Considering a S&W 310 10mm/.40 night guard, Opinions?

[LoneStarWings]

Hi,

I have a semi auto in .40 (s&w m&p) and would like a revolver to compliment it. I have a modest stockpile of .40 ammo, but am intrigued by the possibilities of the 10mm as well. I do have a CHL so I might consider carrying it eventually, although it's hard to see it displacing my semi-auto in that role.

I don't have much revolver experience. 15+ years ago I shot a .22lr revolver of some sort quite a few times, but I wasn't even a teenager.

S&W lists the weight of the 310 at 28oz, which is about 4oz more than my semi-auto. I have no problems with the recoil on my m&p, although I've never shot 10mm. Other than reduced velocity and increased muzzle flash, are there any other disadvantages of the 2.75" barrel?

Is there a good reason why I shouldn't go ahead and buy one?

 

[jcjacobvt]

S&W 310 listed at $1153. Kinda high when you can get a 610 for $750. on GunBroker.

 

[SupraBo]

10mm all the way

 

[BlindJustice]

I have a 1911 in .45 ACP as well as a 625 5" Bbl. .45 ACP/.45 AR. Nice to have to different platforms shooting the same cartridge - & demooning the spent cases makes for a easy to find source of once fired brass.

For the O.P. you already have a platform with your semi-auto for CCW,
so I would consider the 610 in 4" or even the 6 1/2" bbl. as a range gun, that with full power 10mm AUto could be used for hunting in the field & recoil would be fairly mild in comparison to a 310 with the 2 1/2" Bbl. besides the much reduced velocity - you'll be blowing a lot of unburned powder out the front of that short barrel with the High pressure 10mm auto & .40 S&W.
so, if you do get a 310 you'd probably get the best performance with
180 gr. bullets/loads.

I started with a S&W Model 18 4" Bbl. .22 LR in my teens in the '60s
It served me well on the farm, nice rabbit run, 37 oz empty it was a
steady platform for taking shots at rabbits, etc. - with the slow revolver reload it teaches marksmanship. A revolver barrel is higher in relation to the
grip so for the same cartridge and load, the revolver tends to have more muzzle rise & the recoil is not partially obscured with the action of the slide. so recoil is more direct. However, the big S&W N-frames ARE very accurate.

Randa

ll

 

[ahpd1992]

The nightguard is an interesting option, but as stated before, its expensive. I am quite frankly beyond shocked at the prices of S&W guns, but I suppose they charge what they feel the market will bear.

I purchased a very clean used 610 3 7/8" off of gunbroker and have been very pleased with it. Even the harshest 10mm loads are tamed very well by the heavy (40oz) revolver. I shot some 40's through it and it was like shooting a 22. You will not find a more accurate cartridge and gun combination. The flat shooting 10mm out of an N-framed Smith is outstanding.

I think if you get the nightguard you will be dissapointed in your CCW options. Revolvers in general are bulky and now your trying to carry one of Smith's largest revolver frames and hide it, not gonna happen. Get a 610 you can shoot 40's as much as you want and have a legitimate handgun for hunting if you want in 10mm. Im afraid with the 310 you wont get concealability or a practical barrel length for field use.

Im very happy with my gun if that helps, but its hard to compare a relatively flat/concealable autoloader with any revolver. We who carry/shoot revolvers do so because were sick in the head (at least thats what a die hard autoloader guy told me)

 

[LoneStarWings]

Thanks for the replies everybody.

I will look closesly at the 610. I think it would be kind of nice to have a 6" barreled handgun.

What attracted me to the 310 night were the tritium sights and Scnadium Frame. It looks good and holds up well from what I understand. I think the price of the 310 and 610 is about the same.

I guess the general consensus is that large framed snub nose revolvers like the 310 aren't too useful outside the specialized application of someone who needs somehing light for very close range work?

I basically just want something that's fun to shoot, the ability to pack more of a whallop than the .40 (but still use the round that I fire the most, the .40) if I needed too, maybe a truck gun.

 

[10pacesmike]

Truck Gun

I am a fan of vehicle guns. I'm not a fan of expensive vehicle guns. Great vehicle guns are used Ruger GP-100s, Black Hawks, or refurb. Glocks. I hate the thought of having some dirtbag breaking into my car and walking away with a $800+ gun.

Same story on the long arm. I'll keep a 10/22, Rem 870, or Marlin 336 in the trunk all day long. I don't understand these guys that keep their $1k-2k ARs in their trunks.

If they want my $800+ guns they'll need to break into my house and safe, or kill me and take it off my person.

Mike

 

[LoneStarWings]

Well, thanks for all the replies. I'm sort of torn at this point on rather or not I want to stick with the .40/10mm idea or just broaden my options and look for a good .38/.357 mag revolver (GP100). For the .40/10mm, it seems like the 310 night guard or the 610 are my only choices for a new production gun.

Any thoughts on a 4" vs. 6.5" S&W 610? Obviously the 6.5" benefits from a larger site radius, and if I'm not going for a CCW, I guess the bigger the better, both for recoil reduction and accuracy.

 

[jeff-10]

Any thoughts on a 4" vs. 6.5" S&W 610? Obviously the 6.5" benefits from a larger site radius, and if I'm not going for a CCW, I guess the bigger the better, both for recoil reduction and accuracy.

Purely your own decision based on what you will use it for. The 10mm is defintely one of those rounds that greatly benefits from a longer barrel though. Also if you go 6.5" you can find a nice used older 610-2 for aprox. $100 less or so.

 

[General Geoff]

I have a 6.5" 610-3, and I couldn't be happier. I installed a Hi-Viz front sight on it, and I find that it's extremely accurate and has perfect natural point of aim for me. Shooting .40S&W through it is like shooting a .22, the recoil is so mild.

 

[LoneStarWings]

I have a 6.5" 610-3, and I couldn't be happier. I installed a Hi-Viz front sight on it, and I find that it's extremely accurate and has perfect natural point of aim for me. Shooting .40S&W through it is like shooting a .22, the recoil is so mild.

Wow, nice looking revolver. Makes me want to buy one today.

 

[MrPink]

Apologies for the belated reply and post bump - been on sabatacial.

I am a big 10mm fan: it's the light 41 mag that the 41 mag was originally intended to be. I have a 610-2, 1006 and a Glock 20SF on the way (I am not a Glock guy, so this is my first).

I've also been pining for a 310NG. I've been delaying, because I think the perfect S&W 10MM would be an L-frame 3-3.5" ported 5-shot Performance Center gun; SS frame and barrel, Ti cylinder. If they can make it with a scandium frame, all the better. Hiking a 4"610 in a tanker holster all day is like carrying a full-size 1911 on the hip.

 

[joe357]

The 4" version is legal for IDPA competition; the 6.5" is not. This would be the deciding factor for me as I like to compete with my guns if at all possible.