S&W 342

Unfortunately renting is not a possibility here. I might be able to track down someone with one though, they are the best-selling revolver these days.

Sounds like the 342 is worth quite a bit more than even a new 642 (MSRP ~$400).
 
Well that was interesting

Did some more shooting with the 342. I noticed that the 158gr +P LSWCHP have less recoil than my reloads; I will address this (I think I know why), but for now its a reassuring sign. While the +Ps were still not pleasant to shoot, they were a lot closer, and I'd consider keeping the gun now. Especially if I find a standard pressure load that is effective.

Crimp jump did not cause the cylinder to lock up (though I only shot a few cylinders full). However, the bullets did get pulled slightly. Picture attached.
 

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Other than shooting several boxes of it, looking at the picture I posted, do you think it is safe to carry that ammo? There is a huge safety margin before the bullets would bind up the cylinder, and it doesn't seem like they are pulling very far.
 
I've got a scandium model 340Sc with the titanium cylinder (.357 mag). I clean the cylinder with Breakfree CLP and a toothbrush, never a bronze brush. The barrel on my pistol is marked no bullets less than 125 grains, this to avoid bullets pulling due to inertia. I haven't tried lead bullets but usually shoot the 135 grain Gold Dots in .38 Spl due to the extreme recoil of the .357 round. The only setback I've experienced was when I tried to shoot CCI snake shot loads through the revolver and the shot capsules popped right out and I had to push them back in with my finger. I would experiment with any load at the range to determine reliability before using them as a carry load.
 
A fellow once told me that the used gun cases in his area were full of .357 Scandium J-frames, each with a box of 47 rounds of .357 ammo. Apparently it takes 3 rounds to convince the owners that a super-light .357 is not a good idea.

Jim
 
Scotch,

I honestly don't know if those rounds are safe to fire (the ones with set back) but I wouldn't do it. Maybe some else can chime in.
 
I think I'll invest in a box of the 135gr Speers. Seems like a good compromise between super lightweight and moderate recoil, and they are jacketed so they should be ok.

Honestly with a revolver I'm less concerned about testing the carry ammo so I think a 20 round box will be plenty to test and then load the gun and a speedloader.
 
- whoops, you already knew what jumping crimp was. That's what i get for reading in a hurry. I'm not sure how many rounds the affected cartridge in your picture went through - was that round saved as the last out of a cylinder of 5? If you want to do more testing you could see how the pulling is after 8 rounds or so. I don't know what the universal rule of thumb is but personally I consider a round that survives almost 2 cylinders without jumping crimp enough to jam to be fairly unlikely to cause trouble in just 1 cylinder full.
 
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That was the fifth round, so it endured four rounds' worth of recoil.

I bought a box of Hornady Custom 125gr non +P. I'll run a few through and see what happens. Good idea on running the same round through multiple cylinders' to be sure, I'll do that.
 
ScotchMan said:
That was the fifth round, so it endured four rounds' worth of recoil.

I bought a box of Hornady Custom 125gr non +P. I'll run a few through and see what happens. Good idea on running the same round through multiple cylinders' to be sure, I'll do that.
Click to expand...

The Hornady standard pressure are a good choice.
 
Just picked up a 342-1 il for $450 FTF. Low use & no wear.
I'm super happy. It's tighter than new J-frames.
This morning, I ordered a DeSantis clip-grip & Wolf spring kit.
I plan to stoke it with BB 20c/20 Lead SWC-HC (850fps/M.E. 253 ft. lbs.).

I used this rd in my 642 b4 I sold it.

**I wander if can can clean the Ti cylinder with Ballistol safely?
 
An old favorite in lightweight revolvers is Federal's 125gr standard pressure NyClad. This loading reportedly has very mild recoil and the dead soft lead construction of it supposedly expands well even at low velocity. The downside is that, in the gelatin tests I've seen, penetration is a touch on the shallow side (about 10") but that's a judgment call on your part. Another loading you may look into is Hornady's 110gr Critical Defense. Due to the construction of the bullet, it seems to be able to penetrate decently while still expanding reliably (doing both is problematic for most 110gr .38 Special loads).
 
Stock trigger pull was 13.5#
I deleted the IL

8BA83887-C839-49CC-AD55-39EDF0171666-1720-000003309BF52A69.jpg


Sanded it flat with 2000 grit wet sand-paper.
 
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