S@W Model 351 c

[jkmo]

Thinking about this for wifey. Just wondering about recoil with the 22 mag.
She carries and shoots a 380 Taurus revolver pretty well. 38 is too much in a j frame.

The moon clips on the Taurus bend so easy and tie up the cylinder rotation.
This does not the confidence factor

 

[mikerjf]

I don't know how much 22 Mag buys you over 22LR in a 2" barrel, but I keep hearing the noise level is very high. Myself I'd go for the 22LR and cheap practice ammo.

 

[dbarale]

.38 wadcutters will not have more recoil than the .380, and should be equally "effective".
Rimfire revolvers require a slightly heavier mainspring to ensure reliable ignition. So make sure she tries it first.
Additionally, the Ruger LCR's polymer frame is really good at soaking up recoil, so that might help.

 

[oldiegoldie]

i have the 351 pd [external hammer]. the recoil is minimal but it is loud. my brother carries one with 3 shot shells and four 50 grain Federals in the summer. i think it is a viable self defense weapon.
i would look at the Taurus model 94 with 2 inch barrel in .22 long rifle. 18 0z, without the sharp noise. with the right ammo it would be o.k.

 

[AJ]

I have a 351c and do carry it from time to time. It is loud and the trigger very heavy. It drops in a pants/shorts pocket in a soft pocket holster and is not noticeable. Is it for carry on her or in a purse? In a purse I would go to an Airweight in .32 or .38.

 

[1sailor]

There are a few interesting side by side comparisons on YouTube. The mag does loose some velocity with the 2" barrel but still way ahead of the LR. You might also want to check out the testing done at Lucky Gunner.

 

[jkmo]

My research shows heavy trigger pulls for both the Smiths and Ruger LCR.

This is for a 66 year old woman. She's loves revolvers but heavy triggers suck. She's decent when the moon clips for the 380 are not bent and not binding.

I modified a trigger spring in her Taurus and went to the S@W revolver armeror's school in 87. I know my way around a smith some.

 

[AJ]

My research shows heavy trigger pulls for both the Smiths and Ruger LCR.

This is for a 66 year old woman. She's loves revolvers but heavy triggers suck. She's decent when the moon clips for the 380 are not bent and not binding.

I modified a trigger spring in her Taurus and went to the S@W revolver armeror's school in 87. I know my way around a smith some.

Have been told if you lighten the trigger pull in the Smith J-Frame .22's that you do not get as positive ignition.

 

[10Mad]

I have the PD version with the hammer. After hearing about the stiff trigger I went with this one so I could cock if needed. I was recovering from an injury and couldn't stand the recoil of even a 380. I find this to be a wonderful little gun. There is really no recoil but the pd version comes with the wood grips that were slippery and the little bugger would try to twist in my hand. A simple switch to rubber grips fixed this. They are a little louder but not bad. In summer I typically carry it with 2 shot shells up first for vermin around the yard. What's nice is I can cock and let the hammer down twice to index to a solid.

While the changing springs thing can be a little iffy, like a typical newer j frame it really benefits from polishing the rebound block and internals.
Now that I'm healed up I've thought about selling mine, but it's just so handy and potent that I can't bring myself to part with it.

 

[Bill Lear]

Thinking about this for wifey. Just wondering about recoil with the 22 mag.
She carries and shoots a 380 Taurus revolver pretty well. 38 is too much in a j frame.

The moon clips on the Taurus bend so easy and tie up the cylinder rotation.
This does not the confidence factor

A .38 Special from a 1.87" barrel ain't much more than the average .380 ACP in terms of energy. The .380 will always have lower "felt" recoil because of the cycling breach, but from short barrels, the .38 Special isn't really all that much to write home about.

Go on over to LuckyGunner.com and peruse their videos of .22 magnum gelatin tests from the M351 and compare them to the .380 or .38 Special. Once you do I suspect you'll decide the 7-shot 351 makes more sense than a 5-shot .38. The M351 is uber-light for carry and requires NO "manual of arms" for anyone to learn or understand to bring the gun into action. Just pull the thing out - or not, and start pumping the trigger!

As for reloading...much, to much is made of the average person performing a reload in a shooting situation. Few "wives" are all that into guns enough to be studiously practicing speed reloads in a simulated Walmart shooting, and in fact such a scenario is beyond unlikely. MOST private citizens who aren't playing cop will never shoot more than a few rounds in self-defense and people really need to stop pretending "the little lady" is going to turn into a practiced pistolero should she EVER have to pull out a gun in self-defense, unless that's who she was before, in which case she didn't need her "big stwong husband" choosing her guns.

 

[Mark8]

The .380 will always have lower "felt" recoil because of the cycling breach, but from short barrels, the .38 Special isn't really all that much to write home about.

She uses a .380 ACP revolver (Taurus 380), not a semi-auto pistol.

Go on over to LuckyGunner.com and peruse their videos of .22 magnum gelatin tests from the M351 and compare them to the .380 or .38 Special.

