M&p 340
- Thread starter DAdams
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DAdams
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Super J
M&P 340 is a result of fine tuning the 340PD, although they are a couple of ounces lighter, due to the cylinder material the weight continues to work to the shooters benefit (recoil energy absorption) and long term durability of the cylinder if you don't mind the extra couple of ounces.
M&P is the J frames greatest hits. The best of so to speak. S&W got it right with the M&P after experimenting for years. Stainless cylinder, standard big dot night sights, DLC coating, unlimited .357 grain size. Go handle them both, check out the sights. Let us know what you decide.
M&P 340 is a result of fine tuning the 340PD, although they are a couple of ounces lighter, due to the cylinder material the weight continues to work to the shooters benefit (recoil energy absorption) and long term durability of the cylinder if you don't mind the extra couple of ounces.
M&P is the J frames greatest hits. The best of so to speak. S&W got it right with the M&P after experimenting for years. Stainless cylinder, standard big dot night sights, DLC coating, unlimited .357 grain size. Go handle them both, check out the sights. Let us know what you decide.
I saw 4, 340's at the show, 3 were asking in the 8-850 range which I told them that they were nuts, One guy I knew had one for 625, I almost took it, but the prices are coming down, and buds has the pd's for 630, and the centinals for $540.00, what is the difference, is it the just the cylinder, if so the centenial is a better deal. After speaking to many dealers,and one expert , on who owns 23 S&W revolvers, he talked me out of the gun, mainly because of the weight, I have a titanium 38, and the kick on that gun weghing 12 ounces, has to throw your second shot off too far to recover for multiple accurate shot placment, unless you really practice with that weapon a lot. I may change my mind if I cut a deal on one, and have the option of putting 2 rounds of 357 in for my last 2 shots, but for now I will wait, smoke em if you got em.
Tadams & Gym
TADAMS
Thanks for the analysis. I am leaning heavily toward the m&p 340 now.
GYM
I was at the last gun show in Ft Laud about 2-3 months ago and I was quoted almost $900 with CT.
I am probably going to head back to the gunshow tomorrow.
Opinions as to what price to definitely jump and purchase the gunt??? What would be the $ that I should reasonably expect to pay for the m&p 340with and without CT?
TADAMS
Thanks for the analysis. I am leaning heavily toward the m&p 340 now.
GYM
I was at the last gun show in Ft Laud about 2-3 months ago and I was quoted almost $900 with CT.
I am probably going to head back to the gunshow tomorrow.
Opinions as to what price to definitely jump and purchase the gunt??? What would be the $ that I should reasonably expect to pay for the m&p 340with and without CT?
AStone
Member
Alter ego?
FranklyTodd
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Super J
Another difference you get with the stainless (vs. titanium) cylinder is no ammo restriction. Somebody with a PD can tell you the exact limitations, but I think you can't shoot ammo that is too light in the titanium cylinder of the PD. If you already know the ammo you intend to shoot and it fits, I guess the PD's fine. I personally have been experimenting all over the place ammo-wise with the M&P, and also figure if it has no restriction on .357 loads, it must be structurally stronger... It does add 1.3oz, which is actually quite a bit when you are down to 12oz for the PD, it's over 10%...
As for price, I paid $605 for the gun, then $259 for the S&W branded CT grips. I think I did pretty good, so anything around $625 for the gun or $850 for CT equipped would be excellent for new. If you are holding out for a steal, you might be able to find a used one much cheaper. Many do buy this model not realizing what a 12-13oz .357 is like.
Gym, I'm glad you figured out the gun wasn't for you before you bought, but you are kind of spinning your wheels in this thread, as I think this is primarily an M&P owners thread, and we love 'em! Of course you are welcome to your opinion that the M&P is no good, I just question your choice of audience...
Another difference you get with the stainless (vs. titanium) cylinder is no ammo restriction. Somebody with a PD can tell you the exact limitations, but I think you can't shoot ammo that is too light in the titanium cylinder of the PD. If you already know the ammo you intend to shoot and it fits, I guess the PD's fine. I personally have been experimenting all over the place ammo-wise with the M&P, and also figure if it has no restriction on .357 loads, it must be structurally stronger... It does add 1.3oz, which is actually quite a bit when you are down to 12oz for the PD, it's over 10%...
