S&W 610 10mm Owners? Love It?

J

jtduncan

New member
I've been bit by the revolver bug.

Just snagged a nice ruger Redhawk in 44 mag and love the accuracy of the darn thing and the fact that my cases eject right into my hand after shooting. A big plus for reloaders like me.

Anyway, I shoot 10mm and 40SW out of my Glock 20 in 10mm with a 40 conversion barrel. And looked at a new SW 610 at my dealer's the other day. They wanted $599 for it. Saw a used 610 with a 6.5 inch barrel for $399 with all of the original toys and three moon clips.

My 10mm expert, who has a good 10mm SAs and revolvers recommends the 5" SW 160. Good for trail, target and deer hunting.

What's your spin?
 
Where in the Northwest is someone selling a 610 for four hundred buck? Tell me where it is and I'll buy it right now! That price is way undervalued. Already have two, but one can never have enough of them.

Robert
 
I have no 10mm guns, just a big bucket of brass I picked up off the range after the FBI was out practicing with their MP5-10s. A friend in the club I belong to has owned a 610 for years and he raves about it, which is why I picked up the brass. I was hoping to get a 4 inch 610 for IDPA. He says the gun has no muzzle flip at all. Just straight recoil. Of course, now that I CAN'T BUY S&W THEY DECIDE TO MAKE THE ONE I'VE BEE ASKING THEM TO MAKE FOR THE LAST SIX YEARS. :(

Oh, well. If you decide to get one, get an old one. Supposedly the actions are better than the new ones.
 
JT -- I have some questions for you

A couple of things in your post are not clear to me:

First, I assume you mean the S&W "610", not the "160" as you stated.

Second, I have the Smith catalog in front of me, which indicates the 610 is available only in a 6.5 inch barrel. Perhaps there is a Custom Shop or Special Edition model, but I have not seen a 5 inch and it is not listed in the catalog.

Regards.
 
I liked the first one I bought so much, I bought another. My only complaint is the moon clips. Snapping the crtridges into the clip is a pain as is getting the fully loaded moon into the cylinder. I always bring a cut off dowel rod with me when I shoot these to eject the cases. I just punch them right out. You cannot shoot 40SW in a 610 without the clip though. Not really a problem because I only shoot 10mm in mine. Both guns are as accurate as any revolvers I've owned. Shooting full powered Normas 200 grainers in the 6.5" barrel version is not in the least bit fatiguing. In the 3" barrel version it is a little snappier, but still not as bad felt recoil as full house 357 loads in my 586. Its also a hoot to bring a revolver and a semiauto to the range and use the same ammo in both. The 610 will also prove itself to be a good choice for whitetails with the right loads. The 10mm is quite a bit more powerful than the 357 and only a little less so than the 41 magnum, that is of course when top 10mm loads are used. Ted Nugent has written extensively on the virtues of the 10mm cartridge. Get a 610. I promise you will not regret it.
 
RWK

Toss that old S&W catalog! :D The 6 1/2" model 610 is no longer in production and replaced with the four inch model.

mobias

In reality 10mm is almost ballistically identical to .357 Magnum and no closer to a .41 Magnum than a VW is closer to a Porsche. A .41 Magnum when let loose has twice the power (640 pound feet of energy vs 1270).

10mm ain't no 41 Magnum!

Robert
 
Well the question is 5" or 6.5" barrel.

I hear that the 6.5 inch is a bit front heavy and that holsters are hard to find for the 6.5" barrel.

But I like 6" plus barrels for greater velocity and its sight radius is closer to my 6.5" barrel on my Redhawk.

$420 out the door for a nice used 6.5" barreled 610.

Do it or wait for a 5"?
 
Yes, I too have seen the 6-1/2 inch discontinued from the catalog. For me, that spells the end of a 10mm in a revolver. Why on earth would I want one in 4 inch?

justinr1
 
Because, Justin, you can't shoot a 6 1/2" barrel in IDPA competition, which is where this revolver shines. Need a tube 5" or shorter. I know lots of folks who shoot 3" 610s in IDPA and they LOVE them.

Now if only they'd have made the 10mm on an L frame... <sigh>
 
jtduncan,

Buy the six and one half inch gun, have the barrel cut and install a Weigand Combat replacement front sight. You will still end up ahead of the game.

http://www.weigandcombat.com/interfs.html

As soon as S&W starts shipping guns with internal locks, there is going to be a run on older firearms. Get the pre Safe-T guns while they are available and affordable.

Robert
 
Correction:

I can get a NIB 6.5" barrel SW 610 for $519 plus tax. Maybe $550-$560 out the door. They "think" the SWs come with a lifetime warranty to the original buyer.

The used 610 is probably in 90 percent condition with quite a dull finish and some cheap Pachmyer no finger grooved round butt grip on it. That's why the owner sold it probably. That's why it's $399. SA pull is nice but there's a timing hitch in the middle of the DA pull. And it's a 610 Classi with a serial number starting with CCZ-1000 range serial number. They couldn't tell me how old it was. Unfluted cylinder.

But buying a gun and then spending what maybe $150 to cut it down doesn't seem to make sense.

What are the 4" and 5" barrels like so far as accuracy and recoil? How often to they come around? Seems like the 6.5"s are more common.

What's the word?
 
As has been stated, the 610 is apparently

thee hot-ticket for IDPA. BUT, I've read more than once that the rules are going to change in a year or two to permit ONLY a 4" barreled revo. That's why Smith came out with it in that length for '01.

I think Robert may have the right idea for you, JT. Take advantage of the DEAL on the used one and customize to your liking later, if you need to.:cool:
 
dwesson445, ok, you are right, that is an excellent reason. Let me ask you a question though: With than big N frame unfluted cylinder, how is the gun in DA mode? Any slamming sensation because of the mass of the cylinder?

justinr1
 
My shooting buddy has a 610 and it is one accurate revolver.

It also looks mean with the unfluted cylinder and the ribbed barrel...
 
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