I know this horse has been beaten to death on here, but I think I'll beat it a little more.
I know I want a rimfire J-frame for the new year. I'm stuck between the 43c and the 351c.
I own a ridiculous amount of 22LR ammo and it's still relatively cheap and easy to find. I do not own any 22 WMR.
For actual carry, out of an itty bitty barrel J-frame, is there big enough ballistic advantage to the 22 WMR that I should go down that road as opposed to the 22 LR 43c?
The 351C has lots of reports of really heavy trigger pulls, far more so than the 43C. Why that would be I can't fathom., but there it is.
The 351 seems to have fewer complaints about jacked up QC, though that may be a function of sheer volume of sales.
There is zero testing in calibrated ordnance gel for either, and anecdotal reports are wildly inconsistent about .22lr, and nearly non-existent for magnums, especially in pistols.
The various efforts in Clear Ballistics gel(re: Lucky Gunner) shows most .22lr at the very low end of acceptable penetration and, again, wildly varying depths.
The Magnum tests are a couple of inches deeper, and seemingly more consistent.
FWIW.
Magnums seem to be overall more ignition reliable, although that may be an artifact of the junk ammo people insist on training with in .22lr.
The possible advantage I see in a 351(in addition to more potential penetration) is related to the psychological effect that being shot at has on transactional criminals.
The noticeable increased flash, bang and unburnt powder should be a clearer message that lethal resistance is happening. Supposably this effect elevated the .38 into the .357 magnum.
One less round.
Again, FWIW.
A nice collection of human viruses get sent unshriven to their final judgement with a chest full of .22lr fired by meemaw, as evidenced by the Armed Citizen column. So there's that.
Under what circumstances and for what reasons would the selected gun be carried? The answer might lead to one choice or the other.
If part of the purpose is a .22 lr. equivalent to a larger caliber J frame for practice, then the 43 is the clear winner for the lower cost ammo.
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As someone who's owned both....LCR22. If you really want to stick to a J-Frame, I would go 43C but inspect it first. I don't feel the little velocity gain in the WMR is worth giving up 2 rounds. Load the LR with Punch and call it good.
https://www.americanrifleman.org/con...-self-defense/Originally Posted by feudist
No mention of temperature or calibration, but it is organic as opposed to the substitute stuff (clear, etc). I don't know if whoever does gel testing for American Rifleman has a reputation for doing it right or not, but with that disclosure there it is. Bare gel only; no heavy clothing or 4LD. It's the only organic gel .22 magnum test I've seen. Probably worth skipping over the bulk of the article and just use the data.
The snubbie (1.8") magnum is roughly equivalent to .22lr out of a rifle depending on load. Even out of the 1" NAA the 40gr FMJ still gets 13.75" in bare gel. So I guess if the .357 is "a 9mm with a flashbang" then the .22 magnum looks like "an icepick with a flashbang".
For practice I get the ammunition cost angle but for carry if the LCR is on the table the .327 with .32 S&W long wadcutters seems like it would serve the low-recoil need better.
I own both. The 351C is my carry piece, and the 43c is the training double. Here are my anecdotal and experiential reasons for opting to carry the 351c:
1). The 22 WMR is louder than the LR. I want noise to disorient my adversaries, along with getting shot. Noise also works well on bystanders. Noise is good.
2). I've read ballistic reports indicating the 22 WMR has slightly more oomph than LR. Oomph is good.
3. 22 WMR rounds are larger than 22 LR, making it easier to handle and quickly reload. I'm not planning on reloading; just the same, you never know. Size is good.
4) Reliability seems better in 22 WMR than LR. Reliability is good.
5). Quality-wise, expect either to need warranty repair. The 43c went back to Smith for repair at the 1500-round mark. They cut the forcing cone and repaired the yoke. Since then, I have hit 5K with no problems. The 351c has 2200 rounds through it and is starting to have issues with extraction after 70 or so rounds into a session. I'm not that concerned since the 43c is the trainer. Additionally, Federal Punch clears the 351c without a problem.
On a side note, either's trigger press requires more lbs than striker-fired and single-action pistols. That's an unintended safety feature, especially if using a clip-type grip. It also helps with trigger press training.
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