S&W 340sc J Frame, .357

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Morning gents,

Ive never been a revolver guy, but at various times over the last couple years theyve piqued my interest. Every so often it seems like it would be nice to have one around for one purpose or another. One of those purposes is to drop in the pocket of my jacket during the winter, another being carry while running or while wearing gym shorts.

I came across a listing for a SW 340sc for $450 and it really caught my eye. Hoping to see if any of you have any first hand experience with the pistol

Merry Christmas!
 
I love my 340PD and it's easy to carry everywhere. .357’s are savage in it, especially on a cold day at the range. "Snappy" would be an understatement, due to the lightweight frame. Double taps are not happening with any accuracy. Also, the flame burst with the .357 at night would kill any night vision you had.
I carry Gold Dot .38's and with the CT grips and am very happy with the setup. I had the big dot front sight added and a trigger job...: Great accuracy in a great package. My two cents.
 
Morning gents,

Ive never been a revolver guy, but at various times over the last couple years theyve piqued my interest. Every so often it seems like it would be nice to have one around for one purpose or another. One of those purposes is to drop in the pocket of my jacket during the winter, another being carry while running or while wearing gym shorts.

I came across a listing for a SW 340sc for $450 and it really caught my eye. Hoping to see if any of you have any first hand experience with the pistol

Merry Christmas!

No direct experience but when I was looking at snub nosed revolvers my take away was most are not carrying magnum in them. So you are paying a premium for an unleveraged opportunity or to have a little more weight.

I have a Ruger lcr in .38 + p. Forget what it was at Four Seasons but the sw 642 is $350 new and LCR was equal or marginally less when they were in stock.

If you want it, get it but I didn't see the value personally.
 
The epitome of "comforting, not comfortable" to shoot that is. I carry one in my roper boots because of the weight. Using HST .38spl. +P waddcutters for snubbies keeps the weight down even more over standard loads or .357 and I think they are more effective by design of the cartridge and control-ability vs the .357. To me it is not fun to shoot so my best practice is dryfiring. On the other hand, my LCR is just as lightweight and doesn't get uncomfortable after shooting 30 rounds.
 
When I hand that gun to people they think it is a toy because it is so lightweight! The one caveat when shooting magnums is this: bullet creep. The recoil/impact is so great that when firing the projectiles of the cartridges that are still in the cylinder will "jump" and creep out of their casings. So if you load up a full cylinder and then take two shots you can see the bullets in the remaining three have started to come out of their crimp.

In extreme circumstance it could lock up the cylinder but I haven't experienced that. Only from examining them after 1,2, 3 and 4 shots you can see the effect get progressively worse. No such issue with 38 spl
 
No direct experience but when I was looking at snub nosed revolvers my take away was most are not carrying magnum in them. So you are paying a premium for an unleveraged opportunity or to have a little more weight.

I have a Ruger lcr in .38 + p. Forget what it was at Four Seasons but the sw 642 is $350 new and LCR was equal or marginally less when they were in stock.

If you want it, get it but I didn't see the value personally.
The value i see in it is actually the lighter weight for carry. I doubt id shoot .357 in it, probably .38 only.
 
My brother had a 340PD, worst gun I ever shot with the .357 mags in it. The .38s were much more manageable. If you only shoot .38 you might as well get a 442/642. I loaded up some near Max H110 rounds of .357 and bruised the hell out of his hand.
 
I have the m@p 340 scandium. I think that all that needs to be said has been said above. Great guns. Well made. Carry easily.
they are manageable shooting 38. Not fun to shoot +p. And from awful to excruciating with 357.
 
Before buying, check out the Ruger SP101. Much better gun.
Feels better in the hand and no problem shooting 357s
 
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Before buying, check out the Ruger SP101. Much better gun.
Feels better in the hand and no problem shooting 357s
Unfortunately the ruger is too heavy for my purposes.

I have a shield that fits in ny pocket but is too heavy. Looking for something lighter.
 
A really nice revolver however not a revolver to shoot this gun has been the.most uncomfortable gun I have ever shot this is the absaloutly the best small carry revolver you can own and carry. Not a range gun by any stroke of the imangnation. The price is right do the purchase you won't regret it if the gun is only going to be a carry gun
 
I wonder, since there are so many complaints, especially about follow-up shots, if anybody considered making the first round a .357, with following ones .38's. That way, they can follow up with several lighter shots if they miss on the first one. Or the other way around, with 5 lighter shots, and then a big one at the end in case he's tough and the first 5 aren't up to the task.
 
Unfortunately the ruger is too heavy for my purposes.

