Got my 340PD back from S&W repair. There must have been something wrong with it:
Considering getting a small revolver for pocket carry
- Thread starter Podmonkey
- Start date
I don't know if they did a stealth trigger job or what but the trigger is noticeably smoother and lighter now
Edit: they had to have, the trigger is really smooth and slick and the pull is definitely lighter. It's really quite a nice double action pull.
I can also tell by the cylinder face that they test fired it a fair bit too.
I am assuming that whatever issues it had have been well addressed.
Edit: they had to have, the trigger is really smooth and slick and the pull is definitely lighter. It's really quite a nice double action pull.
I can also tell by the cylinder face that they test fired it a fair bit too.
I am assuming that whatever issues it had have been well addressed.
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S&W Fan
.475 A&M Magnum
There must have been a little more wrong with it than originally suspected if they had to make repairs to the cylinder yoke.
Glad to hear that everything is smoothed out. Now you get to enjoy the hell out of shooting it ! Keep in mind that the 340 PD is built on the J frame so I personally wouldn’t feed it a steady diet of light weight magnum ammo. It will however perform beautifully with the 38 +P ammo that you selected.
Glad to hear that everything is smoothed out. Now you get to enjoy the hell out of shooting it ! Keep in mind that the 340 PD is built on the J frame so I personally wouldn’t feed it a steady diet of light weight magnum ammo. It will however perform beautifully with the 38 +P ammo that you selected.
Xae289
.223 Rem
Fantastic. It really annoys me that QC at so many major manufacturers is shoddy enough these days to let very bad guns out the door, but for those who care enough to send them back, they at least stand behind their product. Glad to hear that they not only fixed it for you but had the custom shop give it a little extra love.
The yoke repair raised my eyebrow too. I didn't notice any issues with its operation but I'm not very familiar with revolvers in general so I probably missed something. I put the laser grips back on and put the dot right atop the front sight, she is all ready for some long awaited range time. Finally. I think I have been very patient with this since I started this thread so long ago.
What with S&W's checkered QC reputation of late I accepted that this sort of thing might happen. I went ahead with the purchase because I was confident that S&W would make it right if there was an issue.
I will accept the same possibilities when I pick up an 586 L-Comp someday.
I plan on taking the little Smith to the range tomorrow. I have done an absolute ton of dry fire practice all week, hundreds of trigger pulls, I have gotten to the point where I can very quickly and reliably stage the trigger just before the break and I can also pull straight through all at once smoothly and the trigger has really worked itself very smooth and even. I look forward to seeing if this will translate on the targets. And yes I will be shooting those 148gr magnums, I want to be able to do one cylinders worth though I will start by loading a single round as a precaution against doubling and I'll go from there. I'll shoot the .38s first though before the .357s ruin me. I also ordered an OWB holster from Kusiak Leather and a Comp 1 Safariland speedloader and holder.
S&W Fan
.475 A&M Magnum
And down the rabbit hole you go . Wait until you get that 586 L-Comp in your mitts. You’ll be hooked for good then !
stokes
.338 Win Mag
Trigger on my mod 60 is the same, I can reliably pull the trigger to the stop before the break.Its pretty old and the trigger is well broken in and can be pulled thru comfortably. I hadnt shot it in a couple years so I took it with me to requall for my hr 218. Had a mixed box of +P and normal .38's. I like the +P better.
kev74
20×102mm Vulcan
The older I get, the more I like shooting revolvers. I'm not sure if its because they're cool or because I don't have to pick up the brass off the floor. 
I am questioning the L-Comp now. I heard that being cut for moon clips the L-comp ma suffer accuracy issues and potentially light strike issues when NOT using moon clips due to the cartridge rims being only partially supported. I have little interest in using moon clips so maybe I should just stick to the 686 Plus?
Not having to police brass nor load magazines seems like a massive plus on the range to me.The older I get, the more I like shooting revolvers. I'm not sure if its because they're cool or because I don't have to pick up the brass off the floor.
Also maybe it's just me but loading up the cylinder of a revolver just seems so......... masculine. I cannot refrain from continuously doing the Tim Allen caveman grunt as I load a revolver.
I am going to try a grip demonstrated by Jerry Miculek on one of his videos. For lightweight, small frame magnum revolvers he favors a grip in which the thumb of his supporting hand wraps over top his firing hand to aid with recoil mitigation. I'll give that a go and see.
S&W Fan
.475 A&M Magnum
You can’t go wrong with a 686+ It’s a very well made k frame that will digest the magnum load with ease.
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kev74
20×102mm Vulcan
686 is an L frame. Just a bit bigger than a K.
