I own and enjoy the 625 revolvers in .45 ACP very much. Since I like the moonclip loading and wanted to add to my revolver collection, a few months ago I started looking for a 610 to compliment the 625's.

I'm kind of amazed at the price differential I'm seeing for 610's compared to 625's. To me, these two models are more similar than different........both are N-frames, both can take moon clips, both shoot popular rounds.

Is there something about the 610 that seems to be driving prices several hundred dollars above comparable 625's? Are they THAT much more popular, were there THAT many fewer 610's made than 625's? Or perhaps is it that you can still get a new 625 today (although I personally wouldn't buy one with the hole) and you can't get a new 610?

Just curious what people might think the reasons are.

Thanks,
Lou

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NRA Certified Instructor & RSO

M610s are much more rare. If not already, they are becoming more of a cult gun, similar to the M58.

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You're shy a few manners.

Jack said it! A lot fewer made and people that have them, hold onto them and people that don't have them, want them, thus the price goes UP! I believe economist call it supply and demand.

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Dick

Really the only difference is how many that were made. The 10mm is really a cult following. The 10 is also a flatter shooting round out to longer distances. Other than the round, that is really the only difference. I had four at one time but sold two of them. Hanging on to the other two.

Yes-there were fewer made, but in my view, there is more to it than that. I have a custom 625, and a 610-2, and while the 625 is indeed one of my favorites, the 610 has an allure that is uniquely its own, and has to be handled and fired to discern.

And...they still make 625's !

It is the same as the various stainless 32 Long/Magnum revolvers. Nobody wanted them when they were new. Therefore, Smith & Wesson discontinued them. Now, because Smith & Wesson discontinued them because nobody wanted them, everybody wants them. Is something wrong here?

Bob

Same reason some mediocre artist works are worth more after they are dead. The supply is gone, but demand may increase with population and more collectors.

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Dick

The age old difference between supply and demand.

Its the rare .40/10mm revolver. I want one too.

I picked up a 610 No Dash when they first came out. In I believe 1992 I took it by to see Ron Power (Power Custom) and had him do his Power Custom Combat work to it, as well as shorten the barrel off the back from 5" to 4". It is a tack driver, and one of my favorite handguns.

I have also had numerous 45 acp S&W revolvers, and still have my 3" Power Custom Combat 625. It is also an excellent handgun. Ron told me when working on it that it had perfect cylinder alignment on all 6 holes. At that time he said it was the best 625 he had worked on.

I also have a 310 Night Guard. Another Great Handgun. I picked mine up for $775 which I did not think was a terrible price for a 10mm/40 S&W revolver. Probably a bunch of people missed the boat on getting a 310NG when you could.

I believe a 10mm S&W Revolver is a thinking mans gun. They normally were bought NEW on purpose, and the owner is keeping it. I carried mine in a Tex Shoemaker Semi Break Front Security holster for 16 years, as a Reserve Deputy and Police Chief. I finally went to an XDm the last year as Police Chief due to the qualification course being set up for Hi Cap guns. It was getting hard to make the times doing a couple extra reloads with the revolver. I took it by to see Ron Power last Summer. It needed an endshake bearing to be back in perfect condition. Not bad for 20 years of shooting. It is still my most accurate carry handgun.

In 2012 I have buckets of 40 S&W Range Brass. Talk about helping with economical reloading. Another good reson to own a 10mm/40 S&W revolver.
The 610 is also my favorite Steel Challange handgun. At our Club we shoot Steel Challenge one month and Outlaw IDPA the next. I shoot my 610 for steel, and my 64 for SSR in Outlaw IDPA.

Did I mention my 610 and 310 were bought on purpose, and they are not for sale either.

Bob

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ICORE MO2908

Red9 makes a lot of sense. For all its qualities that are being extolled here, just not that many people wanted to buy one when they were being made. Thus, not that many were made.

Also, at that time the 10 mm was considered by many to be a dead cartridge. Who wants a handgun that fires obsolete ammo? Besides, if you really liked 10 mm, why not buy an autoloader, since that's what the round was designed for? Not to mention that autoloaders usually had mags that would hold a lot more than 6 rounds.

