I just got back my 340PD from S&W for warranty repair (27 days mailbox to mailbox, btw). I sent it in because the crane arm was coming apart... The yoke was pushing through the crane. Check the pic:



I also had some cylinder erosion, even though I never fired anything less than 120gr through it. This is ALL that was ever fired through the gun before I noticed the cylinder erosion:

20rds Remington Golden Saber 125gr
35rds Hornady Critical Defense 125gr
35rds Armscor USA 158gr FMJ



Once I noticed the erosion, I decided to never shoot the 125gr through the 340PD again, and picked up some Barnes Vor-tx 140gr and Speer Gold Dot 158gr. I put 20rds of each brand through it, and didn't notice any more erosion, but the crane arm was continuing to come apart.

I could've lived with the cylinder erosion but not the crane arm issue. Anyway, I got the 340PD back today and took it straight to the range. I only managed 10rds of the 158gr Gold Dots before I called it quits and switch to my Glock 17.



The recoil was noticeably stiffer than before; probably has to do with the wood grips. I may carry the 140gr Barnes instead...

Anyway, just wanted to share my experience with the known issue of titanium cylinder erosion. Maybe S&W needs to revise their disclaimer to not shoot anything less than 130gr through the titanium cylinder .357s.

What has everyone else's experience been?

I hate to see this on your gun. I was gonna get the PD, but I'm gonna get the M&P instead. As bad as I wanted the PD, it seems like the Ti cylinder is too finiky.

Does anyone know what the coating is? I'm sure S&W did plenty of R&D on the coating, but I would thing there is something better out there. As many different coatings as there is for carbide tooling, it seems something along those lines would be good.

I saw a reference to Taurus warning not to shoot bullets in titanium guns lighter than 125 grain due to erosion. It appears that 125 gr bullets are bad for this, too.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

The only Magnum ammunition I have used in mine is 125 gr. I haven't had any issues yet. But, time will tell.

I'd really like either of the new 9mm offerings, but have been weary of the damn titanium cylinder. Why do they only offer it in titanium?

Since Titanium is lighter than steel, the cylinder has less rotational mass (weight) which translates to a lighter and smoother trigger feel. Sounds like BS but it is true and you can definitely feel the difference.


To the OP, it is too expensive for practice ammo, but for carry I suggest the 135gr Gold Dot Short Barrel.

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Accuracy supercedes Speed

Shoot 38 Special the magnum just wastes powder and blinds/deafens you for a negligible increase in velocity. My 342PD is doing fine(can't believe they discontinued it, even lighter too).

I really wish I could find the magnums "in stock" somewhere.

I had a scandium 360 and my friend had the PD version, I thought my gun was beyond light, his was noticeably more light. Maybe it's the D that I received in HS Chemistry but maybe it's too light.

I think there is only 1.9 oz difference. But yeah, it is surprisingly noticeable.

I can't find any in stock right now either. I think they make it in batches so it comes and goes. Keep checking regularly and sooner or later you will find some. Then it is best to stock up.

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Accuracy supercedes Speed

I can't imagine why anyone would want to shoot full load 357's in an 11 oz gun. Only 357's I ever buy are the remington 125's. Don't plan on shooting them In that gun. Strictly + p for me.
JR

I can't imagine why anyone would want to only shoot +P's in a .357 gun. To each their own.

Which 125gr Magnums are you shooting?

Thanks, I considered them, but couldn't find any locally or for a decent price online. My online shopping cart has a weird tendency to grow larger and larger to offset the shipping cost...

I'd like to see a 125gr+ .38 +P that gets 1200fps out of a snubby. Do you shoot your .38 +Ps without ear protection? It will ring your ears just like a .357 Magnum will.

I have the .44 mag pd model but havn't fired it yet.Being so light I would only use it for carry and not a regular range gun.The cylinder has a dark line where the hot gasses are directed from the little piece of stainless against the forcing cone.Whats the deal for that? Anyone know? The line is about 1/4" from the cylinder end.

Got any pics? Can't think of why there'd be a line on the cylinder of an unfired gun.

A .25 Auto makes my ears ring if I am stupid enough not to wear them, confused on your point. .38 Special +P max. 20000 PSI .357 Magnum max. 35000 PSI, louder it sounds to me too. Mag Safe makes one that is around 1300-1400FPS for a 2".
What is the load you are talking about.
Longer the barrel with in reasonable constraints more velocity. Why, better propellant burn, do you really think that huge muzzle flash is doing anything to get that bullet to its target faster?

You made the point that .357Mag is a waste over .38Spl because it blinds/deafens you. Now you make the point that even .25ACP will deafen you if you don't wear ear-pro. Get your story straight.

I don't notice any large muzzle flash in my .357 snubbies with the ammo I shoot. My 10mm shoots fireballs and even still, the extremely brief muzzle flash does not blind me in the least bit.

Sorry that you can't handle it.

I've shot a bit of an assortment of factory ammo.

125 gr. Remington Golden Saber, 125gr. Remington JSP, 125 gr. WWB (Win Clean) JFN. I have also tried the 145 gr. Winchester STHP.