Xae289
.223 Rem
The older I get, the more I like shooting revolvers. I'm not sure if its because they're cool or because I don't have to pick up the brass off the floor.
I'm not even old, but retaining my brass is a huge part of why I love revolvers so much. Makes reloading my cartridges much less of a headache. I hate chasing brass to reload.
Podmonkey, as far as the 586 L-comp vs the 686+, I doubt that not using moon clips would reduce accuracy or cause light strikes. The way the cylinders are cut leaves the outside edge of the cylinder, allowing the rounds to headspace on the rim properly without clips. It's such a shallow cut that I don't see how it could possibly affect how the cartridge sits in the chamber. That said, if the possibility of having those issues nags at your brain, I doubt you'd be unhappy with a 686+. It's a great revolver and shooting 357s out of an L-Frame revolver, I don't think you're giving up a whole lot in terms of shootability without a compensator.
So which do we prefer on an L frame (or any medium size revolver)? 4" barrel or the 3"? I used to think the 4" looked best but now I am coming around to the 3". 6" looks ungainly to me, maybe on a .44 mag where the power is more befitting of the bulk.
kev74
20×102mm Vulcan
If you're looking to carry it, shorter is better.
For range or hunting duty, the longer barrel makes it MUCH easier to shoot accurately.
Xae289
.223 Rem
Depends on the intended usage. The power is definitely befitting of the bulk of a 6" barrel on a .357 Magnum, but the question is whether the bulk is worth what you'll use it for.
If you plan to carry it a lot, a 3" barrel will be more comfortable. If it's more of a target shooting or woods gun, a 4" barrel will give you better ballistics, a better sight radius, and will still be easy to carry. A 5" is about the same, but less comfortable to carry while seated. I'd only recommend 6"+ if it's a hunting/range gun.
You people are pansies, I shot all 50 goddamn rounds of that .357 out of the little bastard. Cleaning up at the range now, pictures to follow when I get home.
In fact I am now strongly considering carrying .357s
In fact I am now strongly considering carrying .357s
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Targets shot @10 yards with a mix of the 148gr wadcutters and the +p Golden Sabers. I detected minimal difference in felt recoil and said recoil was entirely fine . In fact I enjoyed shooting the little demon quite a bit
Recoil in .357 was very stout, unpleasant even but not to the point of pain. I could see carrying .357s. I really want to find a couple of boxes of the Gold Dot .357 short barrel loads now.
I am confident that the 340PD would serve me well in a defensive scenario though I did find that 5 rounds goes by really damn fast. I have no doubt that I can put all 5 rounds where they need to go though.
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Xae289
.223 Rem
Very nice. I think your grips have a lot to do with shootability. They look much beefier and have an enclosed backstrap.
And yea, 5 rounds go very fast. But if you bought it as something to carry when you'd usually carry nothing, then it's 5 more than you'd have otherwise.
And yea, 5 rounds go very fast. But if you bought it as something to carry when you'd usually carry nothing, then it's 5 more than you'd have otherwise.
Keyzard
.45 acp
This thread motivated me to bring out the .38spc snub I've had in the safe for a while. I forgot how much I like that revolver!
Since moving to PA we live 10 mins from our club. So every Sunday when the weather is decent the wife and I go to the pistol range for an hour or so and then stop at this little diner at a motel just outside of town for breakfast. Great food, stupidly cheap.
We call it our B&B. "Bullets and breakfast"
Since moving to PA we live 10 mins from our club. So every Sunday when the weather is decent the wife and I go to the pistol range for an hour or so and then stop at this little diner at a motel just outside of town for breakfast. Great food, stupidly cheap.
We call it our B&B. "Bullets and breakfast"
Yes, I don't think think I'd care to shoot it with the factory grips. As you can see the Crimson Trace grips offer a generous cushion over the backstrap. I could see bare metal as being painful, with these grips .357 recoil is manageable though still unpleasant. .38 Specials however are no problem at all, even the +p, in fact after the magnums the .38s felt like 22s.
As for the 5 rounds, yes that is exactly how I look at it. Furthermore my desire for increased rounds is based on a multiple assailant scenario. Against a single attacker I'm sure 5 rounds of .38 +p Golden Sabres to the boiler room will put anyone down quickly and I am very pleased with how I did with this revolver, I carry it with confidence.
I am in a similar situation as you but my range is only 5 minutes away. Makes it very easy to just pop over for a few rounds. Today was a fine day for it too!This thread motivated me to bring out the .38spc snub I've had in the safe for a while. I forgot how much I like that revolver!