As for price, I paid $605 for the gun, then $259 for the S&W branded CT grips. I think I did pretty good, so anything around $625 for the gun or $850 for CT equipped would be excellent for new. If you are holding out for a steal, you might be able to find a used one much cheaper. Many do buy this model not realizing what a 12-13oz .357 is like.
Gym, I'm glad you figured out the gun wasn't for you before you bought, but you are kind of spinning your wheels in this thread, as I think this is primarily an M&P owners thread, and we love 'em! Of course you are welcome to your opinion that the M&P is no good, I just question your choice of audience...
Brassman
Member
This is just my opinion, but if you can get an M&P 340 for $625, and you want one, you should bite down on it. I got mine for $595 about 6 months ago and that's the lowest price I've seen anywhere since then. My wife still carries my 642 and likes it, but the sights, weight reduction, the factory Hogue Bantam grips, and the finish are worth the extra money for the M&P 340. If I could have just one carry weapon this would be it by a long shot.
jfh
Member.
"...This is just my opinion, but if you can get an M&P 340 for $625, and you want one, you should bite down on it."
I couldn't agree more, Brassman. (BTW, are you still practicing with those wimpy softball reloads? It's time to step up and use those Speer recipes....)
The only observation I would throw into your assessment is that I would also be satisfied with a Scandium-framed / "premium" 38+P package.
Jim H.
Tifosi
Member
The minimum is 125 Gr. on the PD because of the under 12 oz. weight of package not because the cylinder is titanium. There is another issue they do not mention NO LEAD BULLETS. The lead bullets and light bullets both pull out of the shell case fouling on the frame and preventing the cylinder from turning. I had chipping issues with my PD (158 Gr. FMJ) on the front of the cylinder and returned it three tries gave up had them put the M&P stainless steel black cylinder on it.
jfh
Member.
"...There is another issue they do not mention NO LEAD BULLETS...."
If you read through this topic, Tifosi, I think you'll find we've been discussing this. I think my latest comments are about one page back.
Both Brassman and I have experienced fouling / cylinder binding with our lead reloads. I will point out, however, that the problem doesn't necessarily appear to be lead fouling alone: I recently shot some 'replica reloads' I build in 357 cases, not 38 Special--and that particular combination of components yielded little-to-NO fouling.
At this point I don't know if it's because of the cartridge case selection (the less-fouling-with-357-cases-phenomena) or what the variable is. I think it's because this recipe--which is a 357 'translation' of a Speer 38+P 135-gr GDSB recipe that uses a 140-gr. LTC to replicate the factory round--burns much cleaner than the standard 38+P load.
Whatever the reason is, I can report that after fifty rounds, there was little fouling, period; my M&P 340 cylinder spins quite freely (if not as free as when freshly cleaned). That's a far cry from days when my other recipes have actually bound up the trigger after about seventy rounds and after the gun has cooled off completely.
Jim H.
Tifosi
Member
Hey,
I wasn't talking about you but S&W and cartridge growth not lead fouling or binding. The bullet is pulling itself out of the case. If you had read my post the word fouling was used to indicate the actual physical contact of the bullet on the frame of the pistol, thus preventing the cylinder from turning.
I wasn't talking about you but S&W and cartridge growth not lead fouling or binding. The bullet is pulling itself out of the case. If you had read my post the word fouling was used to indicate the actual physical contact of the bullet on the frame of the pistol, thus preventing the cylinder from turning.
No I wasn't knocking the gun at all, I would still consider purchasing one, and I just PM'd J, if he's going to the show, to tell him where the vendor with the lowest price was. Another interesting thing I saw at the show, was a $35.00 cleaning system, that uses a little gizmo that fires a cylindrical foam wad, through the weapon, using compressed air "like a pellet gun co2" cartridge, I let him clean my 38. Very nice, it has a piece that resembles a bore light, that you load the various sizes into, with the cleaning solution applied, the foam expands due to the 10,000 lbs of preassure, and spirals out leaving it cleaner than clean. you follow it uo with another wad, with a tiny drop of oil, and you are done. I almost bought one, but you still have to clean the rest of the gun, the old fashioned way. May help the guys who are having cleaning problems with thw cleaning, They also have a spray for the rest of the gun. I like TRI-FLO, but they don't make the stuff any more, been using "Break Free", cleaner and lubricant but that TriFlow was the best, it put a teflon kind of coating on the gun and made it easier to clean, curious to hear what others use, other than the Hopps stuff?
jfh
Member.