Now that they are no longer made (at least w/o the IL) some people want them just because they are rare. Others, especially dedicated handloaders, like the power and versatility they get from the round without having to worry about different bullet types jamming up as they may in a bottom feeder. Add to that the abundant, cheap, and readily available .40 S&W ammo and brass (which the M610 will also fire, with moonclips of course).

So given their relative scarcity, and that there are a lot of handgunners and collectors avidly seeking them out, is it any wonder that they are pricey?

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You're shy a few manners.

A thinking man's gun is right. I'm still looking for that 5" 610. 6.5" is fine for steel but no go for USPSA I believe. Sure would be a nice compliment to my semi's in that caliber but they are running 1K plus....

Regards,
Ed

I wanted to stress this first, not bragging, but about ten years ago after I bought my 610 LH 3" I expressed I might want to sell it. It was in another now-defunct gun forum.

I got a lot of replies from people chomping at the bit, so I decided to not put it up for sale, and I think some got mad thinking I backed out or whatever.

I'm mostly an auto person, and I thought I clicked on the semi auto section and found myself here in wheelguns, so I decided to use it. I have a more narrow interest in Model 29s. I do like the wheelgun, it's just a slight preference for the self-stuffers.

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9tenz

Why is the 610 worth more?



First 50 shots out of the gun offhand at 15 yrds. Wow, look at the accuracy. They just made something right on the 610's and others like me said no way I am selling it.

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SWCA 1646

In 2011 I bought both a 625JM (.45acp) and a 610. Both used but in excellent (and essentially identical) condition. I paid the same for both guns.

I found a 610-3 not too long ago at my LGS. Since I reload 10mm I wasn't concerned with the price of ammo, so I bought it and love it!

It had been sitting so long in the case that it was really dirty-looked like it was used but it was BNIB. The dirt wasn't from being fired, it was surface dirt that just gathered on it from sitting so long.

I wouldn't be at all surprised for S&W to wait a bit more for the demand to be pent up and the - surprise, another re-release of the 610. They did it a few years ago with the model 57 so this, if it occurs, would not come as a shock to me!

Reading about them makes me want one. And since I can get .40 brass for free...

I own both the 610 and 625 the 610 is rare took a few months to find it. Both are great shooters love them I think my kids will enjoy them when they get older.

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Rob

I take my 5" 610 deer hunting and take my 5" 625 target shooting. Both fit in the same holster!

The 610, 625 & 629, three you must have.

I picked up all three from a retiring shooter last fall, all were in excellent shape. About $750 each in Northern Nevada.

I have never understood the attraction of a revolver shooting a semi-auto round and requiring moon clips. The .45 ACP and .45 Colt have about the same ballistics. I own 1911s in .45 ACP and revolvers in .45 Colt. The .357 magnum and 10mm ballistics overlap by around 95%. I own a Glock G20 SF and 1911s in 10mm and revolvers in .357 magnum.

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U.S. Navy - U.S. Army, ret

Well, then I guess we have nothing to talk about! (Just kidding!)

I could easily turn this statement around to say "I have never understood the attraction of a revolver that doesn't use moon clips!"

The attraction to me, (and to a lot of other folks, I believe) is that every moon clip is a "speedloader", facilitating very rapid loading, unloading, and reloading. It also helps to keep your brass "organized" for retrieval if you reload quickly at a range - it's easier to find an empty six-round moon clip on the ground than it is to find six individual empty cases!

I can also carry a speedloader pouch on my belt and rapidly switch my revolver between a moon clip full of FMJ's to a moon clip full of snake shot. Could this be done with individual cartridges? Sure, but it's a lot slower.

If rapid revolver reloads aren't of interest to you, then I suppose moon-clip capable revolvers aren't either. I own both types of revolvers, and like owning both. (I even own single action revolvers).

But if I ever reached for a revolver for a combat situation, or to play pistol games such as USPSA, I would definitely reach for a moon-clip revolver over a "traditional" revolver, for the rapid reload advantage it brings.

Lou

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NRA Certified Instructor & RSO

LimaCharlie, if you own and shoot a Glock, I don't see any way you will appreciate a fine all metal, stainless steel revolver. Nor can you see why anyone else would. Perhaps different people like different things?

