S&W model 43C thoughts and opinions

[340PDOperator]

Product: Model 43 C

Anyone own one or know those who have had enough hours with one?

I got rid of a few .22's over the past year to free up cash; with how .22 has dried up and most .22 semi autos are jam o matics, I gave up on them for awhile. But this pistol intrigues me because it looks and probably works just like my 340PD. Snubbies are fun to shoot and challenging master, so I thought the 43 would be the perfect trainer/plinker.

But I've read reviews about gritty triggers, cylinders that can't handle modern hot .22 loads and certain ammo causing wedging between the cylinder and breach. Those types of comments give me pause.

Is this a good gun or a waste of money? It's pretty spendy and I'd hate to tie up funds on a dud.

Thanks for your input!


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[Ashlander]

It looks like a nice gun, but, man, that price tag is a doozy! I bought a steel 6" 617 a year ago. I shoot it all the time to get my money's worth out of it. $670 plus tax. Wow! What was I thinking? But at the time I had to have it and now I don't think about the cost so much. It's sure not a snubbie -- it weighs a ton. But it's a target gun, so I can practice double action when I need to and zing tiny targets when that bug bites. For the money, I'd go with the 617 (if you can find a 4 inch, that might be the perfect compromise).

 

[bagga]

i have one. it took a trip back to the factory to make it shoot strait. now it's a great little gun. i just had it out a couple of weeks ago and ran about 300 rounds through it without any problems. if i remember right, i think i paid about $600 for it.

 

[David Sinko]

I have both a 43C and a 340PD. They compliment each other nicely. My 43C is a great shooter and does not have the barrel cant issue like my 340PD does. I get very sticky extraction in the 43C only when I use PMC ammo, which is exactly how my 617-1 also reacts to PMC ammo. It's just the nature of the beast when dealing with .22 revolvers. My 43C is very accurate, easily minute of man at 50 yards from rollover prone. I learned to shoot J Frame snubs long before I bought my 43C so I can't say mine sees hard use as a trainer. I will say it's the only .22 pocket pistol with which I'd trust my life, from a reliability standpoint. Some of the autos are smaller but there is nothing lighter. When fully loaded even my 340PD feels considerably heavier. I say the 43C is a fantastic revolver which fills some needs very well.

Dave Sinko

 

[pipeliner]

I have a 43-C it's a fun gun. Trigger pin broke and took about nine months to get a replacement. If you reload you can shoot .38 lead for about the same price as current cost of .22 R.F. In my neck of the woods bulk .22 costs about 14 cents a round. I can reload lead bullets for about the same cost. Brass can be used 30/40 times. The practice is better and more realistic. But owning another S-W , well that has it's benefits also.

 

[Gearhead Jim]

I have both a 43C and a 340PD. They compliment each other nicely. My 43C is a great shooter and does not have the barrel cant issue like my 340PD does. I get very sticky extraction in the 43C only when I use PMC ammo, which is exactly how my 617-1 also reacts to PMC ammo. It's just the nature of the beast when dealing with .22 revolvers. My 43C is very accurate, easily minute of man at 50 yards from rollover prone. I learned to shoot J Frame snubs long before I bought my 43C so I can't say mine sees hard use as a trainer. I will say it's the only .22 pocket pistol with which I'd trust my life, from a reliability standpoint. Some of the autos are smaller but there is nothing lighter. When fully loaded even my 340PD feels considerably heavier. I say the 43C is a fantastic revolver which fills some needs very well.

Dave Sinko

I too have one of each, use the 43C for about half of my practice because it's cheap (I still have a lot of .22 ammo) and, more importantly, doesn't hurt my had to shoot it all afternoon.

 

[Anton Chigurh]

Don't own a 43c, but had a 2" 317 and a 351pd. Hard to hit much with either in DA mode, due to ultra lightweight and heavy pull, which is required to reliably ignite rim fires. With price & still limited availability of rim fire ammo, I don't see the point. Can't dry fire them, either.

 

[M3Stuart]

Little different opinion here;

Right now, I'm buying the things that other people aren't buying. For example: everybody's scrambling for .22 ammo right now. I'm just shooting mine and buying what IS available - reloading equipment & accessories. If I wanted a 43C, I'd buy one, forgetting about the 'ammo shortage'. When it's plentiful, you won't be able to find the dischargers - er - .22 revolvers.

Likewise; everybody is scrambling for pistol powder. I'm just shooting mine and buying primers...you get the idea.

 

[Lobster Picnic]

I carry the 351c and it's not easy to shoot because of the light weight of the gun and the super heavy DAO trigger. But after 10-12 trips to the range, my groups are getting pretty respectable. It's a good carry piece, lightweight and reliable, and I like the 7 shot capacity.

 

[Matt Hooper]

I have the 43C too. I love this little guy but it gets dirty quick, even with good ammo and gets a bit sticky. Great fun though and small!

 

[Kiteman72]

I bought a 43c a while back and I really like it. Mine was very lightly used, but I hadn't seen one for sale before (or since) so I said "what the heck!".
It's got a fairly heavy trigger, but not really that different from other S&W snubs I own. Don't expect 617 accuracy w this revolver.
I was on the fence at first because I had a 22LR Ruger LCR and got rid of it.

I'm glad I went ahead and bought mine. I've been shooting my 38s more than my 22s lately, but I've not had any troubles w any ammo or the cylinder binding.
No mechanical problems of any kind in fact. Love the white dot front sight, makes shooting it a lot of fun. Its much better than the hi viz fiber optic on my 351pd.

 

[B0308]

If I could find one on the shelf (or on-line) I'd buy it today. It's priced higher than I think it should be, but I could deal with that. All my current .22Lr's are semi's, a small, light revolver would be great. We'll see if I ever find one with both the interest and $$ at the same time <g>.

 

[Jim1392]

If I could find one on the shelf (or on-line) I'd buy it today. It's priced higher than I think it should be, but I could deal with that. All my current .22Lr's are semi's, a small, light revolver would be great. We'll see if I ever find one with both the interest and $$ at the same time <g>.

Eds guns in Vass, NC had one new as of 4/10/2014. He also had a 351C Not sure if their still available.

 

[B0308]

Thanks Jim, PM reply sent

 

[ANGST]

I have no idea how I just learned of the 43c today, I am thinking I might like one now. I have been kind do wanting a 442 pro, the 2 would be a good pair.