640-1 A perfect defensive revolver.

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18DAI

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I've never bothered with J-frame or other 5 shot revolvers. I never needed to. I had my 2.5" 66-2 and my Detective Special. They served all my needs well.

Well for various reasons, I was looking to retire those revolvers and in need of a little snubby for certain occasions.

I found a LNIB S&W 640-1 in 357. It has rather large Uncle Mikes grips on it. Very comfortable and easy to shoot with those. Conceals easily and is heavy enough to shoot regularly and for extended periods of time, unlike those lightweight unobtanium J-frames, for me anyway.

While I miss the sixth shot capability, I am of the shot placement school, and in my years as a deputy learned that I'll be out of time long before I'm out of shots.

This little 640-1 shoots 125 grain Remington Golden Sabers to POA and is not painful to shoot. It is actually fun with 38s and 38+P.

All in all I'm very pleased with this little revolver and find myself carrying it all the time. A 2X2X2 pouch on my belt and I'm very comfortable.

Did the 640-1 ever get much attention from the gunrags and "experts"?

I read all the time on the net about 442s and 340s. I'd much prefer this all steel 640-1. How about y'all? :) TJ
 
I have a 38Spl M-640 Serial No CEN-XXXX with the smooth rose wood grips and a Tyler’s grip adapter. The ammunition employed is Federal 125Gr Nyclad HP. It not my primary CCW but I like the design DAO. I practice enough with it to maintain proficiency.
 
I also believe the S&W 640-1 is just about perfect.

No lock, decent trigger, shrouded hammer and shoots .357 Mag. The 640-1 weighs enough to shoot stout .357 Mag rounds without pain and light enough to carry easily.

I have a Comp-TAC CTAC IWB holster and a Galco Ankle Glove for it. Sometimes I carry it in a jacket pocket. Nothing to snag on and if needed, I can shoot through the pocket.

For me, it's a keeper.
 
WebHobbit,
You have bashed the M640 in several threads now. I'm sorry you had a bad experiance but to be honest, you are the only one I've heard of having such a bad time with the M640. I have a M640-1 in .357 Magnum and I've shot well over 1000 full power magnum rounds through it and it's as good now as when I bought it.

Thaddeus Jones,
I think you made a good choice in revolvers. I have a bunch of J frames but my favorite is the M640-1. My ammo choice is just a little different than yours. My M640 really likes 145gr Winchester Silvertip .357 Magnum ammo. That combination is more accurate than I am...

BTW, what!! No pictures?? LOL
 
Well I like to think of it as presenting historical facts rather than bashing. If you actually read my linked thread you would see that it's more than just one dude having a bad experience. What's damning about the whole thing was/is Smith & Wesson's reactions and the very words they used when they received my 640 for custom work. I will recount the vital parts here to save everyone the trouble:

************
In 2003 I sent my 640 to S&W for some tune-up work, a trigger job and refinishing. At that time I had carried the gun concealed and shot around 1,000 (or less) rounds in practice with it. ( I had the gun about 5.5 years total) Of the 1,000 round fired about 500-700 were factory magnums -most of these were Winchester white box 110 grain JHPs.

The following is an exact dupe of the printed letter S&W sent me. The all-caps and the many spelling errors are theirs not mine:

REFINISH, ACTION WORK
TURN BARREL RECUT BC&FC. (EROIDED)
*J FRAME 357 MAGNUMS ARE DESIGNED
FOR CARRY. STEADY DIET OF MAGNUMS
QUICKEN WEAR. RECOMMEND CARRY 357
PRACTICE WITH 38S. *

REFINSH COMPLETE GUN 166.00 166.00
LABOR RATE 5.00 85.00
FEDEX NEXT DAY STANDARD (HG) 14.00
Click to expand...


A few days later I called S&W and talked to a rep. I posted this on June 10, 2003:

I called today and spoke to the guy who gave the estimate. I told him that I have only 500 magnums through the gun & I am the original owner.

He reiterated that the J-Frames "are for personal protection & are not intended to take to the range and shoot magnums a lot". I told him that I have carried it a LOT more than I have shot it.

He asked me what the 500 magnums were & I told him mostly Winchester 110 jhps. He said "that's a law-enforcement type round...it's pretty HOT!".

I asked him if he thought going to a heavy slightly slower round like the Winchester 145 grain Silvertip would be any easier on the gun and he said "yeah, those might be a little better".

He said he will see if the Warranty department will cover the barrel turning as per the lifetime repair policy.


