940 centennial help info

[holo]

hi, I picked this one up at a gun show and now think i may have over paid. i payed 650.00 as did a buddy of mine who bought the 3". please give me your imput on both are they older? mine is a 940 no dash. thanks for your help. both seem to be fired but did come with boxes tolls and paperwork.

[H Richard]

I paid $600 + shipping just last month for this one. (Spegel grips were added later.


These are just scarce enough they bring bigger dollars.

[holo]

nices pics any other info anyone ?

[JcMack]

Shoot it and come back with your impression. I had one, and like most, had stiff or almost impossible spent case ejection probs.. My problem was solved by using nickled cases. $650 is probably not out of line. It's almost what the market will bear for any out of production 9mm revolver.

[tekarra]

I have a 2" that shoots very well, however, I sure would like a 3". To your query; the prices of these revolvers has gone up recently. The price depends upon what the buyer feels it is worth.

[Bama21]

I don't personally own a 940, but it sure aint from a lack of tryin! Around here (NW Georgia) if one can be found, I have seen them sell for as much as $850.00. If you snagged one for $650.00, I say nice pick-up. Would make a nice BUG. Stoke that puppy with some fmjs and hit the range. As far as the age, I'm not sure. A call to S&W on Monday would end the suspense of when the gun was manufactured (they will date the serial number for you). Congrats. Be safe.

[stiab]

I think you did fine. I have kicked myself several times for letting 50 or 100 bucks stand between me and something I really wanted, and later regretted it. I took mine to the range today and fired some WWB and CCI Brass 115 grain loads, it was fun.

[Repellere]

Don't waste Smith's time with questions about the age of your modern revolvers. The no dash 2" and 3" were made at the same time between 1991-1993. At $650, you paid the average going rate which is typically $550-$750. Your buddy got a deal on his 3" which generally adds a premium of $50-$150 because they were only made for 2 years.

My only complaint about my 940 besides the poorly machined chambers which can cause the fired cases to stick is the flimsy moonclips. They bend easily so be careful when you're removing the spent cases. The Ranch Products moon clips work fine and are fairly priced if you need more.

[500 Magnum Nut]

My complaint is they are heavy little guns. Lots of steel around the barrels. They tend to tug at my pants when going to the store.

They have lots of power otherwise. They really twist in the hands compaired to a 38.

Your price paid was a fair price. You could resale them and get your money back.

[holo]

thanks to all who responded. i have to think about this one for a little while and you may just see it up on the wts page.

[David Sinko]

I paid $299.99 for mine with 30 moonclips at Cabela's about a year ago. Mine is the best pocket gun I have ever owned and will never be for sale. A nice project for the 3" version would be to cut the cylinder back closer to the length of the 9mm cartridge and then screw the barrel in deeper to approximately 2". That would definitely make the gun lighter.

Dave Sinko

[JNewell]

Originally Posted by holo

thanks to all who responded. i have to think about this one for a little while and you may just see it up on the wts page.

Shoot it first and see what you think, and try a few different brands.

I agree with the post above on price - I think you paid market or slightly above, but your buddy got a good to very good deal.

If you sell it, and want all you cash back, you're better off trying one of the auction sites and hoping two bidders really want the gun, which happens pretty often and results in guns selling above what they'd sell for in a "normal" (whatever that means) transaction.

[JNewell]

Originally Posted by stiab

I think you did fine. I have kicked myself several times for letting 50 or 100 bucks stand between me and something I really wanted, and later regretted it.

Definite words of wisdom, assuming the OP wants the gun.

[sheriffoconee]

If I want it bad enough, I will pay what it is worth to ME....the marketplace doesn't drive me too much.....
Again, I wouldn't buy some things at a significant discount....

