S&W Model 351 PD AirLite 22 Magnum Revolver
BY Herschel Smith
6 years, 8 months ago
I’ve had my eye on this one for quite some time. I probably wouldn’t carry it as my sole PD weapon, but I sure would as a backup weapon. It’s light and it looks good. And who doesn’t care about looking good?
Looks like the MIM version of the M651.
Needs at least a 3″ barrel, and the trigger is notoriously heavy on double action .22 WMR guns. Try a NAA Black Widow or Mini Master for backup. However be prepared for trigger work there too.
Have you considered one of these?
S&W model 442 in .38 special with crimson trace. Best pocket gun I’ve owned.
I bought a Smith & Wesson model 360PD about 4 years ago. In addition to the lightweight scandium alloy frame, it has a titanium cylinder. While it is chambered in .357Magnum, I load it with .38 Special P+ with 125 grain hollow points. S&W calls for at least a 120 grain bullet weight.
It is really a light pocket revolver, though only five shots.
https://youtu.be/j9lSyuyK6vo
I have his ‘cousin’ – the 351C – I will echo the heavy trigger pull but will qualify it that with multiple trigger pulls it smooths out considerably. Use snap caps or expended cases (double check you didn’t load live rounds by accident) and dry fire it. I try to take it to the range on my weekly trip and it has gotten much easier to shoot.
BTW, the main difference with the C variant is that it has a white dot front sight, no hammer and plain rubber grips, perhaps why it cost a lot less than the PD.