S&W 351PD airlite vs Taurus 941 ultra-lite

[Ronn82727]

Hello everyone. I am new to this forum and need some advice. I am trying to decide between the S&W 351PD airlite vs Taurus 941 ultra-lite. Has anyone on here owned both?
If so which one is more reliable? I will be using this for CC and need it to work the first time every time.
If reliability is equal, which is easier to carry? I live in florida and most of the year I am in Gym shorts and a T-shirt.
Finally if they are both as easy to carry which is more accurate?

 

[Pizza Bob]

Reliability is a function of the quality of the build - and for that, S&W wins hands down. Accuracy with a snub nose revolver is a function of the shooter, not the gun. You should never be shooting a S/D snubnose revolver at distances where inherent accuracy is a consideration.

Adios,

Pizza Bob

 

[WisconsinKen]

I know I am going to get some "frownies" from this, but I have owned quite a few Taurus and S&Ws and I have to say that all of the Taurus revolvers and semi-autos I have owned, while not to the level of fit and finish of the S&W, have functioned flawlessly. I would have no problem buying the 941. You can buy quite a lot of ammo with the price differential. That being said, if money were not an issue, of course I would rather have the 351PD do to the better fit and finish.

 

[Ronn82727]

Thanks guys. I liked the idea of having 8 shots in the Taurus, but what good is it if the gun jams on the 4th? So looks like the S&W is going to be my carry of choice for now.

 

[HEADKNOCKER]

Don't be afraid of the Taurus..
I mean really this is the S&W Forum did you think anyone here would give the Taurus the nod over the the Smith..

As far as fit & finish, I have a Taurus 617T Total Titanium & would say it's made just as well if not better than any Airweight or Airlight Ti Smith I ever had.. Apples & Oranges really.. I think the Taurus I have was a limited run around 1999-2002 & was a departure for taurus because of the super hard titanium used & everything was fit really nice..
The materials have went up in price & a Total Titanium revolver would now cost mega bucks..

Ask this at Taurusarmed.net & I bet they all say to get the 941

I do love me some smith & wesson snubbies!!

 

[Ronn82727]

Haha why not? Lets see what they have to say. But, I did just find out that there were quite a few people had problems with the cylinder locking up on the 941. Maybe thats the reason they discontinued it.

 

[629shooter]

I wise man once told me, "buy once, cry once."

The 351 is in production, while the Taurus is not. So, if it has to go back for an issue that can't be repaired......

 

[skypilot7103]

Have a shield 9mm used to edc bought a 351pd it is now my go to edc. Holstex holster IWB no print do and i do not know it is there. Spear Gold Dot is pretty potent stuff just need the right placement. This is not a long range piece but the ballistics on some water jugs are pretty impressive.

 

[snubbiefan]

Remove the side-plate and take a peek inside. I've owned several Taurus revolvers and some of them were good. Some had to be fixed right out of the box. If you look inside, you will see the real differences between the two guns. Even a Rossi practically mimic's the S&W lock-work, the Taurus doesn't. You can't do much with a Taurus trigger if you're looking to work on the pull.

 

[Wishoot]

Heck just for customer service alone I'd vote for S&W. I've only had a couple of problems with an S&W gun, but they've always responded quickly and taken care of me.

Not sure how Taurus does in the customer service department.

 

[gnystrom]

The S&W hands down.
I would have to think a bit longer if you had included a couple of Ruger revolvers in your question.

 

[Ronn82727]

Yeah I am leaning more towards the 351PD. I made a mock 941 and it just seems a little too big and might get in the way of my everyday activities.

I was looking for the measurements for the 351PD and I cant find any stats online on how high it measures. I found 2 stats for the 351C and of course both stats has different measurements lol. One measurement has it at 4.5 and one measurement has it at 3.75.

My plan is to go to the gun store tonight and feel the 351PD in my hand and try to find something comparable in size to the 941...

Normally I would be more patient but, I found a 941 and I think it might be sold before I make my decision.

As for the LCR I want to like it, but there is no external hammer. I like the ability to do SA. Also it only has 6 shots. 6 shots of 38 for 15oz I would be ok with, however If I only have a 22mag I want 7 or more shots.

 

[SAWBONES]

My advice would be: don't buy a current Taurus anything.

Back in '86, I owned a Taurus Model 85 (stainless steel J-frame copy) and had extensive use of a Taurus Model 92 (copy of Beretta 9mm 92F). Both were genuine bargains; accurate, well made and completely reliable.

