Which do you prefer and why?

Do you carry either?

357 mag, 38 special, or 38+p?

I have a 340PD and am considering getting an M&P 340

I have both. The 340PD has the better trigger pull. I think its due to the lighter weight cylinder.

Still, if I had to pick one, it would be the M&P.

I think Smith got it really right on the M&P. Highly durable finish. Big front tritium sight. Light but heavy enough to shoot.

For me, the M&P ticks all the boxes I want in a pocket able J-frame.

Still, I can't bring myself to sell the PD as it is also an excellent revolver and a marvel of technology.

No lock 340PD b/c it’s the lightest revolver, and loaded w/Remington HTP 110 grain +P b/c of its accuracy and relative ease of follow up shots.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

I have both. I carry 340PD often.

I had a 360 PD and an M&P340.

I liked both and shot magnums with no problems, but they both lost out to the 640 Pro. I weight 250 lbs so the extra 8 ounces in good leather (belt and holster) is not a consideration.

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Wrangler of stray Chiefs
Bob

M&P 340, no-lock.

I carry .38 Special Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel 135 grain.

I've recently shot the Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel 135 grain .357 Magnum through it too. (-The ".38 Special +P+", as it has been called.)

It works fine, but I find follow up time between shots would be too long, for the gain of maybe 130 feet per second velocity.

Legitimate .357 Magnum loads out of this gun? Not for me. I am NOT recoil-averse. Shooting them one at a time at the range is not the same as being prepared to shoot them quickly in a fight.

For similar ooommfff, I'd rather shoot Buffalo Bore .38 Special 158 grain +P SWCHP GC out of my M640.

But even then, I usually don't.

The M&P 340 with the NY load is a winner, for carry and street performance.

I'd rather not shoot .357 out of the M&P. I imagine that I might not realistically be able to for combat out of the PD. Combat shooting in the real world is all I care about.

-Also, I prefer the XS sight to the fiber optic.

There may be a serviceability component to the Titanium cylinder vs. the steel, as well.

So that's the difference.

I own both, but usually carry the M&P. I agree with malph, Smith & Wesson got it right. An ounce or two might not seem like a big deal, but when it is 10%-15% of the total weight, it is noticeable during recoil.

Plus cleaning the steel cylinder is less of a worry

My two revolvers have only had full power 357 Magnum ammunition through them

Initially they were loaded with the Remington 158 SJHP, but over the years I went through 5000+ rounds of that in these firearms. Today I carry the 125 SJHP or the Hornady 140 XTP (when I can find them)

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"Acta non verba"

M&p340 with rem mid vel 357 loads best thing since sliced bread

I’ve got the 340 M&P no lock. Bought it in 2015 as a BUG/off duty gun. I use the .38 Spl 135gr GDHP+P in it. The only changes I made were to replace the factory grip with an old Uncle Mikes boot grip and switch the thumb piece for the old style. The newer style thumb piece was cutting my thumb in rapid fire, the old style doesn’t. I have no problem qualifying with it, never scored worse than 97%. Always lose a point or two at the 25 yard line.

I picked the 340 M&P over the PD mostly because I preferred the big dot front sight. The M&P was also cheaper, always a plus. I have fired a bunch of .357 Golden Saber thru it, it wasn’t too abusive but the .38 allows faster follow up shots.

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Wheel guns are real guns.

I also own both. I carry my M&Ps because the steel cylinders safely handle the 110gr JHP .357 load which IMO is ideal in such a featherlight gun. If I can find a load that will not crimp-jump in my PDs, I will carry that. That project is on hold with the ammo shortage. I DO have a 25 round box of R-P Golden Sabre .357, but I would prefer to have a few boxes for testing and practice.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

PD for me. I can carry it all day in my pocket with no difficulty or stretching or sagging. Light and easy to draw when I need it. Five rounds of 357. No pleasure to shoot, but that is not what it is for. I don't plan on going on too many Seal Team missions at my age.

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Cant go wrong with either. Good points on all posts.

Lighter the better for me. If you do get the Ti gun just never clean the cylinder with anything but nylon brushes. The recoil thing is a mute point because you can load it up as soft or crazy as you want to. With Buffalo Bore 125gr full power loads it is a truly awesome concealed carry package for the ages. Just treat it like a Ferrari and check and maintain it often and it will perform as designed.

M&P version for me. Couple extra ounces of shootability is worth the couple extra ounces of toting around.

M&P 340 for about ten years with SB Gold Dot's in .38sp. I have shot a few .357's through it just to remind myself that I shouldn't do that again!

I have owned a 340PD for many years. I make it a point to get it out for excerise at least a couple times per year. Since all the riot stuff it has been replaced by a P365 but nothing beats the scandium frame for pocket carry.

Although I am not recoil sensitive, I use LG405's laser grips which are thin but probably help a lot on the felt recoil side.

Most of my training is done at 30' and with it's laser grips it is scary accurate at 50'.

I carry 135gr Short Barrel Gold Dots. I do use care when selecting the proper cleaning products (no amonia).

Little to add to the above except either one is usually loaded with .38 Spl 158gr +Ps.

I have wondered about S&W's rationale for the combinations they offer on the 340 series revolvers. If you buy the M&P 340, it comes with the XS tritium sight, and you can get it with or without the internal lock. (How many buyers would actually opt for the internal lock?) If you buy the 340PD, again, you can choose internal lock or no lock. But the sights are different, according to the S&W web site. Choose the IL, and you get a fiber optic sight. Choose no internal lock, and you get a conventional red ramp front sight.

Assuming the web site is correct, I wonder what their logic is for different sights on the 340PD depending on lock or no lock.

