M&p 340

Still waiting...

Hey guys,

I placed my first post here back in March shortly after ordering an M&P 340 CT from a local shop...

Unfortunately I'm still waiting for the gun. It's been a solid 2 months, and it's driving me crazy (I obviously lack sufficient patience)...

Anyway, I keep reading the posts and looking forward to the day...

Ram357

I think I would look on Gunbroker or somewhere else. It should not take that long to get one. I think Sherwoods Guns in Boling Green, KY may still have one. He had 2 when I ordered mine (found on Gunbroker, bought through him).

Dustin4185

Thanks for the reply. I called Sherwoods Guns. He had 3 M&P 340s, but had already sold all of them.

I looked on Gun Broker, and there is a used one with a current bid of $850...

Do you mind me asking what you gave for yours? And does it have the CT grips?

Thanks again for the reply...

I spoke with the owner of the used one on gunbroker, his reserve is $950 plus shipping and FFL fees. OUCH!! Here is the one that I just bought from Bud's, not sure if it was a great deal but it seemed ok: I paid $769 delivered, including the Crimson Trace laser grips.

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/654_774/products_id/411536583

Wow, these things seem to be getting more expensive. I just got mine last week from a guy on here. I paid $630 delivered with Hogue monogrips and the ones on it pictured(Don't know what happened to the Bantams, but not too worried about it.) This is replacing my 642 as my carry gun, but it holds Speer Gold Dot .38's instead of .357's.

The price of the above two include Crimson Trace laser grips.

Gave $793 for everything (3% surcharge for CC) plus $25 for transfer and background check in TN. Not too bad for something I wanted and could not find anywhere else. That price is for standard boot grips.

Regarding recoil with a 340 M&P??

How much of a difference in recoil is there between a normal .38 round and a +P .38 round when firing hollow points through a 340 M&P?

I just shot 100 rounds through my 340 ct tonight.
From a scale of 1 to 10:
I give the 38Sp reload wadcutters a 2, the 38 sp UMC brand target loads a 4, the 38sp jhp's (124gr a 4 to 5 , the 38sp +p 95gr jhp's a 6 to 7 and the 357 124gr a 9.
As you can probably tell, I have a deficiency when it comes to ballistics - I just like to shoot the dammed thing and practice, practice, practice....
However, the 95gr +P jhp's were pretty accurate and I"ll use them for sd. I would like to try 110 gr jhp's in the +P family. I hear that they are recommended for SD.

The only rounds that I could find are the 129grn .38+P in Federal Hydro-shock hollow points, I hope they are ok. Greg

Shouldn't be much difference in the +p category, IMO, +p has a hair more felt recoil than the standard loads, but still manageable. It's the magnums that hurt. I would like to revise my previous post and say that the mags are 9+.
Hope this helps. Good luck and enjoy the gun - good shooting! Frisco

Would my local gunshop have a 340 to play with or is it something rare that they would have to order?

New Member

After passing up a $400, used 642 in very good condition, and subsequently discovering that 642s are hard to find these days [read "increased demand"]. I started reconsidering the M&P 340, which my local gun shop had in stock. I really liked the XS Big Dot 24/7 sight. My aging eyes just could not see the ramp sight on the 642, but that Big Dot works great...not to mention the added low light capability. Add the fact that the DLC finish on the 340 is probably more durable than the finish on the 642. Then I started thinking that I'd probably add a laser...and the M&P340CT comes from the factory with the LG-405 Compact Grip (with recoil cushion) verses the LG-305 Extended grip on the 642CT (more difficult to conceal). So a little over a week ago, I broke down and made the purchase. I'm somewhat embarrassed to reveal the price, but I did my research and my local shop had the best price I could find outside of Law Enforcement distributors--$924.95.

I already own a 686+ with 4” barrel, for which I have a selection of Buffalo Bore in both .357 and .38 SPL +P. Reading the thread I’m thinking that the 20B Heavy .38 Special +P Ammo - 125 gr. L.V. Jacketed Hollow Point would be roughly equivalent to the Speer GBHP-SB 135gr. The bullet in the Buffalo Bore sure looks like a Gold Dot Short Barrel (i.e. it resembles the bullet on my 9mm Speer GDHP-SB +P); although, I’m not sure why it is 125gr instead of 135gr. My plan is to work my way up through increasing recoil to see what my limit is.