Tifosi: I took no offense to your comments; I (think I) tend to write in a rather pedantic style, so perhaps that is what you keyed in on in my comments about your post.
Having said that, I did misread your statement; I've not seen 'fouling' used that way in reloading discussions. At any rate--I've had NO trouble with bullet jump with my lead bullets, save for the very first Speer (swaged) 158-gr LSWC-HP loads I did. FWIW, I use a Lee 4-die setup, seating the bullet and crimping separately. That setup allows me to simply dial in the amount of crimp I want / need, and I run a firm crimp. ("Firm" is here defined as five or more but less than ten 'sharp wraps' with an intertial hammer to remove the bullet.)
So, it seems to me there are no particular issues about shooting lead bullets in lightweights, other than the typical issues for reloading.
I check my 5th round periodically, but in the last several hundred 'production rounds' I've done off the Load-Master with this bullet (Mastercastbullets 140LTC-358, BHIN appr. 16) in both 38 and 357 cases have shown no change in LOA.
Jim H.
Having said that, I did misread your statement; I've not seen 'fouling' used that way in reloading discussions. At any rate--I've had NO trouble with bullet jump with my lead bullets, save for the very first Speer (swaged) 158-gr LSWC-HP loads I did. FWIW, I use a Lee 4-die setup, seating the bullet and crimping separately. That setup allows me to simply dial in the amount of crimp I want / need, and I run a firm crimp. ("Firm" is here defined as five or more but less than ten 'sharp wraps' with an intertial hammer to remove the bullet.)
So, it seems to me there are no particular issues about shooting lead bullets in lightweights, other than the typical issues for reloading.
I check my 5th round periodically, but in the last several hundred 'production rounds' I've done off the Load-Master with this bullet (Mastercastbullets 140LTC-358, BHIN appr. 16) in both 38 and 357 cases have shown no change in LOA.
Jim H.
Wood grips for 340 M&P?
I am contemplating 340 MP mainly for its XS sight. I have Kahr MK9 with Big Dot XS and I think there is nothing better out there for a defensive firearm.
Most likely I would only be using +P ammunition and here is a question to all of you who removed the grips from 340 MP.
Does it have two studs tha all previous Centennials have to center and hold wood grips in place ?
I have quite a few J frame wood grips I liked and used while carrying my old Model 38 Bodyguard. They were perfect for concealed carry and if I buy a 357or a +p revolver I would like to use these.
I also have an option of getting any of the airweight models with the pinned front sight and replacing it with XS. Small problem is that the 340 MP has a larger rear sight channel that none of the previous models have specifically to accommodate the front XS picture.
Thanks for the answer.
I am contemplating 340 MP mainly for its XS sight. I have Kahr MK9 with Big Dot XS and I think there is nothing better out there for a defensive firearm.
Most likely I would only be using +P ammunition and here is a question to all of you who removed the grips from 340 MP.
Does it have two studs tha all previous Centennials have to center and hold wood grips in place ?
I have quite a few J frame wood grips I liked and used while carrying my old Model 38 Bodyguard. They were perfect for concealed carry and if I buy a 357or a +p revolver I would like to use these.
I also have an option of getting any of the airweight models with the pinned front sight and replacing it with XS. Small problem is that the 340 MP has a larger rear sight channel that none of the previous models have specifically to accommodate the front XS picture.
Thanks for the answer.
That is strange. Where is the second screw? All the photos I have seen of the CT 405 show only one screw on the left side. That, being besides the point, I would appreciate the answer from any of you who actually have removed the grips.
Thanks a lot
Thanks a lot
FranklyTodd
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One stud on the frame; two screws through the left side. Just put my LG-405 CT grips on two days ago.
Side note: shot it this morning w/laser (first time w/laser). Wow! Love it. Grip isn't quite as comfortable to hold, as it's thinner than stock and partially hard plastic instead of rubber - actually conceals maybe a little better though, even with the laser bump. The backstrap padding helped a bit with recoil, I think, though today was mostly 38spl practice and laser play - recoil was light, so not sure how much the padding will help with heavier loads...