I've never shot a 340. My preference would be a 340PD with the XS tritium front sight, no internal lock, which is not an option. But it's entirely possible I could shoot it once with 357 and never want to shoot it again. Which is why I have just stuck with my 642 with titanium cylinder, which weighs 12 ounces even.

When I purchased my 340PD several yrs ago I put one cylinder of .357 down range and was done w/that; accurate follow up shots were too difficult. Even Buffalo Bore 158 grain +P proved difficult so I settled on Remington HTP 110 grain +P HP. Mine does not have the IL, my front sight is a red ramp but can be changed. It’s not something I’ve done, yet.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

I currently carry my 340pd more than anything else. Use 158 gr Buffalo Bore standard pressure LSWC-HP in it. That BB load is quite powerful.

But with all the turmoil nationally I'm considering carrying a second gun some days. Hence the interest in the m&p 340.

But I may decide to use my 442 no dash nickel finished gun as the second. Could just use the same BB standard pressure ammo with it. It's so pretty I haven't carried it much yet.

I understand that feeling. For the past 3-4 weeks, I changed my EDC to my 640 Pro, because I have a strong preference for .357 magnum. I'm getting used to the extra weight over the 642.....but I still may well go back to the 642. That's why the 340PD continues to call to me. Even though my experiece would probably mirror Old Cop's.

I don't pocket carry my J frames. They'll fit, but I don't like it. Our minds play funny games with us. Last night I was out to dinner with a group of people, wearing a tucked in dress shirt, so I went with my BG380 in a pocket holster, with a spare mag in the off pocket. Not exactly unarmed, but sure not as mentally reassuring as that 640 Pro.

I have carried the 340PD with the lock removed for 15 years. The reason I chose the 340PD was they didn't make the M&P when I bought my PD. I don't think there is a better weight to power ratio than the 340PD on the market. With that said, I really like what S&W has done with the M&P, and I would consider one it I had the option. I also carry Speer 135gr +P, and have shot the 357 version, but like many have said they cut your shooting speed a little. After all these years I just installed the Wolff Reduced Trigger pull spring kit. If I don't get light strikes, the trigger feels great. I'll keep checking. So far, so good.

I have both. I like the M&P340 more. In my opinion, the wider u-notch in the rear, and the XS standard dot in the front, cannot be beat. At least as far as a +/- 2" J-frame.

I carry Remington Golden Saber 125 gr. 357 Magnum in the M&P340; and Speer Gold Dot 135 gr. Short Barrel 357 Magnums in the 340PD.

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I own the 340 M&P. That's what my LGS had at the time. I never cared for the rubber grips and replaced them with a pair of Speigel Coco Bolo grips. I usually shoot .38+P ammo but carry with .357 135 Speer SB.

I bought a M-340PD before I retired as a backup to my M-442 (that I still carry everyday). I only load up with .38 Specials though.

The 340PD has a better trigger pull than the 442. No experience with the M&P.

Between the two there really is little to choose, but the small differences may make one or the other more practical for individual uses. The PD probably makes a better pocket gun, but its construction makes it more touchy to clean. The sights on the M&P model are nice for quick use, and the weight difference might not matter if the gun is carried on the belt. Bottom line for me is I am in the same boat with you. I have a PD (and like it) but sometimes have thought about buying an M&P.

I use .357s. As Houston Rick says, they’re no fun to shoot, but I can stand to shoot it if the need should arise. Mine is loaded with Silvertips, but if my supply runs out and I can’t resupply, I will probably change to some type of 125.

I’ve always believed the 340PD is a great little revolver, but what S&W SHOULD have made is a 940PD. I’d buy one of those in a minute if they ever make one, but I’m not holding my breath waiting.

I have a 340pd. I got it because I needed something I could carry in athletic shorts, scrubs,and just hanging around the house. I shoot both .357mag and 38 specials. I'm weird in that I kind of enjoy the pain and challenge of shooting 357 out of it. It pairs well with my 327pc. I carry .357mag in both.

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I bought a 340PD with the Bantam grips when they first came out. Later got a 340SS (same gun but stainless cylinder, so same weight as a 340 M&), to see how much the extra weight helped reduce recoil. I couldn't tell the difference either in recoil or in my pocket, so I sold the 340SS.

After 30 years of shooting hot loads in Airweight/Airlite J-frames with small grips (for pocket carry), the base of my thumb got tenderized to the point that I wasn't practicing as much as I wanted and not enjoying it at all. When the Glock 42 (.380) became reliable, I bought one and it became my EDC pocket gun. Better in some ways, worse in others; for me it's a step forward.
Even with rubber on the backstrap, DA revolvers hurt my hand after a few shots. But I can fire full house .40 S&W loads in a Glock all day.
Everyone is different.

I have both. I have two M&P340s, one with lock and one w/o. The 340PD has the lock. I carry one of the M&P340s more often. I shoot the 340PD as little as I can due to not liking to clean the cylinder. I do not like having to be so careful with it versus the cylinders on the two M&P340s. That is just me.

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GA Carry member
Vietnam Vet

342 airlite Ti. Love it

I bought the M&P 340 because I didn’t want to worry about bullet grains or special cleaning. After a few years, I saw the titanium cylinder on sale, so I swapped it out thinking that I could always reinstall the steel cylinder if I have erosion issues. It made it essentially a PD, but with M&P 340 sights.

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I carry the 340 PD regularly with Hornady Critical Defense 125 Grain XTP. No worries . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

What grips are those

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Crimson Trace Laser Grips. I've got the same on mine but the grip surface is different. Mine are older . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

I carry a 340PD everyday, occasionally a 640 Pro. If I come across the M&P one day, I will buy it as well. J-Frames just work for me. I will always have them.