S&W Brings Back the 10mm Model 610 Revolver

[RePete]

Is it because they want them?  Supply and demand.

[JAB]

id like to see them make the 610 in an 8 shot 

[LifeisgoodSteve]

56 minutes ago, JAB said:

id like to see them make the 610 in an 8 shot 

Would be fun but would you see a benefit for competition?  Wouldn't be able to get the benefit of "Major" if 8 shot but suppose if one likes low velocity loads with big bullets that'd be an option.  

[357454]

The 610 is a great gun for limited 6 in ICORE, and is a good handgun for hunting and Bowling Pins, I gave my son one when he graduated from  College it is his favorite handgun. 

[LifeisgoodSteve]

15 minutes ago, 357454 said:

The 610 is a great gun for limited 6 in ICORE, and is a good handgun for hunting and Bowling Pins, I gave my son one when he graduated from  College it is his favorite handgun. 

 

Could use the new 4" for esr IDPA with 6 shots.

[Makicjf]

On ‎4‎/‎1‎/‎2019 at 10:01 PM, alecmc said:

But why

I'd say this:  the 10mm is a fairly potent round that starts with a "4";  it can give you .357 ballistics with heavier bullets and wider meplats in a revolver..  If someone wants a hi-cap packin' pistol, the G20 is a great choice for field carry.  I also have a RIA double stack 10mm I wouldn't trade for anything its as reliable as gravity.    If you are asking what is the benefit of a revo chambered in 10mm compared to a woods carry 45 acp( in a modern 625), a Redhawk level 45 colt, 454, 44 mag etc, I'd offer this thought:  A 10 mm with good bullets and loads, is potent enough for deer and hogs hands down, and offers  a much milder recoil and report than all of the above except a 45 auto rim heavy load.  Its more user friendly and is just big enough.

I just bought mine because I wanted one.  I'll say a good .357 load is just as effective on game, plus can be fired from a lever gun.  It just takes "Old School" loads from a 1980 Lyman cast bullet handbook.  I have a 160 WFN mold with a meplat of .305 which loaded to  100% case capacity (1400 at the muzzle from a 6 inch gp100 or a 6 1/2 inch Blackhawk) of H110 kills  large animals inside of 75 yards as well as my 45/70 or a 12 gauge slug.  It is astoundingly deadly.

I don't know if a 10mm kills as well because I've only killed one pig with one... from 8 yards away ( I was seeing how close I could stalk).   By the numbers, equal meplat and equal velocity will equal the same wound channel.

All that being said, in a revo a 10mm is a .357 with less blast.  In an Auto you gain capacity.

JMO

Jason

Edited April 3, 2019 by Makicjf

[Carmoney]

A long time ago, I owned a 5" 610.  That is, by the way, a much better barrel length than the 4" (short radius too short) or 6.5" (muzzle too heavy).  I had no real use for it, and it was worth quite a bit of money, so it went down the road.  Too bad S&W doesn't bring back the 610 in that barrel length.  

[LifeisgoodSteve]

38 minutes ago, Carmoney said:

That is, by the way, a much better barrel length than the 4" (short radius too short) or 6.5" (muzzle too heavy). 

 

Hmm...are you trying to get me in trouble with temptation to pick up another wheel gun?!  A 5" 629 is already on the radar, but will resist.

[Prange]

1 hour ago, Carmoney said:

A long time ago, I owned a 5" 610.  That is, by the way, a much better barrel length than the 4" (short radius too short) or 6.5" (muzzle too heavy).  I had no real use for it, and it was worth quite a bit of money, so it went down the road.  Too bad S&W doesn't bring back the 610 in that barrel length.  

 

I was planning on getting a 6.5" and having it cut to 5".

 

 

 

Edited April 5, 2019 by Prange

[PatJones]

A long time ago, I owned a 5" 610.  That is, by the way, a much better barrel length than the 4" (short radius too short) or 6.5" (muzzle too heavy).  I had no real use for it, and it was worth quite a bit of money, so it went down the road.  Too bad S&W doesn't bring back the 610 in that barrel length.  

The 4 is good if you're gonna carry it in the woods, that's what I have on my 629. With the 4 inch you can sit down in the Jeep without the grips poking you in the ribs.

[LifeisgoodSteve]

3 hours ago, PatJones said:

13 hours ago, Carmoney said:

A long time ago, I owned a 5" 610.  That is, by the way, a much better barrel length than the 4" (short radius too short) or 6.5" (muzzle too heavy).  I had no real use for it, and it was worth quite a bit of money, so it went down the road.  Too bad S&W doesn't bring back the 610 in that barrel length.  

The 4 is good if you're gonna carry it in the woods, that's what I have on my 629. With the 4 inch you can sit down in the Jeep without the grips poking you in the ribs.

Haha, yeah at competitions, when I go to sit with my 6.5" 929, I need to make sure I'm at the end of the bench or seat so it can hang off the side.

 

That said, if I were to get a 629 not for backcountry defense but actual hunting, I'd seriously consider the extra inch of barrel...but don't want to divert too much.  I could see for general use 4" and for competitions/hunting leaning towards the 5", though of course all is personal preference.

