• J-frame platform; Chief's special
• Caliber: .22WMR
• Capacity: 7 Rounds
• Action: Revolver DA/SA
• Front Sight: Hi-Vis fiber optic
• Rear Sight: Deep cut U-shaped notch
• Price: MSRP $758 but on Gunbroker.com they sell for $540-$600
• I was lucky and got mine new at a local shop for $509

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I read an article about the 351PD in Guns & Ammo magazine a few years ago, found the gun intriguing then forgot about it. A few months ago I ran across a specimen in a local gun store. After handling the gun I found myself really wanting it. It took a month to talk myself into buying it because:

• The gun is billed as a personal defense arm yet it's caliber is marginal for the task.
• The barrel is too short for serious target work or to acheive the full ballistic capabilites of the .22WMR round.
• I own several other guns that adequately fill the role of a defense pistol (Sig P239 9mm, Sig P220 .45ACP, Beretta 85 .380ACP, H&K P7 9mm, S&W 442-2 .38Spl).

 

But the gun just felt so good in my hand, so light-weight. I really liked its looks and I am a fan of the .22WMR. Plus the shop had a good price on the gun so I forked over the dough and took the revolver home. Since then I've had two range sessions with it and I have to say that I love this little gun.

 

Thanks to it's mostly aluminum construction it's hard to tell this thing is in your pocket or even your hand. Of course the .22WMR does not offer much in the way of recoil, even in a gun this small and light. The frame, cylinder and barrel are all aluminum alloy (I verified this via S&W customer service 19MAY2008). However, this alloy DOES NOT contain SCANDIUM; I asked twice. This would be a waste of this rare/valuable material. The .22WMR does not require the added stregth. Save it for the .357Mag J-frames. There is a steel barrel insert for rifling though. You can see this in the muzzle-shot below. I assume the lobes are to mate with a tool for screwing the steel insert into the aluminum outer shroud. This recess at the muzzle is compensated for at the breech end of the barrel to achieve the 1 7/8" barrel length. The forcing cone extends a little farther from the frame than J-frames in .38Spl, leaving more of a gap between the front of the cylinder and the frame. Of course the 38Spl round is longer than the .22WMR too. Further weight reductions were achieved by machining away metal in non-critical areas of the frame; along the grip backstrap, the bottom of the barrel under-lug, the outer edge of the trigger guard. The rear sight channel cut into the top strap is also deeper and wider than less expensive J-frames like the 442/642 (see photo below). The 351PD shares attributes of S&W's like the 340/360 M&P's and PD's.

 

As should be expected from most any revolver I experienced no malfunctions during shooting. Accuracy was better than expected. The DA pull was long and hard but smooth. The SA was almost too light. I had a few rounds that went of before I wanted because I placed my finger on the trigger with too much force. This happened after firing several rounds DA and of course the gun was already pointed safely at my intended target. The discharge just took me by surprise. For such a short-barreled gun I am really impressed. Accuracy is much better with than my .38Spl J-frame. I like the look of the wood grips but I love Hogue grips for function. I put them on all my guns for which they are available. I replaced these grips before by second range session and, as usual, noted better accuracy and increased comfort. They are not ideal for pocket carry but the hammer spur is much more of a problem in that respect.

 

If you search you'll find many sources online debating the use of .22WMR as a defense round but I don't care about that here. I love the gun and it's fun to shoot. It is not my primary defense weapon but I could see myself carrying it when I needed the utmost in light weight and concealability. I would not feel under gunned. Just my opinion. Hell the the bang and flash alone of this round may be enough to thwart an attack; but I wouldn't want to take a round from her either.

 

All together I have no regrets in my purchase. If you want a light weight, low recoil gun to make you feel safe or for fun at the range don't look this one over. The price is a little steep but this little guy is one of my two favorite guns. The other is my Browning Buckmark URX with Tactical Solutions Trail-Lite barrel. A new S&W 442/642 can be purchased for about $400 where the 351PD will set you back about $550. But you have to consider what went into the production of this gun compared to the 442/642. As I stated earlier, this gun shares the design of the more expensive 340PD with such things as the aluminum outer barrel shroud with steel rifling insert, full underlug to enclose the ejector rod, upgraded front sight and more extensive machining. In my opinion the improved sight picture of the PD and M&P models is a strong point alone to justify the increased cost. The big, bright dot of a fiber optic/tritium front sight and the deeper rear sight channel do make a big difference when compared to the 442/642 setup (see pictures below).

