Model 940-1: Didn't need it, had to have it

[Borderboss]

I really didn't need another pocket gun, but I really had to have a 940. It's a J-Frame Centennial in 9mm. It was just an itch I had to scratch. It came with Magnas on it, so I replaced those with the funky but good-feeling Ergo Delta grip. Ready for its first range trip this week.

 

[Breakaway500]

Love the grips..seriously... (My 642 has them,and a few other J frames)

 

[swagmeister]

Rarely a matter of need anymore; just wants. I had one years ago that was an excellent shooter. Nice looking gun.

 

[STCM(SW)]

M638 grips

Yea I like them on my 638

 

[Lonestar57]

Nice. The recoil is pretty snappy on those little guns.

 

[Borderboss]

I understand that these weird grips will help with the recoil. They look strange but they feel great, especially with being able to get all three fingers on the grip. I'll report back after I get to the range Wednesday night.

 

[PatriotX]

Delta was the only grip that allowed me to shoot .357 from a scandium J-frame.

Cool gun !

 

[HEADKNOCKER]

I HAD three 940s & they are sweet but are very "Snappy" to shoot.. Especially the 942/642 Conversion..
Found Craig Spegel's Grips to be the best or the older copies made by Uncle Mikes in Rubber..
For ME Anyway, The actual Centennial Grip allows you to get a higher purchase on the little J Frame which helps with recoil..
Congrats on the 940-1 Borderboss

I always hated those factory loose fitting moon clips & saw that Taurus makes a 9mm 905 & Ruger a LCR 9mm that are spring loaded, Not sure if they fit tighter or Not..
I have one moon clip left that I modified like the ones that Taurus & Ruger now make in my stash of stuff..

Have to round it up & put it in an envelope to you.. PM Me..

 

[Rock185]

They are interesting little guns aren't they. Especially if you chronograph some of the 9mm ammo that might be used in these little guns. It rapidly becomes apparent why recoil is a bit "snappy" in this little J-Frame

 

[HEADKNOCKER]

It's been quite a while now since I had a 940 but from what I can remember the No Dash had a Hard Chromed Trigger & Hammer & the 940-1 had the Case Hardened Trigger, You can't see the hammers but they match.. Also the -1s are known to have a smoother cylinders which helped with extraction issues some of the no dashes had mostly because of a bad reamer that left the cylinder bores rough..
Also S&W only made one 942 as a test subject which was a 642 No Dash with a 9mm cylinder & barrel which I recreated fitting a 940 cylinder & barrel to an early 642 No Dash, The finish was IMO better looking on the older aluminum frames..
I should have never sold the ones I had but was offered enough at the time to bite so I did.. Miss those little J Frames..
Gary/Hk

 

[tekarra]

I have a 940 no dash and wanted to match it with a 3" barrel 940. Had a line on one a while back, but let it slip away.

 

[CH4]

I am looking for a 940 and 632. I was in the Reno Cabela's this weekend and had them check their system for both, but to no avail.

 

[HEADKNOCKER]

I know where another 940 is, I see it every gunshow in Louisville..
It has been engraved & seller wants a Premium..
I buy them to carry & shoot so the quest for #5 goes on..
One of these days I'll see another..
Scored one once that needed an end shake screw & walked with it for a bargain.. Traded a $175 Ruger SP101 for it, A Call to S&W got me the part FREE & the story goes on..

 

[Borderboss]

All, I took the 940-1 to the range today. It was an interesting and educational session. Sorry, this report might come out a bit long.

As far as recoil, the person that called it "snappy" was correct. However, I didn't think it was any worse than my M69 2.75" when shooting the Speer Short Barrel .44 Mag load I carry. I am definitely glad I have the Delta grips on it, as there's no way I would want to shoot it with an exposed backstrap. My second alternative of keeping the Magnas on it and adding a BK grip adapter would have been a bad idea. Even with the Deltas, the meat of the palm of my hand was feeling pounded occasionally.

One thing is for certain. I would never want a J-frame .357!

There is no way anyone could shoot this gun well with the garbage factory S&W trigger pull it has. My wife once asked if I had any gun that I just got and left alone without "messing with it". The answer is no, exactly because of this kind of lousy trigger pulls that come out of the factory. So before the next shooting session, this baby is going to get a new set of springs and some polishing and oiling on the inside. I won't judge accuracy until this is done.

Right near the end of the session, I noticed a little blood on the inside of the joint of my right thumb. I discovered that the screw holding the cylinder release knob was backing out, which caused the cylinder release to bite my thumb. I didn't have any screwdrivers with me, so I called an end to the session there. Now where did I put that Lock Tite?

I'm happy to report that I had absolutely zero issues with sticky cases on extraction. They all came out without a hitch, even the couple of cylinders of Federal HST 124 gr +P I tried.

However, I did noticed that the ejector rod/cylinder star can rotate a touch when the rod is depressed, causing the star to not seat fully when released. This didn't seem to be a case of the rod being loose. It's like the rod and cylinder don't have the usual groove that prevents this. I have to look at it closer. That might involve a trip back to the mother ship, but it didn't seem to be a big issue. (EDIT: I checking this closer and there is a flat spot machined into the rod and a mating area in the hole in the cylinder. However, there's definitely play in this. It's not at all closely fit. I'm not sure if this is worthy of a trip to the mother ship or not.)

These itty bitty sights definitely need improvement. I'll start with some neon green paint on the ramp. If necessary, it'll have a trip to the gunsmith for installation of a Hi-Viz fiber optic front site.

That's about it for now. I've got a trip coming up and a pretty full September, so it'll be a while before I get to the stuff on the list. Then I'll report back.

Any thoughts guys?

 

[Rock185]

Borderboss, I wouldn't want a .357 J-Frame either. I tried some of the Federal HST 124 +P in my 940-1. It produced 1195 FPS, but extraction was sticky. In fact any higher pressure ammunition I've tried in my 940 causes sticky extraction. On the other hand, my Ruger SP101 handles any and all ammo I've tried with no issues at all. And FWIW, the HST averages 1291 FPS in the 3" SP101.

Some might be a bit skeptical about the rather high velocities out of these short-barreled revolvers, but I have tested the HST 124 +P in these revolvers more than once, with results within a very few FPS.....

 

[slabside2]

I had two 940’s over the years both of them had sticky extractions. My Ruger LCR 9mm the empty cases fall right out no matter what ammo I use. No moon clips needed.

 

[Borderboss]

Knock on wood, I had no sticky extraction at all, even with the HST +P.

 

[max503]

Those grips make sense. To me --- any grip that is wider at the bottom, is like holding a funnel upside down. And that includes your standard S&W grips as well as the "cowboy" grips you see on most single-action revolvers. I've never understood those kinds of grips. I've just learned to live with them. I'm talkin' about the ones like this:

 

[Borderboss]

In the end, I didn't like the Ergo Delta grip for two reasons.

First, it was too big for a pocket gun. As far as I'm concerned, a J-frame is a pocket gun. Others will probably disagree. I just don't see carrying a small short-barreled gun on a belt. If I'm going to do that, I'll carry something larger that has more rounds and is easier to hold onto.

Second, the grip angle gave me too much of a feeling of pulling up on the trigger in addition to pulling backwards. This made the trigger pull seem a lot heavier than it was. I switched out springs to a Wolff 14lb trigger return spring and an 8lb hammer spring along with polishing the internals and lubing them. But the trigger pull didn't seem to change.

So I installed a Hogue Bantam grip. Much better, for both size and for trigger feel. The felt recoil is fine with these, so not having a covered backstrap didn't matter.

Here's how she looks now.