I put a couple of Walthers up for sale and want to get a lightweight J-Frame for everyday carry. I will probably be shooting regular .38 special rounds through it most of the time. Weight is a big factor and the 340PD looks like maybe the lightest current production J-Frame? It looks to be just about the perfect self defense gun for my needs at 11.4 Oz. I could look at a used 342 at under 11 Oz, but being able to shoot .357 rounds should I change my mind later is appealing. Also, it looks like the 342 goes for close to the same price as a 340PD? So, I was really thinking this was the gun for me. However, as I research it more I'm starting to see things about bullet-pull, temperamental titanium, and no bullets under 125 grains. How much of a problem are these issues? If the gun is having this many problems, why is S&W still making it? Should I look in another direction? Kind of bummed as this looked like the perfect gun for me. Any thoughts? If you own this gun, would you buy it again? Do the Pros outweigh the Cons?

Thanks for any insight,

JT

Lay your hand on the bench and strike it hard in the web between your thumb and finger with a claw hammer. That is 357's in a 340 pd.

Ultimate lightweight or bag O frustration ... why .. its both.
on one hand you can carry it with all the intrusiveness of a spare pair of socks. on the other hand some who shot them regularly, have burnt the titanium cylinders after they wore the requisite protective finish away from heavy use and subsequent cleaning.

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it just needs more voltage

I've had one for about a year and a half. I carry it constantly in my non-dominant side pocket, loaded with full power 125 Grain .357s. Never had a problem with bullet-pull.
Yes, it kicks REALLY hard. And yes, I shoot it left-handed only, and I'm right handed. I also took the rubber grips off of it and put on wood boot grips, so they don't soak up any recoil. This is not a revolver I shoot for enjoyment. It is there to use to save my life, usually as a backup to something more substantial. It fits that need perfectly for me.
I say get one.
Jim

So, I can assume you think they are a bag of hurt/frustration

Is that something S&W can repair? Costly? Are there any special cleaning requirements?

Thanks for the insight Jim. Yes, I want it because I think I will carry it more often because of the weight/conceal-ability. And the .38 special seems to be a proven round.

yes, its repairable in the sense that a cylinder can be replaced. once the metal starts burning, its gone. and yes, it'll cost.
cleaning ... avoid brushes and dont give into the temptation to scrub the crud off the face. By the time youve gotten the black off, you have probably compromised the protective layer.
Understand, however, that these guns fill a role brilliantly.
That role is a personal protection piece that will be carried day to day every day till you find a gun fight where it'll actually see active use.
if thats what you want, go for it. that is what its designed for.
if your looking for a gun to burn a few boxes of ammo up with every weekend .. this isnt your kind of gun for both the afore mentioned burning issues as well as the recoil amplification technology incorporated into all ultra light guns

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it just needs more voltage

Why not look into the 340 M&P model?

It is only a few ounces heavier (don't have exact weight specs in front of me...) and has a blackened stainless cylinder...so you do not have the cleaning "problem" of the 340PD cylinder.

For those that say it is like "hitting your hand with a hammer"...
I used to believe that too....until I got a 340 and shot it!

Yeah...it ain't the most comfortable for range use, but if you use a short barrel load from Speer, or better yet, .38+P rounds...it is perfectly controllable and does not hurt (your hand might be sore the next day, if you fire 50 or more rounds in one session)
Good luck!

I need your expertise gentleman, your thoughts on...

Agree with P&R Fan, I only carry it for one purpose only.

It is not necessarily a fun gun to shoot but you'll get use to it, I shoot mine often.

I have this weapon. The first time I shot it, the trigger guard (nicely contoured like a fine knife) tore up my knuckle, and the trigger itself tore up my trigger finger. You'd think they'd radius some of those edges to protect the shooter.

I now shoot with a heavy cowhide workglove. I normally wear a large, I and fit into a medium but it is a chore to remove. I bought a small and soaked it in water for an hour and then wrung out the glove like a old dish rag. Then I squeezed my hand into the glove and opened and closed my fist to stretch the leather. As the leather dries it will shrink where it can and it will remain stretched where it has to. When dry it will fit like a second skin. (I used the burner on my stove to accelerate the drying process--a hair dryer would have worked better). I left it on my hand until it was completely dry.

This protects my hand enough that I can shoot 25 rounds of .38 from the gun with each session. I shoot 50 rounds per week. Once a month I shoot off some .357s.

I've been thinking of buying the same gun in .22 so I can get in more practice with less abuse (and at a lower cost).

