S&W 610 or S&W 629

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klhender

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I'm new to S&W (always been a Glock and Ruger man). I shot a friends 610 and his 629 and decided to pick one up myself. But, which one .. I guess I always thought I'd purchase a S&W one day but never went much down that trail until now. Both are great guns - but this purchase is not for need as much as it is for a little fun... and to add a S&W to my collection?

All advice is welcome!
 
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Hello
I don't have as much experience with SW as some of the more experienced folks, but I recommend avoiding the pistol caliber 610 and go with the 629. May be more fun!
 
OP- what do you intend on using the gun for? If hunting, I’d lean toward the 629. If range or non hunting I’d go for the 10mm. That is what I’d do if faced with your problem.

That said both can serve you well. Some will say the 10mm can do well for hunting, and it probably can, but think the 44 mag has more versatility for that discreet purpose. Some also may say the moonclips are frustrating to use. That has not been my experience, but understand how one can view it.

The 610 can also shoot 40 S&W while the 629 can also shoot 44 Spl.
 
I'd check out a 357 magnum like the 686.

Unless you going hunting, or want to test your pain tolerance, the 357 is a funner range gun than a 44. Cheaper to shoot too whether you reload or buy ammo. And if you stoke it up, the 357 still has a lot of smack.
Leave the 10 mm for a Glock 20.
IMO, of course.
 
I am fortunate to have both and though a favorite may be a little hard to choose, the . 44 magnum would have a slight edge.

The fact that I reload gives me the opportunity to provide ammo that fits the occasion, hunting, range time or plinking. The 610, as I am sure you know can handle the 10mm or the .40 caliber so, you have a choice of ammo with this one as well.

For barrel length on the .44 magnum, a 4 inch may be the best but, for all around use, a 6 or 6.5" inch brings out all this round has to offer.
 
Well the solution is to get both. Start your Smith and Wesson collection off on the right foot. You’ll need to get another safe though, once you start it never stops.

You’ll be infected with the S&W blue virus.
 
I have both and love both. The 629 is a bit more versatile because you can shoot .44 Special ammo which has less recoil. Both are expensive to feed as the .44 mag and special is pricey as is the 10mm.

One advantage of the 610 is that you can also shoot .40 in it and that is a bit less pricey than 10MM or 44.

As others have said it really depends on what you plan to use it for.

Here are mine. As you can see I have more 629's than 610's, but I do have a 1076 and a 10mm 1911, so I'm even on what I now have.

610




629's




1076

 
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Not to disparage the 10mm, I own several, but the 44 is a lot more versatile when talking about revolvers. You can make a 44 do anything a 10 can do but you can't make the 10 do a lot of things the 44 can. Both of those guns are the same except for chambering. I am still trying to wrap my head around the reason for a 10mm revolver. The 45 revolver was an answer to quickly being able to provide handguns for WW1 and hung around since. But for me, a 10mm revolver is a solution looking for a problem.
 
cmj8591 said:
Not to disparage the 10mm, I own several, but the 44 is a lot more versatile when talking about revolvers. You can make a 44 do anything a 10 can do but you can't make the 10 do a lot of things the 44 can. Both of those guns are the same except for chambering. I am still trying to wrap my head around the reason for a 10mm revolver. The 45 revolver was an answer to quickly being able to provide handguns for WW1 and hung around since. But for me, a 10mm revolver is a solution looking for a problem.
Click to expand...

Not to disagree with a 44 magnum it’s good for hunting but For a first revolver the 44 is a flincher using ammo from stores.if you reload 240gr waddcutters with 8grains of unique that’s accurate and more pleasant to shoot .. 10MM is still good for hunting a little less bite than. 357magnum and 40s&w to shoot what ever you want and ammo is pretty cheap and accurate
 
629 44 magnum all the way. A 10mm revolver is redundant and I don't see a use for it. 357 magnum is more powerful and you can get up to 8 shots and 44 magnum is even more powerful than 357 magnum hence the 10mm revolver is redundant and worthless
 
Well, one thing the 44Mag can't do is shoot 10mm ammo, which I shoot in my 1911 and 610. Not to disparage the 629. I have and enjoy shooting one of those too.

cmj8591 said:
Not to disparage the 10mm, I own several, but the 44 is a lot more versatile when talking about revolvers. You can make a 44 do anything a 10 can do but you can't make the 10 do a lot of things the 44 can. Both of those guns are the same except for chambering. I am still trying to wrap my head around the reason for a 10mm revolver. The 45 revolver was an answer to quickly being able to provide handguns for WW1 and hung around since. But for me, a 10mm revolver is a solution looking for a problem.
Click to expand...
 
I didn’t think I would like the 610 and moonclips as much as I do. Makes reloading a breeze and with handloads there’s plenty of power from a 10.

Even though these have the IL they are 2 of my favorite guns

629-6

adwqD7e.jpg


610-3 3 7/8

il0HIcT.jpg
 
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klhender said:
I'm new to S&W (always been a Glock and Ruger man). I shot a friends 610 and his 629 and decided to pick one up myself. But, which one .. I guess I always thought I'd purchase a S&W one day but never went much down that trail until now. Both are great guns - but this purchase is not for need as much as it is for a little fun... and to add a S&W to my collection?

All advice is welcome!
Click to expand...

I own a 629 Classic so my opinion just may be a little skewed. However, if the choice is between the 610 and the 629 then I would select the 629 if for nothing more than the versatility of being able to use .44 Special - which I do. And I also don't want to have to use moon clips, which the 610 needs because it uses semi-auto ammunition.

Of course, now there's going to be an entire discussion about barrel length...
 
I would go with the 44 unless you already own a 10mm Glock and like the idea of sharing ammo.

I bought a 610 in the early 90s after the 10mm auto I had broke. A few years ago I bought a S&W 69 in 44 magnum and sold the 610. The 610 was great gun but I found the 44 did everything I want a revolver to do better. More power than a 10mm when you want it and factory ammo ranging from weak cowboy loads to full power magnums loads that pack a bigger punch than any 10mm load. Of course reloaders can pick any power level they want with a 10mm revolver but factory ammo is 40 or 10mm with not much in between. I also like not needing a moon clip or having to pluck the empties out individually.

Just because your friend prefers the big N frames like the 610 and 629 doesn't mean you will. At least look and the smaller L frame revolvers like the 686 (357 magnum) and 69 (44 magnum). I find they handle and balance better but that is subjective. Lighter than the N frames so there will be more recoil but that was a tradeoff I was willing to make. I do not shoot many full power magnums through mine though.
 
Welcome to the Forum

With these as the only two choices, I would purchase a 610 in a heartbeat. But then, I have never been a fan of the 44 Magnum.

610-6r.jpg


I own a few 44 Magnums because I collect Smith & Wesson

But I am not making this purchase, you are.

Since you did not tell us you are hand loader, I presume you are not.

With that in mind and again with these as the only two choices, I would recommend that you purchase a 629

629r.jpg


A selection of 44 Magnum ammunition is on the shelf of any retailer in any town of the US. That can not be said about 10MM Auto ammunition

Now, if we can go outside of your two choices, like many others I would recommend a 357 Magnum. The cartridge is beautiful for paper punching, there are lots of 38 target loads geared toward to organized competition and of course, there is always full power 357 Magnum.

627pinto2s.jpg


627%20V--Comp%20%20Ls.jpg

​


Plus, as you can see modern 357 Magnums are available in an 8 shot variety
 
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