S&W 610

[Murph12]

Last Tuesday I owned zero revolvers, this Tuesday I own two! I went back to the guy I bought a 657 Mountain Gun from last week and bought the 610 he had for sale. When I went to transfer the gun it got a lot of attention from the guys behind the counter and I was worried one of them was going to throw out an offer much higher than what I was paying for it. In the end it all worked out and this one made it to the safe.

There are a few small scratches on the barrel and one on the cylinder. Also, I don't think the rear sight is original (its a V?) and the front site is definitely not original (SDM Fiber Optic?) but at the price he was selling it to me for I couldn't complain. It came with the original box and paperwork which I understand is a big plus.

I'm really anxious to get this to the range, however I do have a few questions about the gun before I do that. This is only my second revolver so please bear with me.

1) Is it completely safe to shoot .40SW out of this? I read a few posts saying it is, but two of the guys at the shop I transferred it at advised me not to.

2) Where can I get an original set of sights? Is that something a gunsmith has to swap out? A link to an original sight would be extremely helpful!

3) I've seen de-mooning tools online and I've also seen people use a screw driver. I'm wondering why I can't just pull the empty brass out of the moon clip with my fingers?

4) What does special order 0115 stand for?

5) What is a realistic value on this particular gun? I've seen numbers all over the place and a lot of them seem extremely high.

Pictures (sorry the lighting isn't the best):

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[jughed440]

Great gun!!! Consider yourself lucky. And yes, you can shoot .40 S&W when using a moon clip.

0115 = 115th day of 1990

 

[Kernel Crittenden]

1)Is it completely safe to shoot .40SW out of this?

Shoot all the .40SW you want. Won't hurt a thing. Just clean the chambers good or the longer 10mm brass might hang up a little. Like shooting .38 Spl in a .357.

2) Where can I get an original front sight?

S&W customer service can hook you up. I'm not 100% sure, but I think those blades are sold without the pin hole. That needs to be drilled, either by you or someone.

4) What does special order 0115 stand for?

That's a date code. "0" stands for 1990, "115" means June 28th. That's the day it was boxed for shipment.

5) What is a realistic value on this particular gun?]

M610's have appreciated nicely. There weren't that many made. $1,000 to $1,200 is not unheard of. Someone who's really into them might have better guidance. The ones with short barrels go higher.


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[Jamesatrange]

You can shoot 40 as I do it all the time and have no issues.
Moonclip tools help save from bending the moonclips and tiring out your fingers. Some moonclips are easier than others to use your fingers but having the tool is nice and faster. Look up moonclip tool .com. I use that tool and have been happy.
You can swap the front site if your mechanically able as it's not hard. You can look online for the ramp that is original. Call Smith and they can probably tell you the height you want. Numrichs online may have one.
I don't know special order code info.
These guns go from $800.00 to $1500.00. Yours has the nice combat grips and those can add $100.00 to $150.00 above the starting price for the right buyer.
What did you pay? Make us jealous! Lol

 

[HarrishMasher]

Get a moon clip tool. You spent a fortune on the revolver, go for the extra $40 for a good moon clip loading and unloading tool.

If you pull the shells out with your fingers you will bend the moon clips.

Go to revolversupply.com. They have the tool, moon clips and everything you could possibly need for your 10mm revolver. Enjoy!

 

[Murph12]

These guns go from $800.00 to $1500.00. Yours has the nice combat grips and those can add $100.00 to $150.00 above the starting price for the right buyer.
What did you pay? Make us jealous! Lol

I paid well south of $800. If those grips increase the value by $150 they're coming off! I think they're a little too small for my hands anyway. I'll get a set of hogue's for $20 and keep the original grips in the cabinet.

Thanks for all the replies so far everyone. If you have a 610 what do you like/dislike about it? I'd also like to know what your favorite loads are. I have to stick to factory loads for awhile but I'm reading up on reloading. I hope to take that up in the future.

 

[savage24]

Murph12, you are on a roll! I am not a wealthy man, but I've managed to accumulate several nice S&W and Colt revolvers over the last 15 years or so. I do not own any mountain guns (yet) or a 610. You are making me jealous! You have got a couple of very desirable guns there! Congratulations!

There was a 610 in a gun auction in my area on January 4. I will look at my notes tomorrow and report the selling price.

 

[Murph12]

Murph12, you are on a roll! I am not a wealthy man, but I've managed to accumulate several nice S&W and Colt revolvers over the last 15 years or so. I do not own any mountain guns (yet) or a 610. You are making me jealous! You have got a couple of very desirable guns there! Congratulations!

There was a 610 in a gun auction in my area on January 4. I will look at my notes tomorrow and report the selling price.

Thanks for the kind words Savage. I am not a wealthy man either. I happened into these deals by complete dumb luck and when i said I got into this 610 for well south of 800 i meant like 500 miles south. I don't know if I'll ever find deals like these again in my life so I'll gladly skip beer night for the next few months.