Since moving to PA we live 10 mins from our club. So every Sunday when the weather is decent the wife and I go to the pistol range for an hour or so and then stop at this little diner at a motel just outside of town for breakfast. Great food, stupidly cheap.
We call it our B&B. "Bullets and breakfast"
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How would the recoil of a .44 Magnum from a Model 629 or equivalent large frame revolver compare to the 340PD w/ .357s? I am feeling emboldened now.
What about a .500 S&W?
What about a .500 S&W?
Xae289
.223 Rem
I love it, you not only got that revolver bug but you got that magnumitis bug bad. A .44 has much more recoil, but the revolver is heavier and the grip is much more substantial, so you feel it much less. I enjoy shooting .44 Magnum in a full-size revolver. I don't enjoy .357s or very hot .38 +Ps out of those featherweight snubbies.
The .500 is definitely a huge step up. It's the most powerful production handgun cartridge, but it's mitigated by the serious heft to the revolvers chambered in it and the compensators they wear. If you don't handload and want an X-Frame, I'd say the S&W 460 XVR is probably a better choice just based on versatility. The .500 Mag might be the most powerful, but the .460 Mag is the fastest production handgun cartridge. Besides .460 Mag you can shoot standard .45 Colt loads which will feel like nothing in such a big gun, hot .45 Colt loads which are about on par or slightly more powerful than .44 Mag, and .454 Casull which eats .44 Mag's lunch.
So on the basis that I couldn't discern much if any difference in the the feel of the +p Golden Sabres as compared to the 148gr wadcutters and that I found the .357s unpleasant yet tolerable from the 340PD, I wouldn't have any issues shooting .44 mags from beefy revolver like a 629.
I shot 20 rounds of the wadcutters to get a feel for the gun then verified the zero of the laser with 5 rounds of the Golden Sabers (putting the dot right atop the front sight worked out well) curiosity got the better of me and I loaded a single round 9f the .357. Finding that one round to be anticlimactic I loaded up another 4, grouped them and then another 5, grouped them found that particular load to shoot very, high and loaded another 5 rounds of magnums and found that I needed a 12 o'clock hold on the bullseye below to get centered hits on the bullseye above. Then I loaded another 5 magnums and dumped them out rapid fire. After that I fired off the remaining 30 rounds of the initial box of wadcutters then I did two more 5 round groups with the Golden Sabres which shot very tight for me, excellent rounds those. Then I fired the remainder of the magnums including one handed strong then weak side work. After that I shot 50 more rounds of the wadcutters at some self sealing polyurethane ball targets which was a blast. So 165 rounds total, at that point I wrapped up with some plinking on my Ruger MkIV which felt positively therapeutic to my hand. As the red laser dot was difficult to pick up in bright sunlight I ended up using the fiber optic front sight which worked surprisingly well actually, much better sight picture than I would have expected. I actually enjoyed shooting the little J Frame, admittedly I found the one box of magnums to be the extent of my tolerance but I was able to go back to the .38s with no problems.
The recoil did send the cylinder release into knuckle of my thumb which tore it up a little and my hand was sore the rest of the day but not to the point of impairment, no brusing or numbness.
Maybe I should get a 329PD which is the 26oz big brother in .44 mag.
Howdy
9mm
I just got a Ruger lcr in 357. I love it, the trigger is great. I've only shot 38 special so far, but the recoil is totally fine. I was hitting 8" plates from just over 15 yards away, which I was impressed with, as I would still consider myself a novice shooter.
I don't think 357 will be that big of a problem recoil/pain wise. While I don't think that'll be painful, I doubt I'll be able to actually aim it all that well for awhile.
I don't think 357 will be that big of a problem recoil/pain wise. While I don't think that'll be painful, I doubt I'll be able to actually aim it all that well for awhile.
S&W Fan
.475 A&M Magnum
I think that you’ll find the .44 mag to be equally enjoyable to shoot. In the magnum as well as the .44 special loads from a 629 . As far as shooting the .44 mag in the 329PD I think you would find them to be rather stout for the weight of that gun. .44 specials would be a bit more enjoyable to shoot.
As @Xae289 said if you are looking for a fun versatile next revolver you can’t go wrong with the 460 XVR it’s a riot to shoot in all of its caliber variations.
As @Xae289 said if you are looking for a fun versatile next revolver you can’t go wrong with the 460 XVR it’s a riot to shoot in all of its caliber variations.
Well the next revolver will be an L frame or equivalent in .357 mag.
I really should be getting on with scoping and re-stocking my 10/22 Target Lite however.
I really should be getting on with scoping and re-stocking my 10/22 Target Lite however.
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This one has been on my mind for awhile, I like it's bulldog appearance. But do I really want 2 snub noses right of the bat?