I’ve taken the 340CT to the range once. I shot about 50 rounds of Fioochi .38 SPL 130gr FMJ . Accuracy and was good and recoil was not a problem. CT alignment out of the box was quit good (13 of my first15 shots in a 3.25” circle about 2.5” high and .075” right of POA at 25 feet—standing 2 hands, slow fire.)

Trigger was exceptionally stiff--made my 686+ feel like nothing (but that has about 1500 rounds through it plus about that many dry fires!). I’ve been dry firing the 340 like crazy…I’m guessing on the order of 1000 clicks (mostly after my first trip to the range). Trigger is greatly improved, but still stiffer than the 686+. It’s certainly OK for 2-hand slow fire, but 1-hand may be an issue.

We all know that ammo is hard to find these days [read post-Obama], and I learned that some guns are hard to find, but I was really surprised to learn that holsters have long lead times as well. Per recommendations on this thread (and others) I ordered a Mika pocket holster ($21.95 + shipping)—lead time is 14 to 16 weeks! So I ordered a Safariland Model 25 pocket holster ($34.99)—appears to be in stock, but we’ll see. Other holsters that I considered: RKBA currently quoting 2-4 weeks, which is pretty good; Pocket Concealment Systems is working on an 8 week delivery schedule; Milt Sparks is quoting 20 to 26 weeks!

PA - don't feel so bad about the cost of the M&P 340. I paid under 1K (including tax) this winter. The 305 ct's that I have have not been a problem with concealing the revolver, and they add a little more meat to the handle. I always pocket carry with a nemesis and the 305's have not been an issue at all. Sometime I have to pat my pocket to remind myself that it's there. My son and wife don't even know when I'm carrying. "hey dad, you got your G?" At this time I have waited about 3 months for my mica. also, I wrote in a previous post that blackhawk makes a nice leather OWB holster that is reasonably priced. Good luck. Frisco

Another week...

Well, another week has gone by and still no gun. But I guess I'll just hang in there. For this purchase I'd really like a new gun instead of picking up something used...

By the way... Don't let your concealed license expire! I've been carrying for 9 or 10 years, and this year I was due for renewal. I have some friends who wanted to take the course and get their license, and they wanted to work it out so I could take the class (or at least part of it) with them.

We finally got our schedules coordinated and took the class the second weekend in February. I put all my paperwork in the mail on February 16th...

Well... in mid-March I received notice that my application had been denied. Come to find out the DPS officer that took our fingerprints forgot to sign the card. So I had to wait for the card to be returned, hunt down the officer to have him sign it, re-submit the fingerprint card and start the process all over.

Unfortunately my license expired March 27th... I check daily on the application, but who knows how long it's gonna take.

My bad for not taking care of it sooner and only giving myself 6 weeks for the renewal.... But... c'mon!!! It's been over 9 weeks since I hand delivered the signed finger print card to the DPS office in Austin, TX.

Just a heads up for everyone... Give your renewal PLENTY of time!

Well... maybe my M&P340CT and my license will show up at the same time... :banghead:

Dang the back orders!

After many weeks of kicking tires and researching "the perfect carry gun" I narrowed my choices this week to the M&P 340 and the 340 PD. I was lured by the Ruger LCR but thought better of it.

I finally made the decision and sided with the M&P CT. Since there are no "in stock" internet deals to be had, I placed the order through my local range where I took my CCW class. It's back ordered of course and said it could be two days or two months! UUUUUGGGGG!

I'd already made my decision before finding this post, but after reading, I'm pretty confident I "done good".

I got my CCW earlier this year and had been carrying a full size Kimber Custom CDPII in a Milt Sparks VM2 IWB. Very nice, but with the warmer weather coming, I knew I'd be forced to leave the Kimber behind. I'll use the M&P as a back up to the Kimber in cooler weather, but for now, I plan for it to be my primary in the warm months.

