Quote:
Originally Posted by Old cop
One more thing, use only jacketed ammo in those titanium models.
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The M&P 340 doesn't use a titanium cylinder like the PD models. It uses a blackened (PVD) stainless steel cylinder. It occupies a weight range between the Ti/Sc guns and the standard aluminum alloy +P rated J's (642/442). It does have the alloy sleeved barrel and an alloy yoke, where the 642/442 use a solid steel barrel and a steel yoke, though, which is what helps reduce the weight of the M&P models.
The point is well taken, though.
Even though my own M&P 340 weighs in at 14.3 oz (I added standard rubber grips instead of the bantam) instead of 15 oz like my 642-1's, I still check each brand of ammunition I use in it to make sure I don't see any indication of bullet pull. I'll even occasionally check random rounds from new boxes of brands I've previously checked, just in case some production tolerance issue or change may have occurred and it might be noticed with some test shots.
As a matter of fact, it's not a bad idea to check for bullet pull in any J, I'd think, even the all-steel models.
One of the other instructors was running a class and qual range a while back where one of the shooters was using an older blued M36 (all-steel) J-frame with some imported standard pressure LRN ammunition. The shooter experienced repeated instances of bullet pull, with several bullets jumping their crimps and sticking out the front of the cylinder charge holes far enough to stop the cylinder from turning (fortunately before they came up under the hammer).
I remember talking about bullet pull with someone from the factory once, and he mentioned that they had seen some increased instances of what seemed to be "looser crimps" with one well known brand recently (at that time). When I asked a load of another brand, he said they hadn't tested any of that brand & load, to his knowledge, at that time, but that they were buying and testing a lot of the major brands of ammunition at different times and I could always call back and ask later.
The way things can sometimes change in production runs, or when a company may make a change in a component (bullet or brass case), I feel better occasionally checking random rounds pulled from boxes to look for any signs of bullet pull (or other problems), as described in the revolver safety manual.