Shot my friends S&W 340pd (11.4 oz) .357 Revolver. - Page 2

orionengnr · September 22, 2012, 05:52 PM

Before I bought my first Scandium J-frame (M360) I read a number of comments about the recoil. The most imaginative was something along the lines of:

Quote:

Go to a junkyard and find a late 60s full size GM four-door sedan (Olds, Buick, Cadillac). Open a door. Place your hand in the door jamb, and slam the door. Now, do it again.

I bought one anyway...as a matter of fact, at one point, I owned one 360 and two 340s. I did not pay more than $450 for any of them--each looked brand new--probably one cylinder (or maybe one round

) was enough to convince the original owners. Using "real" .357 Mag ammo, that description wasn't far off.

I developed a pretty good flinch, and never totally overcame it, even using .38 Spl+P. I sold each...these days I kind of wish I had hung onto one. Or not.

My 55-y.o. wrists would not appreciate that recoil. In fact, when asked, I usually say, "I sold the last one about six years ago...and my wrist still hurts."

spaniel · September 22, 2012, 06:23 PM

I own a 329PD. I've been told the .357 version kicks worse.

It really depends what grips you shot it with. My 329 with the stock wood grips or even the stock rubber grips, versus after I put on 500SW grips, was night and day. I can shoot several cylinders of top end 240s now with no bad effects, but I will say I would not go over 300gr bullets even for bears....it would effectively become a single shot as you would never get it back on target before the bear was on you.

I very much enjoy shooting it with mid range (1100-1200ish fps) 240gr loads. It's just a little harder to hold tight groups than it would be with its steel cousin.

September 22, 2012, 06:23 PM	#27
spaniel Senior Member Join Date: November 26, 2008 Posts: 217	I own a 329PD. I've been told the .357 version kicks worse. It really depends what grips you shot it with. My 329 with the stock wood grips or even the stock rubber grips, versus after I put on 500SW grips, was night and day. I can shoot several cylinders of top end 240s now with no bad effects, but I will say I would not go over 300gr bullets even for bears....it would effectively become a single shot as you would never get it back on target before the bear was on you. I very much enjoy shooting it with mid range (1100-1200ish fps) 240gr loads. It's just a little harder to hold tight groups than it would be with its steel cousin.