For shooters whose grip strength is marginal, something which must be taken into consideration is the difficulty of firing the 351C and 43C weak-handed; it just may not be possible to get off that first shot, much less getting through the entire cylinder.

As with most S&W revolvers. the pull smooths out nicely with firing. S&W claims that the 351C is safe to dry fire. I imagine the same wold be true for the 43C. Still, it goes against my decades of handling rimfires.

I wouldn't even consider cutting springs on these revolvers.

Good thought on the weak hand. My daughter will be going to college and is athletic. I think she will be able to handle the trigger. I’m more concerned with the effectiveness of the 22 magnum. I want her to have a light gun so she will carry it. I like that it has 7 shots and nor a lot of recoil.

Well, if you load it with Gold Dots and she practices enough with it to wheel off all seven and hit center mass point-shooting at 12 or so feet, she'll be better armed than some internet "gun experts" may think.

Also, get her a speedloader or two: 5-Star Firearms makes a fine speedloader for the seven shot 22 magnum S&Ws. I own one of these. Highly recommended.

Also worth the purchase price are TUFF Quickstrips.

These hold ten rounds, but for loading the 351C- starting at the end away from the tab- load two rounds, then leave a space, two more, leave a space, two more, leave a space, and then one round at the end nearest the tab, for a total of seven rounds on the strip. These strips are not as fast a reload as the 5-Star, of course, but spacing the rounds allows you to load two chambers at a time (with the exception of the seventh round, or course) and get the pistol back in action relatively quickly. A second strip can be carried with ten rounds on it. These speed strips hold the rimfire rounds securely and can slip into a pocket easier than a circular speedloader.

My 351C ownership experience is exactly as Para has laid out here. .22 Magnum is no joke.
It is a revolver that fills a very specific niche, and does so very well.

quote:

As with most S&W revolvers. the pull smooths out nicely with firing. S&W claims that the 351C is safe to dry fire. I imagine the same wold be true for the 43C. Still, it goes against my decades of handling rimfires.

I can relate to this. My Ruger MkII requires pulling the trigger on an empty chamber to unload the mainspring prior to taking it down...makes me cringe every time I do it, even though the manufacturer says it's ok. I've found that plastic drywall anchors make decent rimfire "snap caps". They don't last forever, but they're cheap, and give the firing pin something to stop against other than the inside of the bolt or the rim of the chamber.

I just put 80 rounds through my 43c this afternoon. What a great little gun. My only complaint is it does spit some powder and such back at me. I often feel a piece here and there on my cheeks.

Keep the chambers clean. You may experience some sticky extraction in extended shooting sessions.

True. I found I had to punch them out fairly authoritatively towards the end. Great little gun. I would get the 351 but I’m too cheap to buy magnum rimfire ammo so I stick with my lowly 43c.