S&W j-frame questions

R

Rule 303

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I just bought a 340PD (my first revolver) and have some questions for you more experienced guys out there.

It doesn't say anything about this in the gun's manual, but the barrel says "no less than 120 GR bullet". Why? What would be the consequences if I did fire a lighter bullet?

This gun has an integral lock built into it, that is activated via a small pin like key. I wasn't aware of this feature when I bought the gun. It seems rather lame to me. I find it hard to imagine a scenario where it would be of use. The only one I can come up with is if I were away from home, needed to leave the gun somewhere (outside of a safe) and needed to "make the gun safe" (in case it was found by a kid, etc...). In that (very unlikely) scenario I suppose it could be argued that I could unload the gun, turn on the lock, then hide the gun. My main objection to this scenario is that I'm strongly in favor of CONTROLING THE GUN AT ALL TIMES! I think the gun should either be on my person, or locked in a safe. But I suppose it is conceivable that I'd be caught in this situation. Anyway thought I'd troll for suggestions, in case there is some situation I'm not thinking of where this thing would be a benefit.

Last question, appologies if this has been beat to death already... should I carry .38's or .357's in this gun when I carry for personal defense?
 
1) I believe it has something to do with excessive flame-cutting on the alloy frame from hot 110gr .357 loads, little sheet metal shield notwithstanding.

2) The lock is fairly pointless. None of my Smiths have one, and the solution is to leave the key in the box and forget that the gun is equipped with one of these useless gizmos. There are some states which require one, however, so they are a fact of life for Smith, Rossi, Taurus, Springfield, Walther (some), HK (some), Remington (not anymore!) and Glock (some) owners.

3) That's between you and your wrist. I personally think that .357's out of a J-frame are needlessly punishing, and that good .38's work just fine. Other folks are just fine with the fire-breathing magnums out of their flyweight pocket rockets. Only experimentation on your part will tell you which group you fall into.
 
Winchester sells a decent .38spl +P hollow point load at Wal-Mart for a good price.See if your gun likes it.I'd definitely use +P if its rated for it.
 
The warning about bullet weight concerns "bullet pull". or the fact that light bullets can jump the crimp, move forward, and tie up the gun.

Use what ammo that you shoot the best.

I tested the lock on my 340SC, found that it worked, put it in the box, and put the box away. If I ever decide to sell the gun, the key will go with it.

John
 
Bullets jumping crimp is an issue of heavy bullets, not light bullets. Tamara is probably right about holding down the flame cutting effects of the hot 110s.
 
Thanks for the info. So that's what that little metal shield is for! I'm guessing the flame cutting is probably the correct answer, but I think I'll try and contact S&W to confirm (and recommend that they mention it in their manual!). The manual does talk about checking for the crimp issue, but since it doesn't mention bullet weight... probably isn't the source of the 120 gr requirement.

New questions: Fired the gun for the first time yesterday. Was using generic CCI Blazers in 158 gr round nose. On about the 7th round fired, the trigger failed to reset. I ended up jostling the cylinder a little, and then the trigger reset. Fired about 150 more rounds (mostly CCI but some gold dots in .38 and .357 too) without further problems. What's up with this?! Is this a normal "teething pain" or do I need to have the gun looked at? I chose a revolver partly for its vaunted reliability. Didn't want a jamb in a self defense situation. Am not happy with this behavior.

Second question. After zeroing my laser grips for the 158 gr CCI's, switched to the 125 gr gold dots. At 21' they had a POI about 2" lower than the CCI's. The CCI's are cheap, and will allow me to practice a lot (which I feel is important), but it seems stupid to end up carrying something that will not hit what I aim at. Seems to me the best way to resolve this dilemma is to get carry ammo that has the same POI. Based on an earlier thread, I assume I do this by going to the same bullet weight. Any recommendations on self defense loads that will mimmic the CCI's? Any other suggestions on how to solve this? Thanks.
 
158 gr +P LSWC HP's are available from Win and Rem; those'll be close. CCI's new Gold Dot is s'posed to have roughly the same POI as the 158 +P from what I understand, so you might try those. You might be able to find some Fed 158 gr +P Nylcads, too.
 
If your revolver is brand new then tear it down and give it a good cleaning (a good idea for any new firearm). There may be some small machining chips floating around in the action tying it up.
You can find the same bullet weight you plan to use as your carry ammo in a practice ammo, or just set your laser sights for your carry ammo and then accept the fact that your practice ammo will shoot high.
 
I encountered the same trigger reset problem with my new 340Sc. Problem went away with some dry firing. You could take it apart but I don't recommend it. I have read on this and other forums that it can be tricky to properly remove the sideplate.

Jeff
 
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