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S&W Revolvers: 1980 to the Present All NON-PINNED Barrels, the L-Frames, and the New Era Revolvers


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Old 12-02-2012, 01:53 PM
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What carry load for 640? What carry load for 640? What carry load for 640? What carry load for 640? What carry load for 640?  
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Default What carry load for 640?

I'm new to revolvers, this might be a dumb question.

I've read about "bullet pull", but not really sure what that is.

Is there a certain bullet weight I need to shoot in a snubby?

Or is it personal preference? Thanks
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Old 12-02-2012, 02:08 PM
Pisgah Pisgah is offline
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"Bullet pull" is caused by inertia. In very lightweight magnum revolvers, heavier bullets (especially cast) tend to creep forward out of their cases from the pounding of recoil. As the gun recoils sharply, the heavy bullet tends to stay put, gradually being pulled out of the case enough to tie up the gun. Jacketed bullets usually have a cannelure, or groove, in to which the case mouth is crimped; this tends to make them less susceptible to pull. Lighter bullets, having less inertia, tend to resist bullet pull better than heavier.

In their first Airlight Ti guns, S&W recommended 125 gr. or lighter jacketed bullets only.
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Old 12-02-2012, 02:13 PM
DonD DonD is offline
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Pisgah is right.

I haven't had any issues with bullet pull when shooting my .500 Mags with proper crimping. Don
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Old 12-02-2012, 02:15 PM
StatesRightist StatesRightist is offline
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I like the Corbon DPX +P round for my 640. It's lighter recoil, but has shown to very effective on the street and testing. My other choice would be Speer's Gold Dot Short Barrel .357 load.

Generally speaking, the heavier the bullet, the heavier the recoil, all things being equal.
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Old 12-02-2012, 02:25 PM
shawn mccarver shawn mccarver is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JC1990 View Post
I'm new to revolvers, this might be a dumb question.

I've read about "bullet pull", but not really sure what that is.

Is there a certain bullet weight I need to shoot in a snubby?

Or is it personal preference? Thanks
Bullet pull is when the crimp is not tight enough and recoil causes the bullets in the other charge holes to move forward, sometimes far enough forward to prevent cylinder rotation. It seems to be more of a problem on the really light revolvers, such as those with titanium cylinders and scandium frames. I doubt you will have any issue in your Model 640. Use any ammo you like that is the caliber marked on the barrel.
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Old 12-02-2012, 03:57 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pisgah View Post
"Bullet pull" is caused by inertia. In very lightweight magnum revolvers, heavier bullets (especially cast) tend to creep forward out of their cases from the pounding of recoil. As the gun recoils sharply, the heavy bullet tends to stay put, gradually being pulled out of the case enough to tie up the gun. Jacketed bullets usually have a cannelure, or groove, in to which the case mouth is crimped; this tends to make them less susceptible to pull. Lighter bullets, having less inertia, tend to resist bullet pull better than heavier.

In their first Airlight Ti guns, S&W recommended 125 gr. or lighter jacketed bullets only.
I've read about this before, but never heard the term "bullet pull" to describe it. Thanks for clarifying!
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Old 12-02-2012, 08:07 PM
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Bullet pull should not be a problem in your 640, it is an issue only with the titanium frame guns. I carry the old FBI +P 158 grain HP in my 442 due to its proven street record. I actually used this round during my 30 yr LEO career and can verify that it works quite well.

In reality any good HP should work given good placement. IMHO way too much is made over which brand, etc.
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Old 12-02-2012, 08:39 PM
870fan 870fan is offline
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I carry the FBI load in my 340PD and 2.5" 66. I figure if it has worked for decades for posters like the one above me, it will work for me. It is also much more affordable than many of the newer premium self defense rounds so you can actually afford to shoot it every once and a while.
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Old 12-03-2012, 02:38 PM
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x2 on the FBI load. I shoot & carry an equivalent handload.
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