help with a m&p 340 .357 mag?

[holo]

lucky me i won this last weekend at a wild game dinner.

whats it worth?
hows it shoot?
what shoots good out of it?

the box is marked $779.00 i doubt that
smith &wesson model 340 m&p .357 cal.

 

[Old cop]

I'm not sure what its worth on the used market but a guess is between $450 -$500. Although chambered for .357 you are better off with one of the better .38 +P loads like Remington or Winchester 158 grain. Another good load is Speer 135 grain and then CorBon DPX 110 Grain +P. The magnum stiff is impossible to control, painful to shoot and does not gain you much in terminal performance IMHO.

Congrats, nice carry piece.

 

[off road]

Best pocket pistol there is! This is my ultralight hiking gun, in the desert or foothills where there are no bears, but there can be cats. The XS night sights are great.

I load Hornaday Critical Defense 110 gr .38+P in town, or Hornaday XTP 125 gr .357 for the trail. Recoil is typical S&W J-frame, with nothing at all between your hand and the bare metal backstrap! Shooting magnums, I always go home with a bloody thumb, because the cylinder latch bashes it up real good.

 

[XTrooper]

The magnum stuff is impossible to control, painful to shoot and does not gain you much in terminal performance IMHO.

Congrats, nice carry piece.

Old cop is speaking for himself here. With a bit of practice, the right .357 Magnum is very controllable (I qualify with my M&P 340 every year using .357 Magnum ammo), it's not fun to shoot, but it's not terrible with the right magnum ammo choice, and you don't "gain much" only if you think an additional 200-400 fps isn't much. Of course, if no one thought a gain in velocity like that wasn't worthwhile, the .357 Magnum cartridge would have never been invented.

I keep my M&P 340 loaded with Remington .357 Magnum 110gr SJHP. This load was the Border Patrol's issued ammo from 1986 to 1994 (the year they switched to autoloaders) and it had an impressive performance record with them in actual shootings.

 

[dinooch]

I have a 340sc 357. Remington med velocity 125's or 125gr golden sabre (also a mid load) still hits like a hammer on your hand especially with smooth rosewood eagle secret service grips but not as bad as full house 125's. It's not a range gun but it sure is light to carry in the front pocket. Makes my 442 38spl airweight feel like a boat anchor. Don't recommend the 110gr stuff though due to cylinder flame cutting. 120gr or higher is stamped on the barrel schroud. I carry that gun more than anything else and I feel real good about the weight to power ratio. Why carry a mousegun when you can carry a blaster? I doubt the pain in the hand equals to pain on the business end of that beast. Carry that badboy!

 

[XTrooper]

To clarify what sigp24545 said, the 120gr or higher limitation from Smith & Wesson involves those models with titanium cylinders ONLY. The M&P 340 with its steel cylinder has no such prohibition.

Also, flame-cutting is mostly seen when using full-house 125gr loads, not factory 110gr loads.

The .357 Magnum standard 125gr load has a muzzle velocity of 1450 fps from a 4" barrel.
The .357 Magnum standard 110gr load has a muzzle velocity of 1295 fps from a 4" barrel.

As their ballistics indicate, the 110gr loads are much easier on both revolver and shooter than full-house 125gr loads.

 

[luangtom]

It is a fine revolver. The price is varied from those that try to sell it at MSRP and those like Bud's in KY that do not, right around $683 new.

I carry either my M&P340 or my 340PD daily. I have them stoked with Speer GoldDot 135-gr for short-barrel in .38-Spl+P loads.

I have fired Speer GoldDot in .357-Mag and Remington GoldenSabers, along with Federal Hydra-Shoks. I always go back to the Speer for SB in .38-Spl+P loads.

Good luck, shoot safe. Y'all have a winner there.

 

[holo]

thanks to all for your feedback its helpful

 

[dinooch]

Man, do I feel like an idiot. I should do my homework before I open my "yap". Yeah I was focussed on the 110gr limit on the titanium cylinder. I appreciate the "gentle" eye opener. I guess that's one of the good things about these forums is to share information, learn, and be gentlemen (or woman) depending.

 

[RossMatt]

To clarify what sigp24545 said, the 120gr or higher limitation from Smith & Wesson involves those models with titanium cylinders ONLY. The M&P 340 with its steel cylinder has no such prohibition.

Also, flame-cutting is mostly seen when using full-house 125gr loads, not factory 110gr loads.

The .357 Magnum standard 125gr load has a muzzle velocity of 1450 fps from a 4" barrel.
The .357 Magnum standard 110gr load has a muzzle velocity of 1295 fps from a 4" barrel.
I don't follow... I apologize.
What am I not getting here? The SW stamp sets a minimum on gr load... why? I have an 44oz. N-Frame 8-shot PC 357 scand 5" - and I have been told the same limitation applies, but there is no stamp. Just trying to figure out why a 110gr load would flame cut and a 125 wouldn't...
Thanks for clarifying if you get the chance.

