I've had a completely unjustifiable urge to buy a big, shiny revolver for a couple years now. I've loved the Colt Python since I was a kid watching Spenser for Hire reruns. However, obscene prices and the fact that I haven't seen a box of .357 on a store shelf in a year pushes me to make a wiser choice.

Enter the 610.

I've had a long term love affair with the 10mm, having past owned a 1006, 1076 and had and carried a Glock 20 for the past 15 years. I have plenty of 10mm ammo stockpiled so that is a non issue. The option to shoot cheaper and more readily available .40 is also attractive.

I want the 6.5" version as I feel it makes more sense being that I already have the 4.6" barreled Glock. There is a nice, pre-lock 6.5" model for sale in local shop for $899. It's been there for 7-8 months so I'm sure I could get it cheaper. It does have the fluted cylinder and I really prefer the look of the un-fluted but that's not necessarily a deal breaker.

So, 610 owners, tell me about these guns. I haven't owned a revolver in well over a decade so tell me anything I might need to know.

Any thoughts and especially photos are welcomed.

I really like mine. I mostly shoot .40 out of it since it's generally cheaper and easier to find than .38 or .357, especially now. Very little recoil with .40 and still very pleasant to shoot with 10mm.

A pre-lock for $900? That's a steal. They've been selling for $1200+ for some time, though the shorter barrels bring higher prices.

Some guys really love theirs, but in terms of ballistics out of a wheelgun it's very close to a .357. I think S&W should have made this on the L frame.

With the crazy market right now, and being a pre lock N frame for $899? I would have already bought it and I don't even have any 10mm or 40 stuff: guns, ammo, reloading dies or components.

If you think you can get it for less, even better my opinion.

The L frame could definitely handle it, I'm assuming they went with the N frame for extra round.

I have a S&W 610-ND that I used for USPSA for several years.  Nice shooting gun with 40S&W in a big old 6.5 inch full under lug N-frame.

It would be easy to do a 6-shot L-frame.  S&W almost did it before with the 646, it was 6-shot 40S&W built on the L-frame.  If you replaced the titanium cylinder with a stainless steel cylinder 10mm Auto would be fairly easy to do. 10mm in a titanium cylinder is going to have extraction issues; the 646 has plenty extraction issue with just 40 S&W.  Not sure why S&W has not done it as a response to the GP-100 in 10mm Auto.

If S&W had used a 627 frame rather than the 625/629 frame (barrel is located higher in the 8-shot N-frames) for the 610 you could fit 7-shots of 10mm in an N-frame fairly easily.

If I was looking for a new 10mm Auto revolver I would give the GP100 a serious look before the S&W 610 and I am not much of Ruger fan, but the N-frame really is a bit big for a 6-shot 10mm.

I think 6 could fit.

Okay so I know 6 could fit because the 646, a .40S&W on the L frame, holds 6.

C'mon S&W, make it happen!

Well don't forget, over the years more than a few 610 owners went the extra step and paid wheelgun 'smiths (like Hamilton Bowen) to convert their 610's cylinder to 10mm Magnum specs so they could shoot that cartridge too. There used to be brass available for handloaders, and pre-panic DT offered 10 Mag ammo with 200gn & 220grn bullets.

Ballistically the 10mm Mag betters the .41 Magnum by a bit, per John Taffin, so you'd definitely want an N-frame.  The genius of the conversion is being able to shoot 3 different cartridges in the 610 with all using the same moon clips. Just pick your power level: .40S&W, 10mm AUTO, or 10mm Mag.

Since the Magnum variant is at least as much of a handgun hunting round as the .41 Mag, you'd also want a 610 with a 6"+ barrel.

More here:  http://www.sixguns.com/tests/tt10mag.htm