New S&W M&P 340, need advice

About to receive an M&P 340. What is a good 357 load that offers decent stopping power and penetration, yet is reasonably controllable? What grip to tame recoil yet still remain as compact as possible? I already have a 357 LCR, so I'm familiar with the recoil levels, as well as an alloy framed American Derringer M10 in 45acp!

135 gr. Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel shoots point of aim @ 15 yards with my M&P 340CT.

attn OP

I recently bought a 340 M&P with its steel cylinder so I could shoot the 110gr Magnum loads which I consider to be a good load for a short bbl. magnum. I find the gun to be controllable with these loads. I also use the CCI Blazer .357 158gr JHP "medium load" for practice and also for carry, if necessary. Also a good load in a 340 M&P. According to another poster, runs 990fps in 3".

I like the gun so much that I bought a 2nd last week. Range time tomorrow.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

Had my M&P 340 out at the range today. I really like Remington's 110 gr. magnum rounds. They feel hotter than .38 +p's yet they feel very controllable and I'm able to do follow up shots quickly with no lag. I have tried other rounds with newer high tech bullets but these 110 gr old school semi jacketed hollow points shoot really good. I did some internet research and they seem to have a reputation as a good defensive round with out the recoil of the hotter loads in .357.

You guys are nuts! Honestly!

I barely enjoy .38s from an airweight. .38s in a steel J-frame are much better.

(Never mind that a 340 M&P is at the top of my short list, nevermind.)

Waywatcher said:

You guys are nuts! Honestly!

I barely enjoy .38s from an airweight. .38s in a steel J-frame are much better.

(Never mind that a 340 M&P is at the top of my short list, nevermind.)

Click to expand...

Nobody ENJOYS shooting full magnums from a 12 ounce revolver.

I did not purchase my 340s for enjoyment.

I purchased them to have as much power as possible for times when I could not carry a heavier firearm

I carry them to get my a** out of a unexpected dangerous encounter.

For enjoyment, I have my model 27s

BTW, I currently carry the Hornady 140 XTP-HP and I have no trouble qualifying with it

Practice is King

I have carried a 340PD for a number of years. For me any 357 load in my gun is painful. I practice with 38 wadcutter. I carry 3 38+P followed by 2 357 rounds. I have to admit the one time I needed my 340 (dog attack) I never noticed any recoil.

Waywatcher said:

You guys are nuts! Honestly!

I barely enjoy .38s from an airweight. .38s in a steel J-frame are much better.

(Never mind that a 340 M&P is at the top of my short list, nevermind.)

Click to expand...

Maybe we are nuts , but in a nice way. The way we look at it, S&W intended the 340 to be fired with Magnum loads. As I've posted before, I'm still looking for a J-frame chambered for 12-gauge slug.

Please remember it's your family, your loved ones, your home, your life. If you choose to water down your snub magnum with .38s because it's noisy or kicks, that's your call. Be safe and good shooting!

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

I put Pacmayr Compac grips on my 340. They do add weight. Unloaded it weighs approx 16oz. Still a very light weight revolver. The difference in my comfort is worth it. I found the ct grips too thin and small. I bought some vintage wood grips and with a Tyler T Grip, I found it to be much better. I love the look also. If I have to carry and I need less weight and the lower profile of wood grips I will put them back on that day. But for every day carry the pacmayr's are staying on. I can shoot 110 mag loads very easy. I'm also able to use Hornady Critical Duty, Gold Dots and a couple of other choices. I find the 110 magnums the most comfortable. I think between the 135 gr 38+P Gold Dots and the 110 magnums, the magnums make for the better defensive choice. Nothing wrong with carrying .38's. But if you want to carry .357 and find it's not doable with the grips you are using try a good rubber grip like a Packmayer or Hoages. Cooler weather is coming soon and they won't hurt conceal ability with Autumn clothes.

I'm not carrying it for pleasure, nor do I shoot it for enjoyment, I want as much gun as I can have in as small a package as it can be. That way, I'll have it when I (hopefully never) need it. I bet no one in a gunfight ever wished he less gun... I'm off to a gun show tomorrow, I'll be looking for some 110s or 135s, I think. I also don't think I'm going with Pachmayr Compacts, I know they'd be easier to hold on to but this will be a pants pocket gun. Maybe in winter though, I might use this as a coat pocket gun and would have room for bigger grips?
I'm also going to sell my older S&W 640 with box and smooth wood grips. The only thing that may hurt that is that I stippled the back strap years ago. What do you guys think I should ask for that, assuming excellent condition otherwise?

attn mj2008 and OMCHamlin

2 very knowledgeable posters just ahead of me, and not only because they agree with me! EDC requires thought and preparation. For some reason, the M&P is more comfy to shoot than the PD model; the 110gr Mag helps in that regard and can't be used in the PD version.

I also consider the M&P to be a pocket gun. In fact, the thicker top strap prevents it from fitting (and drawing) easily in several of my suede IWB pouches, unless I move up to a pouch cut to fit a K-frame snub.

See you at the range, people!

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

P.S. OMC: $ on 640: not under $400.

As mentioned the Speer 135gr. Plus P Gold Dot short barrel is my go to round on most of my snubs (unless not rated for +P, in which case they get 125 gr. GDHP or Buffalo Bore wad cutters). It is optimized for these guns and a proven performer that is not at stupid levels of blast and recoil. I carry mine as a BUG, if used it is likely one handed from my support hand. Full house .357 in a 13 ounce gun with only your support hand is not optimal, I don't care who you are. Want to test that....shoot some standard drills support hand only with .357 magnum and get back to me on how well you do.

