old pipefitter
Well-known member
Any thoughts on the 351PD. I have one coming in the next few days. And have ammo because of a M&P .22 mag purchase.
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351PD Thoughts ?
- Thread starter old pipefitter
- Start date
kilo charlie
Well-known member
You will love it. Light, accurate, fun to shoot. I would never sell mine.
Perhaps the SA trigger pull will be ok. I had the 351C and the DAO trigger was terrible. Maybe with enough practice I could have hit something with it, if it was close enough. After one trip to the range it went for something else. You may have a better experience with the 351PD.
Jeff
SWCA #1457
Jeff
SWCA #1457
retired2006
Well-known member
"Perhaps the SA trigger pull will be ok. I had the 351C and the DAO trigger was terrible. Maybe with enough practice I could have hit something with it, if it was close enough."
I have one, and the above statement is correct. DA is HEAVY, required for rimfire rounds !
I have one, and the above statement is correct. DA is HEAVY, required for rimfire rounds !
DA on the 351C pull is heavy and takes some getting used to. After that, it's fun to shoot.
Note that my first one, bought used, had a problem where after a couple of cylinders of ammo were shot through it the shell casings became almost impossible to eject. I tried various brands of ammunition, but it made no difference.
I sent it back to the factory and they replaced it with a new one. THAT one had light primer strikes about 3 out of ten times. I sent it back and they repaired it.
All of which is to say that a hard trigger pull with a particular gun may be the gun, not just the way it's designed.
Note that my first one, bought used, had a problem where after a couple of cylinders of ammo were shot through it the shell casings became almost impossible to eject. I tried various brands of ammunition, but it made no difference.
I sent it back to the factory and they replaced it with a new one. THAT one had light primer strikes about 3 out of ten times. I sent it back and they repaired it.
All of which is to say that a hard trigger pull with a particular gun may be the gun, not just the way it's designed.
I picked up a barely used 351C not long ago and have only been to the range with it once, and loved it. It was very fun to shoot and shot well for me.
I have carried it and it is very, very light. I did purchase some of the Hornady PD ammo for carry purposes.
I have carried it and it is very, very light. I did purchase some of the Hornady PD ammo for carry purposes.
Protocall_Design
Vendor
I had one, and loved it. It had a light-for-rimfire trigger pull, was totally reliable and shot well. Someone offered me way more than I thought it was worth, so I sold it to get money for another project. I wish I had never sold it.
HardToHandle
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351PDs are a smidge blasty and certainly loud but almost no recoil. Not a plinked, but more of a serious gun for some limited use cases.
With the prodigious trigger pull, it is hard to make a tack driver. Likewise, the front sight with the huge fiber optic doesn’t help with distance accuracy, but is sure easy to see.
With the prodigious trigger pull, it is hard to make a tack driver. Likewise, the front sight with the huge fiber optic doesn’t help with distance accuracy, but is sure easy to see.
Had one and gave it to a friend. Mine was inherently inaccurate. Performance otherwise was excellent.
He sent it back to S&W and somehow they solved the accuracy problem. I was pissed at myself but moved on. I really like the .22 magnum caliber.
He sent it back to S&W and somehow they solved the accuracy problem. I was pissed at myself but moved on. I really like the .22 magnum caliber.
.455_Hunter
Well-known member
We must have some pretty dainty trigger fingers around here. Do the rimfire J-frames have a heavier trigger pull than the centerfire examples? YES. Does the heavier pull make the gun unshootable in DA? NO.
I enjoyed my Model 351c very much. Super light. Fun to shoot. However, I traded it for something unusual. Nothing wrong with the gun. Just saw a good trade opportunity.
Bought the 351c from a local gun shop. A lot of light strikes at first. Apparently, the previous owner swapped the stock spring for either standard J Frame or lighter. Had to switch it back to a stock 351c spring. No subsequent problems. Here is a threat about the spring swap: Model 351c, Needed Spring Swap Back to Original
Bought the 351c from a local gun shop. A lot of light strikes at first. Apparently, the previous owner swapped the stock spring for either standard J Frame or lighter. Had to switch it back to a stock 351c spring. No subsequent problems. Here is a threat about the spring swap: Model 351c, Needed Spring Swap Back to Original
Lobster Picnic
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I've had my 351c for 10+ years with no issues. Maybe that's because I only run Speer Gold Dots in it, but no sticky ejection or other issues. Very lightweight and very safe to carry - you aren't going to accidentally pull that trigger. The sights are perfect for a short distance gun, and even useful at longer distances. I sometimes have to "walk" the bullets to the target on longer shots - miss by 12", then by 5" then hit the target - but that's what the extra rounds are for, right?
