Mastrogiacomo
Member
Does anyone have this gun to speak to it's reliability? Am I better off with a standard with internal lock or is the pro an improvement?
Laura
Laura
640 Pro questions
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edmo01
Member
First, sorry for the long reply...
The 640 Pro is as reliable as any S&W J-frame revolver. Generally revolvers are as close to 100% as you can get.
There is a lot of internet hype on how the "lock" will cause the gun to fail and many will not own a gun with it. Then ask them how many guns they have personally seen malfunction due to the lock. Crickets...
None of my guns have the lock, but my aversion is based on the nanny-state politics behind it and not functionality.
Now to the 640 Pro. It is the standard 640 with a few modifications.
- It has a different barrel profile with flutes along the barrel
- It has 3-dot tritium night sights
- As you noted, no internal lock
- The rear of the cylinder is machined to accept 5 rounds in a moon clip and the gun comes with 3 clips.
Now my take on each of these options...
- Different barrel profile. It looks cool I guess. No real increase in functinality.
- 3-dot night sights. They work and allow more precise shots than the standard 640 sights. The tritium vials glow as well as any. I'm a bigger fan of the I-dot style of night sights for quick aiming and would have picked that design if I were asked.
- No lock. Again, no nanny-state add ons for me.
- Moon clip option. Now we're getting somewhere! The moon clips allow for quick loading and ejection of empties. The gun can be loaded with moon clips, single rounds, standard speed loaders, and speed strips. As versatile as you can get.
If you can find one, the 640 Pro will come with a bigger price tag than the standard model. Is it worth it? I fell into a unique deal on mine and don't have anywhere near retail in my gun, so for me it was worth it.
If you haven't considered 357 Magnum rounds in a J-frame, they are a handful. 38 and 38+P rounds are more than manageable. I generally carry 38+P rounds unless I'm wearing it in the woods, then the magnums come out.
The 640 and 640 Pro are great guns... I do like mine!
Edmo
The 640 Pro is as reliable as any S&W J-frame revolver. Generally revolvers are as close to 100% as you can get.
There is a lot of internet hype on how the "lock" will cause the gun to fail and many will not own a gun with it. Then ask them how many guns they have personally seen malfunction due to the lock. Crickets...
None of my guns have the lock, but my aversion is based on the nanny-state politics behind it and not functionality.
Now to the 640 Pro. It is the standard 640 with a few modifications.
- It has a different barrel profile with flutes along the barrel
- It has 3-dot tritium night sights
- As you noted, no internal lock
- The rear of the cylinder is machined to accept 5 rounds in a moon clip and the gun comes with 3 clips.
Now my take on each of these options...
- Different barrel profile. It looks cool I guess. No real increase in functinality.
- 3-dot night sights. They work and allow more precise shots than the standard 640 sights. The tritium vials glow as well as any. I'm a bigger fan of the I-dot style of night sights for quick aiming and would have picked that design if I were asked.
- No lock. Again, no nanny-state add ons for me.
- Moon clip option. Now we're getting somewhere! The moon clips allow for quick loading and ejection of empties. The gun can be loaded with moon clips, single rounds, standard speed loaders, and speed strips. As versatile as you can get.
If you can find one, the 640 Pro will come with a bigger price tag than the standard model. Is it worth it? I fell into a unique deal on mine and don't have anywhere near retail in my gun, so for me it was worth it.
If you haven't considered 357 Magnum rounds in a J-frame, they are a handful. 38 and 38+P rounds are more than manageable. I generally carry 38+P rounds unless I'm wearing it in the woods, then the magnums come out.
The 640 and 640 Pro are great guns... I do like mine!
Edmo
OP
OP
Mastrogiacomo
Member
Thank you for the picture. I do like the weight of all steel gun so I've been hoping to get one of these for a while since I like revolvers slightly more than autos. Thank you for the long reply, it was helpful. 
edmo01
Member
Another picture with results...
The sights allow for adequate groups.
I would suggest you look it (or any S&W gun) over closely prior to purchase. My revolver showed up directly from S&W with quite a few problems prompting me to send it back for repairs.
What was wrong?
- Out of box the rear sight fell off!!
- The "357 Mag" etching on the barrel was poorly done
- The front sight was damaged
- The barrel was "clocked" and not straight with the frame
They quickly fixed it and returned it to me. However, the barrel is still slightly tweaked. I partly blame this for the right-of-center impacts below. I'm debating if I'll send it back a second time and I likely will.
In the last three years I have had to send three revolvers back for quality issues. Two were replaced with new guns.
I'm now relegating myself to buying only older S&W revolvers.
Edmo
The sights allow for adequate groups.
I would suggest you look it (or any S&W gun) over closely prior to purchase. My revolver showed up directly from S&W with quite a few problems prompting me to send it back for repairs.
What was wrong?
- Out of box the rear sight fell off!!
- The "357 Mag" etching on the barrel was poorly done
- The front sight was damaged
- The barrel was "clocked" and not straight with the frame
They quickly fixed it and returned it to me. However, the barrel is still slightly tweaked. I partly blame this for the right-of-center impacts below. I'm debating if I'll send it back a second time and I likely will.
In the last three years I have had to send three revolvers back for quality issues. Two were replaced with new guns.
I'm now relegating myself to buying only older S&W revolvers.
Edmo
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