quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:

quote:

Originally posted by dinooch:
I had a 340sc .357 for almost 20 years and loved it.I carried it a lot due to the weight and loved the power which i felt was manageable. One day after a short range session I noticed battering under the forcing cone that was pretty severe. I sent the gun back to Smith and Wesson and they told me "although it's not a defect in workmanship and material we are willing to make an offer". I was able to get an M&P 45 Shield in exchange for a small fee which was very reasonable. My 442 that was preserved in the safe all those years is now my go to revolver loaded with standard pressure 158 gr SWC hollow points. In fact it's actually in my pocket as I type this.

Curious, did your 340SC have the little steel guard on it that S&W now puts on the frame right above the forcing cone of the current-production scandium guns? It's visible in this photo right above the front of the cylinder:

Yes it had the steel guard but the damage was from the gas check in front of the cylinder bashing the frame under the forcing cone not flame cutting the top strap. I was very disappointed to say the least. That's why I'm careful with my 442 now and limit +P usage in it. The old saying is very true when it comes to these light weight revolvers. Carry a lot shoot a little applies to the hot ammo for sure.
I do train with my 442 periodically but 95% standard pressure stuff.

^ Gotcha, that's a bummer. I agree...much easier on the gun to feed it a steady diet of standard pressure rather than pounding it with +p or magnums all the time. I have a nice wadcutter load that I use for most of my revolver practice, and only shoot magnums when I have a specific purpose.

quote:

Originally posted by Greymann:

The different sight choices on the modern j frames seem unnecessary. Close encounter, point and shoot guns.

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Personally, I really like the various sight options and appreciate that S&W has a wide variety of offerings for the J-Frame. The fixed trench-style sights are snagless and durable, the adjustables let you register your sights to a wide variety of loads, and the dovetailed Novak-ish sights on the 640 Pro are quick to acquire and help a lot in low light. I have J-Frames with all 3 varieties that I use in different roles.

I had a Keltec P32 for a short time, but the sights really were useless and that gun was good for nothing except the closest imagineable encounters. I decided to stick with my J-Frames instead, as they're viable out beyond contact distances yet still small enough to disappear in pretty much any type of attire I might be wearing. I had my 640 out the other day at the range and was shooting 6" plates at 25-30 yards...no way could I have done that with a P32 or an LCP.

I'll echo the statements about shooing 357 mags in the 340. It hurts like hell. I don't think anyone would claim that it doesn't. The one I had resides with my ex now and I have the 642, which is a great substitute.

quote:

The one I had resides with my ex now

Really didn’t like her at the end huh? . .

^^^

I love mine. I got it like new with 247 rounds of 357 mag for $500 a few years ago. Since I bought it at a place that had a firing range I took it to the range and shot 30 rounds of 357. I knew I was in for some punishment but I figured I could run a box of 50 through it in one go. 30 was my limit and my hand hurt. I’m not recoil shy but this has to be the least pleasant gun out there when loaded with magnums. I carry it often but loaded with 38 special. It’s nice to have the magnum option, I’ve ran about 200 rounds of magnum through it at this point. I have to be careful with the load selection, 357 golden sabers will jump crimp from the recoil. If you’re going to run magnums you need to test your load to be sure the rounds won’t pull out of the case and jam up the gun under recoil.


It definitely is a joy to carry and shootable with 38 special.

Found a pic, you can see how the bullet pulled out of the case under recoil and kept the cylinder from turning. I put a fresh out of the box round in the cylinder for a comparison. These were factory rounds. It did this consistently, the 4th round would stretch and jam up the cylinder.

Always test your carry loads.



No more Golden Saber 357 mag in this gun.