S&W 43c Frustration

[walkin' trails]

I'm interested in any fairly recent experiences with the S&W 43c. I purchased a new one right after this past Christmas. To date, I've been to the range with it three times with varying experiences, and the rest of the time the gun has been back to S&W for repairs twice. The first time out, it shot an average of six inches left at seven yards, spit lead, no spent brass, regardless of brand or cylinder temperature, would eject. I shot several different brands and configurations with it, including the Federal 29 grain Punch, Winchester 37 grain Silvertip, Remington Golden Bullet, and a bunch of cheap bulk ammo, both lead and plated. I sent the revolver back, the cylinder was replaced, forcing cone re-cut, some other stuff. When it came back, it still occasionally spit lead with the cheap bulk pack stuff I initially put thru it. I didn't have much more Punch was wasn't going to waste it. The gun still shot way left. The only thing really fixed was the ejection issue. I included a photo of the target I shot the second time, again at seven yards, with several loads as evidence of how far off it grouped.

So I got the gun back a week ago and finally went to the range yesterday. I had recently found more Punch, as well as Stingers and Silvertips. Now, at seven yards, it only shoots about an inch left and still spits a bit with the cheaper stuff. The only tight extraction/ejection was from the Winchester Silvertips, which for whatever its worth, also wanted to get tight in the chamber of my Beretta Bobcat 21A. Accuracy at 25 yards was abysmal. Could keep most of the shots on paper, but it still shot way left. I am not completely inexperienced with S&W .22 revolvers; I have a Model 18 and a 34, and have shot both of them considerably. The only aggravations with both of those guns is that you have to stop and brush out the charge holes periodically due to .22 gunk. And I've considered that I need to get back to basics and spend more time reacquainting myself with the DA revolver trigger.

What irritating is that I really want to like this gun. I like the J-frame Centennials over anything from Ruger or the other manufactures. .22 revolvers are more versatile than comparable .22 self-loaders. I look on YouTube as well as what gets posted on line by writers and instructors I follow. I've seen some comments on other sites about some 43c owners experiencing problems, but I also see a number of videos and articles touting them as good little pocket, trail guns or trainers. I really want mine to shoot well with the Federal Punch or something else that equals or exceeds its performance. I don't expect one inch groups at 25 yards, but have training-related reasons for needing to shoot somewhat accurately out to that distance. I've probably shot a good 5-600 rounds thru it so far in my three range sessions. I'm going to take a couple more range sessions to evaluate the gun and my application of the fundamentals before deciding whether to send it in a third time.

So, has anyone on the forum acquired a 43c over the past year or so, and what have been your experiences? Accuracy?

 

[413Maxwedge]

I own the only good one I've ever heard of. Actually not good, but great. I bought it new in December '23 and it has been flawless. Shoots cheap ammo accurately and ejects spent shells easily. My son qualified for the pistol range with it when he was 13 and the wife enjoys shooting it and keeps it in her office. I use Remington Thunderbolt and Federal Champion rounds and they come right out.


This was my first .22lr revolver and every one I've bought since absolutely sucks in comparison:
A new 617-6, two 63-1's and a Charter Arms Pathfinder are all up for sale, but I won't be selling the 43c.

Everyone on the forum has bad luck with them but mine has been perfect, Knock on Wood.

 

[FivePews]

I have one and I like. It shoots to POA with most ammo and it's the "funnest" revolver I own. But...LOTSA light-strikes. Many more than any other .22 I've ever owned.

The reliability is irritating, but I've decided not to have it fixed because it's great training for "just pull the trigger again" when shooting my M&P 340s. I purchased it two-years ago (ish) because .38 ammo was so expensive at the time. Now I'm reloading and the .22 doesn't get much attention. Truth be told, when starting with revolvers I perused the S&W catalogue and picked the best-matching pair of .22 & .357 pistols I could find. Turned out that the 43C and the M&P 340 have very similar sight pictures, heavy trigger pulls (with strong rebound springs), and they fit in the same holsters. Exactly what I wanted.

To be fair, I don't do any target-style shooting and only run defense drills on a timer. If my J frames shoot an inch left, right, high, or low...I'd be the last to notice it as long as I can get an A-zone hit offhand/from concealment at 25 yards in less than three seconds.