 

[jimintheburg]

610

I have a demooning tool that i have had for years. I would not pay 40.00 for it now.
I made a loading tool by clamping 2 - 3/4" boards and drilling a hole in the top edge about 2" deep using a ½" fornister ( sp ) bit which makes even cut at the end and then lay 12 bullets 10 mm or .45 auto and press the clip on the grove of the shell. It is easy and very fast and you have two aids
You can make a demooning tool using thin wall conduit, pvc, or copper tubing. Remove about half of the edge on the either end about ¼ " down, place over the shell and twist. make it long enough and it will hold 6 shells if you block the end. Or you can order a tool that is made from a golf handle that works like the home made version from uniqetek.com for 10.00.
Wow, You made a steal.
Just sold a nib no dash fluted cylinder 610 for 1400.
They are fun to shoot

 

[MP1518]

You got a great revolver. I am new to 10mm too, just got a no dash five inch recently, they are awsome!!!!

 

[scooter123]

The moon clips for the 610 feature fingers that have a split in them. As a result they are quite easy to load and unload without a tool. I've also NEVER bent a moon clip for the 610 doing this by hand but have bent a couple of 45 ACP moon clips for my 625 loading them with tools. My hunch is the reason for that is the much higher amount of force required to get that last round into the 45 ACP moon clips but can't be sure because I didn't find the bent clips until they caused the cylinder on my 625 to "tie up" at a range session.

As for your sights, you are correct that they are not original. Good news is that your 610 features an interchangeable front sight that is easy to change out and you can get the correct black ramp at the S&W Web Store. As for the rear sight, it should be a white outline square notch and changing the rear sight blade will be a bit more involved. However you can purchase the rear sight blades at Brownell's and probably the S&W Web Store.

As for value, in the condition you have described I would peg the retail at about 1150-1300 dollars. Pluses for value is that it appears to be an first issue 610 No Dash with a hammer mounted firing pin. The second plus is those grips, IIRC those Rosewood Finger Groove Combats are worth a minimum of 200 dollars in good condition and perhaps more if they are pristine.

Finally, like me you may find achieving consistent Recoil Management Skills with a 6 1/2 inch barrel is a bit of a challenge. People assume that longer barrels mean easier accuracy but my experience has been that longer barrels magnify any faults in how the Recoil is managed. It took me at least 6 months of practicing on a pretty steady basis before I gained the ability to match what I could do routinely with a 3 or 4 inch revolver. However, it was well worth the effort because the 610 has proven to be very accurate with either 10mm or 40 S&W ammunition.

 

[savage24]

The 610 that sold at auction 1/4/15 in my area (Kansas City) was a 610-2, 6" barrel advertised as "new in box" but this auctioneer tends to embellish his descriptions, so buyer beware.

Anyway, the gun sold for $1125 + 10% buyers premium + $10 transfer fee. Grand total: $1347.50

Murph12, the problem with getting a desirable gun at a fantastic price is, it makes it really hard to buy another one because fair prices give you sticker shock.

 

[gumpys]

Seems like any pre lock 610 now days with original box and goodies will bring 1600 or more on GB. You did very well on your pick up congrats.

 

[MP1518]

I recently picked up a minty 1990 ( original run) five inch with combat grips ( no box) for 800.00 total . it was just pure luck at estate sale. I would really like to find another one just like it in OK condition with any grips. Really like this gun.

 

[Murph12]

Murph12, the problem with getting a desirable gun at a fantastic price is, it makes it really hard to buy another one because fair prices give you sticker shock.

You're completely right but I can think of worse problems to have! I was looking at a 638 airweight at the shop and trying to justify the $450 price tag when I paid less than that for the 610. Maybe in a few months..

 

[9mmsubgun-m11]

Smoking Deal. I never get that lucky.

 

[Murph12]

Update:

Took this bad boy to the range today and it is quite apparent this firearm is more accurate than I'll ever be able to shoot it. This is a 6 shot group at 10 yards.

 

[wantmoresmiths]

My son and I are realy into competitive shooting. Steel Challange, Icore, IDPA, and USPSA. Recent changes in the USPSA rules have made the 8 shot model 627's and the new 929's the hot ticket since they can be used in all the different disciplines other than IDPA. Up until a few weeks ago we both owned model 610 revolvers. Mine is a 5" no dash, and his was a 6.5" no dash. He really had a yearning for one of the new 929's, and started thinking about selling his 610 in order to finance a new 929. Once he heard that the average selling price for a 610 was $1,300, he decided to sell his. Long story short, he sold his 610 for $1450, with no box or papers, and the factory hogue rubber grips rather that the combat grips on yours.

Before you decide to change out the sights, you should really give the current sights a try. Most competitive shooters change out the factory ramp and opt for a fiber optic front sight, just like the one on your gun.

Since speed is the name of the game in competitive shooting everyone shoots .40 cal ammunition loaded down to minor power factor velocities, so don't worry about using .40 cal factory ammo.

As for moonclip loading tools, I recommend the BMT tool. It does both loading and unloading of the moonclips. It a little pricey at $80, but still a worth while investment. You can certainly load and unload moonclips by hand but loading 30 moons for a match or even an afternoon at the range really beats up your fingers.

BMT Equipped, Inc.