That shield is to prevent flame cutting of the topstrap.

My 340PD has been misbehaving again. I just noticed that the trigger pivot pin has moved in the frame. It's now slightly recessed.



I really hate sending guns back, especially my EDC. Is this really an issue? I mean, the pin can only move so far before it bottoms out in the side plate right?

Ugh.

Check out Underwood Ammo.
They have a .38+P 125 grain Gold Dot at 1250 FPS.
It is HOT!
And very accurate.
It's what I carry most these days.
Like all Underwood Ammo, it is very very very good.

How many rounds do you have through your 340PD? I have several PDs and have shot them a fair amount, even with 357s and have never had any of these issues.

The erosion could also be from improper cleaning.

The 340PD has never had a brush to it, let alone any harsh solvents. The extent of my cleaning is Ballistol and a wash rag. Same with all my guns. The erosion was definitely not my fault.

I've put about 600 rounds through it, most of them .357Mag. Almost half of those are post-repair and the cylinder is just fine.

I guess I just got a lemon...

I only use hoppes elite on my ti cylinder guns. It's mild & has not caused a problem yet. I don't know what is in ballistol maybe someone here knows.

I have little faith in TI cylinders. When I read in the manual that aggressive cleaning could compromise the TI cyl finish in my 296 .44 Spl, which gives the cyl part of its strength, I thought forget it! The alloy frame is light enough so I bought a 696 SS cyl. It dropped in and I never looked back.

I can now shoot heavier bullets and they don't pull under recoil.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

BTW, after sending it in for the loose trigger pivot pin, S&W decided to replace the gun. They actually offered me the .500 S&W but I got the 340PD again and sold it as soon as I got it back. The trigger pull on it was terrible. The star was so poorly fitted that the trigger would basically lock up as the hand tried to override the star on two of the charging holes. Instead of dealing with another hassle with warranty, I just sold it, got my money back, and bought one at the LGS - one I could put my hands on before pulling the trigger....

Sent from my LGLS991 using Tapatalk

Just for the record, I have owned a 340pd for a dozen years. Very few 357's but a lot of 125gr handloads. No special care while cleaning and other than some holster wear, the gun looks like new. This is a great carry gun and if it ever becomes a problem I will immediately replace it with another.

Threads like this are why I'm getting the 627 instead of the 929 for USPSA Revolver Division. The titanium cylinder of the 929 is giving to many problems.

So I'm not the only shooter encountering these exact same problems straight from the box. For a while there, I thought I was marooned on a desert island. A shame to have to deal with these issues!

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

I have over a dozen J, L, N models and never a single problem except for...
One I bought on GB with known problems.
Sent to S&W and told them I bought it used/abused but they fixed it for free anyway.

I just sent back my 340Sc back to Smith & Wesson after discovering minor cylinder erosion. I shot nothing but Speer Gold Dot 38+P 135g JHP ammo since this was the ammunition authorized by DHS/ICE for this revolver. The 340Sc and the 340PD were authorized weapons for ICE Investigations at that time. The S&W Customer Service technician asked if I shot ammo with bullets less than 120 grains. I said no. They sent me a return shipping label and an RMA number.

"The star was so poorly fitted that the trigger would basically lock up as the hand tried to override the star on two of the charging holes".

Takes an average of about five minutes per chamber to fix this. I usually do it during the commercials while watching television.

I've got three 637-2 Airweight J-frames. Each has one stainless and two titanium cylinder assemblies (cylinder, yoke, extractor, extractor rod, and cylinder pin) for a total of 3 stainless and six titanium assemblies. Three of the titanium .357Mag cylinders are rechambered for 9x19mm, which is what I usually shoot. I don't use anything lighter than 147gr, and so far, so good, knock wood. No erosion (I do get a lot of practice timing extractor stars :-)

Here they are - they only have two cases (20 boxes total) but maybe they will break up a case if you ask?

200 Round Case - 357 Magnum 135 Grain Gold Dot Hollow Point GDHP Personal Protection Short Barrel Ammo - 23917GD | SGAmmo.com

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

That's interesting performance from the Gold Dot.
135gr at 990fps is 298 ft-lb.
147gr 9mm at 946fps is 292 ft-lb.

Less difference than I expected.
I'll have to try some in my .357 cylinder to see if there is much difference in the perceived recoil with my 9mm cylinder.
Thanks for the info.

I have a Model 329PD 44 Magnum and to prevent putting up with erosion problems I bought a Model 629 stainless steel aftermarket fluted cylinder with extractor, from Brownell's online. It cost about $150.00 and I switched it out and have a titanium spare cylinder for my revolver now.
I love the look of it and it is not such a rare occurrence. Even Smith and Wesson came out with a scandium-frame snub nose 44 magnum called an Alaskan Backpacker and used a stainless steel cylinder in that. It adds a few ounces of weight over the titanium but it is proven durable. It is still a very light to carry six-round 44 magnum versus the five-round Model 69 that weighs about 34 ounces. Hope this solution helps out. It worked for me.

I switched to nylon brushes for my Ti cylinder guns. No issues with wear on the coating (yet).

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SWCA #3356, SWHF#611