Ideal .40 S&W Revolver
If you can find one, buy the S&W L frame in .40 S&W, if not buy the N frame. Either way you will have great full-size revolver. I sold my 646 because I did not need it, but I certainly appreciated it qualities. I often wondered if it was strong enough for 10 mm and if I had felt the need to keep it would have risked attempting conversion using a steel cylinder. I already own and shoot revolvers that use ammunition they were not designed for but have the inherent strength to use when properly modified. I will not say what they are because I would not want anyone to improperly modify a gun and sue me. My guns were modified by very experienced specialists. I recommend you find one if you attempt a conversion.
Is their anyone else out there who would like to have a .40 S&W revolver the size and weight of a S&W 340 Sc? I don't know if the current J frame is large enough but if it is, I would hope that it could be made with a cylinder only long enough to chamber .40 S&W to save weight and allow for a longer barrel without a longer O.A.L. I currently own a 340 Sc and find it to be nearly ideal for CCW when wearing my usual attire because its 15 oz loaded weight, unlike my Glock 27's 29 oz loaded weight, allows for comfortable and discreet pocket carry in light weight clothing. One complaint I have about the 340 Sc is that after rapid fire of full power .357, immediate extraction is very difficult. I usually have to allow 3 seconds for cooling to cause the long .357 cases to contract before attempting extraction. I think shorter .40 S&W cases would not require this even if the chamber pressures are the same as .357 mag. Speaking of rapid fire, the recoil I have heard many complain about is manageable for me. However I am an experience shooter, with stronger then average hand strength, who weighs over 200 lb, and I use good technique. With the caveat that someone having hand and wrist strength sufficient to prevent physical damage, good technique is the single most important requirement for wielding these revolvers, strength and weight are icing on the cake.
In a world devoid of semiautomatics, a properly set up Webley would be the best full-size self-defence handgun. More on that later.
