I just bought one of these and had a question on ammo. I plan to use mostly winchester value pack .38s at the range for practice, but have also purchased a few different Buffalo Bore rounds for carry (.38+P LV Gold Dot 125 gr. at 1050 fps and some short barrel 357 Mag 158 gr. Gold Dot at 1,100 fps).
Now I realize that the +P and short barrel 357 Buffalo Bore rounds aren't going to be "fun" to shoot and will have considerable recoil - and that's fine, I've shot these guns before and handle them well and I am not recoil shy.
I do a lot of hiking (I'm in Southern NY State - so no grizzly bears here) and I plan to get a ruger SP101 fairly soon to use as a hiking carry gun. With this in mind I also purchased some of the .357 hard cast 180 grain from Buffalo Bore (1400 fps in a 4 " barrel I think) to load in the sp101 when I get it, which will not be for at least several months.
Here's my question: In the meantime, would it be crazy to load the 180 gr. hardcast in the M&P340CT to use as a hiking carry gun? (I like to carry something that could stop a large animal if need be - even though I realize the chances of needing it are small). I guess my question is - are these hot loaded .357s "dangerous" to shoot from this gun in terms of the recoil, or is it just going to be a "handfull". I wouldn't carry them without practicing with them a bit at the range. My gut feeling says don't even consider it, but thought I'd see if anyone here had experience with it or thoughts on the subject.
Thanks
Now I realize that the +P and short barrel 357 Buffalo Bore rounds aren't going to be "fun" to shoot and will have considerable recoil - and that's fine, I've shot these guns before and handle them well and I am not recoil shy.
I do a lot of hiking (I'm in Southern NY State - so no grizzly bears here) and I plan to get a ruger SP101 fairly soon to use as a hiking carry gun. With this in mind I also purchased some of the .357 hard cast 180 grain from Buffalo Bore (1400 fps in a 4 " barrel I think) to load in the sp101 when I get it, which will not be for at least several months.
Here's my question: In the meantime, would it be crazy to load the 180 gr. hardcast in the M&P340CT to use as a hiking carry gun? (I like to carry something that could stop a large animal if need be - even though I realize the chances of needing it are small). I guess my question is - are these hot loaded .357s "dangerous" to shoot from this gun in terms of the recoil, or is it just going to be a "handfull". I wouldn't carry them without practicing with them a bit at the range. My gut feeling says don't even consider it, but thought I'd see if anyone here had experience with it or thoughts on the subject.
Thanks
