M&P340 after 1000 rounds...
A few days ago, I decided to (at least) remove the side plate of my 340 and do an inspection: nominally 1000 rounds have been fired through it, and I wanted to check things out.
This revolver has been carried daily for about nine months now--always in a Mika pocket holster, and typically in my right front pocket. Other than the comments mentioned earlier in this thread about cylinder binding from shooting reloads, I have had no complaints about it.
Typically, the rounds shot through it have either been the Speer GDSB 135-gr 38+P factory PD load (perhaps 100) rounds, or "Replica Reloads" of this cartridge that use a 140-gr. LTC bullet and either a 38 or 357 case charged with AA#5 powder to achieve the same subjective recoil. It has also had the Buffalo Bore 38+P+ load fired through it, (1020 fps, 158-gr. LSWC-HP), and the Speer 357 Magnum (970 fps) 135-gr factory round as well. I am recently starting to test fire other "replica reloads" of the FBI load using a 158-gr. LSWC-HP bullet. These latter rounds are stout, to say the least--but what DAdams said above (and I have said in earlier posts) about hand conditioning is the factor.
Even with that initial polishing by my 'smith, the action still feels a bit notchy--not like new, but not as smooth as my 640 (about 6000 of the same type of rounds fired)
The (aftermarket) CT grip is the third one--this one is beginning to also tear out at the lower left of the recoil pocket after 700 rounds or so; look closely and you may see it. CT has replaced them as needed, and I have no complaints.
If you put CT grips on, be sure to protect the lens while cleaning. It is a PITA to clean off the dried residue, as noted earlier in this thread.
Here's some pictures I took as I went over it...
1. Disassembly, four groups--
2. Close up: action, no cleaning done--
I was quite surprised at how little gunk was in the action. I freely spray degreaser (including original formula Gun Scrubber) and CLP, as well as use the Hoppes' "Elite" cleaning products recommended by S&W.
3. Close up: wear points on frame--
This wear appears to be entirely normal. The only one I hadn't noticed earlier was at the crane insertion point in the lower front. The "dots' you see on the frame are not missing finish, but dust, or hot spots in the camera CCD, BTW.
4: Left side: after cleaning and reassembly.
5. Right side: after cleaning and reassembly.
Although I still haven't located my feeler gauges, the fore-and-aft cylinder freeplay is still quite minimal, and I suspect it is still about .0005, which is what my gunsmith measured when he did the action job at about round 5.
As you can see, there really is no wear of the DLC finish, save for the wear spots at the cylinder and crane. The kind of indexing wear on the cylinder suggests to me that the pawl is burnished during the assembly process; something one rarely sees with standard assembly procedures.
BTW, these photos had no unusual "enhancement" from the camera (a Fuji F30) or in PSE--I simply cropped and adjusted some contrast, besides converting the image size to 144 dpi.
Jim H.
