I am looking at getting another S&W revolver. I always like to find multiple roles for a gun when possible. Right now I am stuck between a 4 inch or 6 inch barrel. The revolver is a model 610 10mm revolver. Just not sure if I what barrel length I would be better off with for home defense. I know the 4 inch is better for a carry gun but the 6 inch is better for target and hunting use. I just don't know what would be the better choice.

At those distances, inside a house, I reckon noise and muzzle flash are bigger worries than a couple inches of barrel length. Especially if someone is shooting back. When I had home defense pistols I relied on a Swenson .45ACP 5" ex-G.I. pistol with big fixed sights. Never had to use it, alarms everywhere inside because of having an FFL and 50 guns in a Cannon gun safe :-). If I forgot the alarm and went downstairs the screaming siren sounded like a police car was parked inside the living room! I doubt either an intruder or I could've thought clearly enough to shoot during that; he/she would've run.

P.S. Also kept a Bulldog in .44 for the purpose. Frangible bullets from the Sky Marshall program because overpenetration of any round is anathema to the other people in the house who you're protecting! Perhaps take this into account when choosing your caliber; and once chosen, take it into account again when choosing the load including bullet type?

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Red Nichols The Holstorian

Perhaps handling both (or better yet, trying them at a rental range) might help.

I would guess there is very little difference in hunting or target accuracy between a 4 and 6" 610, and full lug N frames are not small/light guns. A 4" will be muzzle heavy and a 6" really muzzle heavy. Good luck in your decision.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Get the 4 inch. I have a 6 1/2 inch 610 and the barrel weight is a problem for Combat shooting. That higher swing weight impedes transitioning between multiple targets and that is NOT a good thing when you are trying to defend yourself. IMO the ideal barrel length for a 610 based Combat revolver would be 3 inches but that is not available so get the next best which is 4 inches.

My experience with revolvers:

1. Barrels of 3 inches or less are best for concealed carry, but not really better at anything else.

2. Barrels of 4 inches are best for carry outside of the waistband, are handy coming out of a nightstand drawer, and are quick pointing and easily maneuvered. They provide the best balance between compactness and ease of control during firing.

3. Barrels of 6 inches or more are best for range use and hunting.


Just my experiences with revolvers.


The 10mm Auto is a very good cartridge. It provides all the power of the 357 Magnum and maybe just a tiny bit more with full power loads. As such, it recoils and barks like a 357 Magnum.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

Personally, I would go with 4". My experience with 6" barrel revolvers is limited, but I agree that a 4" would handle better in a defensive situation.

One thing to consider is the possibility of struggling with the attacker over the gun and weapon retention. A 6" barrel is going to give an attacker more leverage to disarm you. How much of a concern it should be is up to you and your situation. I do think it merits at least some consideration.

A longer barreled pistol is easier to remove from your hand by an assailant if they are close enough to grab it. Longer = more leverage.

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It doesn’t matter as much how long your pointed end is as much as what is written on it:

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Well, 10mm in a revolver is kind of novel, especially for home defense. I know there is a resurgence in interest in the 10mm and I do recall that S&W has the Model 610 revolver but it does strike me as a question that nobody asked. Except I know that folks did ask!!

But I admit to being a dyed-in-the-wool .38 Special fan for home defense in order to avoid over penetration, etc.

That said, get the 4 inch for home defense. Besides the over penetration issue the 4" is far more "wieldy" indoors, more balanced, and definitely easier to keep away from a perpetrator's reach.

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Come and take it!!

To take full advantage of the 10mm cartridge, the 6.5” barrel is better IMO. The flash and recoil is very similar to a .357 mag, and that makes the gun relatively difficult to shoot, quickly and accurately, for home defense.

There is poor balance and slow handling to a 4+ lb. (unloaded) 6.5” barrel heavy recoiling 6-shooter, but even at 3.5 lbs (unloaded) the 4” is not an ideal fighting pistol.

Do what you want, of course, but it seems to me there are many better options available for HD both in cartridge and gun. Multiple fast hits on (potentially multiple) target are the priorities for me.

180 grn expanding HP @ 1300 FPS @33,000 PSI from a 4” barrel really seems to be a trade off of overkill for practicality.

Exactly my point but CB3 said it better.

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Come and take it!!

Length doesn’t matter. Whatever length makes you happy and you shoot best.

