire my copy, NO way.

Irn-Bru (in the post above) makes an interesting suggestion, and I'd like to expand it a bit...

If you go the 432/431 route, you've got the option of using the .32 H&R magnum, the .32 S&W Long, or the .32 S&W Short. I shoot the .32 S&W Long wadcutters in my model 16-4 at the target range, and it's a pleasure to experience. You're not going to find that ammo at Wal-Mart, but it's available.

Just a thought.

Best wishes to all!

Roger aka Mr. Wonderful

This++++

I bought the 351PD for my wife to carry. She could not operate it in DA. And I mean that honestly, it is very heavy trigger in DA. I sold it.

I found a 432 with a little looking. She loves it. She shoots it well. Also has the advantage of handling multiple calibers.

My wife carries this every day. I have tried to move her to a .32 but she loves the 351. Trigger pull is strong but she handles it just fine. Accuracy is good at 21 feet dbl action but I did put CT laser grips on it.
Mark

Dropped the 351 on lay away today.
First off the wife normally will shoot her 637 Airweight Single action on the range so will be the same with this one. It has maybe a better SA trigger than the 637 although the DA is heaver but is really smooth.
Looked at the .32 option so glad yo guys brought that up. In the end ammo on the .22 mag is SO much easier to find round here + frankly in a defensive situation I would take the 22 mag in the right load any day over the .32. Penetration and muzzle energy both are more acceptable to me.
The little 351 is close in size and feel to her 637 but will be easier for her to really work out with on the range due to the lack of recoil so pulled the trigger today on it. Will sell a couple to pay for it and will post when it come home.

OK, I'll answer because I "HAD" one. Then one of my son's borrowed it, with his stated reason being to let other folks shoot it, primarily his wife. Right after buying it, I fired a gunload just to confirm it worked as designed. It worked just fine for me, no complaints. So I cleaned it pretty well, to back like new condition. Then the son wanted to borrow it again. This cycle for him to take his CCW test. I didn't get it back. Then a few times he complained about ammo not being available, so he got into my stash. Then his wife passed her test and needed a gun. Guess which gun.

And then they complained about how dirty the gun was. Even a mean old grandpa has his limits. And sometimes I'm not a nice person. OK, usually I'm not. But this was past my limit. So I kind of politely suggested I'd only fired it one cylinder full, and I'd cleaned it right after. It hasn't been in my custody since, so if it was filthy, guess who's fault that was. Yes, I've lost my 351 along with the laser grips. But I do remember liking it. And I don't remember a stiff DA.

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Dick Burg

I am a fan of the .22WMR and believe it is an effective self defense round, not only under the theory that no one wants to get shot, but the complete lack of perceived recoil allows for rapid, accurate follow up shots. I bought my 351PD back in 2009. I had to send it back to S&W to have a longer firing pin installed and since receiving it back its been flawless. I have a dymonwood version of the old barami hip grip installed which allows me to carry, sans holster, even when wearing only gym shorts and still fire accurately despite the diminutive size of the grips. Similar grips on 38 and higher are great to carry but almost unusable for accurate follow up shots without constantly adjusting firing position. Highly Recommended.

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I have the 351c (DAO) and if you want a stiff trigger, this is it! I consider it a SAFETY FEATURE ha ha. But I love having 7 shots in such a lightweight, reliable and simple handgun. I don't have a problem with the trigger and it is a wonderful training tool for learning a proper trigger pull, since the force required is twice the weight of the gun!

While not always (ever?) available on LGS shelves, ammo in 32 Long and 32 H&R Mag is readily available from lots of places online almost all the time, in everything from 32 target wadcutter puffballs through a variety of mild cowboy loads to some pretty potent defensive loads (in 32 H&R cases.) It is also very easy and economical to reload for practice.

Admittedly 32 S&W or 32 Long ammo is usually not very attractive as a defensive load, due to the mechanical limitations of vast numbers of break top 32s still out there which limit the power that can safely be made available in the calibers. But the Buffalo Bore 100g JHP +P load for 32 H&R Mag leaves the 2" barrel of a Model 432 at 1100fps with a muzzle energy slightly above that of the Remington +P 38 Special 158g lead HP (supposedly the current incarnation of the 38 Special "FBI Load"), also from a 2" barrel. I have a hard time believing that any 22 Mag load would be superior in the gravest extreme.

I have the 351 and love it. Mine is DAO, hammerless. It weighs a mere 11 ounces (postal scale). I usually carry it on my ankle, but have been known to carry it in my jacket pocket. It is light enough to pocket carry. I have a video of it being fired, however, I keep getting "network error", and it will not load. Send me a Private message with an email and I will send it to you.

I'd feel a helluva lot better carrying 6 rounds of 32 H&R magnum than I would 22 mag.