I don't know anyone who is proud of his Glock but I know many shooters who love their S&W revolvers.

Da Vinci popped into my head when I read this. Couldn't make a buck when he was alive.

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That's just somebody talkin.

I'm proud of my glocks!

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Rob

I buy and shoot Glocks because they are reliable tools. Certainly not beautiful, but they do what they were designed to do.

Been looking for a 610 but have given up on finding a reasonable deal. The current going rate of 4" or shorter barrel pre-lock 610s is sky high. I have spent less money to purchase a 3" 625-3, a 10MM Glock 20SF, and a Lone Wolf 40MM conversion barrel....and ammo.

I've never understood it either so I purchased a 625 JM a few days ago to see why so many people shoot them. I reload for my 2 1911's so thought this would fit into my program. Who know's, I may find that I don't like fooling around with moon clips, I don't know. I loaded a bunch last night and that part seemed pretty easy. Going to the range on Monday to see how I like the rest of it. Only part that may get tedious is the
de-mooning but I think that won't be any worse than picking up brass. Another thing that appeals to me is the 45 ACP range brass is cheap at $65/1000. Try that with a 45 Colt or a 44 Spl. I guess I'm trying to say I'm looking for economy more than anything else because I'm retired and don't have the money I used to have to throw at ammo anymore, especially since the great ammo debacle of 2012. I can see S&W coming out with a 40 L or 9 mm J frame sometime soon with all the new reloaders about. You read it here first. Jim

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That's just somebody talkin.

Darn horders!!! But I guess I am one since I bought this new.



Using a 38-40 LRNFP, I found that it excelled as a pin gun.

The whole concept of moon clip reloading probably took root in me after my first centerfire wheelgun was my Dads' 1917 which he packed in WWI and WWII(along with a Colt 1908 when protocol for Naval Officers required a less obvious sidearm). I just thought those 3 shot half moon clips were the neatest thing since the milking machine. Still got that 1917 too, sent it back to S&W for a refinish as it was so white it looked like stainless after half century of being hauled around in an SD Meyers rendition of a military holster(still got that too).
After trusting an Army recruiter in 1960 I became an Army Aviator where they handed me a M10 RB and a shoulder holster that had 18 cartridge loops sewed onto the strap. Shortly thereafter I acquired a Browning HP, a Python and a Randall #14 knife. Paid more for the knife than either of the two guns, still got all those too.
When the 940 came out it crossed my mind that it would make a good BUG for the BHP-I had become a cop in 1965. One could even load the 940 by thumbing 9mm rounds into the chambers out of BHP mag if needed(just could not get them out so easy). I usually carried 3 extra 5 shot 9mm clips in a tube type belt holster that was made for a old type Mace cannister, fit perfectly. For over 20 years I packed that combo with 2 mags for the BHP and 3 reloads for the 940. Carried the 940 in a left hand pocket holster. In a possible gun grab situtation I would put the BHP on "half cock" and the safety on. In the unlikely someone got the Browning he would take a long time to figure how to make it go bang, much too long for the comfort of his life insurance carrier.
I even got to the point of having my uniform pants and jackets altered with a leather lined left pocket.
I became so enamored with the 9mm revolvers(surplus ammo was sooo cheap), that I acquired 2 more 940s, a 940-1, the .356TSW 940, and a 940 3" barrel. About that time Ruger got on the 9mm revolver wagon and they were going pretty cheaply as with the 940 no one seemed to want them so I got 2 SP101s, another with the 3" barrel and an adjustable rear sight (which Ruger swears they never made), and 2 2.75" Ruger Speed Sixes, one Blue one Stainless. I also acquired a Ruger Service Six 9mm and sent it to Cylinder & Slide with instructions to make a accurate and slick shooting service gun, and they did. The only gun that will out shoot it is the 4" 625 I acquired, along with a couple 3" 625s, a 5" and 3" 610, and a 646(the non PC model). Did I forget the 3" and 4" 547s? And the matched pair of Ruger Bisley stocked New Blackhawks w/dual cylinders.Both are more accurate with the ACP cylinders than the .45 Colt cylinders-probably the ammo.
With the exception of the 547s and the Blackhawks all are moon clip guns. I have found the right size holders for all the moon clips, including a couple of the old "drop pouches" that LOBO Gunleather made for me that carry .45 ACP in 2 shot (1/3 moon clips?).
I just got the Charter Arms Bulldog in .40 S&W that does not require clips and after over 300 rounds it has worked perfectly. And. oh yeah I have an old Charter Arms that works with clips but was made for the now extinct Federal 9mm rimmed cartridge that I still have a few hundred rounds for(no, not for sale).I found a couple of 940 cylinders a couple of years ago, and one fits perfectly in a M60, the other has to be fitted, sometimes you just get lucky. I plan to have it fitted into a M42 or M38. I would love to get one fitted into the M60-4 and wind up with a target sighted 3" Smith 9mm, but I don't think it is going to happen.
The 940 356TSW can eat some incredibly hot ammo (9X21.5), as well as 380, and some other stuff. Just don't plan on reloading the .380 cases.
I just discovered that my 632 Pro will shoot .32 ACP, although I don't know why I would do a lot of that, low power and expensive.
In case you had not noticed, I like to shoot semi auto ammo in revolvers. Started out because surplus .45 ACP was cheap (and acquirable as I spent 36 years in the reserve componnents) and accurate. Same for 9mm these days. And a good 9mm load takes one into low end .357 Mag territory, and well, the 10mm and .40 are in a classs by themselves.
Got a 325NG coming in soon................wife will understand-I hope.

