Performance Center 640 Black has a very nice factory trigger

[FivePews]

Just a heads-up folks. I managed to score a brace of Performance Center 640 Black J frames with consecutive serial numbers and want y'all to know they have better triggers than a 640 Pro. Really surprised me to get such a smooth and light J frame trigger directly from Smith.

I haven't shot them yet, but when I do...I'll report back if there are any light-strikes.

In any case, if you like a steel J frame with a really good trigger, a real rear sight, and you don't hate a black pistol, ya might want to snag one of these models before they are all gone.

 

[Eagle1*]

good to know, pics

 

[BoulderTroll]

good to know, pics

Yep. Pics, or it didn't happen.

 

[FivePews]

I'll have a pic for you later this week fellas. Have to admit, I ordered a second brace of them with consecutive serials today. When all four are together I'll take a family photo.

Safe to say that I really, really like them.

 

[FivePews]

Had a little time and put 130 rounds or so through the first pair of 640s today. I got really lucky with this pair because I prefer a "combat sight picture" kinda like the ball-in-bucket setup on plastic Glock sights. In other words, I line up the dots and want POI to be in the center of the dot. Just works better for me than using the top of the sights.

The target picture is the first five shots with 92 & .38s. As you can see, I'm not much of a shot, but I sure do have fun doing this. Played around with some full-house 125g mags and they seem to hit at about the same elevation as .38s.



With these two pistol (serials ending in 92 & 93) when benched at 25 yards using a staged trigger press I found:

92 = .38 Special with combat hold hits to elevation and four inches right
Didn't have any more HSTs with me to fire
93 = .38 Special with combat hold hits five inches low and two inches right
.357 Mag 154g HST with combat hold hits to elevation and two inches right.

So, I'll carry 93 with Mags and perform the majority of my drills with 92 & .38s. Cool!

As for windage, I'll wait a while to move the sights. If the next pair of 640 PCs are shooting left too, then I probably need to do some trigger work when dry firing. But, I don't think that's the problem. Of course, I'll load up some 148 HBWC and try to verify the windage issues.

No misfires, no strange issues. Both triggers feel the same to me. Good stuff.

Anyway, I'm pleased and hope the next set works out!

 

[Markmontana]

This is good to know. I've always liked the 640. Had a Pro model at one time and foolishly sold it for another shiny object.

Have there been reports of light strikes with these trigger modded 640's?

 

[FivePews]

No light-strike reports that I'm aware of. The loads today were using CCI #500 primers and I think they are on the hard-side (not that I really know).

 

[rubiranch]

This M-640-1 .357 Magnum was the first handgun I ever bought.
I bought it back in 2008 from my brother for $400.
It was un-fired since leaving the factor back on 4/12/95
Its a very early M-640-1.



It was my EDC until he retired from LE and gave my his BUG, a M-642-1.


If I carry it these days this is how it goes with me.
All I've ever shot are .357 Magnums.

 

[Markmontana]

That’s a nice looking shoulder right there. Who makes it?

 

[BoulderTroll]

That’s a nice looking shoulder right there. Who makes it?

I'm not him, but it looks like all of Galco's shoulder holsters. Their thumb snap is an unusual design and easily spotted.

 

[Markmontana]

Beyond appearance value (which will vary with potential buyers) just what is the point to the black cerakote?

 

[BoulderTroll]

Beyond appearance value (which will vary with potential buyers) just what is the point to the black cerakote?

Well, stainless steel in the white can still rust, just not as easily as carbon steel. Cerakote will help prevent that, as well as protecting the bare metal. Like others have said, I would be far more interested in the gun if they'd used a nitron/ ionbond/ DLC finish instead of a baked on one, but cerakote is cheaper.

 

[FivePews]

Beyond appearance value (which will vary with potential buyers) just what is the point to the black cerakote?

For me, the "good points" about a black pistol are everything that BoulderTroll said...but my three "serious" reasons for preferring black are kinda silly.

First, my hands don't get that "steel/blued" gun smell after handling the black pistols. Silly, I know, but it really, really bugs me and I dry-fire them every day. Blued carbon steel guns are even worse that stainless steel guns. The smell won't kill me, but I'd prefer not to deal with it.