I have a shield that fits in ny pocket but is too heavy. Looking for something lighter.
I pocket carried the Sp101 for 10 years. Try it for one day and you will see it’s not a problem
 
I wonder, since there are so many complaints, especially about follow-up shots, if anybody considered making the first round a .357, with following ones .38's. That way, they can follow up with several lighter shots if they miss on the first one. Or the other way around, with 5 lighter shots, and then a big one at the end in case he's tough and the first 5 aren't up to the task.
If you are carrying a gun that you can’t shoot proper loads with, you are carrying the wrong gun
 
For what it's worth was looking at 340/360pd a while back and went with a 360. I decided to go with a scandium frame with a stainless cylinder vs the titanium. A friend of mine had to send his 340pd back to Smith twice because of the erosion of the front face of the cylinder. He ended up getting rid of it. This isn't a big deal if you aren't shooting at range a lot, but I prefer to have a gun that I can practice with and carry.
I have had mine for about a year, and it has been in the waist belt of my pack for every hike. It has been subjected to all of the elements (rain/snow) and is holding up great.
I don't bother with .357's which aren't worth the pain and noise out of such a short barrel. When hike I carry Underwood 38s 140gr +P Extreme Penetrators and if I am walking around I carry 148gr Federal Gold Medal Match Wadcutters.

For comparison in compact snubbies, I also have Smiths in 60/640pro/37 and Rugers in SP101 and LCR these all handle hotter loads better, but you cant beat the 360 (jframe) for size and weight.

sw360.jpg

also good primers on concepts regarding snubbies and revolvers:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ov3H-_WQwAI



View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmAEAX6m00I
 
I carry a 642 as I've never been a fan of shooting .357 out of a snubbie. I use .38 +P, and fits in the front pocket of my unfashionable cargo pants

The form factor is great, look into Crimson Tracelaser grips to get it on target.
 
I like the S&W 340 and 360, however for many people, it is debatable if they are a better value than a 642. As others have stated, magnum rounds are very uncomfortable out of these lightweight guns. Most people carry quality .38 defensive rounds in these guns. And if you only plan to use .38 special, a 642 is sufficient.

However, the 340 does have at least two design advantages over the less expensive 642 line. The 340 has a shrouded barrel, with an aluminum shroud over a thin steel barrel. So the overall weight is slightly less than the solid steel barrel of the 642. And the shrouded barrel makes the front sight replaceable, which is a more significant advantage. You can put a tritium sight, or fiber optic on the 340, which is not possible in any practical way on the 642. I am not sure these advantages are worth the additional cost, but that is a personal decision. Even on a snubbie, better sights can be useful.
 
The big problem with these light weight revolvers is that the heavy recoil stops people from practicing with them. They shoot a handful of rounds and stop. That's not enough to proficient and maintain proficiency. The Ruger SP101 solves that. Its extra heft makes it easy to shoot 357s.

When I first started pocketing carrying 20 years or so ago. I started with a light weight j-frame. After a few weeks I experimented with the SP101. I put one in each pocket. By the end of the day I got used to them and could not tell the difference. I never pocket carried the j-frame again.
 
FWIW:

Another option would be the Ruger LCR in .38.

It is “J” frame size.
13.5 oz unloaded.
it comes with Hogue grips
It has a pretty decent DA trigger.
It has a pinned front sight so you can install a night sight easily.

Bob
 
"The responsibility of personal protection doesn’t have to weigh you down. Whether your work dictates that you carry lethal force or you carry a revolver for peace of mind — the Undercover Lite provides impressive stopping power while weighing a mere 12 oz.

Constructed of tough aircraft-grade aluminum and steel, the Undercover Lite offers rugged reliability and comfort. This ultra-lightweight, 5-shot .38 Special features a 2" barrel, fixed sights and is available with a traditional spurred or a double-action only hammer."


Undercover Lite

53820_Undercover_lite_1024x1024.jpg
 
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My jogging gun is a 351PD. It weighs 11 ounces and holds 7 rounds of 22wmr. Lightweight revolvers are great, but they're even better when the ammo is light too and the recoil is virtually nonexistent.
 
My jogging gun is a 351PD. It weighs 11 ounces and holds 7 rounds of 22wmr. Lightweight revolvers are great, but they're even better when the ammo is light too and the recoil is virtually nonexistent.

Now I always thought 22mag needed some barrel length to be effective. What kind of velocity do you get out of that barrel?
 
Keep your eye out for a S&W M360J...they are a great value. I got mine new at Four Seasons for a great price (can't recall exactly what I paid, but I think it was ~$350) and its an awesome carry gun.
 
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