2300 rounds. That is a week at Roger’s Shooting School. Not a big deal through most Modern Service Weapons. Through a Smith and Wesson J frame, 2300 rounds is a metric crap load. I think that it is fair to assume that most J frames are carried a lot, but shot not so much.
A few SHOT shows ago, Randy Lee, Scott Folk and I were discussing the new J frame trigger kits that were in development. I decided to purchase a J frame to be the primary test gun.
Well, a little history is in order. I have had a sketchy history of J frame ownership. I like the gun. I hate shooting it. I had a 642 that a buddy and I traded back and forth about 20 times over a five year period. It had the plastic Crimson Trace grips on it. And after about 15 rounds down range, I found myself wondering why I like it. Also, the narrow front sight on the factory 642 is a bit hard for me to use. So, when I purchased this J frame for T&E, I went with the 340 mainly because of the huge front sight. The other problem I have had with the J frames in the past is the 125 pound trigger pull that many come from the factory with. The Apex J Frame kit cured this.
Scott Folk is on record as having shot the first 605 rounds through the gun, with a lot of that shot over a two day period. November 2011, I shot 185 rounds of Remington 125 grain +P in a couple of hours at a firearm’s instructor school. Those are two of the high round count days on record. It should also be noted at this point that the gun has had over 900 rounds of .38 Special +P, and 60 rounds of .357 Magnum down range. I am not recoil sensitive by any means, but the magnums are no fun what so ever to shoot.
How has it held up? The most notable problem I have encountered is shortly after I shot all that Remington Plus P in November 2011, I noticed the tritium front sight was out. The fine folks at Smith and Wesson have told me to send it in and they would gladly fix it. The little gun has very little end shake. It is still fairly tight. There have been zero malfunctions.
Earlier, I mentioned my previous rocky relationships with the J frame. This gun is different. Since I got it, with the notable exception of shooting .357 Magnums out of it, it has been a pleasure to shoot. I front pocket carry it on my days off as a back up to a Glock of some sort. Up till last week when I purchased a new Gen4 Glock 26, it was my primary back up gun at work. And I never felt under gunned.
I think the Smith and Wesson 340 is the cream of the crop in the J frame line. This little gun has served me well, and it isn’t going anywhere.
Great article. I’ve had my 340PD Scandium for more than 10-years now. The current round count is only around 650-rounds. Unfortunately, mine actually broke at 448-rounds when it was less than 2-years old. For some reason the trigger stopped working. The fine folks at Smith & Wesson repaired it without any fuss.
I bought this revolver for use as a BUG when I was still a Volunteer Deputy. It was the perfect weight for carrying in an ankle holster while on duty. It has also served me well as my “walk around” house gun.
I recently discovered that the relatively new Speer “Short Barrel” ammo is much easier to shoot despite the light weight. This is what I carry in this revolver nowadays. I have also discovered just how accurate this revolver is. If I did my part, I was able to hit my “Q” silhouette steel target at 100-yards.
I had the same experiences with small revolvers… Then I tried an LCR and fell in love with it. I’ve never fired a Smith that shot as good as the Ruger did. The trigger is better, and the recoil absorbing frame and grip really do their job. I carry it every day as a backup in my support side front pocket- and I’ve fired over 1,200rds of .38 through it.
I have about 900 of +P through my LCR. I find it far more comfortable to shoot. I really like my M&P 340, but I prefer the LCR. Although, neither has ever given me a problem so I would be happy to carry either one.
I have got to agree myself. I love the little J-Frame myself. I haven’t put that many rounds through mine but enough to say it is a pretty sweet thing.