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213th FBINA

Either will work just fine. If you intend it to also double as a field gun, then maybe a 6", but I actually prefer 4" revolvers in any caliber for general field or home use.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

Four inch revolvers balance best for me but it should come down to which one you shoot better.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

Four inch.....Low flash loads.


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"IN GOD WE TRUST"

Is there any way you can try each one out before you buy?

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Why duck?? It's a 9mm!

...that 3-4" is ideal for indoor defense. Carry would be on the smaller end.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I was faced with the same decision when I purchased my Taurus Judge Magnum for Home Defense. The Judge was available in 3 different barrel lengths; 2.5", 3", or 6.5".

Ultimately, I went with 3" because 6.5" seemed like too much considering the added weight as well as OAL. However, if they had still made them with a 4" barrel, (as they did once as a limited edition) then I would have chosen that.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

Maybe use .40 S&W?

I agree with 5”. I use mine for EDC in both .44 and .357. Whatever floats your boat is best and don’t worry about what others think.

Nonsense. 5.137256" is the perfect length... :-)

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Pisgah

For me a .38 Special 4" for home defense!!!!, I like Model 10/15 handguns!!
Regards
Roberto Renauld

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"Off we go..."

4.1340" when in Canada, eh?

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

A 4 inch N-frame or L-frame is a large and heavy gun. (around 41 ounces unloaded). A 6 inch version of that is VERY LARGE and heavy. Many fights end up on the ground. In my opinion, a 4 inch L or N frame is getting pretty close to being too big for combat/defense. A 1911 is actually quicker and more maneuverable than a 4 inch revolver. Compare the two side by side, and also compare where the weight is balanced.

For a combat fighting revolver, I want 4 inch or less.

It's all up to the individuall and what they feel comfortable with. Just think AR or SHOTGUN both great home defense weapons. Both have longer barrels and are heavier.
Jim

I'd easily recommend a 4" barrel. Easier to maneuver, and not as easy for an opponent to grasp and lever out of your hand. For most folks, a .38 Special +P would be fine. I think the nicest S&W revolver for home defense would be something like this Model 67. A Model 66 in .357 might be more powerful, but way too much muzzle flash and not as controllable for repeat shots. Also a .38 would be way easier on your future ability to hear!

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

I guess if for some reason someone was dead set on getting a 10mm revolver for HD I would get the 4". That said I don't see the practicality. The 610 is an N frame, same capacity as much more powerful options, 41 and 44 Mag or 45 Colt, or two rounds less capacity than the 357. Which gives you the same power. I guess I just don't see the reasoning for a 10mm in a revolver for any purpose other than an absolute love of the caliber. You are either giving up considerable power in the same size gun or capacity to the 357 for the same power in any given frame size..

I’d choose a 4” .38 loaded with FBI loads.

Or a Model 64. You can whop ‘em upside the head with it without worrying about damaging the sights.

OP, get a police surplus K-frame .38 and load it with FBI loads or Speer Gold Dots and a good handheld flashlight and some Safariland speedloaders. You will be extremely well armed and save a boatload of cash, and have the better revolver.

I'm inclined to agree, and that would probably be my first choice for a home defense revolver. At one point I wanted to get a 4" DAO 64 for HD, but at the time I had a 3" 65 and a 2" 64, both with DAO/bobbed hammers, that I carried and used for HD. I usually kept them loaded with Buffalo Bore standard pressure FBI load.

But if OP insists on using a 610, for whatever reason, that's his choice. With proper load selection and strategically-planned lines of fire, it should work, too.

Keep in mind that a 6" 610 would be an excellent pistol whipping gun.








( Now in hiding)

While I don't fuss over FBI loads versus other premium, self defense rounds, I do think that any of these three are acceptable HD revolvers, just as examples - we all have plenty more.

2"



3"



4"



K and L frames, reasonable sizes, easy to manipulate, low recoil in .38 Special, etc.

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Come and take it!!

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I would go with the 4 inch barrel..

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The perfect all around carry length is 3 inches, IMHO. So, with your choices on the post - 4 inch is the best. Depends on what's around your house, but not sure I would use full stoke 10MM, as I'd be likely to have it go through a wall and hit a neighbors house!

Somebody else mentioned 5 inch - and again IMHO that it the best all around field / hunting length - with 6 inches a close second. Not a fan of anything longer and I never felt under-gunned hunting deer with a 6 inch as opposed to an 8 inch. Just don't like 8 inchers.

Don't forget to lay a pair of tactical ears with the gun in the nightstand!!

