M&p 340

[guiri]

Great help indeed bro.

As for the hiviz and tritium, if I go with the crimson trace, I won't really need any of that will I?

Do you know if they make a longer grip with a laser?

THanks a lot

George

 

[guiri]

I saw where you said the grips would be cheaper but the crimson trace grips you showed me are listed at 299.
The lowest I've seen them is 200 so that still makes it the same price, right?

Now, unless the original CT grips are shorter than the ones they sell in the store, then yes but otherwise, prolly doesn't make much sense I think.

George

 

[guiri]

Alright, I called CT and they said that the grip that comes on the Smith is the 305 which is the longer one (which you prolly knew) and the 405 is shorter but has recoil padding in the back.

Sorry, I should have done these in one post but I kept thinking of other stuff and I can't deleted my posts...

 

[Stoudenmire]

You were right Dennis, Smith & Wesson's customer service was outstanding. I sent them my revolver and they returned it to me in six days with a new hammer and firing pin. So far it is shooting great and is now my daily companion for concealed carry.

Cliff

 

[RebelRabbi]

It's my EDC.

 

[FranklyTodd]

Also do you guys recommend going with a model all ready equipped with the laser grips, or buying them separately?

This is completely cosmetic, but if you get them together, the CT grips have the S&W logo. If you wait to buy them after, they will most likely have a CTC logo. You can buy the S&W grips separately, but they are full price from S&W, no discount.

Caveat - this was my buying experience in 2007 when I bought mine. Paid $605 for the gun and $259 for the S&W grips, IIRC. Been carrying it ever since. I mix in a couple other carry guns occasionally, but the M&P340 gets the lion's share of the work. You will be very happy with a 340!

Best,
FT

 

[JoeShmoe]

Great help indeed bro.

As for the hiviz and tritium, if I go with the crimson trace, I won't really need any of that will I?

Do you know if they make a longer grip with a laser?

THanks a lot

George

I have the 340PD with the HiViz front sight, and LG 405 grips. In bright sunlight it is difficult to pick up the laser, but the HiViz shines brightly. In low light the laser is easy to pick up, but the HiViz is dim. Pretty good combo if you ask me.

 

[DAdams]

Stoudenmire

You were right Dennis, Smith & Wesson's customer service was outstanding. I sent them my revolver and they returned it to me in six days with a new hammer and firing pin. So far it is shooting great and is now my daily companion for concealed carry.

Cliff

That is great news and an excellent turnaround time. Hopefully you will now get years of reliable service...although even the best need work now and then; it's just a fact of life. That's why I have three carry items (plus a 642) in service at any given time. I sometimes rotate just for the practice of it; but I do need to put more carry time on the Kahr PM9.

Welcome to the Rebel.

Welcome to guiri.

Hey there jarhead.

Frankly Todd always great to have you around.

 

[JarheadJessup]

Well I went ahead and purchased a 340 M&P today! Now I guess its a waiting game for the transfer to take place. In the mean time I am looking for a pocket holster, I would like a Mika but understand the wait is a while so while I am waiting for a Mika which pocket holster is recommended? I was thinking a Nemesis, but any other recommendations are welcome so long as they are accompanied by an explanation.

Thanks!

 

[bad4dr]

I have an Uncle Mike's pocket holster for my M&P 340. It was $14. That's all the explanation you should need

Seriously though, the guy who works at the store where I bought my 340 also carries one. Every day. He uses the Uncle Mike's, but he uses the size 4, the one for sub-compact pistols. That's the one he recommended to me, so that's the one I bought.

 

[Balog]

Jarhead: I ordered a Mika pocket (black material black stitching) and got the "Your holster has been shipped" message inside of 20 minutes. Took maybe a week to get here in the mail?

 

[JarheadJessup]

Bad4dr, Balog: Thanks for your input. I just ordered a Mika holster. If the wait is long I may go with an Uncle Mikes but hopefully it will be quick!

Thanks much!

 

[Sparks_1911]

First post... was looking around for something a bit more concealable than my M&P 40C about a month ago and the counterperson at the local Gander Mountain store handed me a (unknown to me at the time) S&W 340 PD and a Taurus 85 ULC of some variant (it had the CT grips).