************************

I never heard anymore from S&W until I received the gun back a few weeks later. There was NO PAPERWORK packed with the gun to tell me what they had done to it. It looked as though they had turned the barrel and fixed the forcing cone. I called back to confirm & all I got was vague answers like "I THINK they fixed it". :fire:

All the above happened. It's not one person's opinion. Smith reps basically told me that the all steel 640 Centennial is designed for .38 special shooting and .357 carry. When push came to shove they did honor the warranty but they certainly didn't want to. So you can see why I get involved in threads when people start talking about the ability of J-frames as .357 Magnums. Practicing with a load that at least approximates your carry load's recoil is something I've always read is fairly important. According to S&W the 640 just isn't up to that task IF your carry load is .357 Magnum. So then I have to ask wouldn't it better for accuracy and velocity to simply get the .38 Special version of the gun and then get an SP101, GP100 or L frame for actual Magnum carry?

I should add that I LOVED the design and feel of that 640. I have very small hands for a man and NO other gun before or since has fit my hand as well as a J-Frame with Boot Grips (or Hogue Bantams). It's a real shame because I am committed to the .357 Magnum round for defense. I suppose it still is a great .38 Special revolver but they should STOP chambering it in .357.
 
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I ljike both the 640 and SP101, but not trying to be snobbish...

I consider my Colt Magnum carry that I have been carrying for the past ten years as near perfect for me. I wish they were making them again.
 
The 640 has the magnum carry beat by a hair...it

is a "centennial" in design and therefore can be fired easily through coat pockets.
 
The 640 has the magnum carry beat by a hair...it
is a "centennial" in design and therefore can be fired easily through coat pockets.
Click to expand...
If I have a choice between a sixth round or a enclosed hammer that will shoot inside
of a pocket, I'll take the sixth round of the Magnum Carry.
 
Savit 260 , I can not argue with you on this as an extra shot can be ..

a big difference , depending on the situation. That said, I have fired a 640-1 here at my farm range that a friend has and I really like the 357 magnum Centennial design option especially for carrying in the winter in a coat pocket. My Colt magnum carry has a much smoother trigger and action than the 640-1 and at 21 oz is a joy to carry. Now if someone could make the magnum carry again in a centennial design...well , that would really be "PERFECTION" for me. But, in the "here & now" , the S&W 640-1 is as good as it gets for a 357 magnum carry gun. My 2 cents.
 
While the 640-1 is a great gun, for me it is too heavy for a constant carry weapon that is easily concealed. Now for a Defensive revolver I would prefer a S&W 65, mine has a model 64 pencil barrel, or an S&W 13, mine has a 3" heavy barrel. The K frame has a bit more heft and the extra round.
Yes, I said the 640 is too heavy but the 642 makes for a lighter pocket where at home a K frame makes a bit more sense.
 
Brian, Thaddeus Jones was not talking about a "pocket revolver"..

He mentioned that it was carried on his belt with a holster. I for one do not think that the 640-1 is too heavy for that type of carry. I carry my 21 oz Colt magnum carry IWB with no trouble at all and the 640-1 at 23 oz is not that much more. Also, he was referring to a .357 magnum gun and not a 38 special--which is a big difference in stopping power. While I admit that for pocket carry the 642 is much better, you are talking apples and oranges here.
 
In the winter , I would carry my magnum carry..

in a coat pocket , if it were a "centennial design. In the summer I carry my Colt Agent , 6 shot 15oz, with a bobbed hammer in the pants pocket.
 
Yes, I only carry the 640 on the belt - sometimes inside the waistband, mostly outside in a pancake holster.

I too love my K-frame magnums - but sometimes they are a bit too much for concealing in hot weather.

Thats where the 640-1 shines. I easily conceal it under a T-shirt without any other cover garment.

While the SP101 is a fine revolver in its own right, I prefer the hammerless 640-1. TJ
 
The only reason I tend to favour my 642 over my SP 101 is that the Ruger is a belt gun. I just find I can draw from concealment faster from a pocket than an IWB setup on my belt.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk!
 
unlike those lightweight unobtanium J-frames
Click to expand...

What exactly is "unobtanium" about them? You can go down into about any gun shop give them money and leave owning one. Unobtanium/being made of unobtanim is an euphemism for something that cannot be obtained. Scandium is a material some light revolvers are made out of.
 
The 640-1 is a great carry piece, I'll agree with that. But the 642/442 have their place too. I don't consider the 640-1 to be a good pocket carry gun as opposed the 642/442, which are ideal pocket revolvers.
 
While the 640 is a great carry piece, I will still prefer to carry my S&W 65 as a defensive revolver over any 640/2. My S&W 13 is, in my opinion, a much better gun as a Defensive Revolver than either one.
The OP called it "A Perfect Defensive revolver".
I would rather have a S&W 625 with a 4" barrel than a 640 as the "perfect" Defensive revolver.
 
Also I would rather have my old Taurus Tracker in 45 Colt than a 640 as a "Defensive Revolver". The Tracker in 45 Colt is the uncle of the Judge, a nice compact K sized frame with 5 45 Colts, an impressive handful.
The OP states that he has large uncle mikes grips on his, I find that the K magnas and Tyler T grip adapter are just about the same size. I can conceal my S&W 13 just as easily under a T shirt.
 
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