Description
The Smith Wesson 340PD 357 Magnum is an eleven and a half ounce 357 Magnum. That sentence is the entire pitch and the entire warning. Smith and Wesson built a J-frame from scandium alloy with a titanium cylinder and chambered it for a full-power magnum cartridge, producing a revolver so light you forget it is on you.
Smith Wesson 340PD 357 Magnum How It Gets This Light
At 11.8 ounces the Smith Wesson 340PD 357 Magnum weighs less than most smartphones in a case. That is achieved through a scandium-aluminum alloy frame and a titanium alloy cylinder, with only the barrel in stainless steel. Scandium alloy is dramatically lighter than steel while retaining enough strength to be rated for continuous +P use, and titanium does the same job for the cylinder.
The practical consequence is that this revolver actually gets carried. Weight is the single biggest reason people leave a gun at home, and a revolver this light disappears in a pocket, a waistband or a jacket without ever announcing itself.
It is hammerless with an enclosed hammer, so nothing protrudes to catch on a pocket lining, a coat hem or the inside of a bag. It is also double action only, which removes an entire category of handling error under stress: every trigger press is the same.
The Honest Trade
Physics does not negotiate. An eleven ounce revolver firing full-power 357 Magnum produces recoil that is genuinely punishing, and there is no grip, stance or technique that makes it pleasant. Most owners fire a cylinder or two of magnums to confirm they can, then carry a heavy 38 Special +P load instead. That is a sensible and very common approach.
The revolver is rated for continuous +P use, so 38 Special +P is not a compromise: it is arguably the load this gun was really designed around, with magnums available for anyone who needs them and can shoot them.
A HI-VIZ fiber optic green front sight is a real upgrade over the milled ramp most J-frames wear. Fiber optic gathers ambient light into a bright dot your eye finds instantly, which matters enormously on a short sight radius. It is worth knowing that fiber optic goes dark in genuine darkness, since it gathers ambient light rather than glowing on its own.
Five rounds is what a J-frame holds. Reload practice matters more here than on almost any other gun; speed strips are flat and pocketable, speedloaders are faster but bulkier.
Carrying and Shooting the Smith Wesson 340PD 357 Magnum
Pocket carry is where this revolver is at its best, and it needs a proper pocket holster to do the job. A holster keeps the revolver oriented consistently, covers the trigger, and breaks up the outline so it reads as a wallet or a phone rather than a gun. Carrying a J-frame loose in a pocket alongside keys and change is how people end up with lint in the action and an inconsistent draw.
On the range, be prepared. A cylinder of full-power 357 through a gun this light is memorable, and shooters who have not fired one before should start with 38 Special and work up. There is no shame in deciding that magnums are more than you want from this platform; a great many experienced shooters reach exactly that conclusion.
Dry fire is the most valuable practice available with a double action only revolver. The long pull and short sight radius punish sloppy trigger work, and fifty presses a day for a month will change what this gun can do in your hands more than any accessory could.
Maintenance Notes
Titanium cylinders need specific care. Do not use abrasive cleaning methods or aggressive bore brushes on the chambers, and follow the manufacturer guidance on cleaning products, since some solvents and techniques appropriate for steel are not appropriate for titanium.
Keep the cylinder face and the forcing cone clean. Magnum ammunition fouls a revolver considerably more than 38 Special does, and the ring of carbon that builds at the front of the chambers is what eventually prevents longer 357 cases from seating.
Check that the ejector rod stays tight, as it can back out under recoil and lock the cylinder closed at exactly the wrong moment. On a revolver producing this much recoil impulse, that check is worth making regularly rather than occasionally.
Smith Wesson 340PD 357 Magnum Specifications
- Manufacturer part number: 163062
- UPC: 022188630626
- Caliber: 357 Magnum, also fires 38 Special, rated for continuous +P
- Capacity: 5 rounds
- Weight: 11.8 ounces
- Frame: scandium alloy
- Cylinder: titanium alloy
- Barrel: stainless steel
- Hammer: enclosed, snag-free
- Sights: HI-VIZ fiber optic green front
- Action: double action only
Why Buyers Choose the Smith Wesson 340PD 357 Magnum
This is about as light as a defensive revolver gets while still chambering a serious cartridge. For pocket carry, ankle carry or a backup gun, very little competes.
Recoil with magnum ammunition is severe. Be honest with yourself about whether you will practise enough to shoot it well, and consider carrying 38 Special +P if the answer is uncertain. A load you can shoot accurately beats a more powerful one you cannot.
Small revolvers are simple to operate and utterly indifferent to how they are stored, which is why they remain popular with shooters who are not going to train constantly. They are also genuinely harder to shoot well than a similarly sized semi-automatic. Dry fire is free and it is the most valuable practice available.
Who Should Buy It
The Smith Wesson 340PD 357 Magnum suits shooters who need the lightest possible defensive revolver: deep concealment and pocket carriers, backup gun users, hikers who want a magnum that weighs nothing, and anyone who values simplicity of operation over capacity.
Learn more from Smith and Wesson, or browse the rest of our firearms selection.
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