S&W 646 vs 610???

[jhawk92]

Hi all-
I'd be interested in the board's thoughts on this question. I'm searching for a .40 S&W revolver to compliment my two autos. I only shoot .40, not 10mm, but I got to thinking, maybe I should be looking also at the 610 along with the 646? I see the 610 in the same boat as I do the .357; you can shoot .38Spl in it, but have the cylinder wear issue with the shorter cases. I stick with .357 in my revolvers, but I don't have any 10mm brass, so whatever revolver would most likely get a full-time diet of the .40.

Thanks much for your comments.

 

[Myself]

Both will work and both are out of production. The 610 is a larger frame so it will be slightly more bulky and heavy. You may be able to find a 610 easier but they like the 646 are comanding a premium right now.

 

[Majic]

What cylinder wear issue? There may be some chamber cleaning issues, but there have never been any wear issue that I know of.

 

[jhawk92]

Myself-
Yeah, I know they are both OOP, but I didn't start thinking about a revolver in the auto calibers until I recently bought a .45 ACP revolver and had lots of fun with it. It seems the 610 may be commanding a bit more of a premium over the 646, but my .45 revolver is an N-frame 625 (actually a rebarreled 28-2), so I'm thinking the 646, L-frame, would be a nice addition to the inventory.

Majic-
I guess maybe it's the cleaning issue, but I would also think there could be some wear issues in the cylinder between the two cartridge sizes? Maybe I'm wrong. If there really isn't a problem, then maybe I'll keep a closer eye out for a 610. I suppose it wouldn't be all bad to have the 10mm capability, especially in a revolver, and except for the brass, I have everything I need to reload for it.

 

[S&Wfan]

Frankly, I'd like to have one of BOTH . . . and plan to one day!

For now, I'm very pleased to have this one! . . .

It shoots as good as it looks . . . and better than I do!

 

[jhawk92]

S&Wfan-
Nice PC 646! I've heard of some of the PC versions having "issues." Any that you've had?

 

[DragonFire]

I have both, and both are great guns.

The moon clips for the 646 are much more expensive than for th 610, and not always as easy to find.

The cylinder on the 646 is titanium, and I've found its more sensitive to the brass that I use. The difference in a few thousandth of an inch in diameter means the difference between the fired cases falling out of the cylinder or needing a hard strike on the ejector. Since the 646 is my usual IDPA gun, I've taken to keeping my brass for it separate from the brass from all my other 40 S&W guns, and run the brass through a separate full-lenght resizing die when I reload.

I really like the 10mm round, so even though I end up with more opportunities to shoot the 646, I think I like the 610 more. You don't say any specific use for it, but the 10mm can be a very versitile round. So except for CCW, the 610 can do everything the 646 can and more.

As far as shooting 40's in the 610, I think you'd have to shoot many thousands of rounds before you saw any scoring of the cylinder. It's more common to find a build up of burnt powder that prevents loading of the longer rounds. If you stay on top of cleaning this shouldn't be an issue.

You're probably aware, but the 610 will only shoot 40's in moonclips, while it will shoot 10mm with or without moonclips (though it won't eject them without moonclips).

 

[jhawk92]

Dragon-
Thanks much for the info, especially on the moon clip availability and the 610 operation between 10mm and .40 S&W. Also the info on the Ti cylinder in the 646. I might have misunderstood the whole scoring issue inside the cylinder. I'm pretty good about cleaning, so it sounds like I'm not really likely to have an issue with the shorter rounds.

I'm seriously starting to consider the 610 now with more thought and research. It's kinda like buying a .357/.44 mag and shooting only the "Special" loads in it, but you still have the Magnum capability if/when you want it. I'm sort of in that boat with my GP100. I only use .357 Mag brass but I download it for most of my shooting, and enjoy the hand cannon loads when I feel the need. I like the versitility argument that keeps coming to mind.

I don't have any 10mm brass now, but it's not too expensive to just buy a batch and then I'm ready to go, since I have large primers, dies, and bullets for that round. This isn't going to be a CCW piece, and I don't compete so this is more of a fun gun, and a way to maybe try out a "new" caliber. Heck, it might even get me to buy a 10mm auto to be a "companion" to this one.

 

[S&Wfan]

S&Wfan-
Nice PC 646! I've heard of some of the PC versions having "issues." Any that you've had?

Hi,

Mine's done fine. No complaints. It seems to be a nice, solid revolver.

T.