it depends......
Hi, Flick,
it depends on just how and how much you want to carry one. My close friend and shooting partner just acquired a new S&W 342PD 38special sc/aluminum frame, titanimum cylinder, SS liner in barrel, 1 7/8" long barrel. He had a bad scare at a motel in south Alabama where he stayed and vowed he would have a carry gun from now on. But he wanted the smallest, lightest, deep conceal pocket carry gun he could find. His favorite dealer in Birmingham talked him into the little "AirLitePD",weight only 11oz. It is a discontinued S&W model but still expensive, he paid $450.
We shot it at the range yesterday using several different kinds of ammo I had on hand from previous tests with my Taurus. The recoil was as expected from such a light weight revolver, about like the Taurus with full .357 loads. We both tried all four 38special ammo brands we had and judged them as follows:
Winchester 110gr NT flatnose.......worst recoil
Winchester 130gr FMJ.................about the same, a tad less
Rem 125gr+p GoldenSaber............fair, less than FMJ
Win 125gr+p SilverTip..................fair, less than FMJ
I liked the Rem but my friend like the SilverTip best. Toss up. We both have strong hands so the recoil was not a problem for us. But sure ain't no ladies gun or someone with sore hands.
We didn't do an "official" :lol: wetpack test but I brought along an old 5 gal heavy plastic gas jug missing it's top filled with water and 2 pieces of 1/2" plywood taped to it's back. Fired 2 rounds of each ammo into it quickly before the water all leaked out. Both GoldenSaber rounds went clean through everything and were lost. One round each of NT and FMJ bounced off back inside of jug and stayed in it, the other 2 went through and one bullet was found on the ground. Both SilverTip rounds bounced off back inside of jug and stayed in it with only minor expansion. There is no doubt the short barrel slows down velocity. The heavy plastic wall of the jug slowed the bullets even more.
We'll do a real wetpack test later this year to get a better idea what a really small pistol like this will do. (Or won't do.)
So, before you buy one of the lite weight alloy revolvers, try to find someone with one that will let you fire it. The recoil is there and it's not for target shooting. Just for self defense if every needed.
Let us know what you decide.
og