Anyone Have a S&W 360PD?

[Fudmottin]

I hate to resurrect an old thread. But I figure it is better than starting a new one. I have exactly two J-Frame Smiths. One is a 638, pre key lock, and the other is a 649. The latter allowed me to install a night sight. I've done trigger jobs on both. I've always "joked" that the 638 was my traveling light gun. .38Spl +P is probably just fine, but I'm not ultra comfortable with it. Although it does appear to be better than .380 ACP. Also, the J-Frame does not jam. I have a nice Kramer pocket holster for the 638 that can make me forget I'm carrying it. Sadly, it does not fit the 649 due to the ¼" barrel length difference. The 649 feels like a brick by comparison, but it is quite comfortable to shoot .357 Mag out of.

I wish the 360PD had a slightly longer barrel and there was a hammer shroud variant like the 638 and 649. To me, you get the best of both worlds between a full hammer and completely covered hammer. That is to say, I like the SA option even though DA is the likely scenario in a self defense situation. I take it the 360PD has only the 1 ⅞" barrel? I like the weight spec for carry and that would fit my Kramer holster. What has been said about the recoil does give me a bit of pause for a $1029 gun (current S&W MSRP at this time). Would the 360PD fit my Kramer, or is the barrel made too large with the covering over the sleeve?

Does anyone actually carry one? My carry philosophy has moved rather solidly towards light weight and still effective. I used to have a Glock G30, but carrying it was too much of a chore so I got rid of it. A 1911 variant is a much more fun range gun, IMO. Also too heavy for daily carry. With the 360PD, I can go to bigger grips (simply swap in my nice aftermarket wood grips from the 649). I wear pants with pockets that can just handle the full three finger grips. Loosing a bit of weight would be nice. However, I can't claim immunity to recoil. I have a 629 with 3" barrel that kicks like a mule. I do not run full boxes through it at the range! It's a massive gun by comparison to what I've been talking about.

So is the 360PD a practical daily carry or is it just a punisher that looks good on paper due to weight but just costs too much and will make the regular required practice (I feel proficiency is a perishable skill) too burdensome?

Thanks.

[Gunsnwater]

Go plastic. The ruger lcr9 would be a great choice. The polymer sucks up some recoil, the steel aids in that too and it's still light.