S&W 610

[sparkyv]

The M610 is my favorite and best shooting 10mm I've ever shot or owned. I think it's the buttery smooth trigger that blows all the others away. The mass of the N-frame mitigates the recoil so well that the 4" model is more than adequate in that respect. I paid several hundreds less right before the scamdemic. $1,089 would give me pause, but I too don't like policing my brass from over in the next county. I'll be hanging onto this one for sure.
Your Favorite Smith & Wesson & Why

 

[Dan-O]

Seriously? From us?

Price isn't too crazy for these times.

Exactly. I got a 5” Lew Horton with the original everything in 2009 for $1200. Target trigger, hammer mounted firing pin, no lock, etc. Paid a bit of a premium……easily worth 2k now. It’s not like you’re buying a 642.

Get it, you won’t regret it.

 

[Reinz]

My 610 is my favorite Smith.

I also have 10’s in the Ruger Super Redhawk and GP100 Match. The 610 is the Goldilocks of the bunch.

The bonus for all of the three besides not chasing brass is that moon clips rock!

 

[Bush Pilot]

I've got a couple of 610s and a couple of Ruger revolvers that shoot 10mm so I'm no stranger. To be honest I don't shoot them because moon clips are a PITA IMO. I love 10mm semi auto guns however. If I decide to woods carry a revolver it will be a .41 magnum of some description (usually a 4" 657 Smith or 5.5 " Redhawk)

 

[mcb]

My 610 is my favorite Smith.

I also have 10’s in the Ruger Super Redhawk and GP100 Match. The 610 is the Goldilocks of the bunch.

The bonus for all of the three besides not chasing brass is that moon clips rock!

View attachment 1143672

You should totally send that 610 back to S&W and tell them they did not finish machining the cylinder.



This is what a proper 610 is supposed to look like!

 

[Reinz]

You should totally send that 610 back to S&W and tell them they did not finish machining the cylinder.

View attachment 1143872

This is what a proper 610 is supposed to look like!

I believe that this is the only Smith I have without flutes. It’s a nice change for me.

 

[Y-T71]

I've got a couple of 610s and a couple of Ruger revolvers that shoot 10mm so I'm no stranger. To be honest I don't shoot them because moon clips are a PITA IMO. I love 10mm semi auto guns however. If I decide to woods carry a revolver it will be a .41 magnum of some description (usually a 4" 657 Smith or 5.5 " Redhawk)

Appreciate your honest point of view.

I've never messed with anything that takes moon clips so I have no real world experience to base my opinion but, to me, they seem like they would be super handy to use (maybe not the clipping/unclipping part)

The same shop that has the 610 also has a Springfield XD10 4.5" with six 16 rd mags on sale starting Tuesday for $579.

Obviously that's a much better value and should be the logical choice but I really think I'd regret not picking up a 610.

I might just cool my jets and wait for a big gunshow in 2 weeks that my son and I are gonna go.

I don't expect any deals to be had by the dealers attending (in fact, I do expect the exact opposite) but I always seem to find good deals walking around by private sellers but never have the $$ on hand when that happens.

 

[Dan-O]

I also have a few 625’s, a 627, and a few other mooncliped revolvers. I gotta call out bush pilot out. We usually agree, but I don’t think we will on this one.

They’re pretty rad.

 

[mcb]

Moonclips can be a pain the the butt if you don't have the tools to work with them. If you have those tools they are quick and easy and since you can do that at any time save time at the range or match. There are a modest number of great tools to help load and unload moonclips varying from ~$100 to free. You can make some really good moonclip tools if your handy with simple tools.


When I started I put round on the moonclips with the old pair of channel locks and the busted old 7/16 wrench was ground to create a de-mooning tool.


Details of the end of the homemade de-mooners.

Later I learned if you put similar geometry on the end of a cut off hollow golf club handle it work just as good and each empty you popped off the moonclip would fall into the handle. You can de-moon three moonclips quickly and then pour the brass out of the handle into the brass bucket. This also lets you sort live from fired rounds if you have partially expended moonclips.

