Purchase concealed revolver

[Elaine]

I have weak hand want a S&M 340 centennial or the feather weight S&M. Which has a lighter trigger pull or can they be lightened by Smith & Wesson?

Any suggestions? had a featherweight that was stollen, the trigger pull was worked on to lighten.

 

[williamlayton]

I like the steel over the LW---but I have a LW.
Any trigger can be polished----how light do you want it.
Sorry about it being stolen.
Blessings

 

[corpulent]

S&M? Ouch.

You can always get trigger work done. A laser is nice for confidence, but I wouldn't say it is necessary.

 

[LET-CA]

I recently put a set of Crimson Trace grips on one of my S&Ws. They can be a real game-changer for fast shots. No need for conventional sighting; you're just aiming a flashlight. . .

 

[scwv67]

I've ordered Apex's J-frame duty carry kit from Brownell's. It has good reviews and is designed to lighten the DA trigger pull of J-frame revolvers.

 

[BobR1]

The 340 M&P is a very good concealed carry gun. It has the XS 24/7 Tritium front sight which is also a very good improvement. The only down side is the price, which is a little stiff.

The Laser is a good thing for a night time carry gun, or indoor house gun.

In light weight I presume you are talking about the Ti Lite guns, and not just Air Weight. I myself have no plans to own a J Frame that does not have either a stainless, or carbon steel cylinder. I shoot all my guns a lot, and have no use for a cylinder that you have to baby around to not hurt the finish when cleaning it.

For your use the 340 M&P, 442 Pro, 442 Standard, 642, 438, or 638 should all work fine. As would the Ruger LCR 38, and LCR 357.

Of the above the 340 M&P, and LCR 357 are the lone 357 Magnums. I doubt that you would ever carry 357 Magnum ammunition in either due to recoil issues. The LCR 357 does have a SS frame which adds a little extra weight, to the tune of 4 oz. This is both good and bad. The good part is the extra weight and Hogue Tamer grips helps to soak up some recoil shooting +P making it more pleasant to shoot. The down side is when pocket or purse carrying you can feel 4 oz of extra weight.

The LCR Rugers have a pined on front sight. If the one you get does not have the XS 24/7 Tritium front sight from the factory. You can order one for $60, and have about anyone with any talent at all install it for you.

Laser Grips are available for all the above as either a factory option, or as an after market add on.

With trigger pull you have a couple options. The Ruger LCR's have a reputation for very good factory triggers using some new cam system they have developed. The S&W J Frames can have a spring kit installed to improve the triggers. The last couple J Frames my brother and I have bought, a 638 and a 637 both had very good factory triggers. BIG NOTE: If you have springs installed get a spare box of your prefered carry ammo and shoot the entire box for function. When you get to improving the trigger pull, you can bring on a condition known as Light Strikes. You also have different primers with different sensitivity brand to brand in your ammunition. Federal has a reputation for easy to ignite primers for example. You need to make sure the ammunition you are carrying will go bang when you pull the trigger.

An example of why you need to do this. You are buying Federal 158 Round nose as practice ammunition at Wal-Mart, which has sensative primers. This practice ammunition fires every pull of the trigger. Your carry ammo is say 110 Corbon, which you have no idea what it is primed with, as Corbon does not make primers. If you have not tested the 110 Corbon to make sure it will fire every time, you are taking a chance that you do not need to be taking. I am not picking on Corbon, that was just an example pulled out of the Blue. My point is Light Strikes might not show up with your practice ammunition, but could with a different carry ammunition choice.

Some things to think about.

Bob

 

[markush]

Shooting my airweight with full power loads makes my hand week after 30-40 rounds...If you have a weak hand to start with I can't understand your using an airweight or airlight. Any S&W J frame trigger is going to be comparable from the factory.

 

[RGMoore]

357 airweight is not my idea of fun. Are you sure you want to go that way? Maybe if the S&M wasn't a typo. I carry std vel 38spl in my airweight, although I am no fan of recoil. To each his own.

 

[Badkarma 1]

Hello Elaine and welcome to the forum.
If I may, I'd like to recommend the Airweight series over the Scandium featherweights. A model 637,638, or 642 with Tge 2 inch barrel would still be lightweight yet offer enough heft that it won't be a bear in recoil. And for a carry load, the recently reintroduced Federal 125 grain Nyclad standard pressure round.
I'm rather partial to an all steel snub myself and have an older Smith model 60, but if I wanted a lightweight snub would look at those mentioned above. Dale

 

[Austerity]

If you must not have a hammer, M&P340 or 340PD.

I have an M&P360 and it is one of my favorite firearms.

 

[big brother]

I have a scandium 360 that I shoot with plus P or 357 ammo. The 357 is harsh but the plus P is fine for me. I shoot it a lot, 100 plus a week. I use the Rem 125 Golden Saber and I reload to that level for practice so I always get the same impact area. Tried the red laser and didn't like it. If you practice shooting at defensive ranges you just don't need it. Same with night sights. Spend too much time hunting for the sight picture. Time better spent shooting the bad guy. By the way. flashlights make great targets. I'm just an old time point shooter - it works.

 

[les_garten]

Hello Elaine,
I just bought the setup you are talking about for concealed carry. Or a similar setup really.

I bought a 342PD and put Crimson Trace Grips on it.

I wanted the lightest S&W and smallest I could find in a revolver, not an auto.

I sold my Glock 23 to help finance it.

I knew I wouldn't run .357 magnums, so I wanted it super light and the 342 is .5 oz or solighter than the 340PD. I also ain't gonna be shooting it for Fun. To me snubbies are for defense.

I bought some 38 specials to practice with and rough sight in the Laser, and then I'll final sight the 38 +Ps and that's what I will carry.

To me, the super light weight and small size means I'll be mmore likely to carry it. hat 340 series really drops into a pocket nicely and it is like a feather.

If you don't carry it because it weighs down your shorts, it doesn't do much good.

Go pick up one of the 340's, the Light weight makes the Airweights feel like they need to go on a diet.

But no bones about it, not something you would shoot for pleasure.

The Crimson Trace videos on their website do a great job of demonstrating the advantages of Lasers for self defense. You can fire from any position, on the run, etc and hit your target. You can keep the gun back and not extended where you could be disarmed, etc. The Laser was made for Combat. No brainer really.

They'll send you a free DVD to watch.

Why Laser Sights are an Effective Self-Defense Tool | Crimson Trace Lasergrips

There are lots of nice videos on their site as well.

The Industry Leader in Laser Sights for Guns | Crimson Trace Lasergrips

No affiliation, just a happy owner of their product. Happy owner of my 342PD as well. 340PD was my second choice.

p.s. You can get the trigger smoothed and a spring kit done at the same time to lighten the trigger and smooth it out.

 

[M3Stuart]

I own neither the airweight nor the featherweight. Though I am planning to get a 642 no-lock. I am a fan, as mentioned, of the stainless cylinder and would recommend that. That's the only reason I don't own a 642 yet. I'm really happy with my Model 60-9. It fits in my pocket as well as the alloy types and the weight is not really an issue for me. As someone else said; you can have the trigger worked as light as you like on any of these.