Finally got a CCW piece for the summer

[STS3_SSN705]

I love my P7 for carry, but it's just a bit too big and heavy for shorts and t-shirts, so I picked up a 340 today. I'll take some vitamins, and give my hand some good ole fashioned punishment at the range on Wednesday. It seemed like the CT grips offered some protection, but I really didn't like the way they fit my hand, so I decided to forgo the extra $200. I was actually thinking about the new Ruger LCP, but I didn't have the $$ for 2 guns, and .357 wins the caliber war over 380 any day, so wheelgun it is. Before anyone says it, I know - it has the lock. Not a dealbreaker for me. What is a dealbreaker for me is the piss-poor quality of many of the small framed guns out there.

 

[sdj]

Nice! Got my eye on the same one; need to upgrade the 442 and shave an ounce or two off the over-all weight. Good pics; thanks for posting!

 

[joneb]

STS3, I tried the Hogue bantam rubber grips for while and switched to Uncle Mike's rubber boot grips which I like alot more, the Uncle mike's fills my hand better and doesn't cling to clothing as much. For a holster I use the Uncle Mike's size 36 in the waist band holster. Hey that Hogue pistol stand works great ! I always wondered what that little widget was for

 

[STS3_SSN705]

LOL! I guess I should read the instructions and find out what that little widget is for, but it did help pose the little guy nicely for pics . I can hardly wait to get to the range for my punishment . Reading Socrates' range report further sets my expectations. I did get some Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel ammo, so I hope to not need surgery afterwards. Even if I end up ditching the 357's and carrying 38+P's, I still preferred this one over the fixed sight models. In the 1 second that I would get to employ this gun if ever needed, it seemed valuable to have the nice front sight to put on target.

 

[KyJim]

Congrats on the new purchase. Everyone needs a J-frame. I prefer pre-locks but own a couple of J-frames with locks, so it isn't a deal breaker for me either.

 

[STS3_SSN705]

Range report:

It shot great! I shot 10 Speer Short Barrel 357 Gold Dots first. Recoil was sharp, but to my surprise, was not bad at all. I would have shot more, but those bad boys ain't cheap. My groups were tight, and none of the fabled bruises or pains were incurred. Then I shot a box of 38's at 50 ft, with ok patterns, but I could stand to practice some more with that DA trigger. I'll definately be sticking with the .357's for carry, and I'm glad I chose this model.

 

[Playboypenguin]

Very nice choice for summer carry. They are also great in fanny packs at the gym.

 

[Tamara]

I wish they made an M&P 432, but I guess I'll just wind up getting the 340 at some point. I'd like the combination of the XS Big Dot with my CT grips.