I thought -- wow, light! I glanced casually at the .38 Special marking on the Taurus, then went at the .357 marking on the Smith. Didn't care for the price on either ($950 for the 340 PD w/hi-viz), $7xx for the Taurus. Went looking at the other local gunshop, they had the Taurus .38 for about $450, but -- I was already in love with the Smith and they had none.

Thanks to this thread I learned all I needed to know -- great job guys! Ordered the M&P 340 this morning, should have it in about a week ($675 delivered + FFL, NIB). Would have went for the CT grips but couldn't get the price/availability thing to work out (Buds had one but I live in 'his' state so would have been hit with sales tax), so I'll get a chance to ascertain recoil and concealability aspects before choosing between the three variants of CT grips out there. Planning on ankle carry (the MP 40C felt like a bowling ball down there.... ).

For you 340 PD guys, I tried to buy a lightly used one w/blade for $619 + shipping (no box) but it had been sold over the weekend . . . . and considering I'll likely wind up buying the laser grips I couldn't justify the extra cost of a new one (over the MP).

Again -- thanks for the great thread!
.

 

[MXD]

OK, this is my first post here. I came across this site while searching for opinions on the M&P 340CT as a primary CCW. I was all set to pick up a Kahr PM9 but then I bought my wife a S&W 432PD and I fell in love with its size, concealability, reliability and functionality. So, today I plunked down a deposit and had my local dealer call it in from his distributor. I should have it in a few days. I ordered the CT version, $899 delivered. I have seen better prices but I didn't care since this was the best deal I could have NOW. I can't wait. Now to find some reload data for some good .357 rounds to practice with.

Are there any bullets I need to stay away from while reloading?

One more thing,

Alright, I called CT and they said that the grip that comes on the Smith is the 305 which is the longer one (which you prolly knew) and the 405 is shorter but has recoil padding in the back.

The grips that come on them are the 405's, not the 305's. They both have the recoil reducing backstrap but the 305's are longer.

 

[DAdams]

Welcome To

Sparks1911 and MXD!

I didn't care since this was the best deal I could have NOW.

Now that's what I am talking about and what made America great. As far as reloads, go to the load section and do a search on "replica loads". JFH and others have researched, developed and ranged out some good stuff.

I haven't found any Hornady Critical Defense on the shelves yet but am anxious to give it a try in .357.

Sparks

Thanks to this thread I learned all I needed to know -- great job guys!

Indeed thanks to the devoted 340/360 owners who keep the thread alive and relevant.

If I lived in Kentucky I would move to TN just so I could deal with Bud's w/o the sales tax.

 

[Sparks_1911]

[...] I haven't found any Hornady Critical Defense on the shelves yet but am anxious to give it a try in .357

I have some on order with a specific comparison in mind:

HORNADY 357MAG 158GR JHP/XTP 1250 FPS/548 ft-lbs (8" test bbl.)

HORNADY CRITICAL DEFENSE 357MAG 125GR JHP/FTX 1500 FPS/624 ft-lbs (8" test bbl.)​

The theory is that a heavier bullet will give a less snappy recoil (my experience in the past with semi-autos). The hope is that, given an ultra lightweight snubbie in cal. .357 Rem. Mag. (we're all insane ), less snappy recoil will result in less front sight imprints on one's forehead

Also on order with a specific comparison in mind:

BUFFALO BORE 357MAG TAC 158G JHP(GD) 1232 FPS/532 ft-lbs (4" revolver) // 1015 FPS/361 ft-lbs (1-7/8" revolver)

BUFFALO BORE 38SPCL+P 158G LSWCHP 1162 FPS/474 ft-lbs (4" revolver) // 1040 FPS/379 ft-lbs (2" revolver)​

I have a Chrony, so when I make to the range with all these goodies (may be a while, I travel a lot) will post up the numbers and my impressions.

 

[DAdams]

Sparks Please do

I have a Chrony, so when I make to the range with all these goodies (may be a while, I travel a lot) will post up the numbers and my impressions.

I found a box today. PN 50700
HORNADY CRITICAL DEFENSE 357MAG 125GR JHP/FTX

At one of the LGS where I also picked up a NIB Walther P99AS in .40.

 

[FranklyTodd]

Frankly Todd always great to have you around.

Thanks DA -I haven't read anything else on THR (or any board) in months, but for this great thread I have it set to e-mail me the posts every day!

