WOW!!! Another 610 5" spotted

[Old Navy]

Just stumbled across it while perusing the various auction sights. Those are like finding a chicken with teeth, and are very seldom for sale. I would not sell mine for $1000, it has the best action and trigger I have ever seen on a S&W out of the box.

 

[Crazy K38]

I am also shocked to see one up for sale. Most people that have them love them, must be financially driven? However I have only ever seen one of the model 60 5" up for sale. Those are like looking for frogs teeth!

 

[Old Navy]

Well it's hit $750 and I bet it tops out about $1000 to $1200 range.

Who would think collector guns are still selling well in this economy.

 

[BUFF]

I am thinking about selling mine. 5 inch, I bought it NIB in 1992 and haven't shot it. I guess this auction will give me an idea of what they go for.

Pretty sure they came with wooden "combat" grips. Mine did.

 

[Old Navy]

I am thinking about selling mine. 5 inch, I bought it NIB in 1992 and haven't shot it. I guess this auction will give me an idea of what they go for.

Pretty sure they came with wooden "combat" grips. Mine did.

Standard was Houge rubbers, but some had optional woods and I have heard that what few 5" models were made were custom built or hand fitted and production numbers are 500 units (not sure of the accuracy, but told that by reliable source) and most went to large PD's that were converting to 10mm and these being hawked as a gun for old timers wanting to stay with wheel gun. Also rumor is that majority went to Europe where the 10mm is still popular. I bet all that went to England have been destroyed unless some ended up in the hands of the Royal's.

I have only ever seen the one 5" in person and two or three on auction and the last one I saw that was NIB was north of $1300 when sold about 3 years ago.

 

[BUFF]

Standard Catalog of S&W III said the initial 4,560 guns (made 1989-1992) had the Concala Alves finger groove combat grips. Later batches may have had the Hogues, but I remember all the early ones having wood.

I would have preferred the Hogues, as the wood S&W combat grips don't fit my hand and are painful for me to shoot with stout loads.

I have seen the story about the 610 being made for departments that adopted 10mm semiautomatics, but I have only seen it printed on this site. I find it hard to believe. Very few police agencies bought S&W 10mm pistols for issue. A 5 inch 610 weighs 42.5 ounces, a 6-1/2 incher goes 45 ounces empty. Speaking from experience, that is a really heavy gun for police issue. A M-28 Highway Patrolman weighs a bit less and folks complained that they were too heavy. And police departments likely would have wanted 4 inch guns.

I don't doubt that you heard this story, but I would have to see it in print, from a recognizable source, which identifies an example police department, before I would believe it.

 

[Old Navy]

Standard Catalog of S&W III said the initial 4,560 guns (made 1989-1992) had the Concala Alves finger groove combat grips. Later batches may have had the Hogues, but I remember all the early ones having wood.

I would have preferred the Hogues, as the wood S&W combat grips don't fit my hand and are painful for me to shoot with stout loads.

I have seen the story about the 610 being made for departments that adopted 10mm semiautomatics, but I have only seen it printed on this site. I find it hard to believe. Very few police agencies bought S&W 10mm pistols for issue. A 5 inch 610 weighs 42.5 ounces, a 6-1/2 incher goes 45 ounces empty. Speaking from experience, that is a really heavy gun for police issue. A M-28 Highway Patrolman weighs a bit less and folks complained that they were too heavy. And police departments likely would have wanted 4 inch guns.

I don't doubt that you heard this story, but I would have to see it in print, from a recognizable source, which identifies an example police department, before I would believe it.

The initial run was 4560 guns, with vast majority being 6.5" barrel guns. I can not for life of me understand why they went with 5" gun unless it was for keeping barrels of the 1006 and 610 same length and allowing better groups then a 4" maybe. Now that said I really like the feel of the balance of the gun far more then my 6.5" model.

The idea of some 5" guns being sent to large PD's for evaluation and maybe getting some orders from them so some of the old timers would have same caliber guns sounds logical and was where one individual suppose to have got his, however I doubt that when looked at realistically the idea was probably not that great.

A lot of the 610's went to Europe back then because it was not a Magnum which in some countries were very hard to own and about '87 (last time in Europe) France had $5000 yearly tax on any magnum hand gun, and of course they could not own a military caliber like 9mm 32ACP and 45ACP and 45 Colt as it was classed as military because it was military issue in past. The 10mm I told became very popular Europe as it was initially about equal to a 41 magnum.

As for the grip of the 3 auctioned two had rubber and one combat grips. The one NIB had rubber grips. I would love a set of those original combat grips.

As for the SC of S&W we all know it's full of errors, but it's the best we have.

 

[Old Navy]

I was looking at the auction, now at $800 and was reading the description and it says the gun is one of 4 being sold but that 1 is a 625-5 5" and buy all four for $3700.

Is he saying he has three 610 5" barrel and one 625 5" barrel for sale?

 

[Dave T]

I'd love to have on as I shoot 10mm and love 5" N-frames...but at those prices I'll just be an admirer.

Dave

 

[gjamison]

i just went digging through the safe and low and behold i have one. S&W model 610,5" barrel, serial number BFA5812, box paper work and tools. are they really worth that much?