I did later buy come commercial moonclips tools as I was shooting revolvers almost exclusively at USPSA matches. The BMT Mooner is an amazing tool, especially the version for rimmed catridges but the rimless version is great too.



Finally Plano Tackle boxes are a great place to store loaded moonclips after you have loaded and check them. Protects them in transit and you are ready to roll when you get to the range/match. Its great for those muddy matches were everyone else is spending all their time cleaning drop magazines and you just drop the muddy moonclips in the brass bag and clean them at home. Grabbing fresh from the case for each stage. One of these trays usually hold enough ammo for the typical club level match and just fits nicely into the magazine pocket of my Competitive Edge Dynamics range bag.

 

[Dan-O]

For good measure:

 

[Bullet Bob]

"An N frame. 22"

S&W made exactly one pre-war Registered Magnum in .22 for a customer. It's location today is either a closely guarded secret, or unknown.

But that customer knew something the OP should consider. It's only money, if they wanted you to keep it, they would have made it bigger.

Although I'm not a fan of ports, either.

 

[sparkyv]

I made my golf club demooner based upon the posts by mcb.

 

[Y-T71]

I made my golf club demooner based upon the posts by mcb.
View attachment 1143922

Golf club handle was exactly what I was thinking.

I made something similar to use to cut the locking lug recesses in a wooden 1911 I'm slooowwwly building

 

[Tallball]

I have three revolvers that use moonclips: a 9mm, a 40S&W, and a 45acp.

The Ruger 9mm moonclips are super easy to use without tools and the rounds don't eject easily without them, so I always use them. If I don't use them, I have to pull each empty out one at a time with my fingertips. Sometimes they're in there kind of tight.

The 40 and 45acp rounds eject easily without moonclips. If I open the cylinder and bump the butt on the bench, several of the empties will just fall out and the others will be most of the way out. Those moonclips are also too hard to use without tools, so I just don't use them. They're really not necessary at all for a trip to the range.

 

[Y-T71]

I have three revolvers that use moonclips: a 9mm, a 40S&W, and a 45acp.

The Ruger 9mm moonclips are super easy to use without tools and the rounds don't eject easily without them, so I always use them. If I don't use them, I have to pull each empty out one at a time with my fingertips. Sometimes they're in there kind of tight.

The 40 and 45acp rounds eject easily without moonclips. If I open the cylinder and bump the butt on the bench, several of the empties will just fall out and the others will be most of the way out. Those moonclips are also too hard to use without tools, so I just don't use them. They're really not necessary at all for a trip to the range.

That's what I think I imagine the "rimless cartridge in a revolver experience" to be.

This would be a range toy/experiment platform.

I've always wanted a 4" N frame but, at least here in Ohio, I couldn't hunt with it: 5" minimum.

But I have other firearms for that.

 

[mcb]

Shoot a moonclip fed rimless revolver without moonclips is like single feeding your semi-auto. It works but its just not right.

Nothings better than going to a USPSA match and beating the filthy bottom feeders with the noble round gun. Moonclips make that possible.

YMMV

 

[Havok7416]

Moonclips can be a pain the the butt if you don't have the tools to work with them. If you have those tools they are quick and easy and since you can do that at any time save time at the range or match. There are a modest number of great tools to help load and unload moonclips varying from ~$100 to free. You can make some really good moonclip tools if your handy with simple tools.

View attachment 1143875
When I started I put round on the moonclips with the old pair of channel locks and the busted old 7/16 wrench was ground to create a de-mooning tool.

View attachment 1143877View attachment 1143878
Details of the end of the homemade de-mooners.

Later I learned if you put similar geometry on the end of a cut off hollow golf club handle it work just as good and each empty you popped off the moonclip would fall into the handle. You can de-moon three moonclips quickly and then pour the brass out of the handle into the brass bucket. This also lets you sort live from fired rounds if you have partially expended moonclips.