 

Cheers

[357454]

19 hours ago, Carmoney said:

A long time ago, I owned a 5" 610.  That is, by the way, a much better barrel length than the 4" (short radius too short) or 6.5" (muzzle too heavy).  I had no real use for it, and it was worth quite a bit of money, so it went down the road.  Too bad S&W doesn't bring back the 610 in that barrel length.  

With a "New run of 610s",  it should be possible to buy a spare barrel and mill the underlug off to reduce the weight.  Then you would have the best of both worlds, long sight and lighter weight plus the original barrel will increase in value!

[jake617]

I shot ICORE with my 3 9/16" 610 unfluted for several years.  Tried pins, 40 is a good caliber for that but 10mm is better.   I needed LPA sight set but all else performs OEM very outstandingly.

[Prange]

Well, I'm picking up my new 610 this week. I wound up getting the 6.5" barrel.

 

I had originally planned to have the barrel cut to 5", but the quotes I got for the machining work and adding the front sight were a bit steep. It would be alot cheaper just to source a 5" barrel.

 

So, I'm on the hunt for that 5-incher.

[eggman]

I have a 3 9/16" 610 unfluted that the previous owner had deeply chamfered the charge holes to the extent the extractor tips were as sharp as needles . The tips were so thin they started breaking off which causes the cylinder to get out of time . S&W said they had been out of new cylinders for several years so I ended up replacing just the extractor and put the revolver in the safe. When I heard S&W was coming back out with the 610 I called and asked to have my unfluted cylinder replaced with the new 610 fluted cylinder . I shipped it to the factory and am now waiting on a quote for the work . I never did like the unfluted cylinder on my 610 and look forward to getting this revolver back with the new cylinder .

[10mmdave]

2 hours ago, Prange said:

Well, I'm picking up my new 610 this week. I wound up getting the 6.5" barrel.

 

I had originally planned to have the barrel cut to 5", but the quotes I got for the machining work and adding the front sight were a bit steep. It would be alot cheaper just to source a 5" barrel.

 

So, I'm on the hunt for that 5-incher.

Good luck, probably cheaper to have the work done to a 6.5" barrel.

 

What kind of prices were you getting and for how extensive of a job ?

I ask since Scott of SDM used to do an almost factory looking job compared to my home version of cut it off an inch or so with a hacksaw

and square it up a bit and crown the end with my cylinder chamfer tool

[Prange]

1 hour ago, 10mmdave said:

Good luck, probably cheaper to have the work done to a 6.5" barrel.

 

What kind of prices were you getting and for how extensive of a job ?

I ask since Scott of SDM used to do an almost factory looking job compared to my home version of cut it off an inch or so with a hacksaw

and square it up a bit and crown the end with my cylinder chamfer tool

 

 About $350.00-$400.00.   

 

Weigand doesn't make their interchangeable front sight system anymore.

 

SDM no longer accepts gunsmithing work.

 

Any suggestions would be welcomed.

[Toolguy]

Bowen Classic took over making the interchangeable front sight part from Weigand. www.mitchellmunitions.com can do it for $300.

[matteekay]

I believe Pinnacle High Performance does it as well.

[Prange]

Thanks for the info, Gentlemen.

 

 

[FWSixgunner]

I’d rather see a 6-shot 10mm L-frame.

On an N-frame, might as well go .41/.44/.45.

[S&WIowegan]

I still have one of the original 610 5" from the early '90s.  I got it about the same time the 40S&W was becoming the Limited gun caliber of choice.  I played with that 610 a lot trying to find a load that would beat my 625s.  I tried 135gr Noslers with lots of AA#5 all the way to 220gr LTCs .  Among the problems at the time was the case walls of 40 brass were thin and it wasn't too hard to blow a case.  But finally the 625 won out because the 5" gun is noticeably lighter and speed reloads much easier with 45ACP.

 

Has any one asked S&W what their problem is making 5" guns.  They stopped making 5" 625s, then stopped making 5" 610s and recently stopped making 5" 627s. WTF??  They seem to think IDPA guys want 4" bbls.  Anybody here seen an IDPA revolver shooter lately?  I shoot revolver at local IDPA matches because no one else does.

Edited May 7, 2019 by S&WIowegan
spelling

[matteekay]

2 hours ago, S&WIowegan said:

They seem to think IDPA guys want 4" bbls.  Anybody here seen an IDPA revolver shooter lately?  I shoot revolver at local IDPA matches because no one else does.

 

4" is the maximum barrel length for revolvers in IDPA. And yes, I do, but with .357 because I am not a smart man (and I haven't picked up a 625 yet).

[Signcutter]

On ‎4‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 7:54 PM, Carmoney said:

A long time ago, I owned a 5" 610.  That is, by the way, a much better barrel length than the 4" (short radius too short) or 6.5" (muzzle too heavy).  I had no real use for it, and it was worth quite a bit of money, so it went down the road.  Too bad S&W doesn't bring back the 610 in that barrel length.  

 

 

And I've still got it!  Plus another I picked up along the way.