I do have one M&P 340 that shoots five inches left at 15 yards (and three others that all shoot to POA). The barrel is obviously clocked. I sent it back, Smith said they fixed it....and it still shoots 5 inches left. I'd bet money that the barrel wasn't reset. So....it's become the "dry-fire" pistol that I keep in the living room to play around with. Never gets loaded.

If they actually did move your POI as requested...good for you! I didn't think they would do that.

Personally, I'd accept an inch left at seven yards. Sounds like they are slowly getting it fixed for you. The effort will be worth it in the end. You'll have a pistol you like to shoot for the rest of your life. Keep at 'em! If it were me, I'd buy another 43c. That way you'll have one to shoot while you are waiting one-two months for the current repair to come back.

Unfortunately, that's the reality of buying NIB Smith pistols right now. Anyone that tells you otherwise probably hasn't purchased more than one or two Smiths in last four years, probably got lucky once or twice, and doesn't know what they are talking about. The warranty is awesome as long as you prepared to let Smith monkey their way towards a reliable pistol for you.

 

[walkin' trails]

I have one and I like. It shoots to POA with most ammo and it's the "funnest" revolver I own. But...LOTSA light-strikes. Many more than any other .22 I've ever owned.

The reliability is irritating, but I've decided not to have it fixed because it's great training for "just pull the trigger again" when shooting my M&P 340s. I purchased it two-years ago (ish) because .38 ammo was so expensive at the time. Now I'm reloading and the .22 doesn't get much attention. Truth be told, when starting with revolvers I perused the S&W catalogue and picked the best-matching pair of .22 & .357 pistols I could find. Turned out that the 43C and the M&P 340 have very similar sight pictures, heavy trigger pulls (with strong rebound springs), and they fit in the same holsters. Exactly what I wanted.

To be fair, I don't do any target-style shooting and only run defense drills on a timer. If my J frames shoot an inch left, right, high, or low...I'd be the last to notice it as long as I can get an A-zone hit offhand/from concealment at 25 yards in less than three seconds.

I do have one M&P 340 that shoots five inches left at 15 yards (and three others that all shoot to POA). The barrel is obviously clocked. I sent it back, Smith said they fixed it....and it still shoots 5 inches left. I'd bet money that the barrel wasn't reset. So....it's become the "dry-fire" pistol that I keep in the living room to play around with. Never gets loaded.

If they actually did move your POI as requested...good for you! I didn't think they would do that.

Personally, I'd accept an inch left at seven yards. Sounds like they are slowly getting it fixed for you. The effort will be worth it in the end. You'll have a pistol you like to shoot for the rest of your life. Keep at 'em! If it were me, I'd buy another 43c. That way you'll have one to shoot while you are waiting one-two months for the current repair to come back.

Unfortunately, that's the reality of buying NIB Smith pistols right now. Anyone that tells you otherwise probably hasn't purchased more than one or two Smiths in last four years, probably got lucky once or twice, and doesn't know what they are talking about. The warranty is awesome as long as you prepared to let Smith monkey their way towards a reliable pistol for you.

Thanks. Mine will probably go back again because I don’t have any use for guns that don’t work. This was the first new revolver I’d bought since the early 90s.

Does yours seem to lead up the forcing cone area? When I first shot mine, it spit lead as well as an old Border Patrol Model 66 that had digested too many light, hot magnums. Not as bad now, but I still got more buildup than I’m used to seeing along with feeling a bit of crud blowing back on the left side of my face. I know it’s a .22, but I’m not used to my other .22 Smiths doing that. They’re steel frame. My big concern is in the unlikely event of a crisis situation, I wouldn’t be on the range wearing safety glasses.

 

[Cartwright Jones]

I'm interested in any fairly recent experiences with the S&W 43c. I purchased a new one right after this past Christmas. To date, I've been to the range with it three times with varying experiences, and the rest of the time the gun has been back to S&W for repairs twice. The first time out, it shot an average of six inches left at seven yards, spit lead, no spent brass, regardless of brand or cylinder temperature, would eject. I shot several different brands and configurations with it, including the Federal 29 grain Punch, Winchester 37 grain Silvertip, Remington Golden Bullet, and a bunch of cheap bulk ammo, both lead and plated. I sent the revolver back, the cylinder was replaced, forcing cone re-cut, some other stuff. When it came back, it still occasionally spit lead with the cheap bulk pack stuff I initially put thru it. I didn't have much more Punch was wasn't going to waste it. The gun still shot way left. The only thing really fixed was the ejection issue. I included a photo of the target I shot the second time, again at seven yards, with several loads as evidence of how far off it grouped.