Side note: shot it this morning w/laser (first time w/laser). Wow! Love it. Grip isn't quite as comfortable to hold, as it's thinner than stock and partially hard plastic instead of rubber - actually conceals maybe a little better though, even with the laser bump. The backstrap padding helped a bit with recoil, I think, though today was mostly 38spl practice and laser play - recoil was light, so not sure how much the padding will help with heavier loads...
FranklyTodd
Member
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2007
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Ok, maybe I misunderstood your question. There is one stud that goes clear through and sticks out from both sides of the frame, down toward the bottom. If you call that two studs, I'm sorry for the confusion. I thought you meant two studs on each side to keep the grip from rotating.
Gym
I missed the show so I will have to make the next one...(Miami I think but I am not sure). Thanks for the tips as to who to look for at the show.
As for the gizmo cleaning system. I first saw it out at the west palm gun show and I was very skeptical. The salesman was very pleasant and I promised to bring in one of my dirty guns to really test it out. The following show was in Ft Lauderdale and I brought along my dirty gun and it worked like a charm. I purchased the cleaning system with about 3 different caliber adapters along with some militec from him. The cleaning system works like a champ and I love it.
Brassman & Franklytodd
Thanks for the pricing analysis as it is very helpful. I can get the 340pd shipped for $699 so now I need to get the same info from the store as to what the m&p340 is going to be as well.
Thanks everyone!
I missed the show so I will have to make the next one...(Miami I think but I am not sure). Thanks for the tips as to who to look for at the show.
As for the gizmo cleaning system. I first saw it out at the west palm gun show and I was very skeptical. The salesman was very pleasant and I promised to bring in one of my dirty guns to really test it out. The following show was in Ft Lauderdale and I brought along my dirty gun and it worked like a charm. I purchased the cleaning system with about 3 different caliber adapters along with some militec from him. The cleaning system works like a champ and I love it.
Brassman & Franklytodd
Thanks for the pricing analysis as it is very helpful. I can get the 340pd shipped for $699 so now I need to get the same info from the store as to what the m&p340 is going to be as well.
Thanks everyone!
Miami Gun Show this weekend!
Ok. I'm back. I am once again going to try to make it to the next gun show...this one being this weekend in Miami. I have never been to one at this location, but hopefully it will be a full house.
I am going to take along my TAO1 NSN ACOG scope to use as a partial trade if all goes well.
I'll keep you all posted.
Ok. I'm back. I am once again going to try to make it to the next gun show...this one being this weekend in Miami. I have never been to one at this location, but hopefully it will be a full house.
I am going to take along my TAO1 NSN ACOG scope to use as a partial trade if all goes well.
I'll keep you all posted.
Dollar An Hour
Member
Tried my new M&P 340 today, and I love it! Fired 110 rounds of .38+P SBGD 135gr loads. Recoil with Monogrips is less painful than my 15oz 442 with factory grips and the same load. That surprised me a bit. Muzzle rise is negligible, and recoil is sharp but the grips help immensely.
Rapid fire 5 rounds are kept on a pie plate at 10 yards no problem.
POI was about 2" right of POA at 10 yards. Since this is such a close range weapon, I think that's a non-issue.
Needless to say, will likely sell the 442 now.
That surprised me a bit. Muzzle rise is negligible, and recoil is sharp but the grips help immensely.Rapid fire 5 rounds are kept on a pie plate at 10 yards no problem.
POI was about 2" right of POA at 10 yards. Since this is such a close range weapon, I think that's a non-issue.
Needless to say, will likely sell the 442 now.
I "accidently" bought a S&W M&P 340 today at a gunshow. Seriously, I was looking for a Ruger SP101, but happened upon the 340. I really knew nothing about this model, but liked the weight, and night sight. After reading this thread, I have to say, I'm excited about my purchase. I will take it to the range tomorrow. I'm glad it doesn't have any ammo restrictions. Paid $630 for it (before tax and transfer fees). I do have one question. I like Eezox as a cleaner, rust preventative. It doesn't have a listing of ingredients. Anyone know if it would be okay to use Eezox and regular Hoppes #9 to clean after my range session tomorrow. Thanks for any feedback.
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