I would like a Mika but understand the wait is a while so while I am waiting for a Mika which pocket holster is recommended? I was thinking a Nemesis, but any other recommendations are welcome so long as they are accompanied by an explanation.

I'm a Nemesis guy. Mr. Mika is a great guy to work with, and I have read nothing but praise for his product. I think I am the only buyer ever who decided it wasn't for me. To me the Mika was like dropping your gun in the end of a trumpet, it has a plastic ring sewn into the top to keep the mouth wide open, and that ring would print in my suit/dress pants. Given that it's plastic, I doubted whether it would ever break in and lay flat, so I sold the Mika online and went back to the Nemesis, which has formed very well to the gun.

Please nobody interpret this as Mika bashing - it most certainly is not! I called and talked to him at the time, and he offered to re-make the holster for free without the ring - he stands by his product beyond all expectations. I already had the Nemesis, though, so I didn't take him up on it...

 

[JoeShmoe]

Range report 340PD

So today I did some defensive shooting type practice with my 340PD. I set up a couple bad guy targets, and practiced shooting close range bent elbow, shooting while moving, drawing from the pocket, reloading with speed strips, and speedloaders, etc. I used some fairly stout handloads with both 125 and 158 grain bullets.

Here's what I learned:

This is a very very good self defense weapon. I focused primarily on drawing from the pocket at a yard and a half, and firing 5 rounds center of mass, while backing quickly away from the target. I was able to do this quickly, accurately, and consistently, which gave me a great deal of confidence in this gun.

100+ rounds of stout ammo does a number on your strong hand. Even with the CT LG405 grips, I have a blister on my palm, a cut on my trigger finger, and a chunk of skin knocked off my thumb. Even so I was able to finish the day by firing a cylinder of the Hornady Critical Defense, 125gr 357Magnum in a rapid but controlled manner as described above. I wouldn't say it was pleasant, but the shots hit COM, and in a real self defense situation, that is all I would care about. My hand can heal later.

This is not a very good fun gun. Although I had fun, it is not the gun you want to take to the range to practice target shooting. This is the gun for practicing the unloading of 5 rounds, center of mass, as quickly as possible. That's all I want to be able to do with it.

Reloads are an issue. It's the only drawback I see. Speed strips, or speedloaders are both pretty slow. If 5 rounds don't get the job done, and you can't get away or find cover, you are going to be in a bind. This makes me even more determined to get good with the 357 round, as opposed to 38spl.

This is the gun I'm likely to have with me. I've had this gun in my pocket nearly every waking moment, since I got it. I get up in the morning, put my pants on one leg at a time, open the safe, and drop the revolver in my pocket, like any reasonable person would.


So all in all I love it. It is much easier to carry than the Model 60 it replaced, and more capable than a heavier Airweight 38spl. It's worth every penny it cost, and I'm glad I bought it.

 

[DAdams]

If

you had an M&P 340 that extra ounce or so would be there to absorb the energy and you wouldn't be all beat up.

I have a blister on my palm, a cut on my trigger finger, and a chunk of skin knocked off my thumb

Joe that was a great experential write up! Thanks for sharing you lightweight J Frame Experience.

Based on what you did, what are you going to make your carry load?

 

[JoeShmoe]

There will always be a good natured rivalry between the M&P 340, and 340PD people.

I'm going to carry the Hornady Critical Defense.

 

[DAdams]

I'm going to carry the Hornady Critical Defense.

Plus P or .357?

 

[JoeShmoe]

Plus P or .357?

357.

 

[OldCavSoldier]

A buddy carries one with 158 grain HP .357 Mag rounds in the cylinder. One day at the range he handed it to me to give it a try.

I've shot some stout handguns in my life and thought it might be fun. It was NOT.

First shot, I hit where I was aiming to hit. Opened the cylinder, handed it back to him, and have never shot it again. Even with .38Spl loads.

I'm too old to do something painful and no fun if I don't have to do it.

 

[DAdams]

Not for Everyone

OCS Says:

A buddy carries one with 158 grain HP .357 Mag rounds in the cylinder

But the important thing....

First shot, I hit where I was aiming to hit

At the end of the day that's what it's all about.

thought it might be fun. It was NOT.

Lightweight J Frame Centennials.....Not for Everyone.