I've only had this gun a few months and I am getting acclimated to the recoil. Eventually I think I will be able to shoot more rounds per session. The body adapts. Give it time.

i always compared it to an open hand slap on a slick finished garage floor...over and over again. BRUTAL

I have CT grips on mine and carry it with Gold Dot 135 gr +P. It's the perfect (at least for me) pocket carry gun.

I love my 340M&P with the tritium front dot, like above poster I carry mine off hand front pocket. I load it with 38+p's and do very little shooting with .357. The .357 only gains about 50 fps but has much more muzzle blast, recoil and muzzle flash. The advantage being it "can" shoot .357's ... that doesn't mean you have to... I love the sight picture of this gun.

Hate to say and this may even be taboo on a S&W forum but I also have the LCR in .357 and love it. The trigger really was better out of the box. The grips are much larger and harder to fit in the pocket but absorb more of the recoil.

That said I carry the S&W in my pocket at work every day. The LCR is at home.

Badge54

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Badge54

When I carry it's my 340PD. I shoot it enough to know I can handle it and yes you'll always know that it has gone off. 125 grain 357 is manageable, 158 grain is too much for me in this weight of gun.
I put a wood grip on mine.

Most of the people at the range want to try it but only one has wanted to shoot more than one or two rounds.

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Lynnie, Professional Pest

All the negatives you mention only come into play if your pushing the design envolope and stuffing it with light, ultra hot 357 mag rounds. Stuff it with 38 +P and enjoy. The 357 ( reduced recoil loads?) option is there if you want to experiment. I have a 360PD that shoots 38+P very comfortably and WELL within the guns design range. I never feel underguned. It's my favorite carry and as silly as it seems, I do notice the carry weight difference vs my 638.

FWIW, I bought my 360PD used with near a full box of 357 mag rounds. The guy bought it (new) was in love with the idea of an 11 oz 357 untill he fired it. One trip to the range flustered him enough that he wanted nothing more to do with it despite the shop owners pleas to try 38 specials. He traded it for a 9mm. :-)
That guy missed out on one hell of a nice 38!

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Dave

I own one and commonly carry it.

200 rounds have gone down the pipe.

My biggest complaint: the trigger pull (weight).

And, shooting cheap Blazer .357 is a no-go. The bullets don't remain seated in the case, and prevent the cylinder from rotating after the 3rd or 4th pull.

I also really like the Hogue grips that I put on mine.

They're the solid Nylon, model 60100.

Yes, they have a pinky groove, and yes, they're a little heavier than the stock grips... However, they make a HUGE difference in controlling this little beast, and I've found there are no negatives in how well the pistol conceals. Besides, they don't grab at my pockets like the soft(er) stock grips that have a rubbery feel to them.

I really appreciate all the information! I keep going back and forth. I keep going back my original thought - lightest J-Frame so you will cary the darn thing! I'm thinking the 340PD is it.

Joni_Lynn - that gun looks pristine! I assume no brush on the cylinder, does everyone just use a soft cloth and solvent to get the thing clean?

JT

I have had one for about ten years i think, not one problem. Kicks a lot, but very accurate. I carry full power 357 magnum loads in it.

Thanks. I doesn't get brushed or have solvent used on it. I keep the gun clean enough that it functions well, the cylinder and barrel will get cleaned when they require it.

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Lynnie, Professional Pest

I've been thinking of buying a 317 Kit gun (.22) and mounting the same grips on it as on my 340 PD. That way I can get some extra trigger time on a light weight J-frame with the same ergonomics as the PD without beating up my hands. I figure I can shoot 50 rounds on the kit gun and 20 - 25 rounds on the PD with .38s and .357s.

In slow fire I can keep all 20 rounds on the target at 25 yards. I would like to do a bit better and shoot a good bit faster. And that takes practice.

I can’t add much to what others have said, only that I also have a Model 642, and between the two, I almost always carry the 340PD due to its lighter weight. I also like the Hi-Viz front sight better. I bought the 642 several years ago, and thought its recoil was pretty stout. Until I shot the 340! I now shoot the 340 with a pair of fingerless gloves I have for riding my motorcycle, and that helps tremendously.

My advice is that if you are looking for a carry gun, I don’t think you would go wrong with the 340.

My 340PD is just fine with 38 +p ammo.

Looks like the M&P340 is right between the 340PD & 642 for weight. The stainless steel barrel eliminates all the problems mentioned above? Except the recoil?

Lift weights a few times a week and move up to a 442/642.