 

[XTrooper]

To clarify what sigp24545 said, the 120gr or higher limitation from Smith & Wesson involves those models with titanium cylinders ONLY. The M&P 340 with its steel cylinder has no such prohibition.

Also, flame-cutting is mostly seen when using full-house 125gr loads, not factory 110gr loads.

The .357 Magnum standard 125gr load has a muzzle velocity of 1450 fps from a 4" barrel.
The .357 Magnum standard 110gr load has a muzzle velocity of 1295 fps from a 4" barrel.

I don't follow... I apologize.
What am I not getting here? The SW stamp sets a minimum on gr load... why? I have an 44oz. N-Frame 8-shot PC 357 scand 5" - and I have been told the same limitation applies, but there is no stamp. Just trying to figure out why a 110gr load would flame cut and a 125 wouldn't...
Thanks for clarifying if you get the chance.

If your 5" 627 doesn't have a titanium cylinder (which I don't believe it does), you were told wrong. Your barrel isn't stamped because the 120gr+ bullet weight limitation for magnum loads doesn't apply to your revolver.

Here is the exact warning from Smith & Wesson as taken from their current safety and instruction manual for modern revolvers:

CAUTION:
Do not use Magnum loadings with bullet weights of less than 120 grains - This will reduce the possibility of premature erosion in titanium alloy cylinders.

I have no idea why this applies only to magnum loads with bullet weights of less than 120 grains, but I don't own any revolvers with titanium cylinders, so I haven't researched the reason(s). It doesn't seem logical to me though that these can harm Ti cylinders, but the full-house 125gr loads, which I've always gotten the worse flame-cutting with over the years, are fine.

 

[RossMatt]

My TRR8 is a scand/aluminum frame, steel cylinder, steel barrel gun.

Good clarification on the load/gr issue...
I do agree though, why just magnum rounds?

Weird. So... by that logic, I should be able to chamber 110 hornady CD's without worry. Good to know.

 

[XTrooper]

My TRR8 is a scand/aluminum frame, steel cylinder, steel barrel gun.

Good clarification on the load/gr issue...
I do agree though, why just magnum rounds?

Weird. So... by that logic, I should be able to chamber 110 hornady CD's without worry. Good to know.

Magnum loads = More powder/pressure = More heat/flame.

Yes, with your revolver's steel cylinder, you're good to go.

While on the subject of flame-cutting. I know a lot of guys get wound up over this, but it's a non-issue, as far as I'm concerned. In my experience, the flaming cuts the top strap to a certain shallow depth and then doesn't seem to get any worse after that. I think it would take several lifetimes before flame-cutting caused any kind of real problem to your revolver. Now cracked forcing cones are another matter.

 

[dinooch]

My 340sc has the little shield on the top strap to supposedly prevent flame cutting on the frame they say the 110gr .357 loads "flame up" more than even the full house 125gr for whatever reason. In that light little gun I use the medium velocity loads like the 125 golden sabre 357 or the hard to find 125gr Remington medium velocity 357 (I have one box left) they are very manageable to shoot and are better (in my opinion) than anything in .38+P I'm sure some +P+ 38's may rival them but I don't have any. It's very comforting and comfortable (win win) to have that gun in my pocket. I also believe the 120gr restriction only applies to magnum loads not 38's. I do torture myself at the range occasionally with full house loads and to be honest they aren't that bad either but do provide arthritic symptoms in my wrist for at least 3 days after. Man, being over 50 is tough.

 

[MTKTM]

Congrats on getting a nice little gun for free!! I have the 340PD which has the titanium barrel and cylinder. I think your gun weighs an ounce or two more. Great CCW/pocket revolver. I carry mine with 145 grain Winchester Silvertip 357s. The recoil with 357s is robust and can be painful. One quickly learns that being attentive to grip technique is advisable.

 

[tmbrcruizr]

The reason for the 110gr warning is because the projectile in not long enough to seal betwen the cylinder and forceing cone allowing excess unburnt powder and flame to attack the titanium cylinder

 

[XTrooper]

The reason for the 110gr warning is because the projectile in not long enough to seal betwen the cylinder and forceing cone allowing excess unburnt powder and flame to attack the titanium cylinder

Makes sense to me!

Thanks for solving this mystery for us, tmbrcruizr!

 

[holo]

this thread has been very helpful the m&p is a keeper and i am going to take it to the range this weekend i will post my results

 

[allglock]

I thought the 110 gr. warning was for the bullet pull problem? You know... how the bullets pull because of recoil, then the cylinder locks up?

 

[XTrooper]

I thought the 110 gr. warning was for the bullet pull problem? You know... how the bullets pull because of recoil, then the cylinder locks up?

Nope. It has nothing to do with bullet pull.