Customer Reviews for Smith & Wesson Model 43 Classic 22 Long Rifle Revolver

Very disappointed with this purchase. It is a very expensive snubby in .22 LR. Over $700.00 plus shipping and tax. The trigger felt like sand paper, the cylinder would hardly open. I had to press very hard on the release, and then it didn't want to come out very easily. Luckily I have a friend who spend a good deal of time removing burrs etc, and now it does run fine. I put 300 rounds through it without a problem. But I expect much more from SW, especially for a high priced gun. Bud's Gun Shop is easy to deal with, I appreciate them.

Enjoy this S&W 22LR revolver the Model 43C light weight and accurate.

Didnt care for it. Bad trigger, poor finish.

What a little revolver! This gun is all it is chalked up to be in the praise about it. You will appreciate it's factory XS dot sight and incredibly low carry weight. Makes an awesome little kit gun, trainer, or extreme ultra light carry gun (if you can master the trigger), when you feel you need more of a complete gun rather than a NAA mini revolver or the like. The only improvements I could suggest is solid grips rather than rubber which is easily corrected, and a color other than white for the front XS dot sight, which is also easy to correct!

This gun was expensive, but it is a Smith & Wesson revolver, what do you expect? I carry this gun in my pocket and it is very light. It goes bang every time, Tom Harris

So far I have put about 150 rounds through the 43C. It is very light. With good ammo (CCI Stingers, Aguila, Remington Vipers) it is reliable and shoots to point of aim. It shoots OK (accuracy) with bulk pack cheap ammo but the ammo is not reliable. Not the fault of the gun. The crap isn't reliable in auto pistols or rifles. A lot of failure to fire (20% - 30%) on the first hammer strike. I don't remember cheap 22 ammo being so unreliable in the 1960s and 1970s when I shot enough to fill several 55 gallon barrels. I love the big white front sight. Very easy to see. I may look for a night sight. It actually makes my S&W 642 feel heavy when it is in my pocket. Will make a great "walking gun" when wearing light weight shorts/sweatpants.

So far so good. Took it to the range and gave it a shot. Had a few clicks with Armscor and Winchester Super X but that was the same with two of my other 22s so I blame the ammo for that. But everything else, CCI Blazer, CCI Mini Mag, and Federal went boom with every shot. Loving this S&W revolver. It's my first revolver of any kind too.

After much research, I decided on the S&W 43C as a concealed carry option for my wife. The gun is very light as advertised and is easy for her to carry. One of my concern was the strong trigger pull based on all that I had read. I was concerned that it would be too difficult for her as she does not have very strong hands. It is harder to pull than her Lady Smith; however, it is not as bad as I thought it would be based on the comments. She can easily shoot it 8 times in a row and is pretty accurate with it. It has very little recoil as compared to her 38. The grip is small but comfortable for her and I plan to replace it with a laser grip, likely the Crimson Trace LG-405. Overall, we are very happy with the gun.

Great gun! Casings will stick until broken in. After 1000 rounds mine drop fine. Trigger pull is firm and smooth. These J frames are very accurate and the 22lr ammo price makes the training budget pain free. The gun is worth the price and practice with it led me to the 38Special in the same platform for carry.

This gun is probably near the top of perfection for light weight & light recoil conceal carry guns ever. We own the LCR in 22lr as well and I can't decide which one is better but this one feels lighter and the trigger pull is nearly identical. I would place this at #1 for a universal gun, one that everyone in the family can shoot. While giving zero recoil it also eliminates the worry of rim-fire in semi auto pistols. Although there are some pretty reliable semi auto rim-fire pistols the ammo isn't always; and there is nothing to learn to over come here , if a rim-fire does not go off simply pull the trigger again. I understand there are 38sp for less money than this gun by S&W , but what good is a gun that someone is to flinchy to pull the trigger on and is afraid to shoot. I know the subject of 22lr for self defense is controversial but it shouldn't be , you are not walking off two high velocity 22lr to center mass.

This Smith and Wesson .22 caliber snub-nosed revolver is a real find. Not a common revolver in this day of more popular semi-autos, it is under 12 oz, fully loaded, and is smooth and easily controlled in the double-action, concealed-hammer lay-out. Front sight is a bright white dot of good size, and the rear sight is the standard U-shape, machined out of the top rail. Barrel liner is stainless, the trigger is steel, and remainder of the weapon is black, anodized aluminum alloy. Standard rubber boot grips offer excellent purchase on the weapon, with good felt recoil comfort. Gun is expensive at more than $550.00, but I feel it is lighter and more comfortable than the Ruger LCR. Gun could easily serve as a concealed carry piece for any shooter averse to a more powerful, hard-to-handle weapon in larger caliber.

I thought the 14 ounce 642 was light...this little gun at 11 ounces empty feels almost too light to be real! It does use an alloy cylinder and alloy barrel shroud, with steel barrel "liner" just like S&W's larger frames. Overall it has the expected S&W matte Anodized with crisp, clear laser markings. I really like the little scallop-groove down the back strap, leading to a small lanyard pin. I guess considering how light this thing is, some might choose to carry it around their neck! It also sports the same scallop around the trigger guard...I guess to save every gram of weight. This is probably an ideal choice for women and others who are recoil sensitive, and/or not interested learning all the ins and outs of semiautomatic pistols. Just insert 8 rounds of your favorite brand, close the cylinder and its ready to go when you need it. The revolver functions perfectly with various brands including Blazer 40 grain LRN, Aguila 60 grain SSS which is a favorite due to its terminal performance from short barrels. It also handled the hotter Aguila 40 grain Expediter, and the 30 grain Supermaximum which is on par with CCI Stingers. Though somewhat expensive for a .22LR, considering it's purpose and clear design toward fulfilling that purpose I call it a success.

Found this weapon to be a beautiful and accurate revolver. Had an issue with cheaper .22lr ammo (36 grain) not easy to eject from cylinder. once I went to 40 grain standard velocity, the issue went away. This is a great piece!

fantastic revolver, perfect size and weight