Hi,

I recently bought a brand new M&P 340 I absolutely love this little revolver, its size, its weight, its sights-everything. I’m not recoil sensitive so I bought it to pocket carry 357 self-defense rounds exclusively.

But here’s my challenge. I purchased 3 boxes of Remington 125 grain 357 Golden Saber Self Defense rounds. I was only able to fire 2 rounds per cylinder before the remaining rounds jumped crimp and locked up my cylinder.

I actually like the way the Golden Sabers shot. Recoil with these 125 grain 357’s (at about 1200 fps) was quite manageable.

What self defense rounds do you shoot & carry in your Scandium S&W, LCR, or other lightweight revolvers?

I really want to trust my new 340, so I’d appreciate hearing your thoughts.

Thanks!

The M&P 340 has a steel cylinder so it is not restricted as to bullet weight, as is the 340PD (no less than 120 grain bullet). My preferred M&P 340 load is the 110gr 357 JHP by either W-W or R-P. Controllable and no bullet pull.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

Thanks Kaaskop49! What are W-W and R-P ?

Winchester-Western and Remington-Peters.

Welcome to the S&W Forums. With such a small and lightweight revolver, recoil control is a huge factor in deciding upon what you choose. The Remington 357 Magnum 125 grain Golden Saber is a good choice. Other loads to consider would be Remington 357 Magnum 158 grain semi-jacketed hollow point (SJHP), which is a full power load and might be a bit too much recoil. Other reduced recoil loads would be the Speer 135 grain Gold Dot 357 Magnum Short Barrel and the Winchester 125 grain PDX1 Defender.

__________________
VCDL, GOA, NRA

^^^what he said. Virtually every .357 load will be a "handful" in these scandium-frame guns, just some a bit less/more than others. Another vitally important issue is "crimp jump," the bullet in unfired rounds pulling forward out of the case under recoil. OP mentioned this happening with R-P Golden Sabre magnum ammo; this came as a surprise to me. Always thought this load was good-to-go in Scandium guns.

Have also experienced crimp-jump with some .38+P jacketed loads. The lesson here is, never carry any ammunition unless you are completely sure it will function and not tie up your gun.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

I carry the Underwood 38 Special +P 125 grain JHP. Advertised velocity is 1,250 fps, so they are getting close to .357 Magnum velocity but recoil is not as brutal in the M&P 340 J-frame snubbie. .38 Special empties are also easier to eject with the short ejector.

Then again, regular everyday .38 Special Wadcutters will do just fine---and in a .38 Special weapon.

The best of both worlds-----both the guns and the ammo cost a bunch less than .357's!

Ralph Tremaine

If you're absolutely locked into carrying .357, and can live with the recoil characteristics, I recommend you try out Hornady 125 grain FTX Critical Defense (item #90500). Its advanced bullet design and low flash powder make for a premium self defense round.

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SWCA #590
"Colligo ergo sum"

Welcome to the Forum,

I really like Federal's C357B 125gr. JHP load. The accuracy is very good at 21ft for me with the S&W 340 PD model. Although, it bites rather hard, but not as bad as the 158gr. JHP load!! My 340 PD is a bit different from your M&P 340 ...it has a titanium cylinder. It's fairly pleasant to me to shoot a box of full house loads in the 125 gr. As for the quick follow-up shots, it isn't as bad as I had originally thought. The titanium Cylinder has a much lighter rotating mass and I do notice a little bit of difference as a result. The downside is that .357 loadings are somewhat hard to find these days and quite expensive. The C357B load is virtually non-existent at this time and probably in a state of collector status. I think Remington's Golden Saber is an excellent load as well as Hornady's Critical Defense all chambered in the 125gr. I think ultimately, you will have to try different loadings that best suit your needs. Of course, you can always shoot .38 Special +P ammo, but that is a bit of a topic here as you specifically inquired about the Magnum loadings only. Lastly, I think the M&P 340 is the best-looking J-Frame as it has a real tactical look about it. Plus it's an excellent carry gun. Love it. I use to have a similar version of the M&P 340, which was the exposed hammer version aka M&P 360. I regret trading it in.

That seems pretty crazy that your Golden Sabre's jumped the crimp and locked up your pistol. Especially considering they are intended as a self-defense round. I only have a few hundred rounds through my M&P340 but that issue has never come up. By the way, the recoil on the M&P340 is not what a lot of people think. The gun is not bucking wildly in your hand out of control. It does sting though. It feels like someone is slapping the palm of you hand smartly with a ruler. Also, do not buy into the hype that out of a 2" barrel the 38+p and the 357 mag are the same. Yes, the magnum round loses more velocity percentage wise but it is still so far ahead of the +p that it isn't a fair comparison. Having said that I should also point out that the +p with the right bullet is as effective as it needs to be.

Mine has been loaded with these:
Buy Gold Dot Short Barrel Personal Protection for USD 44.99 | Speer
when loaded with 357.

Most of the time it gets the 38+P version.
Buy Gold Dot Short Barrel Personal Protection for USD 44.99 | Speer

I've carried a lot of different loads in my 360 but about 25 years ago, I came into a case of Winchester 158 grain, semi-wadcutters. The ones with the copper wash on the bullet. They shoot so well they became my carry load. I figure if I get into a shoot in the middle of the winter, there's no question it will get through the layers of clothes.

I don't know if those are the same ones I tried several years ago. They were Winchesters with the copper washed bullets and they leaded my bore so bad I gave away the rest of the box and never tried them again. May be a different process used with yours.

^^^what he said. Interesting! I just bought a case of R-P 158gr .357 lead almost-SWCs. Will try what poster cmj8591 did with his W-W SWCs. In the past, I never felt bad carrying soft lead SWCs in .38, even w/o a HP.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

I don't have an issue with leading in the 360. I have a model 28 that will lead with them a bit. Nothing severe. Of course these rounds were loaded when they made real 357 magnums. I think they're ok in the 360 because those barrels were cut using the EDM process and are as smooth as if they were lapped. It could be that they are so old the lead has gotten harder with time. But they shoot great and have been stored properly so I don't worry that they will work.

Even with all the wiz bang bullets that are out there, and make no mistake, there are some good ones, it's hard to beat an old school SWC in a revolver.

Another good choice for those trying to make their shooting a little more enjoyable is to shoot plain old wadcutters. The OP says he is pretty recoil tolerant so they're not really needed in his case but they do make for a very reasonable self-defense round.

I like the Buffalo Bore "heavy" 38+P in both the 125gr and 158gr loadings.
Those offerings from BB are pushing some serious velocity and energy.
I tend to save the 357 mag loads for K frame and up, ha!

In my first response to this post I said I was surprised that the OP's bullets had jumped crimp and locked up his pistol. However, giving it some thought it occurs to me that the GS bullets don't have a crimp groove. I'm guessing it's just a taper crimp. That may be why they are causing issues in the OP's gun.