More recently (the past 15 years), I've had to do with several smaller Taurus revolvers, and not one has been consistently functional and reliable. All have had problems of one sort or another, requiring return to the factory, and even so, the problems didn't get fixed.

S&W's quality control has decreased too, but nowhere near as bad as Taurus'.
Ignore the advertising hype and pretty pictures from Taurus. Save yourself inconvenience and annoyance and get a Smith or a Ruger.

 

[WisconsinKen]

The best thing is to get them both in your hands and see which one feels and points better. There are some firearms I have purchased of the "stats" and have regretted them. A couple of them were "ultimate" guns and I sold them very soon after getting them.

 

[DAinTX]

I can't speak to the 351 PD or the 941 UL, having owned neither. But I've had several Taurus-made guns over the years, and many S&Ws. Besides the up-front quality advantage S&W typically has, two other factors definitely work in S&W's favor: 1) warranty service performance if you ever need it 2) Re-sale value if you ever decide to sell or trade the gun.

 

[eveled]

Definitely go with the S&W, but I would be tempted to get a 22lr like the 317, not sure you gain a lot from the .22mag from a snub nose other than being a lot louder. The extra shot makes up for the slight loss in power IMHO.

 

[Ronn82727]

My advice would be: don't buy a current Taurus anything.

Back in '86, I owned a Taurus Model 85 (stainless steel J-frame copy) and had extensive use of a Taurus Model 92 (copy of Beretta 9mm 92F). Both were genuine bargains; accurate, well made and completely reliable.

More recently (the past 15 years), I've had to do with several smaller Taurus revolvers, and not one has been consistently functional and reliable. All have had problems of one sort or another, requiring return to the factory, and even so, the problems didn't get fixed.

S&W's quality control has decreased too, but nowhere near as bad as Taurus'.
Ignore the advertising hype and pretty pictures from Taurus. Save yourself inconvenience and annoyance and get a Smith or a Ruger.

Wow so even when you do ship it back the problem is not fixed? That stinks. I was thinking about getting a Taurus and annoying the **** out of them till they fix the problem even if I have to ship it back 5x however, If the problem is never fixed then what is the point. Did you have to pay for your own shipping when shipping back to Taurus?

 

[Ronn82727]

The best thing is to get them both in your hands and see which one feels and points better. There are some firearms I have purchased of the "stats" and have regretted them. A couple of them were "ultimate" guns and I sold them very soon after getting them.

Yes, I went to the store last night and held the Smith wow it was nice and disappeared in my pocket. I loved the front sight on it. It really popped out.

I cant get my hands on the Taurus unless I buy it. ( It's 5 stats away from me )

 

[Ronn82727]

I can't speak to the 351 PD or the 941 UL, having owned neither. But I've had several Taurus-made guns over the years, and many S&Ws. Besides the up-front quality advantage S&W typically has, two other factors definitely work in S&W's favor: 1) warranty service performance if you ever need it 2) Re-sale value if you ever decide to sell or trade the gun.

Good point, I did not think about that. I am hoping that smith comes out with an 8 or even 9 shot 22 wmr. If taurus did it why can't S&W? Smith can do an 8 shot 357mag but not a 22 wmr? Im guessing no one would want an 8 shot 22 wmr except me. lol. I need all the cheep practice ammo I can get.

I know someone will say why not a 22 LR to practice with. I want to practice with something that I will shoot in a defensive situation. I want my muscle memory to be exactly the same.

 

[Ronn82727]

Definitely go with the S&W, but I would be tempted to get a 22lr like the 317, not sure you gain a lot from the .22mag from a snub nose other than being a lot louder. The extra shot makes up for the slight loss in power IMHO.

Oh I love this debate. Because I was having this with my self a few days ago until I can across the zombie videos lol, on youtube. ( just type on 22 NAA zombie skull ). Basically the 22 wmr shatters the skull and the 22 LR leaves a hole. Then I read some other accounts on how a 22 LR might not get the job done with a head shot when fired from a short barrel. Basically if its a glancing shot it might bounce off the skull. Now if the barrel was 4inches no problem, but 2in is not enough of a safety margin for me with a 22 LR.

If you look at the NAA page and find the ballistics for a 22LR and a 22 WMR its about a 100 ft per sec difference.

The fastest CCI 40g LR average was 909 fps
The slowest CCI 40g WMR average was 988 fps

Crunch the numbers and that's
Energy of 73 foot-pounds for a 40 grain bullet at 908 fps.
Energy of 87 foot-pounds for a 40 grain bullet at 988 fps.

For me the 14 lbs might be enough to get the job done. And I hope I never have to find out. Plus I like the fire ball of the 22 WMR .