Just to be clear, DAdams, the stats in bold are from the factory load. The one reload that I am most enamored with, using AA#5 powder, averaged 851 fps in the 640--which is close enough to the 860 fps Speer would like to see with this bullet for effective expansion. Speer says that the Power Pistol recipe will duplicate the factory velocities--we shall see.
While these first tests are hardly conclusive, it does appear that the 340 might be 20 or 30 fps faster than the 640. The factory round averaged 880+ from the 640, but with a great ES and SD.
The reloads--mostly shot out of the 640, typically show the same kind of grouping the factory rounds do, albeit at different POAs. The load that hasn't been tested on the chrono yet that I am most curious about is the V.N350 load--that one is similar to the 340 results, and also to the same POA.
These short-barreled j-frames are capable of excellent accuracy if the shooter is up to it.
Various rounds were chrono'd just prior to dusk--and the only powder producing much flash was Power Pistol. However, I am not up on those issues yet, really.
The bottom line is, with the reloads I can spend 23 cents a shot if I use the Speer GDSB135JHP bullet, and about 11 cents a shot if I use a 140-gr. LTC bullet. That's a good savings that can be put to more practice.
Jim H.