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DAO Hunter, SWCA #2955

Buffalo Bore has some really good 158 SWCHPs. Both non-+P & +P. That's what I use in my carry/defense 38s.

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DAO Hunter, SWCA #2955

Go with the 4" ...just handier and more manageable .

I have a 6" barreled 357 but the 4" model 58 in my avatar wins the home defense contest because of the shorter barrel .
The 41 magnum is close to a 10mm in power so it should be just the ticket .
Learn to shoot it well...only hits count and misses can get you killed .
Gary

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Certified Cajun
NRA Member

b:

I assume the 610 will also shoot 40 s&w. More load choices for defense and plenty of power.

A few years ago I had an intruder in the house. I learned a few things from that experience: 1) A gun in the gun safe is pretty much the same as not having a gun at all and 2) that I was much closer to the intruder than I had ever imagined I would be.

In gaming out "bad guy in the house" scenarios, I had alway thought in terms of the distances across the largest rooms in my house. As it happened, I ended up at arm's length and closer to the guy.

Since then I have always kept a gun outside the safe and it is a 2.5 inch Model 66 loaded with .38 sp +p. My thinking is that there is less barrel for someone to grab hold of and I don't have to worry about it going out of battery in a contact situation. And in a pinch it would make a pretty good club. If I were to go looking for a replacement, it would probably be an 8 shot n-frame with a short barrel.

And I say this as someone who shoots USPSA with a Glock so I am totally comfortable autoloaders.

Luckily for me the intruder was not armed either and my 12 pound rat terrier and I ran him off. Actually, the terrier did most of the work and I just backed her up.

Big fan of 3" revolvers, easier to store, manuver, carry, pull, retain, and plenty accurate for any reasonable defenisve distance.
Keep my fave in the biometric handgun safe bolted to the nightstand on my side of the bed, at night leave the lid open.
Also a believer, that unless always packing, best to have handguns placed strategically around the house. When grandkids come, all the 'loose' gun go into the safe.

Three related thoughts on this:

1. A Model 610 10mm revolver is a really poor choice for home defense:

- It's a 37,500 psi cartridge compared to 35,000 psi for the .357 Magnum. It'll be every bit as loud if not louder than a .357 magnum.
- The .357 Magnum isn't a great choice for shooting indoors, but you have the option of lowering the pressure and sound levels with a .38+ P load without compromising the headspacing or reliability. You *might* be able to shoot .40 S&W in it, headspacing on the extractor, but it's not the same thing.
- The 610 is an N frame revolver that is not amenable to concealed carry (see below).

2. If you search news and police reports you'll find incidents where a homeowner with a handgun was raped, killed or otherwise victimized when a criminal made a forced entry and assaulted the victim before a gun could be retrieved from some other area of the home. If you are going to rely on a pistol or revolver for home defense it either needs to be carried on your person or sitting right next to you 24/7. Choose a pistol or revolver that will make that practical.

3. People get hung up on cartridges and "stopping power". That's a mistake.

- In the first place, in the vast majority (north of 95%) of situations where a handgun is used for defensive purposes, it is never even fired. Producing a handgun has a powerful deterrent effect as criminals don't like getting shot anymore than other people like getting shot.

- Secondly, in about half the cases where the gun is fired, the assailant flees the scene before he is hit.

- Third, in about half the cases where the assailant is shot at and hit, the assailant will stop the assault after being hit and either surrender or flee - even when it is not an incapacitating hit. That goes back to the fact that no one likes getting shot, and will usually stop doing whatever is causing them to get shot, so that they won't get shot more.

- Finally, what's left is the small percentage of cases where the person has to draw the gun AND fire the gun, AND hit the assailant AND the assailant still does not stop the assault. In those cases, multiple shots and shooting until the assailant is down will be needed. Here's where a larger cartridge *might* be an advantage, but only to the extent that it does not reduce the shooter's ability to accurately and rapidly place rounds into the vital zone of the assailant. Yes, penetration and expanded diameter matter, but the more wound channels you can place in the torso, the greater the blood loss and the greater the potential for a CNS hit or a cardio vascular hit that will rapidly lower blood pressure - the only two ways you'll get rapid incapacitation.

In terms of big data on real world shoots, nothing really gets the job done significantly more effectively than a .357 Magnum with a well designed hollow point when you look at "one shot' stops.

In terms of cases where multiple shots are fired, a 9mm Luger with a well designed hollow point allows both accurate and rapid shooting, where a heavier recoiling round will compromise one or both of those traits.