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

I have a 340PD, and I like it. What Joni Lynn says about selecting bullet weights is right on target, IMHO. The gun is not that bad with 125s, but full-charge .357s with 158 gr bullets are beyond my ability to tolerate. I generally keep my gun loaded with Winchester Silvertips. I know, they are "old fashioned" but they are about as much as I can handle.

I think if I had it to do over again, I would prefer the M&P model. The SS cylinder would be a good thing. But as it is, my 340PD hasn't caused any trouble. I intend to disable the IL some day, but until now, even that has been trouble-free. Never had a key in it.

It is amazing to me a gun like this thing stays together and is able to work as well as it does!

I've been lifting weights for 50+ years. I've always prided myself on my grip and I've always worked by grip hard over those years.

The 340PD causes numbness in my hand after about 25 rounds. Then numbness goes away in about 10 minutes, but it is a signal for me to stop shooting it that session.

But I do not see any of the violent barrel lifting you see in the clips on the Internet. My barrel rises no more than 1" on .357s. But perhaps that is why my hand gets numb: because I don't absorb much of the recoil by allowing the barrel to rise.

My wrist never hurts. Just the numbness. I also recommend resistance exercises for the grip. It will help with the 340, but it will also help with your general marksmanship.

Have you considered the M&P 340?
A couple ounces heavier but with SS cylinder, XS night sights which are much better than anything standard on 340/360 pds.
Finish is black DLC.
I almost bought the ti/sc and then the mp 340/360 came out to address all the pd shortcomings.

Yes, starting to think that would be the best bet for me. M&P340CT. I haven't really heard anything negative about that model (except maybe the weight). Any reason I shouldn't go with the M&P340CT over the 340PD?

Just the slight additional weight. Less potential issues with the stainless cylinder as well.

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Lynnie, Professional Pest

For the price of the 340, you could get a 642 AND a 442.

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I'm with the banned ...

The gun is guaranteed. So what problems are there that the guarantee will not address?

I picked up a new no-lock 340 M&P this week. Range report thus far: 100 standard .38; 50 FBI 158 grain +P; and 10 mid power .357 125 grain. It worked flawlessly with everything but I have to admit the mags were a challenge. I keep it loaded w/ four Corbon DPX 110 grain +P and one mid power 125 grain .357 as the last round. The big dot front sight is a great help, especially at my age (mid 60's).

My 442 no-lock is now in a back-up role in the safe. The new 340 is only slightly lighter but I can tell the difference after carrying all day.

Does anyone know if the restriction re: lead ammo applies to the M&P? The 158 grain lead +P FBI load did not jump crimp when I shot them, and the S&W literature that comes w/the gun only mentions the 340PD with respect to bullet configuration and weight.

Thanks,
Old Cop

Hogue has a new grip coming out that should help with these guns. It's kind of like their exisisting monogrip but built like the .500's spongy back. It's made for the internal hammer models so it goes up high on the back of the frame. There is a block of plastic at the bottom back end where it's supposed to slide on clothing instead of sticking to it. It looked like a three finger grip like the existing monogrip, but I'm hoping they make a two finger version of it.

I traded for a 337Ti a couple of years ago. It is an earlier one without the IL. I have carried it a lot. I use it mostly as a BUG in an ankle holster. I have a pocket holster for it but I am not really fond of pocket carry. I put a set of Pachmayr Presentation Compact rubber grips on it for range shooting to preserve my hand some. They help a bunch. I switch it to a set of rubber boots for a cylinder of two. I practice at short range...15 feet or so. I figure this will be a close range weapon. I mostly point shoot. It does that pretty well. I have a HiViz front sight on it and have a bobbed hammer and the trigger converted to DAO. I don't shoot it a lot. I clean it with bristle brush and leave the cylinder face alone except for a light wipe with a rag with a little light oil followed by a clean, dry rag. It has held up fine. I use Hornady Critical Defense 38 +P in it and have had no problem with bullets pulling. I have a nice 640-1 but I carry the 337 far more often...I have found it very useful.

Good to know - thanks!

The +P FBI load is a .38 Special, so there should not be a problem. From what I understand the bullet weight warnings have more to do with flame cutting on the titanium cylinder than bullet jump. Not sure if any .38 loads would cause a problem with that.
Jim

Yes, it is a flame cutting issue. The bullets less than 120 gr. leave the cylinder so quickly that the gases are still burning when they do. This flame cuts the frame and cylinder. This applies to the PD only; the M & P can fire 110 gr. bullets.

Get ammo with a cannelure. It will hold the round in the case more securely.

I have a M&P 340 also. I find it a handfull with .357 magnum loads, even the Speer 135 grain Short Barrel loads. I carry the Speer 135 grain +P Gold Dots and have never had a crimp jump.

