Range Report S&W 940

C

Coltdriver

New member
I picked up a NIB S&W 940 this AM. Went straight to the range to give it a try.

This is a Centennial style, concealed hammer, 5 shot, J frame 9mm revolver. It uses moon clips to position the 9mm case.

First the subjective part. I love it. Now for the rest.

I brought 100 rounds of Winchester 9mm range ammo (115g), a box of 50 Federal nyclads (124g) and about 30 rounds of some gun show reloads(125g).

The Winchester worked great. The nyclads would not fit! I can't use them. The cases were just long enough to bind the cylinder with or without the moonclip. The gun show reloads swelled up and made extraction difficult so I only shot one clip of them.

The moon clips are not that big of a pain, just different. To strip them I used the end of a pen that was handy. Worked fine and was easy to do. I have a moon clip stripper on the way. I just loaded up 6 or 7 of them, shot em then stripped them and reloaded.

I have not shot a j frame much at all (shot my wifes airweight four years ago) and I was a little concerned about both recoil and accuracy.

Recoil turns out to be stout but very comfortable (this gun weighs about 20 oz) and second shots were easy to do. So my concerns about follow up shots were erased. I could easily blast off five rounds very quickly and hit center of mass in a six inch circle just point shooting. After the 100 rounds of Winchester there were no lingering effects on my hand.

As to accuracy I found myself initially shooting to the left about three to four inches. This is attributable to the fairly heavy double action only pull on the gun. With a little concentration and a tighter grip I could bulls eye easily at 15 feet and the sights (just a notch and a fixed blade) aimed exactly where it shot to. I don't think sights are worth having on a self defense carry gun and I practice point shooting for this reason. I believe that if you have time to aim using sights then you have time to run.

One thing that I like about double action guns is that they cause me to tighten my grip and this naturally gives me more consistent results.

If you can get your hands on one of these I think you will probably like it. The ballistics of a 9mm out of a J frame are very close to a .357 out of a j frame without all of the flash and punishing recoil. The moon clips make loading a piece of cake and very quick to do. Fits my pocket fine, for winter clothing it can ride there. In the summer an IWB will be used.

Looks like I will have to experiment a bit to find an acceptable carry ammo but other than that I am glad to have found one of these unique S&W's.
 
Did you get the 2" or the 3"? I have the snub. I also like my 940 (you're going to love the demooner tool, btw). I think it's a fine, reliable, small repeating firearm of decent power, and I find it to very well suit many of my carry needs.

Interesting about the Nyclads. I've found that Blazer ammo also binds in the cylinder, at least in mine. I've heard a lot about +P rounds being a problem with this, so I've never used them.

I run a lot of rounds through the 940, both to stay proficient (because I carry it a lot - it's pretty small and works well in either an IWB or a front-pocket holster) and because the ammo is cheap. Even so, I wouldn't say mine is a particularly accurate snub. Mine has had an action job (done by the gunsmith/store owner who first owned it) and is pretty smooth, but has the full-weight springs. Nevertheless, I find I'm usually doing 2-3" groups at 10 yards, and it's very difficult and unusual for me to go under 2" (whereas with most semiautos and other revolvers I'm able to get groups in the 1" range at that distance).

For me, it has become one of those not-fun guns that are just excellent tools. (If you need extra moon clips, you might do a search on "Ranch Products" of Melinta, Ohio - I've posted the address before - they set me up right.) I'm glad I have it, and I hope to have it forever.
 
Glad you like it, Coltdriver

My brother had one, very accurate but it really tore his hands up. He tried rubber and wood grips, but it still gave him blisters. I just bought a 640, haven't had a chance to shoot it yet, but when I do it won't be 357 rounds! :eek: I'm a recoil wimp:o
 
I got the 2 inch barrel.

After checking tonight it turns out that my Triton Quik Shok will not fit but the Pro Load rounds will. RBCD also fits.

The description of this one being a good tool is right on. Plenty of punch, easy to carry. Might get shot from time to time. I will get enough rounds through it to get my point shooting dialed in reliably with it.

This one has the Uncle Mikes boot grips on it which are about as small as they come. Even with this small area to grab I found the recoil totally acceptable and manageable.

I have a .40 I am selling because the recoil on it is, for me, just too much to handle and be accurate with.

I'm saving for an N frame next but this one is definitely a keeper.
 
Yeah, the 940 is a dandy. If there's a round you prefer to shoot that won't enter the chamber completely, send it back to S&W to ream the chambers deeper. I had to. Hated to wait for it to get back, but it was worth the wait. Didn't think there were any NIB 940's left. Take care of those moon clips. They're the key to the whole thing. Fastest reload of all the revolvers out there.
 
i've shot both the 640 and 940. for me the gun was great,and the addition of Spegel boot grips made it even better.
i'd like to see this design on an L frame snubby;say the 686+. i'm not a fan of moon clips,but i'll bet a 5-shot 45ACP would do well on the 686 format.
 
God what timing! :D I just saw the 940 I stumbled across in WYO on my little sales trip again. I was ready to work something out with him and he started to slam my little SP that you all know about! Its a shame the guy has such a nice gun....it almost makes me want to do business with him.......
Id love to own one! Shoot well
 
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