Customer Reviews for Smith & Wesson Model 340 Personal Defense 357 Magnum Revolver
Buy Now
I recommend Bud's...awesome service and fast delivery!
This weapon fits the bill for EDC PDW better than anything else I've found.
This was engineered by S&W to be a featherweight .357 magnum. With that said, if you plan on only shooting .38 Special, buy something else.
Because it is so light (11.8 OZ unloaded) you could imagine that it has stiff recoil. That is an understatement. When shooting hot .357 magnum loads, it is unpleasant to shoot. I don't know what else to compare it too because you won't find something this powerful that is also this light.
Pros: Absolute dream to carry. Light weight and doesn't print as much as a a pistol.
Cons: Barrel is flippy due to the power. Recoil as mentioned above is impressive. Stiff recoil can work screws loose-use a thread-lock on ejector rod and thumb piece. Perhaps the biggest con is the fact that S&W insists that bullet weight must no lighter than 120gr.
Full disclosure: I also replaced the springs (mainspring & rebound) to improve the double action only trigger.
Best advice I could give comes in two parts:
#1 Replace the factory grips with something more ergonomic (I chose Delta Grips).
#2 Shoot .38 special on the first trip to the range. Work on your presentation and trigger control until you have developed your confidence. Think of it as a first date.
Once you better understand the type of relationship you are in, then it is appropriate to put in the .357 Mags.
The good news is this is something that will be easy to clean because you are never going to put a lot of rounds through it at the range. 15-20 and you are good. Just to get past the recoil flinch.
The sharp recoil impulse is best managed by good grips, a good grip and a good stance. It is certainly unpleasant but manageable. With all the negatives, this is my go-to EDC weapon. I have known several friends that bought one, shot it and promptly sold it. I would not part with mine. Very well made and well engineered. It had to be to handle magnum loads. Because of that, it will cost you more. but in my book it is worth it.
Accuracy is acceptable for the short barrel length. You aren't going to be taking head shots at 50M with this. That being said; inside of 7 meters it is a different story, what you don't center punch you will set on fire. The flame exiting the barrel is impressive at indoor ranges. My friends refer to this as the noisy cricket. This revolver garners more astonished looks at the range than any other handgun I own. Remember EDC PDW.




