Well for what it's worth, I woke this morning having not a clue that later today was I to buy myself a used Smith and Wesson all stainless J frame Model 60 in .357 Magnum, no lock, with a forged hammer and trigger. I'm sure many of you know the story, you're in a gun shop, and there it is, something you've been wanting for a long time. I've been wanting a "no lock" old school J frame Model 60 in .357 for years now, but I tend to avoid online auctions, the experienced among you know how that goes. I actually went to the shop to see if they still had that used 340 M&P "no lock" I saw a few months ago but it was gone, odd, because most people I know regret buying 340 series guns. The beauty of buying them used is that you can believe the seller when he says he has "very few rounds through it".
The Model 60 I bought today was used but apparently not abused, lock up was as good as any factory new gun I've checked, finish wasn't new looking but it was acceptable. These guns are becoming scarce, and best of all, I get to shoot BUFFALO BORE THERMONUCLEAR .357 AMMO through this gun! Buffalo Bore recommends against their hotter ammo being fired in the 340 series due to crimp jump. Now that I will be able to fire single action, I can once again pursue my new hobby of shooting .357 snubbies out to 100 yards and beyond. I attempted to step in this direction with my 340PD but I was averaging only 2-3 shots out of five even hitting the paper at a lousy 25 yards. I have no doubt that the reason is the 250 pound trigger pull on the 340 series, and I had the further limitation of the blade front sight of the PD rather than the XS dot of the M&P.
While I prefer the 340 series guns over the all stainless 60, the 60 has its place in my world and it really isn't a heavy gun, it's as light as a Glock 19 or little heavier than the new S&W Shield, the catalog says it's 22.6 ounces or nearly twice as heavy as the 340PD but as light as the medium framed polymer Glocks, that should put things in perspective. I'm pretty stoked about being able to shoot thermonuclear power level .357 rounds through it, if I was to tolerate full bore .357 Magnum 158 grain ammo in my 11 oz. 340PD I have no doubt that the same or more powerful ammo will be tolerable in the 60.
Here is a photo I found online of the Model 60:
http://www.retting.com/b/sw603572u461.jpg
Hivel1, go shoot your 351PD, I have a Smith and Wesson 43C which is basically the 340 M&P in .22 LR caliber and it is FUN to shoot. I have read that the .22 Mag version is also immense fun and probably more so because you still have fairly affordable ammo but with lots more power in .22 Mag (about 20% more from charts I found on the net), even out of the snub barrel, I posted some chronograph results I found on the net somewhere between page 65 and 69. The day I shot my 340PD, I put 37 rounds through the 340 and over 200 rounds through the 43C, the little guns are fun and I have no doubt you will enjoy shooting it!
Okay, though this post focused on a Smith and Wesson 60 in .357 it is still a brother to the 340 series, an ultra compact highly concealable J frame Smith and Wesson holding 5 shots of potent .357 Magnum ammunition, and I DID buy the gun because I went to the shop in hopes of finding their 340 M&P still there so I could buy it. So hopefully I haven't stepped on any toes and I look forward to giving you all my range report for an all steel J frame .357 soon enough after I pick up the gun!
YMMV.