 

[Old Navy]

I think the market is crazy and yes I bet it would, so go far it.

 

[scooter123]

I think the market is crazy and yes I bet it would, so go far it.

I completely agree, the market is nuts. Presently it's holding at 800 bucks, which is 25 dollars more than I paid for my 6 1/2 inch 610 last September.

Frankly, I was hoping that there would be enough demand for the 610 to support it's continued production because having one for hunting, I would really like a 3 or 4 incher for speed work.

Fact is the 610 is a very accurate revolver and it's cheap to shoot for those of us who can't find primers. Right now commercial 38 spl. is running 21 bucks a box so I save about 7 bucks per 50 by running my 610 on the cheap 40 S&W from Walmart. In addition, I flat out LOVE moon clips, take 16 to the range on each outing and bring them home to recover the brass.

 

[Old Navy]

I completely agree, the market is nuts. Presently it's holding at 800 bucks, which is 25 dollars more than I paid for my 6 1/2 inch 610 last September.

Frankly, I was hoping that there would be enough demand for the 610 to support it's continued production because having one for hunting, I would really like a 3 or 4 incher for speed work.

Fact is the 610 is a very accurate revolver and it's cheap to shoot for those of us who can't find primers. Right now commercial 38 spl. is running 21 bucks a box so I save about 7 bucks per 50 by running my 610 on the cheap 40 S&W from Walmart. In addition, I flat out LOVE moon clips, take 16 to the range on each outing and bring them home to recover the brass.

The moon clips have spoiled me and I seldom shoot my Glock 20/29 or my Colt DE now because of chasing empties is not fun at my age with messed up back. I carry a shot shell bag and dump the empties in the bag and I can put out more rounds down range faster with moon clips then any speed loader. I can put more rounds down range faster with my 610-3 then I can with my 1911 Delta Elite.

 

[BUFF]

Reading all the seller's ads, he is offering the 610, a M-625-5 .45 ACP, a M-625-5 .45 Colt and a M-629 (he doesn't say which dash variant) .44 Magnum. All are 5 inch stainless N frames in the same format that were supposed to have all been made in 1990. None have boxes.

I think he's off on a few elements of his description. The .45 Colt 625-5 in .45 Colt wasn't made until 1993, and the ACP variant from that era was the M-625-4, also 1993.

I still think his 610 originally shipped with wood combats. Somebody made up a 4 gun "set" and it was easier and cheaper for all to have Hogue rubber grips than wood combat grips.

But, without the original boxes, it would cost a $50 letter to know for sure.

 

[wheelgun610]

I'm willing to bet that all 1st generation 610's shipped with the wood combat grips, and there were actually two distinctly different styles of those. I don't have any documented proof to back up that wager - it's just my assumption based on the fact that two of the three 1st generation 610's I've personally owned came with 'em - as well as in their original boxes. My five-incher actually came to me with a set of wooden Hogue's, as seen in the pic below, but those have since been replaced with the correct factory combats as shown in the factory introductory literature....

(An interesting side note about the above pic: It's actually either a 625 or 629! Look at the size of the hole in the barrel.)

My five incher....

Mark

 

[Old Navy]

The way S&W has done things over the years you never know they could just as well done two or three grips. I would love to have those Hogue's on the top gun, those you have on yours have always struck me as ugly and they are hard for me to handle. I had friend who didn't like them on his gun (686) and tried to sell them to me, I think he traded the for a set of Pachmayr Decelerator's. That's why so many different kinds offered I guess. When I go to shoot the guns these are installed.

As for hole size you got me there, looks about right size to me.

 

[jcelect]

All 610s

Here are a few more 610s.

The two guns with fluted cyl. are from the first run started in 1989. The IDPA shooters loved the 5" guns as that barrel length was the limit. The unfluted 6 1/2" gun is my "pin" gun and is from the run started in 1998. The 3" gun is from the 1999 limited run for Lew Horton. The one missing(sold it like a big dummy) would be the 4" gun which was produced to accommodate the IDPA rule change from 5" barrels to 4" barrels max.
jcelect

 

[Catmonkey]

That would be me bidding that gun up to $900. His reserve is somewhere north of that. I'm looking for a shooter, not a collector. If any of you guys want some cash for your 5" 610, send me a PM.

 

[Old Navy]

I was just at the S&W website no longer list the 610 on their site, but do still list the NightGuard 310 10mm for sale. Maybe I should break down and buy one of those, but I don't think those would hold up to long with any real amount of shooting that would be more then 300 rounds a year.

 

[ditrina]

Here are a few more 610s.

The two guns with fluted cyl. are from the first run started in 1989. The IDPA shooters loved the 5" guns as that barrel length was the limit. The unfluted 6 1/2" gun is my "pin" gun and is from the run started in 1998. The 3" gun is from the 1999 limited run for Lew Horton. The one missing(sold it like a big dummy) would be the 4" gun which was produced to accommodate the IDPA rule change from 5" barrels to 4" barrels max.
jcelect

Those are Sooooooo SWEET......
I'm startin' to feel an itch........................