Second, it's much easier to clean a black pistol if you shoot them weekly. Why? Well, I clean the parts that matter for function and get to pretend that I didn't notice all the parts that don't really matter are still dirty.

Third, "honest wear" is awesome. I have a Wilson with their brand of black paint, and over the years it's turned into a pretty CCO with all the carry and holster work it's seen.

I have no idea how the Cerakote is going to wear, but I suspect it will be very similar to Armor Tuff. In the end, I think it's personal preference.

 

[Bullet Bob]

Plus if you're a tactical ninja your heater won't be as noticeable. ;-)

 

[rubiranch]

Well, stainless steel in the white can still rust, just not as easily as carbon steel. Cerakote will help prevent that, as well as protecting the bare metal. Like others have said, I would be far more interested in the gun if they'd used a nitron/ ionbond/ DLC finish instead of a baked on one, but cerakote is cheaper.

I know we are talking two different guns here, this was my brother's BUG that he carried in an ankle holster for a lot of years.

If you were to carry yours in a similar manner maybe black is the way to go.

 

[BoulderTroll]

I know we are talking two different guns here, this was my brother's BUG that he carried in an ankle holster for a lot of years.

If you were to carry yours in a similar manner maybe black is the way to go.

Exactly!

I just have to laugh at ankle carry. I know I'll get hate from some fans of it, but it's just not a smart way to carry a gun. My favorite example of why not was one of my supervisors was chasing a dude at night across a field and he thought to himself, "Holy ****! He dropped a gun", and bent down mid-sprint to pick up the "bad guy's" discarded pistol, a stainless Walther PPK, and only then did he think to himself, "Hey...that looks an awful lot like my Walther PPK". It had come loose and flung quite a few yards in front of him as he was running.

 

[Mikey1871]

Exactly!

I just have to laugh at ankle carry. I know I'll get hate from some fans of it, but it's just not a smart way to carry a gun. My favorite example of why not was one of my supervisors was chasing a dude at night across a field and he thought to himself, "Holy ****! He dropped a gun", and bent down mid-sprint to pick up the "bad guy's" discarded pistol, a stainless Walther PPK, and only then did he think to himself, "Hey...that looks an awful lot like my Walther PPK". It had come loose and flung quite a few yards in front of him as he was running.

Saw that happen myself. No it wasn't me, honest.
I carried a Smith 342 on my ankle for over a decade, but I used a nylon holster and a one-piece strap over it onto the velcro. Never an issue, not as quick draw as a snap on an ankle holster, but ankle holsters are slow to begin with and it was my SHTF gun, so I was just happy to know it was there.

 

[BoulderTroll]

Saw that happen myself. No it wasn't me, honest.
I carried a Smith 342 on my ankle for over a decade, but I used a nylon holster and a one-piece strap over it onto the velcro. Never an issue, not as quick draw as a snap on an ankle holster, but ankle holsters are slow to begin with and it was my SHTF gun, so I was just happy to know it was there.

My preferred method of BUG carry was a 340PD (and later a P365) in a nylon holster held in place by one of the elastic straps on my vest. I wore it on my strong side, for use as a cross-draw with my off-hand. I figured I was most likely to need a BUG while fighting to hold my duty pistol in the holster with my main hand, so the off-hand was the only one I'd have available, or if my gun had had been immobilized. It disappeared under the shirt and I often forgot I even had it on. A lot of the younger folks began carrying the Glock 27 in the trauma plate pouch on the front of their vest, but I never made that work without it looking like I had a colostomy bag under my shirt.

 

[FivePews]

Family photo.

I plan to train with these for the next year or so. Maybe I can get past the wall I've been struggling with when shooting M&P 340s (a little faster and a little more accurate).

Today I put a few cylinders of 125g mag through the 640s. I could get used to it. 158g mags was a bit much.

 

[BoulderTroll]

Family photo.

I plan to train with these for the next year or so. Maybe I can get past the wall I've been struggling with when shooting M&P 340s (a little faster and a little more accurate).

Today I put a few cylinders of 125g mag through the 640s. I could get used to it. 158g mags was a bit much.

To be honest, I find that consecutive serial number guns work best in groups of 3, not 4. Here, let me email you my address...