I always carried .38 +P's(Cor-Bon DPX) in my 340 M&P. I found there was a fairly significant difference in the speed of my follow up shots between .38 and .357. This was especially true firing one handed which I feel is a very important consideration in the context of personal defense.

When I carry my 340 it's as a primary not a bug. The 110's are certainly not a weak round but they are far from full power. A good grip that fits your hand certainly is a factor on how well you shoot. All the ammo raised in this thread is good. What you decide to carry is of course each shooters choice. Omchamlin, I would keep that 640 if you can. Great revolver. I still carry mine sometimes. It was my off duty and it's as tight as ever. The trigger is smooth as glass after many years and many rounds. My 340 will take a lot more rounds to catch up.

I'm going to copy an earlier post of mine from another 340PD thread. At the time that I posted it, I had a M&P 340. Since then I have added a 340PD. Both are without internal locks. I have custom Pau Ferro Houge stocks on the MP, but stock S&W grips on the PD. I use the same load in both revolvers, and the two ounce difference does not seem to affect shot placement or recoil much.

Quote:

I have the M&P 340, which weighs about two ounces more than the 340PD. I have shot it quite a bit. I currently carry 135 gr. Speer Gold Dot short barrel.357 magnum rounds in it. I have shot the 158 gr full house loads in it, and they are brutal. Mostly practice with 38 +p handloads (my own), loaded into .357 cases. The Speer loads are pricy, at well over a dollar a round, but you won't be shooting many of them, and they are about the best compromise between managble recoil and minimal muzzle flare that you are going to find. I had the opportunity to field test this combination when I first started carrying this revolver. A hunter had wounded a deer on my property (hunting there with my permission), and just as I had returned home, I was getting out of my vehicle, when the badly wounded deer came into view, quartering right in front of me. My guest yelled at me to finish it off if I could, as he was not in a position to fire because of farm buildings. I shot the deer with the little M&P 340, and the Speer 135 gr gold dot load. It stopped the deer, and when my friend dressed it out I was able to recover the spent rounds (2). They had penetrated about 15 inches, and had expanded perfectly, like something fired into ballistic gelatin. They had also both maintained almost all of their original 135 gr weight. I believe that they weighed in at less than a grain less than the original 135. This was phenomenal performance, and I have carried this firearm with great confidence since. By the way, I did not even notice the recoil when I shot that deer, and I'm sure that you would not notice recoil if you were using the firearm in a defensive situation. I have many carry options, as I am a collector, but if I were to only have one gun for carry, this would be an almost ideal mix of weight, caliber, power, accuracy and reliability. I have thought about getting the one that you mentioned, just to add to my collection, but you won't go wrong with either the M&P or the PD in the 340.

340

I posted this question on another thread and I would like to repeat it here. Comparing the felt recoil between a 110 gr .357 and the Speer Gold Dot sb .357. The Remington 110 grain is rated at 1295 FPS/410 ft lbs. The Gold Dots are rated at 990/294. I found the 110 gr rounds noticeably softer shooting and I'm using that as my primary carry now in the 340. With the Gold Dots having more felt recoil but lower speed and energy why do they feel hotter. The weight difference(110 vs. 135)? Or is it possible Speer is loading it a bit hotter than they put out? I have carried Speer 135 +P's for years in my 640 and they also feel pretty snappy. Anybody?

For a good time handload 22.0grs. Of Winchester 296 under a 125gr. Hornady XTP. Wear gloves and double ear protection...hehe. Recoil is not really the word...I prefer firing event torque.

kaaskop49 said:

2 very knowledgeable posters just ahead of me, and not only because they agree with me! EDC requires thought and preparation. For some reason, the M&P is more comfy to shoot than the PD model; the 110gr Mag helps in that regard and can't be used in the PD version.

I also consider the M&P to be a pocket gun. In fact, the thicker top strap prevents it from fitting (and drawing) easily in several of my suede IWB pouches, unless I move up to a pouch cut to fit a K-frame snub.

See you at the range, people!

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

P.S. OMC: $ on 640: not under $400.

Click to expand...

The only way I'd go under $400 would be to a friend of mine that has expressed interest in it. I told him to go see what they are going for and toss me a price, I'd counter if I felt like I should. It wouldn't be the first time that I went under what I could get to give a buddy a deal...

mj2008 said:

I posted this question on another thread and I would like to repeat it here. Comparing the felt recoil between a 110 gr .357 and the Speer Gold Dot sb .357. The Remington 110 grain is rated at 1295 FPS/410 ft lbs. The Gold Dots are rated at 990/294. I found the 110 gr rounds noticeably softer shooting and I'm using that as my primary carry now in the 340. With the Gold Dots having more felt recoil but lower speed and energy why do they feel hotter. The weight difference(110 vs. 135)? Or is it possible Speer is loading it a bit hotter than they put out? I have carried Speer 135 +P's for years in my 640 and they also feel pretty snappy. Anybody?

Click to expand...

The Speer Gold Dot SB velocity is measured from a 2" barrel. Remington does not list the barrel length for the stated velocity. The difference in velocity is substantial from a 6" barrel then from a 2" one.

Ya that.^^^

The GD Short Barrel 135gr .357 is what I carry in my 340PD and it's the best compromise in power and controllability for me. I use Barami hip grips with a Tyler T-grip, then wrapped in rubber bands for the most comfortable grip I've ever tried on a J-mag.