[Wakatomika]

I had a 940 for a year or two and loved the gun except for a little ideosyncracy that was the final reason I let it go. With the cheaper white box ammo (you know who makes them right?) and to a smaller extent the brass cased loads by those aluminum case people, My 940 would pull bullets under recoil. If I fired rounds one through four and took out the moon clip bullet five stayed in the cylinder along with the powder from that round. At times some kinds of ammo would leave round four and five loose in the cylinder. I never experienced a cylinder tie up from the pulled bullets but I didn't want to chance it with a self defense gun. I know that if I had reloaded for this gun and crimped the cases into a cannelure that that would have cured all of these problems but the idea of this gun to me was a good use for all of that cheap FMJ ammo out there. So I sold mine. I did not get $650 for mine. I sold it last fall. Mine worked well however with premium Jacketed Hollowpoints and as a CCW gun it was a dandy pocketful or flame throwing firepower! Recoil is stiff but not abusive. Hope I have helped.
Wakatomika.

[safearm]

Holo,
You will either love or hate your 940. It is heavy, but that makes it easier to shoot, especially +P. If you have not had the chambers polished, you may experience sticky extraction; it's not always hot rounds either. I think you paid a fair price for the gun considering all the stuff that came with it.

[HEADKNOCKER]

As many others have said you'll either love it or hate it..
It realy matters if you have extraction problems with yours..
The 940s are a real power house & some brass just doesn't want to work well with it while others are just great.. You'll have to experiment with variouse brands & bullet weights to get the perfect round for your needs.. My main trouble with my 940 has been with Winchester White Box 100 round value packs that I use as plinking ammo for other 9mms
My 940 had one of the worst looking chambers I've ever seen but still would shoot & extract most loads except for the WWB..
I first honed the cylinder with the brownells flex hones & later had the chamber reamed to accept the longer 38 Super & still can shoot the 9mm as the cartridge headspaces on the moon clips..
BTW I have two sets of the 9mm Flex Hones & have sent many 940 owners these hones & cured thier extraction problems for just the S&H
In fact one of the sets of hones is currently with another forum member now.. They do work very well.. My email is at the bottom of post if you need them..
$650 isn't too far out of line on the cost of a 940 nowdays, $550-$750 is a good range for what they have been selling for on GunBroker..
You gotta figure that the 940 no dash came out in 1991 & now are 17-19 years old & are discontinued making them worth much more than a 640.. The Blue book of gun values lists a 940 in 100% condition to be priced at $450.. We all know that this is only a guide..
There's also been several members ream thier 38/357 chambers to 9mm para with great success, I aquired a 940-1 cylinder from safearm & fitted it to my 642 Airweight creating a copy of the experimental one off Model 942..
You need to shoot the beast & experiment with several different bullets to get what works for yours..
Also take an eye loupe & look into each chamber back lit & if there's any ridges in there the honeing may help..See Pics..
Here's what a rough 940 chamber looks like
940 Factory Chamber before Honeing

940 Chamber after Honeing

My 9mms S&W M642/942 - S&W M940 - Glock 19 RTF2

642/942 - 940 wearing Craig Spegel Centennail Boot Grips Cocobolo


[email protected]

[stiab]

Headknocker, those are great pics. And good, informative posts by several members. Thanks!

[HEADKNOCKER]

Thanks stiab!!

I forgot to mention that the Stainless Centennials made in the 1990-1995 window seem to have some of the smoothest slickest actions of any DAO snubs I've ever seen, They must have had thier stuff together during this time, They have 100% Forged Hammer & Trigger that are flash chromed & being the Centennial design doesn't have a drop safety on the rebound slide may also be why there so smooth.. I've got Wolff Springs in mine & you just can't believe how sweet the trigger pull is.. And it's always lit every round I've ever tried includeing some very hard primers..
I had Jerry Miculek look at my 940 when I met him & he was amazed at the crisp smooth action & was quite impressed..
I'll also add that the best accessory I've gotten for my 940 was a set of Craig Spegels Grips & several .040" thick TK Moon Clips..
When I had Dave Manson ream the cylinder I had him bevel the charge holes & a reload with this revolver is so sweet..
I Love My 940.. It's my Favorite Revolver but gets beat out for carry "Most" of the time by it's lightweight convertable brother 642/942..
Here's a pic that shows a few holsters & those killer BTS+ Spegels
Gary/Hk

[holo]

i want to thank everyone who has posted on my topic. special thanks to

HEADKNOCKER. let me say this if i decide to sell it i will post it here

first.