• Stance: Standing, unsupported, Weaver-style
• Distance: 21 Feet
• Ammo: Remington Magnum Rimfire 40 GR PSP (Plated Soft Point I think) R22M2
• 25 rounds per target
• Left target: Single Action
• Right target: Double Action
• Date Fired: 17MAY2008

 

I was pleased though surprised by the results. As you can see from the pictures SA offered much better precision while DA had better accuracy. I sent the gun to S&W to have the issue fixed; see below.

 

I found an individual range report today 19MAY2008 on some forum (sorry can't remember where and cannot find it now) stating problems with bullet instability (tumble and keyholing on target) with .22WMR out of short barrels at 20 feet and more. I really don't see any validity in this, at least from this gun. These targets were shot at 21 feet and you can plainly see no evidence of this in 50 rounds (nice pretty, round holes execpt those holes that were touching). I have shot targets at 30 and 50 feet as well and seen no indication of bullet instability.

 

As a self defense gun it would likely be used exclusively in DA and I would be comfortable using it for that purpose inside of 30 feet.

 

Smith & Wesson Warranty Repairs: A Nine-Month Journey

This process was a ridiculous nightmare. I decided not to settle for the consistenly high single action groups I described earlier and sent the gun to S&W to have the issue addressed. I think, but am not quite sure, that I sent the gun to them in May 2008. They kept if for several weeks and returned it to me after claiming to change the barrel. The gun got better groups in single and double action while having a consistent point of impact for both; I was pleased. I was not pleased with the new issue that seemed to come from their work. The back of the cylinder, where the rounds are inserted, rubbed against the frame as it was swung back into the place after loading. I'm not talking about the center pin that locks the cylinder into the frame; I know that will rub. The actual cylinder would rub the frame near the topstrap. In no time it wore the finish in that area. I sent the gun back to S&W to have the new issue resolved.

 

They kept the gun again for several weeks. It returned while I was out of the country for a few months. When I got home I was really excited to finally be able to carry this gun. S&W fixed the problem but I examined it for no more that 90 seconds before discovering a new, more serious one. As I slowly worked the hammer through each chamber I noticed the familiar two clicks were not always present before the hammer locked back. That second click was often missing; the one that sounds when the cylinder stop pops into its slot in the cylinder to lock it in place. Sure enough, the cylinder was rotating freely after the hammer locked back. It did not happen all the time but I noticed it happened on one chamber often. And once the cylinder failed to lock once it repeated through several more chambers.

 

I was irrate. Here I spent over $500 on a gun I wanted to use for self defense. I sent the gun to the manufacturer to fix an accuracy issue only to get the a gun back that was not safe to shoot; the chambers did not line up with the barrel as they should. And why did this gun leave the hands of factory technicians, twice, having obvious problems spotted in minutes by a simple user. It was January 2009 by this point and I was fed up. I drafted a letter demanding the gun fixed to 100% working condition and shipped tha gun back to S&W a third time. I got it back a week later and it worked terrifically. S&W paid for overnight UPS shipping three times when they should have only done it once. I am very pleased with the gun now and carry it often. However, I will think long and hard before purchasing from S&W again.

 

I shot this target from 30 feet, in a Weaver stance mixing double and single action. I used Winchester Dyna Points. The rounds seemed cheaply made compared to CCI Maxi Mags but I was pleased with the accuracy. Most of the holes in the orange were done in double action. I fired 21 rounds (3 cylinders) and had two failures to fire. Luckily it was a revolver so I just kept pulling the trigger. They ignited the second time around. I have never had an issue with any other .22WMR round not igniting in this gun; just the Dyna Points. I have to blame the ammo. I have not had an issue since. The Dyna Points are cheap so I'll use them for practice but not to carry.

 

This target was also shot from 30 feet, using double and single action in a Weaver stance. I fired 28 rounds (4 cylinders) of CCI Maxi Mags and each one went off without issue. I am pleased enough with the accuracy to use this for self defense. The gun is so light and small I can carry it everywhere in any clothes. I can actually hit my target thanks to the decent sights, unlike the S&W 442 I owned and promptly sold. I have 9mm's and a .380ACP to carry but I often chose this one because it's so easy to carry.

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