I recently purchased a S&W 340PD for carry. I had been carrying a Glock 22 in an IWB holster but the weight and size of the 340PD was very appealing. I purchased it new for $590.
Right out of the box, I was amazed at the sheer weight of the thing. At 12 ounces unloaded, it's half the weight of my glock and a fraction of the weight of my 1911's. It can sit in the pocket of a pair of pajamas without any discomfort. With a decent pocket holster (in this case a Galco pocket holster) there were times when I've had to feel around just to make sure I still had it. Very pleased with the weight and carry-ability/concealment.
Before I took the pistol to the range, I had dry fired it numerous times to get a feel of the action. While I'm not new to pistols, this was the first revolver I've purchased. As I left to head out to the range, I dimmed the room lights to simulate a little "low-light exercise" when I noticed a few sparks in the barrel. With a bit futher inspection, I noticed that every time I pulled the trigger sparks would appear from the firing pin hole. This was made known to me as there was a large wall mirror in the room I was practicing in, not because I deliberately looked into the barrel. Nevertheless, I phoned S&W before leaving for the range and they told me that this wasn't normal and that they were sending me a Fedex packing slip so that I could send them the weapon back.
I was disappointed. I hadn't fired a single round and I was looking at shipping it back to the manufacturer already. I checked a few forums again and only found that someone else had the problem in the past--no resolution. Regardless, I took the gun to the range anyways.
Since I expected the 340PD to have a good amount of recoil, I only took with me 50 rounds (45 Winchester White Box 38 special, 5 Federal Hydrashok) and the pistol ate through all these without a problem (I suppose it is a revolver after all...)
At the time, the gun still had the factory grips on it (so the entire backstrap was exposed). Firing 150gr .38 special loads really wasn't too much of a problem for me (5'10" 170lbs). The recoil is pushes into your hand more than snapping your wrist upwards. I was able to shoot all 40 rounds comfortably and probably could have shot another box without much difficulty.
The 158gr .357 mag loads out of the 340PD is an entirely different story. These go off with a big boom and you feel it. A lot of people have described it as catching a fastball without a baseball glove and that's pretty much what it feels like, it smarts. However, I didn't cut me..it didn't bruise..and I didn't feel any different the next morning when I woke up. Yes I only fired 5 rounds, but this gun was not made to be a range gun anyways.
With a pair of overmolded rubber grips, felt recoil is significantly reduced (Currently using Crimson Trace laser grips). .357 mag is still not pleasant to shoot, but I can put a few cylinders down range at the end of my range time without feeling too bad about it.
For what it's worth, I got this particular pistol for CCW and can't be any happier with it. The weight allows you to carry it pretty much anywhere without having feel like you're carrying. With pocket/ankle/other holsters widely available, I have a carry setup for almost every situation and clothing attire I own.
While I wouldn't recommend this as a 1st gun or as a gun for beginners, I think most people with CCW in mind would enjoy this particular weapon.
Hope this helps and stay safe.
Right out of the box, I was amazed at the sheer weight of the thing. At 12 ounces unloaded, it's half the weight of my glock and a fraction of the weight of my 1911's. It can sit in the pocket of a pair of pajamas without any discomfort. With a decent pocket holster (in this case a Galco pocket holster) there were times when I've had to feel around just to make sure I still had it. Very pleased with the weight and carry-ability/concealment.
Before I took the pistol to the range, I had dry fired it numerous times to get a feel of the action. While I'm not new to pistols, this was the first revolver I've purchased. As I left to head out to the range, I dimmed the room lights to simulate a little "low-light exercise" when I noticed a few sparks in the barrel. With a bit futher inspection, I noticed that every time I pulled the trigger sparks would appear from the firing pin hole. This was made known to me as there was a large wall mirror in the room I was practicing in, not because I deliberately looked into the barrel. Nevertheless, I phoned S&W before leaving for the range and they told me that this wasn't normal and that they were sending me a Fedex packing slip so that I could send them the weapon back.
I was disappointed. I hadn't fired a single round and I was looking at shipping it back to the manufacturer already. I checked a few forums again and only found that someone else had the problem in the past--no resolution. Regardless, I took the gun to the range anyways.
Since I expected the 340PD to have a good amount of recoil, I only took with me 50 rounds (45 Winchester White Box 38 special, 5 Federal Hydrashok) and the pistol ate through all these without a problem (I suppose it is a revolver after all...)
At the time, the gun still had the factory grips on it (so the entire backstrap was exposed). Firing 150gr .38 special loads really wasn't too much of a problem for me (5'10" 170lbs). The recoil is pushes into your hand more than snapping your wrist upwards. I was able to shoot all 40 rounds comfortably and probably could have shot another box without much difficulty.
The 158gr .357 mag loads out of the 340PD is an entirely different story. These go off with a big boom and you feel it. A lot of people have described it as catching a fastball without a baseball glove and that's pretty much what it feels like, it smarts. However, I didn't cut me..it didn't bruise..and I didn't feel any different the next morning when I woke up. Yes I only fired 5 rounds, but this gun was not made to be a range gun anyways.
With a pair of overmolded rubber grips, felt recoil is significantly reduced (Currently using Crimson Trace laser grips). .357 mag is still not pleasant to shoot, but I can put a few cylinders down range at the end of my range time without feeling too bad about it.
For what it's worth, I got this particular pistol for CCW and can't be any happier with it. The weight allows you to carry it pretty much anywhere without having feel like you're carrying. With pocket/ankle/other holsters widely available, I have a carry setup for almost every situation and clothing attire I own.
While I wouldn't recommend this as a 1st gun or as a gun for beginners, I think most people with CCW in mind would enjoy this particular weapon.
Hope this helps and stay safe.