Hello, just got my first revolver 342pd, give me advice.

[desert gator]

Hey all im new here, I posted this on another board but didnt get much feed back, then I found this board and decided to try out.

Well yesterday I went ahead and picked up a Smith & Wesson 342. In looking for advice and people opinions on them. I saw that people seemed to be divided about 50/50 if its worth owning due to the strong recoil. This is my first Revolver (I own 3 autoloaders). I went ahead and picked it up because I thought it was a good deal, I got it $400 from a single mom who has just had it laying around for a while. It looks in almost perfect condition and does not have the locking key mechanism for the trigger and hammer.

Looking at the weight the 342 is 10.8 oz which seems really light, but heck the 340pd airlite is 11.4 oz, only .6oz heavier and people by those up, and the M&P 340 is 13.3oz only 2.5oz heavier and it seems like a million people have those. Does 2.5 oz really make a huge diff on felt recoil?

At first I was thinking man maybe I made a bad purchase, all this negativity about how hard it kicks. Remember this is not only my first revolver, but my first time shooting a revolver so I cant compare it to others. So this morning I woke up bright and early and went out to shoot it. I was expecting the worst. I was expecting to fire one shot through it and lay it down and say yup that was a stupid purchase. Surprisingly I didnt. Does it kick hard....yes, is it a little uncomfortable and slightly painful to shoot....yes, but is it still fun to shoot....yes. However was it as terrible as I thought it was going to be and as bad as some people made it out to be? Definantly not.
The only pain I really got from it was in the palm of my hand, but to be honest I played catch with my brother the other day tossing the baseball around and caught a couple stingers that honestly left my hand more sore than this did. I shot a box of 50 125 grain reloads through it at standard pressure, then a box of twenty corbon 125 grain +p through it and had fun.

All and all I will hang onto the gun at least for now. I carry a kahr pm9 so this wont be my main carry weapon, just when the mood strikes me. To be honest it will probably spend most its time in the glove box and gym bag. When I do carry it it will be iwb, my quads are rather large and putting keys in my pocket is tight enough let alone a gun.

I plan on adding a ctc grip to the gun which adds 1.9 oz or more depending which i get bringing it to 12.7oz or right around there. Also it will give me allot more rubber in the palm and webbing of my hand instead of leaving it exposed to the metal on the back of the grip right now. This should increase the shooting pleasure of this gun.

A question I have being new to revolvers is if I should chose to in the future could that titanium cylinder be switched out for a steel one? That would add some recoil reduction and I here that the titanium is delicate when it comes to cleaning it. Also what is a square butt and what is a rounded butt on these guns? Anyway any advice on how to take care of this revolver would be great. Tell me what a new revolver guy needs to know.

 

[s&wchad]

Welcome to the forum.

Excellent gun! Don't worry about the cylinder, just don't use anything abrasive to clean it.

There's a photo in the FAQ's (post #8) at the top of this forum showing the difference between square and round grip frames. The 342's all have a round butt grip frame.

 

[captainjohnsofd]

You can make a huge difference by installing the proper stocks (grips) on this gun. Go with something oversize but not too big so it can't be concealed. Altamont, Hogue, Ajax, Pachmayr, etc. all make appropriate grips. Try some and pick out the best fit for your hand. You won't regret it.

 

[zercool]

The thing that makes the 340s so brutal is hidden in three little numbers: 3 5 7.

.38s from the ultralites are brisk but not horrible. Full-house .357s from the same size/weight gun are ... entertaining.

I shot a friend's AirLite .357 once, smiled, and handed it back to him. Would I do it again? Sure. Do I have any desire to do it regularly? Not a chance.

I like my 642 just fine, and the increased recoil, flash, and blast aren't worth the extra edge in power to me.

 

[David1958]

Congrats on your new revolver. I have one as well and will offer what little I can on it. There are people on this forum who have a much greater depth of knowledge of all things S&W and I hope that they will chime in as well.

I use the M342 as an almost daily carry. Being so light weight, it serves me well in a Mika pocket holster in either shorts, jeans or casual slacks. For on-duty back-up it rides in a Renegade ankle holster. Generally, I am not a fan of either of these carry methods, but with the very light weight of this revolver, thay are both tolerable. I have shot +P rounds out of it, but they were fairly brutal (to me) after a few cylinders down range. I stick with the standard .38 rds for practice and SD ( Federal Nyclads). Up close & personal, for me, they will handle the issues that arise. Use jacketed ammo only in this revolver. I believe the paperwork that comes with the 342 mentions this more than once and in red ink.

I have read different opinions and instructions on the cleaning methods and the issues with the titanium cylinder. I use Hoppes #9 and patches. I should re-read the instructions and strongly recommend you read them as well. Everyone has their own cleaning ideas, hints, shortcuts and magic potions. I am no expert and don't agonize over it. I am sure others will be of more help on this aspect .