I reload with 158 grain Gold Dot bullets using 6.5 to 7.0 grains of Unique. Most of the time I experience a crimp jump in the 5th cylinder. So I avoid carrying with reloads. However I have never had a crimp jump with factory loads.

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Hook686

I own 2 steel (nickel 49 & 640 38) and an electroless nickel 442,
but my 340PD is ALWAYS with me.
It's loaded with Buffalo Bore 125 grain +P's.
A close 2nd choice is Corbon DPX 110 +P's.
At the range I'd need it (probably 8 feet or closer),
I have total confidence in either of these 2 bullets being sufficient.
Plus, I can control the gun. It's carried in Mika Pocket Holster.
For my purposes, it's the best gun, loaded with the best ammo
and carried in the best pocket holster available.

Attached Images

	340 PD Uncle Mike's 1-.jpg (111.2 KB, 232 views)
	340 PD Uncle Mike's 2-.jpg (248.6 KB, 255 views)

Thanks again for a great discussion! Decided the M&P340CT NoLock was the one. Placed my order and hope to get it this week. Glad we talked before I went with the 340PD (although I'm sure I would have been happy with it as well).

Good choice. If you would have selected the pd eventually you would second guessed. Once you get and use the 340 M&P i feel confident you will never regret your choice and pine for the pd.
The XS dot with tritium vial is a much superior sighting system day or night, as is the DLC coating.
I have been carrying mine off and on and off for over four years and it doesn't show much wear. The DLC gets slightly shiny at the wear points.
Best j frame Centennial snub available IMO.
Speer gold dot 135 gr for short barrel, Mika pocket holster great pocket combo.

It's VERY nice! Was able to pick it up from the dealer and I'm smitten. I decided to sell the PPK I've been using for my carry gun. This is the one I'm keeping on me all the time. Ordered a DeSantis Nemesis and looking for a good side holster now. Love the Crimson Trace Grips. Hope to get out and shoot it soon. Picked up some 125 Grain NyClad & 110 Grain HydroShock to test out. Can't imagine a nicer gun to carry on a daily basis.

I'll have to pick up some SGD 135 gr for short barrel when I get used to the gun. Mika looks good as well. I emailed him and it's about a three week wait.

Thanks again for all the help,

JT

In my 340PD, I do get crimp jumping with Hornady Critical Defense +P 110gr FTX. It's about .17" and it's not enough to lock up the cylinder. Nonethless, the crimp jump is still there. I'm going to try some heavier +P rounds to see if the issue persists.

UPDATE: My M&P340 had to go back due to the cylinder sliding off the yoke when cleaning (the side plate screw was tight). S&W fixed the problem quickly and I've put an additional 150 rounds of everything through it, to include short barrel .357.

It is my EDC and I could not be more satisfied. Hope yours worked out as well.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

My 342ti, a .38 gun, had quite snap with +p. It weighs the same as the 340pd. I should never have sold it. I want to get another 342ti, but they are no longer made. I'd rather have a 340pd for the cost that I see 342ti's going for on the used market. A 340pd filled with +p .38 is enough gun in the pocket. I'm getting a no lock soon.

I have the m&p 340 model and its not bad at all with any 38 or 110 grain or less .357 that you put through it. The pain really begins with the 125 grain .357 loads. Surprisingly one of the most accurate bullets through the gun is the 125 grain .357 jacketed softpoint from remington.

So in short I don't think that you would find the .357s from the 340 pd to be very fun. The 340 pd is probably fine if your going to shoot mostly 38s however if you want to shoot more than a a few 357s out of it you should opt for the slightly heavier mp340.

I carry a 342ti with smooth wood grips as my constant companion. It goes with me when other guns get left home. You know you have shot it with +p, but not all that bad. Highly recommend.

I have been carrying my 340PD for the past five years, and I can honestly say it is a very practical gun for me. Don't let all these stories about the fierce recoil scare you away. The key is to find the right ammo that is compatible with your tolerance and skill level.

I bought my gun from an idiot who loaded up his new toy with the hottest 357 ammo he could find; fired a few shots, and put it on the market for sale.

I on the other hand worked up to my tolerance level which was the Speer 135gr 357 short barrel. Currently I am carrying the Speer 135gr 38+P because of the availability issue with the 357s.

I am 68 years old and am very proficient with this gun from point blank to 15 yds. Do not be afraid of the 340PD from stories you have heard. It's a fabulous carry gun and all you have to do is match your skill level to a comfortable ammo. Most people feel the Speer 135gr +P is the perfect match.

Good Luck