I plan to carry the M&P in my front pocket. I see lots of posts about holsters, cleaning recommendations and general comments. Looks like I've found a great resource. I'll read up on holster and speedloader recommendations when I have more time. For now, I feel like an excpectant daddy! Oh wait, I really am (little boy due in July).

Thanks for a great site.....

Brian

Hey you done good. It's well worth the wait. I was listening to the Armed American Radio show online the other night, compliments of Concealed Carry Association and whadda you know? M&P 340 is brought up in conversation as the show host was just given one with CT from a defense trainer friend.
I believe that it is probably the best carry gun for deep concealment. Enjoy

I was listening to the Armed American Radio show online the other night, compliments of Concealed Carry Association

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Thanks......I'll have to check out the program. I'm a loyal lister of "Tom Gresham's Gun Talk" on XM and Podcast.

http://www.guntalkradio.com

S&W is a sponsor of the program, along with Ruger and many others. Good way to stay current on the political front regarding the Second Amendment. They are also a great resource for "guns and gear" info. I believe they have a show called "Guns & Gear" to air on ESPN2 in the next month or so. I'll have to do the Tivo thing to see if I can find it.

Okay, enough vearing off topic, back to the subject. I paid $950 yesterday for my M&P 340 CT at http://www.jddefense.com. Seems about the going price. They are local and competetive with the internet dealers. Looks like months back they were a little less hard on the pocket, but that's the whole supply and demand thing at work. No complaints about the wait or the price. The next closest S&W dealer was only allowing $75 off list! It'll come soon enough and I'll be happy.

Kinda anxious about the heavy DAO trigger pull on these little buggers. I lost the pad of my right index finger to an accident a few years ago. Not much meat covering the bone and very sensetive to impact. I have minimal trouble with my Kimber .45, so I can't imagine it will cause too much of an issue. Wouldn't feel it anyway in a defensive situation with adreneline pumping!

mclark202 stated:
"Wow, these things seem to be getting more expensive. I just got mine last week from a guy on here. I paid $630 delivered with Hogue monogrips and the ones on it pictured(Don't know what happened to the Bantams, but not too worried about it.) This is replacing my 642 as my carry gun, but it holds Speer Gold Dot .38's instead of .357's."

I'm the one who sold the 340 M&P to mclark202. Just to be a little fair, I paid $730 with tax for the 340 M&P in December, put CT grips on it, fired under 100 rounds, and sold it to mclark202 for $630 delivered (with $55 shipping, paid by me), after replacing the grips with the older factory boot grips I had available at the time (put the bantams on another j-frame sold earlier). And I did include an extra set of 3-finger Hogue grips and a set of snap caps to the deal. I hope he likes it, and it serves him well. It's a great gun, and you definitely can find a good and generous deal on the forum from members.

Yea, they have apparently gone up and are few and far between in availability. I was alerted by email of an M&P w/o CT that had come into stock through http://www.galleryofguns.com/genie/default.aspx?item=163072 but was gone before I opened the email. It was listed at $948 plus shipping! I've checked Bud's and many other sites noted in the forum with no luck either.

The prices for the non-CT M&P's factory new are no savings over the price I'd pay for S&W logo CT's from S&W to add on after purchase. I'll "bite the bullet" so to speak and pay the $950. I don't have the patience to dig around for deals on used. They are even more scarce.

$789 was about the going price for the Ruger LCR w/CT. I like the S&W much more and don't mind the extra bucks to get one. I'll post once it's in hand.

Anyone have a resource for Corbon Glaser/Pow'r Ball ammo in stock?

Thanks,
Brian

I just got mine this week, bought it from Bud's in "like new" condition and paid $769 delivered.

I just got mine this week, bought it from Bud's in "like new" condition and paid $769 delivered.

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http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/manufacturers_id/31/products_id/43697

$901 is the latest pricing from Bud's and is out of stock. Looks like I'm in the market at a peak time.

Mine was used, in like new condition. You are looking at the brand new in box price. I must say that the one that I bought could not be told from brand new though, not a mark or scratch. My FFl said he thought it must have been fired a few times and the buyer just didn't like the recoil and traded it in?? Greg