No non specialized gun (Model 52 for example) that is fussy about ammunition has "no issues." Being fussy about ammunition in a commonly produced firearm is in itself an issue.
I tried several different 22WMR brand rounds in my first 351C and cases stuck every time. That included Speer. S&W didn't send it back to me and tell me to pick better ammunition. They sent me a notice that my 351C had an "unrepairable" issue and sent me a brand new replacement. Which had a light firing pin problem which they fixed.
I tried several different 22WMR brand rounds in my first 351C and cases stuck every time. That included Speer. S&W didn't send it back to me and tell me to pick better ammunition. They sent me a notice that my 351C had an "unrepairable" issue and sent me a brand new replacement. Which had a light firing pin problem which they fixed.
My son bought one a year ago & the DA is definitely hard but usable.
I polished up the internals, but didn't mess with the springs, & it measured & felt a little better but not like you'd get from a S&W centerfire J-frame.
Very lightweight revolver.
Recoil was light & I was surprised that the 22MAG muzzle blast wasn't like what I remembered from the Colt New Frontier I once had long ago. No doubt earplugs made a difference.
The extraction did get a little sticky the more we shot it but a quick cleaning with a nylon cleaning brush fixed that at the range.
We LabRadar tested some ammo with it, some of it the short barrel pistol variety.
Don't expect impressive power.
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I polished up the internals, but didn't mess with the springs, & it measured & felt a little better but not like you'd get from a S&W centerfire J-frame.
Very lightweight revolver.
Recoil was light & I was surprised that the 22MAG muzzle blast wasn't like what I remembered from the Colt New Frontier I once had long ago. No doubt earplugs made a difference.
The extraction did get a little sticky the more we shot it but a quick cleaning with a nylon cleaning brush fixed that at the range.
We LabRadar tested some ammo with it, some of it the short barrel pistol variety.
Don't expect impressive power.
.
.
Last edited:
Lobster Picnic
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The reason I use only Gold Dots in the 351C has nothing to do with ammo fussiness. I simply have never tried anything else. I buy Gold Dots by the case and it's all I have in .22 WMR except for shotshells.
351c
I just bought one new in the box. Really like the whole concept of the 351C. I also just sent it to S&W unfired. The timing was good and the trigger was better than expected at 13 1/4 lbs. but whoever cut the rachet on the extractor didn't look very close at his work, The rachet cutter must of been dull as it tore metal. Looked really bad.
I also read the spec on the 351c on S&W's web site, and it shows a 10lb trigger. Most report it has a +/- 15 lb. trigger.
Anybody know what the trigger pull is really supposed to be?
I just bought one new in the box. Really like the whole concept of the 351C. I also just sent it to S&W unfired. The timing was good and the trigger was better than expected at 13 1/4 lbs. but whoever cut the rachet on the extractor didn't look very close at his work, The rachet cutter must of been dull as it tore metal. Looked really bad.
I also read the spec on the 351c on S&W's web site, and it shows a 10lb trigger. Most report it has a +/- 15 lb. trigger.
Anybody know what the trigger pull is really supposed to be?
If it misfires on the same two cylinders my guess is those two chambers are cut too deep. Check the head space on the ones not firing and compare to the ones that do fire
r the cylinder is slightly cocked. Check the cylinder barrel gap on the ones not firing and rotate the cylinder 180 degrees and check the gap again. Just curious.
r the cylinder is slightly cocked. Check the cylinder barrel gap on the ones not firing and rotate the cylinder 180 degrees and check the gap again. Just curious.No 351PD here to comment about but if they are anything like my M651… it’s going to be LOUD. 
Bamabirdie
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My initial experience has been dismal. LGS urging me to practice with it before saying good-bye. Don’t think I could trust it beyond six feet.
