S&W 342 vs 340

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_CY_

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Thinking of buying a S&W 342 or 340.. so far main difference seems to be 340 is 2 oz heavier

objective is to find the lightest revolver that can be comfortably carried and still fire a decent sized round.

.38 will be hottest round shot. do understand light weight and hot rounds equal pain.

340 is rated for .357... vs 342 is rated for .38 +P

so what's your opinion? 342 or 340?

pic: top is 340 ... bottom is 342

awww.gunblast.com_images_SW_340MP_DSC01530.jpg
 

4play

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the 340 looks better to me, plus if you ever decided you wanted to shoot 357 and they didnt feel that bad you could with the 340, it kinda looks like the grips on the 340 would fit better in tighter spots too.
 

_CY_

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thanks.... so far that's the conclusion I've come to also.

.357 to me is an invitation for pain in an ultra light weapon. way more important to hit what one is aiming... than size of hole.

saving a few hundred $$$ helps too...

next question is how important is the concealed hammer option vs exposed hammer.

Sorry don't have models numbers, but other Titanium S&W J frames have been produced with exposed hammers.

how important is it to find a 342 with concealed hammer vs an equally cool S&W 360 .357 (pictured below). seems 329 PD's .44 loaded would weight too much for my purposes.

[Broken External Image]

buy the 342, it is several hundred dollars cheaper and all you'll ever shoot is 38s anyway
 

mln1963

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Does a 1 7/8" barrel even give a 357 enough room to build enough pressure to make it that much more effective than a 38 +P?? Has anyone seen a chronograph comparing the two from a snubbie? I haven't but would like to.
 

backspur

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You get the best of both worlds! A snag free draw with the hump back's shrouded hammer, and the ability to fire single action if you wanna.

Plus, you get a big 'ol pocket full of humpback ugliness. :wink2:

I'm a firm beliver in the hammerless persuasion. It is the most compact and snagfree. Single action in close range personal defense gun seems pointless to me. If you do decide to go hammerless you might consider the 442/642. It's a couple of ounces heavier than the 340 or 342, but also a couple hundred dollars cheaper.
 

Glock 'em down

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Plus, you get a big 'ol pocket full of humpback ugliness. :wink2:

I'm a firm beliver in the hammerless persuasion. It is the most compact and snagfree. Single action in close range personal defense gun seems pointless to me. If you do decide to go hammerless you might consider the 442/642. It's a couple of ounces heavier than the 340 or 342, but also a couple hundred dollars cheaper.

Ah! But here's what most folks never think of.

The Smith & Wesson J frame is a tough little guy to master. It's harder than hell to hit a bull in the butt with a bass fiddle with the damned things. Especially with the DAO Centennial models.

But with the Bodyguard, you can run a box or two of ammo thru it, firing SINGLE ACTION until you get used to the mighty J's recoil and finding it's sights. Once you establish where the little guy is hitting, you can then start firing in DOUBLE ACTION mode, and then...viola'! You realize that after shooting 60 or 70 rounds in SA, you don't flinch every time you fire in DA mode, hence your patterns don't change on you that much, if at all.

85% of a weapon's accuracy relies on flinch factor. If you don't flinch when firing a fixed sight revolver, the slug will go where you want it to go.
 

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