Who here has shot an S&W 340PD? (Airweight .357)

[Marvin KNox]

+ 1 on the 340 M&P. All of the pluses and none of the minus of the 340 PD. And for less money.

It’s what I bought. I haven’t regretted it for a minute. It’s my one and only gun.

I wasn’t an experienced shooter. But I read all of the threads on the light snubs and was ready for whatever it took to master it. It takes a strong grip and determination. But anyone can do it.

I’ve shot the entire spectrum of ammo now. It ranges from lightweight .38’s at around 700fps on up to the full house Double Tap stuff at 1400fps out of the 1 and 7/8” barrel.

I’ve gotten so I enjoy shooting magnums. But my follow up shots are better with reduced recoil low to mid-strength magnums as opposed to the full house loadings.

I now shoot the DPX magnums for carry. They are expensive – but you only have to buy a box or two for life, once you’ve decided that they will be you carry loads. I’ve found somewhat reduced .357 reloads from Mastercast that recoil and impact very similarly at self defense distances to the DPX ammo. I have to fire very few of the expensive rounds.

I practice with .38’s and the reloaded .357’s.

I bought the 340 because I knew I wanted to end up carrying .357’s. It was a wise choice.

The magnum DPX have half again the energy of the .38+p’s from Speer (very nice ammo and probably adequate for self defense if you later decide to stick with them). On the other side of looking at things– they are only around 2/3 of the energy of the hottest Double Taps that I occasionally shoot. I get a lot more power than the .38+p’s and a lot more controllability than the full house .357’s. I’m happy all the way around.

I take it that you aren’t afraid of the price of the 340 so why not get one or better yet the M&P model?

You’ll be glad you did.

Don’t let the horror stories scare you.

If you do you’ll miss the insane pleasure of slipping a cylinder full of high velocity magnums in the gun when a friend asks if he can shoot your snubbie. Gosh - I love those very special times.

 

[Dr. Snubnose]

I have shot over 30,000 rounds of .145 grain Winchester Silvertips in .357 mag. thru my 340PD, recoil is stout but not all that scary...If you get one I suggest you wear a shooters glove for a few weeks to get used to it...then it should be OK....Doc

 

[Lucky Strike]

I'm in the process of buying a 642 and when i first decided i wanted one I went to the range in hopes of finding one or something comparable to rent before I buy. Well the only thing they had similar was a 340 and the very first shot with just regular .38spl left me with a bloody thumb knuckle from the cylinder release. I finished off the box but it did make me second guess buying a snubnose just for a bit. I can't imagine shooting .357 outta the thing.

 

[Tifosi]

This is a personal protection weapon, you ain't shooting it everyday unless you live in a really bad neighborhood then I would suggest you move cause the odds will catch up with you eventually. I have a 340PD going on three years, its in my pocket almost everyday, it aint no range gun. Yes I do practice with it and to me it not bad. For playing at the range in 357 I have a 627-VComp. Stop whinning if you don't want to deal with it as it's intended, buy a slingshot, it probably has the amount of recoil you might want to deal with, but a sling shot will definately take up more room in your pocket but you don't have to leave home to practice.

 

[alistaire]

I'm considering getting a small, light revolver and I've been looking at the S&W Airweight 340PD which is chambered in .357 mag. I've never shot one but I'm curious to know what it's like. Are they pretty uncontrolable?

I've thought about the .38 but I'm not sure if I trust a bullet that small. What's the stopping power like of a +P .38 round?

This is not a good first gun. Really. It is also NOT a target gun.

The 340 is a last-ditch-save-your-life gun. If you are ever attacked, instead of being found dead in the morning, you will be standing there shaking your hand saying "AWW..." surrounded by dead bad guys when the police arrive.

I recomment the 340M&P because the tritium sights are much better in low light. If you have not mastered the J-frame and it's trigger, also get a 317 (22LR) for practice. You can shoot the 317 all day for $10 worth of .22LR and no pain. I oocasionally shoot .38s out of the 340 just to remember what it is like.

As for the size of the bullets, .38 and .257 bullets are the same diameter.