I own many S&W, Colt, and Ruger single-action and double-action revolvers. I have speed loaders for the double-actions and carry them for both self-defense and hunting. I owned a Colt .45ACP revolver back in the 1960s with moon clips. The moon clips had to be in a heavy case to keep from bending. You couldn't carry them in your pocket. They were a pain in the butt to reload fast because I usually had to stop and bend the moon clips back before inserting. I don't care if someone else loves moon clip revolvers. I have just never understood why I would want one after the one I owned and sold after a few range trips.

I didn't say I was proud of my Glock G20 SF 10mm. It is a tool that goes bang every time and carries fifteen plus one rounds of .357 magnum level 10mm ammunition. What is not to like?

I am proud of my revolver collection and my 1911 collection!

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U.S. Navy - U.S. Army, ret

Wow, I have never had a modern moon clip bend.

Not trying to sidetrack this, but I have a question, if someone can answer:

The 25/325/625's all have a large(r) space between the rear of the cylinder & the frame/breach, as well as between the front of the cylinder & the frame/yoke, than regular revolvers. This is one aspect of these (I have a 325NG) that I've thought detracked appearance wise. In looking at the pictures of the 610s (never saw one in person) here, I don't see those same large spaces. I always figured that the front space was because of the 45ACP's short case length (short cylinder) & the rear space is because of the need for ACP moon-clips & Auto Rims. The 10mm case is longer than the 45ACP (.992" vs .898") but the max cartridge overall length of the 45ACP is longer (1.275" vs 1.260") than the 10mm.

So why don't they appear the same? Are the cylinder faces of the 610s recessed/cut for the moon-clips to eliminate the rear gap, unlike the 625s? Are the 610 cylinders just longer than the 625's & eliminate the front gap? My 325 cylinder is 1.540" long of which ~.725" is the throats. How do the 610's compare? Just curious.

Bluedot, your eyes need re-calibration. I checked the spacing between the rear of the cylinder and the frame of both a 610 and an N frame in .45 ACP and they are both the same at 0.095". That is the space that is necessary for the thickness of the rim, plus the moon clip. I placed both guns side by side and the cylinders are the same length as are the frame windows.

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Tom
1560

My 325NG has a similar (.103") gap at the rear of the cylinder. Between the front of the cylinder & the yoke there's .247" gap. I found an archive photo of the 310NG at S&W's website and that picture looks the same, gap wise, as my 325NG. Maybe it's the angle of the 610 photos here, but the gaps just look different.

Also found a picture that shows the 610 cylinders are not cut/recessed for moon-clips.