I did later buy come commercial moonclips tools as I was shooting revolvers almost exclusively at USPSA matches. The BMT Mooner is an amazing tool, especially the version for rimmed catridges but the rimless version is great too.

View attachment 1143876

Finally Plano Tackle boxes are a great place to store loaded moonclips after you have loaded and check them. Protects them in transit and you are ready to roll when you get to the range/match. Its great for those muddy matches were everyone else is spending all their time cleaning drop magazines and you just drop the muddy moonclips in the brass bag and clean them at home. Grabbing fresh from the case for each stage. One of these trays usually hold enough ammo for the typical club level match and just fits nicely into the magazine pocket of my Competitive Edge Dynamics range bag.

You've posted those pictures before, but this time you made a light bulb click in my head (the lights up there are fluorescent, so they take awhile to come on). What size are your Plano cases? Perhaps there is a model number stamped on them? I have several similar cases at home but I think mine are too large to snugly hold my moonclips.

 

[mcb]

You've posted those pictures before, but this time you made a light bulb click in my head (the lights up there are fluorescent, so they take awhile to come on). What size are your Plano cases? Perhaps there is a model number stamped on them? I have several similar cases at home but I think mine are too large to snugly hold my moonclips.

I will look this evening. I believe they are part of the Plano 3700 Stowaway series. The cases above are all short and work good with 9mm, 38 Short Colt, 40/10, 45 ACP. I also have some deeper cases that works with longer cartridges like 38 Special, 357 Mag and similar length cartridge. I will get the exact part numbers this evening.

 

[SDGlock23]

It's not a bad gun, to me the N-frame is a little large for 10mm but it's not a bad gun and I'd definitely do the 4" version (I had one a few months back). I really prefer the GP100 10mm to the S&W 610.

 

[halfmoonclip]

'wombat, really great links; thank you.
Longtime 'autopistol rounds in a revolver' guy, and I've found the .45 the least troublesome; cheap, gunshow moons normally work just fine. Nines can be a particular pain, with a lot of dimensional variation. The 10 and .40, being more recent, should be better on that score.
I've a couple .44 mags, one with 3 deer on it, but I'm just not that worked up about hunting these days, so more power isn't attractive. Neither is going super light; the 325 is great to carry, but not much fun to shoot. Don't even want to think about a 329.
Enjoy those big wheelies.
Moon

 

[Y-T71]

It's not a bad gun, to me the N-frame is a little large for 10mm but it's not a bad gun and I'd definitely do the 4" version (I had one a few months back). I really prefer the GP100 10mm to the S&W 610.

I understand what you're saying.

I'd certainly like to get my hands on a GP but I don't think I've ever even seen one in person.

Side note: stopped at another shop today that's known for "high speed" operator/tactical type firearms but, much to my surprise they had a new 610 in their case with $1049 on the tag.

Price is getting better but I didn't even ask to see it because in the case right next to it they had a very nice S&W 66 no dash, complete with stainless rear sight and "presentation box"(?) for $799!

I figured I'd better get outta there before I did something rash.

 

[mcb]

You've posted those pictures before, but this time you made a light bulb click in my head (the lights up there are fluorescent, so they take awhile to come on). What size are your Plano cases? Perhaps there is a model number stamped on them? I have several similar cases at home but I think mine are too large to snugly hold my moonclips.

The cases picture are the Plano 3701 and 3771. The 3600 series works for 38/357.

 

[sparkyv]

Interesting project.

Golf club handle was exactly what I was thinking.

I made something similar to use to cut the locking lug recesses in a wooden 1911 I'm slooowwwly building

 

[Havok7416]

The cases picture are the Plano 3701 and 3771. The 3600 series works for 38/357.

Thanks! I'll check my containers shortly to compare.

 

[P5 Guy]

BMT Mooner - Moon Clip Loader - YouTube

A couple years ago a guy was shooting a 45ACP revolver and during cold range used one of these to refresh his half dozen moon clips.