Using special .22 WMR ammo made for very short barrel revolvers, he gets about equal penetration and 1/4 the size of the wound channel of .38 Special.

Once you do I suspect you'll decide the 7-shot 351 makes more sense than a 5-shot .38.

Not for self defense. Your aim is to stop the attacker as fast as possible, and for that .38 Special has a lot more potential than the .22 WMR from a short barreled revolver. Please note that there is a lot more specialized .38 Special self defense ammo for short barreled revolvers than there is for .22 WMR, including +P, and there are many very nice and lightweight revolvers chambered in .38 Special and .357 Magnum.

The M351 is uber-light for carry and requires NO "manual of arms" for anyone to learn or understand to bring the gun into action.

The same is true for small revolvers from S&W and others chambered for .38 Special and .357 Magnum.

As for reloading...much, to much is made of the average person performing a reload in a shooting situation. Few "wives" are all that into guns enough to be studiously practicing speed reloads in a simulated Walmart shooting, and in fact such a scenario is beyond unlikely. MOST private citizens who aren't playing cop will never shoot more than a few rounds in self-defense and people really need to stop pretending "the little lady" is going to turn into a practiced pistolero should she EVER have to pull out a gun in self-defense, unless that's who she was before, in which case she didn't need her "big stwong husband" choosing her guns.

Let me summarize: Why bother trying when you can plan your defeat in advance?

 

[Wyo]

I'm not a big fan of the 22WMR revolvers for a lot of reasons. Being a rimfire, they're inherently less reliable than a center fire cartridge. They also need a heavier strike so triggers tend to be very heavy. And they are LOUD! My suggestion would be that you consider a J (or I) frame in .32 S&W Long instead. You get center fire with six rounds instead of five. They make a target wadcutter round that is very mild and relatively quiet, yet I would still use it in favor of anything in 22 WMR. Just my $0.02 worth.

 

[AJ]

I'm not a big fan of the 22WMR revolvers for a lot of reasons. Being a rimfire, they're inherently less reliable than a center fire cartridge. They also need a heavier strike so triggers tend to be very heavy. And they are LOUD! My suggestion would be that you consider a J (or I) frame in .32 S&W Long instead. You get center fire with six rounds instead of five. They make a target wadcutter round that is very mild and relatively quiet, yet I would still use it in favor of anything in 22 WMR. Just my $0.02 worth.

Loud is a good thing, scares the daylights out of people. .32 is a good round, my Granddaughter has a .32 Magnum that she carries. I carry my 351c in shorts and tee shirt weather here. Today it is shorts & Tee shirt weather, it is 78 here today.

 

[SVT28]

As someone who's owned and shot 1000+ trouble free rounds out of a 351c, I'll give my input. This is not a target gun and it doesn't have a target trigger, however with a firm hold I could land 7 Speer Short Barrel Gold Dots in center mass at 5 yards in a hurry. Any short barrel revolver, even a 32 is going to be loud, so I would not weigh that into the decision making here.

I'd try to find a range that has a 351c rental and see if the heavy trigger will be a deal breaker. I liked the big dot front sight for point and shoot. No lock on this model too! Let us know how things turn out.

SVT28

 

[AJ]

Any short barrel revolver, even a 32 is going to be loud, so I would not weigh that into the decision making here.

SVT28

Yes, all short barrels are loud. Yes, it should not weigh in the decision process. That said it is a bit distracting to the folks on the other end of it. That can give you a advantage when you need it.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

Yes, all short barrels are loud. Yes, it should not weigh in the decision process. That said it is a bit distracting to the folks on the other end of it. That can give you a advantage when you need it.

Agreed.

The key is whether the person who chooses this revolver can satisfactorily use it/carry it in a correct way and hit a human sized target at normal self defense distances. This is a self defense tool, not a target shooting toy. Man or woman, it doesn't matter, if this is the gun that is chosen the only issue is does the owner have the ability to use it sufficiently well to protect him or herself in a self defense situation.

At the range the owner will use eye and ear protection. Loudness will be irrelevant. At a confrontation, loudness remains irrelevant, also. Absent a suppressor, does anyone have an EDC that isn't loud?

 

[AJ]

Agreed.

The key is whether the person who chooses this revolver can satisfactorily use it/carry it in a correct way and hit a human sized target at normal self defense distances. This is a self defense tool, not a target shooting toy. Man or woman, it doesn't matter, if this is the gun that is chosen the only issue is does the owner have the ability to use it sufficiently well to protect him or herself in a self defense situation.

At the range the owner will use eye and ear protection. Loudness will be irrelevant. At a confrontation, loudness remains irrelevant, also. Absent a suppressor, does anyone have an EDC that isn't loud?

The problem is that most folks that have guns can not properly handle them and hit their target. Our range shows this by all the carriages, baffles and overheads that have bullet holes in them. I do not go to the range on the weekends due to all the BillyBob's that are there.

 

[jkmo]

We're looking for a range that has one. Thanks for all the input ��