So I got the gun back a week ago and finally went to the range yesterday. I had recently found more Punch, as well as Stingers and Silvertips. Now, at seven yards, it only shoots about an inch left and still spits a bit with the cheaper stuff. The only tight extraction/ejection was from the Winchester Silvertips, which for whatever its worth, also wanted to get tight in the chamber of my Beretta Bobcat 21A. Accuracy at 25 yards was abysmal. Could keep most of the shots on paper, but it still shot way left. I am not completely inexperienced with S&W .22 revolvers; I have a Model 18 and a 34, and have shot both of them considerably. The only aggravations with both of those guns is that you have to stop and brush out the charge holes periodically due to .22 gunk. And I've considered that I need to get back to basics and spend more time reacquainting myself with the DA revolver trigger.

What irritating is that I really want to like this gun. I like the J-frame Centennials over anything from Ruger or the other manufactures. .22 revolvers are more versatile than comparable .22 self-loaders. I look on YouTube as well as what gets posted on line by writers and instructors I follow. I've seen some comments on other sites about some 43c owners experiencing problems, but I also see a number of videos and articles touting them as good little pocket, trail guns or trainers. I really want mine to shoot well with the Federal Punch or something else that equals or exceeds its performance. I don't expect one inch groups at 25 yards, but have training-related reasons for needing to shoot somewhat accurately out to that distance. I've probably shot a good 5-600 rounds thru it so far in my three range sessions. I'm going to take a couple more range sessions to evaluate the gun and my application of the fundamentals before deciding whether to send it in a third time.

So, has anyone on the forum acquired a 43c over the past year or so, and what have been your experiences? Accuracy?

My 43C has always been a stellar performer. No weird ammo issues, as a revolver it has no problem with ANY ammo and shoots to point of aim.

 

[petepeterson]

Mine went back 3 times. Light strikes mostly. It seems to be working correctly now, but that doubt is always in the back of your mind. I carry it around the property when I'm confident 4 or 5 rounds of non-life saving .22s is the most I'll need.
It's not an easy gun to shoot well. J-frame triggers aren't great, and rimfire J-frame triggers are worse.
I'm with you- I still have it because I want to like it. It's nice to throw on the shelf and put the 442 in the same pocket holster when I have to run out for a bit. And it weighs next to nothing.
My mother has a .22 LCR, and truth be told, it has a better trigger, and is probably a better revolver.
Mine is just better looking!

 

[Breakaway500]

I had light strikes with mine new and replaced the hammer spring with one from Numrich. It has worked flawlessly since. Accurate enough and no other issues.

 

[BabaBlueJay]

I had one that I traded in after similar issues to OP, and my brother has two of them because he loves his so much. He had the sticking issues you described but S&W resolved his when he sent them in. I was too lazy to send mine in and just traded it, because the sticking issue drove me crazy. In terms of accuracy, mine was one of the most accurate guns I have owned. The trigger is slightly heavier than a standard J Frame due to being a 22LR and this can take some getting used to. I really liked the XS front sight and found the gun had many positives (weight, sights, accurate, and tiny) that you want in a carry gun. I determined the sticking issue was not worth the trouble of sending in and waiting for it to get fixed, my brother felt differently and now his works flawlessly and is his favorite gun (so much so he got a second). I guess it depends which person you are more like, the impatient (me) or the dedicated (my brother). If it helps, it is one of the few guns I regret selling YMMV

My brother has thousands of rounds through his two, maybe he will chime in, he is probably one of the most experienced people with that particular gun.

 

[richrd]

I'm sorry for the way this sounds, but I do not understand why people keep buying these guns with all these recorded problems. I do not want something with a good warranty I want something that does not need a warranty and in my opinion Smith has not made anything like that for quite a few years