You are correct Nightowl - I don't even have the S&W yet and I'm already thinking about getting my hands on both.

I am in the process of putting together a reloading bench and have found a friend willing to teach me. But to answer your question directly - no, I do not reload at the moment.

That's great! Especially the part about having a friend teach you. When you reload you can dial the 44Mag down to 10 or even 40 power levels, or you can crank it up to levels the 10 can't touch.

Right now is kind of a tough time to get into reloading because components are scarce, but that will change.

I have a Forster press, a RCBS Chargemaster and a few other odds and ends. I'm getting close .. but, for some reason I keep finding other things to spend money on??

I'd be hard-pressed to make this choice!

__________________
Μολὼν λαβέ
NRA Life Member

I’m a little late to the discussion, but I have some strong feelings about these two. The 629 with magnums is more gun than 95% of us need. I have never had the pleasure of shooting a 610, but it is a gun I want to own. I have owned 10mm semi autos though and love the caliber. I have also owned 44spl and 44mag revolvers. If you want to shoot your revolver and enjoy it, the 610 is a better shooter that takes two calibers that are cheaper and more readily available than the 629’s two calibers. In fact 40s&w is the only handgun caliber in stock at most of our local gun shops and is the equivalent of 357 mag with a 180gr bullet at 1000fps. If you reload, you can sab make the same argument for the 610.

You will be well served with either, but if you are scared of the 610 for any reason don’t be. I don’t own either because I have a 625 that fills the need very well. The 625 in 45 acp gives you the option of a rimmed case with 45auto rim that is also very well supported for hot loads.

For me it’s as simple as “do I like dealing with moon clips, or not?” No. I own many 44’s and no rimless cartridge revolvers except a 22-4. Thats just me disliking moon clips.

I can appreciate the OP's dilemma. I went through the same debate, but mine was compounded because I also own and shoot a Model 57 (41 Magnum). Over the years, I developed a soft 41 load, so it can match the 610, and leave it in the dust! I chose a 3" Model 629 with the intention of feeding it a steady diet of Skeeter's 44 Specials.

Perhaps (down the road) I'll buy a 610, but while I like the 6.5" barrel , it's weight puts it on the potential ban list, so a 4" may be in line. When I have seen moon clips and a moon clip tool at a reasonable price, I jumped on it. I already have the dies and mold for 40/10mm since a Sig P229R is on the way.

Honestly, I don't envy the OP with the decision he must make!

__________________
Judge control not gun control!

No reason not to go with a .44 on the N frame, unless you’re already heavily invested in the 10mm round.

Moon clips are great for speed-reloads in action pistol competition and a PITA the rest of the time.

Here in Californiastan 10mm is still on the shelf. I just got a 610 and I want to cook up some self defense loads because I can only find fmj in the stores.

To be clear, shooting 10mm in the M610 does not absolutely REQUIRE the use of moonclips, but the empty cases will not extract using the extractor. They have to be plucked out. Shooting 40S&W does require moonclips.

__________________
Μολὼν λαβέ
NRA Life Member

Interesting statement. You made me look up NJ gun laws. Weight is a feature applying to semi auto handguns and is meant to help cull out pistols like the AK or AR. A 50+ oz revolver should be good to go.

That's a good point.

__________________
Let's be careful out there

Shooting and reloading a DA revolver is much simpler if the case has a rim.
Reloading as in putting ammo into the cylinder .

Screwing around with , keeping track of , loading and unloading and not damaging moon clips sounds great on paper ...in real life ... it's a pain .

My revolvers: 38 S&W , 38 Special , 357 Magnum, 41 Magnum , 45 Colt.
Notice they all have rims ... My one 45 acp revolver gets shot very little and it's the pesky full moon clips fault.
Gary

__________________
Certified Cajun
NRA Member

RIMZ polymer moon clips.

No loading tool, no unloading tool, the cartridges pop right in, the empties pop right out. They don’t bend.

I highly recommend them.

I’ve had a few 629’s over the years and one 610. I’ve sold the 629’s, but kept the 610. The .44 Mag is just too punishing for me with factory level loads. I’ve downloaded .44 Mag and used .44 Spec, but it just doesn’t do it for me like the 610 does. It’s hard to give an objective answer, because it really does come down to personal preference. I just really love the 610 and plinking with .40 in it is like shooting .38 out of a K-frame...hardly any kick at all. Realistically, the 629 probably is a more versatile choice, but not due to ammo cost or availability. .44 Mag is usually more expensive than 10mm and .44 Spec is way more expensive than either-when you can find it. I haven’t bought any factory ammo in years, but reloading 10 and .40 is cheaper in powder and projectiles. Moon clips aren’t that big of a deal, but people tend to either love them or hate them. I’ve recently acquired two .45 ACP revolvers and it’s kind of neat to preload a bunch of moons and shoot them as fast as one would shoot a semi with magazines. I’m way more accurate with the 610 also, probably because it’s just so hard not to flinch with the big magnum. I did ok with the .44Spec, but still not as good as with the 10. In my opinion, if you’re going to get either a 10mm or .44 revolver, getting into reloading is a huge plus. I just like not being reliant on ammo stock in stores. I’m sure I’ll own more .44’s in the future...hanging on to my .44 Mag and Spec brass and dies for sure.

Attached Images

71A95909-1601-4509-BAD5-BCE393EFA931.jpeg (112.5 KB, 13 views)

__________________
USS Brewton FF1086
SWCA#3597

So what did you end up with?