I don't know if you can replace the titanium cylinder with stainless or not. Not sure why you would want to as it would add weight to a revolver that is cherished for its lack of weight. That is ONLY my opinion.

I believe that the 342 is a great concealed carry, up close & personal self defense revolver. With practice, one can become proficient with it at greater distances and with draw & fire scenarios at various distances. For most civilian, self-defense situations, it is my opinion that a 5 shot J frame will handle it. The 342 is a great option for folks that have to/want to carry for extended periods of time and want something lighter than a lot of the other options. It isn't for everybody and you have to practice with it regularly.

Like a prior poster suggested, try different grips until you find the right balance of concealability, comfort and style. I tried a number of different options and settled on a set of wooden service grips with a Tyler adapter. Big enough grip, no snag/drag on clothing during draw, comfortable enough with standard pressure loads and a little "old school". I think all J-Frames are a round butt configuration now for the concealability factor. Personally, I prefer the feel and grip of the square butt, but the RB is what is available.


I hope that this has been of some help to you at least. Enjoy your new revolver!

 

[Anton Chigurh]

Read your post rather quickly, but to cut to a chase, if you are already looking for ways to increase the weight, why not just buy a heavier gun to begin with?
And, just sell it on this Forum rather than ruin a firearm most people here would love to have (not me, I already have one) by switching out cylinders, which would be not cheap, BTW.
Anyway, welcome, hope you get what you want.

 

[Beretta682]

Desert Gator, you have bought an excellent revolver, one I wish I had, without the internal lock. Even though mine has the internal lock, i carry it daily in an ankle holster rig. I consider it my get off my butt, point blank, last resort backup gun. Even so, I am still pretty accurate with it out to 15-20 yards. What I consider my ultimate carry set-up is the Barami hip grips mated with a tyler t-grip. Off-duty I can carry it in my waist ban in as little as a pair of gym shorts and a t-shirt. It is my "American Express" card....never leave home without it. Enjoy it and carry it always.

 

[desert gator]

Hey thanks for all the input guys. In all reality I wouldnt switch out the cylinder it was just a fun thought. I feel like I got a real good deal for 400 bucks considering the 340pds price and I think the only diff between the two is the ability to shoot .357. Does anybody no why these arent made anymore or how I can find out how old this thing is? Also that Mika Pocket Holster is one good looking holster.

 

[David1958]

If you paid $ 400.00 for it, lock or no lock, you did very well. I have seen them all over the map, pricewise, from $ 450.00 to $ 750.00 depending on condition, box & papers, lock or no lock, etc. For certain people, the M342 is a HIGHLY desirable gun. More so since they stopped making them. I think they stopped making them to focus on the .38/.357 j-frame platform(s). It may have been the lightest .38 special S&W ever manufactured, but I am not 100% on that one.

 

[Anton Chigurh]

Just drop the first half of the serial number on us, and somebody will give you better than a ball park answer.
For whatever reason, S&W has always been adding and dropping models faster than Victoria's Secret..........in the latest Supica epic, there is even an FAQ item , I believe, called a "gun a week", in reference to that proclivity.
In 1991 they added 40 models in 52 weeks, almost living up to the legend............so who knows, exactly why they do anything?
A friend of mine is selling a 625-11 .45 LC Performance Center model of which a whopping 103 were made.........and then there is Beretta, who has done well with essentially one gun for 50 years.

 

[Anton Chigurh]

And yes, David, the 342 PD is as light as it gets, maybe an ounce heavier, empty, than a Ruger LCP. If you have on some dessicated old woodies, it may be square with the Ruger

 

[desert gator]

cez06xx is the first five of the number.

 

[David1958]

Looks like 2001 production.

 

[desert gator]

So Im starting to feel like I got a good deal and I wasnt even aware of it at the time. Its in perfect condition and I would say almost perfect cosmetic wise. It has a warranty card thats never been filled out and turned in I wonder if smith and wesson would still honor that being 9 years old?

 

[ar15ed]

you got a great deal! no question about it! i have a 340pd from 2001. in my humble opinion, it is the ultimate concealed carry revolver.

you will get lots and lots of different opinions about the recoil. all i have ever shot in mine were 158 grain full power factory stuff. they will definitely get your attention, but i have to say i enjoy shooting it. it is just a huge amount of power in an unbelievably light package.

these are definitely a "niche" gun. and in that niche, they are perfect! they are not a target blaster! not a trusted range buddy! but if you really think you need full power in a tiny, featherweight, pocketable snubbie, it is all good!

as for cleaning the ti cylinder, the nature of the gun seems to not be a "lot" of shooting! what i do is just a gentle wipedown/light scrub with an oily rag, after every few rounds fired. the front of the cylinder will eventually develop blast darkening, and it will eventually even darken the frontmost sides of the cylinder. you can keep it from becoming too bad, and i just WOULD NOT use violent chemicals or abrasives on it!

congrats on a sweet gun, and good luck with it!