In timed matches started holstered I fired my 3 7/8" 610 more than any other revolver. I will step out on a limb and write that is what most owners use 610s for. Revolvers that can not use moon clips are not competitive. One competitor brought a .41 Magnum that was altered to accept moon clips to local matches.

Only one. The clips for rimmed revolver cartridges are much thinner than 10 mm and .45 ACP clips. During filling and emptying they are easily bent. Once bent they act as spring cushions causing missfires. That occurs more frequently in in match tuned revolvers that can only reliably set off Federal primers. Also, the longer the cartridge the further the noses of clipped cartridges wiggle out of alignment. In full moon clips .357s are the slowest cartridges to reload. Despite their short comings, 686s set up for matches and firing shortened spit wad power cartridges in shortened .38 Special cases often are the revolver to beat. However, the match director can set up his match so that 625s are more competitive.

The only revolvers that are faster to reload than 610s are 625 .45 ACPs. Round nose bullets and thin walls between chambers enable tossing .45 moon clips into the cylinder with a slight spin with the revolver only in your peripheral vision. If the match layout puts more emphasis on fast reloads or the steel is set so that it requires more momentum to knock it down, 625s are the most competitive revolvers. That's that.

Firing my 610 I was the highest scoring revolver shooter for awhile. I was over taken by a competitor who usually fired a .38 Super 686. Why the odd revolvers? This is a hobby. Collectors and hoppyists love odd ball stuff. Ultimately practice, not equipment, wins sporting events.

My 610 did have one advantage over other revolvers. Before 9mm revolvers became common, in normal years, 40 S&W was the least expensive factory revolver cartridge. Swinging buy Wal-Mart for a $16 100 round box of Win. white box .40 S&W was not a wildly unreasonable thing for a reloader to do. Unlike spit wad power .38s factory .40 always whacked the steel right down.

Now if the O.P. only shoots his revolvers off the bench for groups than at 100 yards and beyond his .41s have an edge over all the revolvers I've written about. The 610 is one of S&W's tightest grouping models but it's no .41 Magnum.