Been thinking about adding a small revolver to the herd. Was at my local small dealer this afternoon and he showed me the 640 he recently took in on trade. Appears to be in great shape and is nice and clean. Action is really smooth for a double action. Never shot a small frame 357 and would imagine it would be rather snappy. You guys have any experience? Asking $600, sound fair? Brand new looks like it was $850. Thanks.
Sidearms & Scatterguns S & W 640-1 Performance Center--What do ya think?
- Thread starter Do-nothing
- Start date
I'm sure you know you can always shoot 38's out of it.
If you reload even better. I haven't shot one but i'm sure it would be snappy with 357 magnums.
One or two cylinders of magnums is likely all you'll want to shoot. There is a reason there pretty clean, don't usually get shot much. Price seems fair. Seems Smith Revolvers just keep getting more and more expensive. If it doesn't have the Lock its more desirable.
If you reload even better. I haven't shot one but i'm sure it would be snappy with 357 magnums.
One or two cylinders of magnums is likely all you'll want to shoot. There is a reason there pretty clean, don't usually get shot much. Price seems fair. Seems Smith Revolvers just keep getting more and more expensive. If it doesn't have the Lock its more desirable.
it’s a steel frame, so it wont be as snappy as the lighter guns. you cant go wrong with a smith and wesson.
Thanks guys. No lock--first thing I checked. One of those situations where it is not something I need but wouldn't mind having.
i am willing to bet that if you buy it, you’ll never regret it. but if you dont, you will regret passing it up. do you want to live with regret? or not?
Yea Yea. Went back to "just look." Well, you know the rest...It followed me home. The dealer came down a little so all is well!
Watch out for guys like @myronman3 and the other wheel guns guys. They have lots of knowledge there. I directly blame them for my new addiction to wheel guns. I was always happy with SA/DA autos until I asked a question about picking up a .357 686. Now I've been bit by the revolver bug and have expanded it into SAA revolvers and matching caliber lever gun carbines. You'll be happy with picking up a 640-1. Especially knowing if you hate it you'll be able to sell it for what you have invested into it.
I noticed the enabling. Truth be told, it didn't take much. I'm weak like that. M first pistol was a model 19 I bought in 1980 and had tricked out by one of the best smiths in Virginia. Why I sold that gun I will never know. I plan on keeping this one. She needs a good bath after which I see a trip to the range in the very near future. Will let ya'll know how she performs.
The little steel framed smith should be easy enough to shoot. If you think it is a bit much, come over and shoot my little scandium frame 360. That’ll put things into perspective.
Excellent buy.
The latest trend in pistols is definately auto.....and has been for most of my life. The shift happened in the mid eighties. Most gun shops i’ve been in carry very few, if any, revolvers. The sad part is, i think a good revolver would serve most people better than an autoloader. Picking the right one for your purposes is essential of course....a six inch 686 isnt a concealed carry gun for a guy who is 180 and 5’6’’. But a scandium frame 357 j frame is.
Most people do themselves a disservice when they dont consider revolvers. I think as more and more women start to enter shooting, this is going to change. Most the women i’ve taught to shoot definately prefer revolvers. My theory is that they do not have the ego guys do.
Let us know how it goes. Do you handloaad?
Excellent buy.
The latest trend in pistols is definately auto.....and has been for most of my life. The shift happened in the mid eighties. Most gun shops i’ve been in carry very few, if any, revolvers. The sad part is, i think a good revolver would serve most people better than an autoloader. Picking the right one for your purposes is essential of course....a six inch 686 isnt a concealed carry gun for a guy who is 180 and 5’6’’. But a scandium frame 357 j frame is.
Most people do themselves a disservice when they dont consider revolvers. I think as more and more women start to enter shooting, this is going to change. Most the women i’ve taught to shoot definately prefer revolvers. My theory is that they do not have the ego guys do.
Let us know how it goes. Do you handloaad?
Great pistol. I enjoy this for carry and competition. Mine gets a lot of use.
If this is something you are going to shoot regularly, consider changing the trigger and hammer springs. Factory springs are heavy. After market spring sets can get it down to about 9. Find a good gunsmith and he can get it down to 7 without cutting springs and still shoot reliably. He can also do some polishing to smooth out the action considerably. Porting the barrel will also reduce the muzzle rise. Mag-Na-Port does an excellent job. There is no loss in muzzle velocity.
.357s are a little to whippy and more than I want in this frame. I like the Federal 129 gr Hydra-Shok. For a short barrel low recoil, good powder burn and accurate.
Again, depends on what you are going to do with this. A good buy. Enjoy
If this is something you are going to shoot regularly, consider changing the trigger and hammer springs. Factory springs are heavy. After market spring sets can get it down to about 9. Find a good gunsmith and he can get it down to 7 without cutting springs and still shoot reliably. He can also do some polishing to smooth out the action considerably. Porting the barrel will also reduce the muzzle rise. Mag-Na-Port does an excellent job. There is no loss in muzzle velocity.
.357s are a little to whippy and more than I want in this frame. I like the Federal 129 gr Hydra-Shok. For a short barrel low recoil, good powder burn and accurate.
Again, depends on what you are going to do with this. A good buy. Enjoy
My wife is going to finally get her concealed carry permit and I suspect this will end up in her purse. I agree that revolvers would be a wise choice for most, especially women, as a self-defense weapon. I have been in one situation where I had to convince two young men that I was probably not the right person to rob. It worked out with them screaming and running away with no shots fired. I went home thanking God for my good fortune and changed jobs shortly thereafter. In such a situation having nothing to manipulate or malfunction is a real benefit. One has to choose what works for them.
Pardon my ignorance, but I do have a question about the 640. I was told it is cut for moon clips and it appears to be. I know you need moon clips for 9mm but why for 38/357? It holds rounds fine without them. Do I need them? Thanks.
Pardon my ignorance, but I do have a question about the 640. I was told it is cut for moon clips and it appears to be. I know you need moon clips for 9mm but why for 38/357? It holds rounds fine without them. Do I need them? Thanks.
Moon clips give you the fastest reload possible on a revolver.
All cases come out together, little chance of one getting hung up. Inserting the new load is also easier than with a speedloader.
Whoever gets to carry it, see what load are the most shootable. Many might settle for a 38 +P load.
if i could only have 1 pistol, it’d be a smith 360. a smith and wesson j frame 357 is an excellent weapon.
yep
Hard to beat em. Chamfer the cylinder holes, use round nose bullets for the reload.
Model 625 in 45acp, model 610 in 10mm , Performance center 8 shot 357 all use moon clips.
I have the 625 and the 610. The 610 is very accurate.
i won't sell my revolvers even though I haven't been shooting them for quite a while.
I grew up with speed loaders or those stripper clip thingies (brain fart). Will look into moon clips when or if I or my favorite wife carry it concealed.
So the 640 has some unique features going for it in that it is an all stainless snub nose .357.
While I might think it neat for collecting, here is why I wouldn't carry it: .357 out of a 2" barrel really doesn't perform all that amazing, you need more barrel to get a full powder burn and take advantage of the velocity. This with the added blast of a .357, where it's going to look/sound like you touched off a 1/4 stick of dynamite in your hand...So then perhaps a 38 Special +P? Well, there are plenty of lightweight 38s that will deliver the same performance as the 640, but save you almost 8oz when carrying it.
I'm not saying the 640 is useless. It certainly is easier to shoot than an alloy .38. However, if I'm carrying a small, lightweight gun for comfort I want it to feel like a small, lightweight gun.
I've carried both a 637 in a IWB, and a 4" 686 OWB when I lived in a city, so I bracketed the 640.
While I might think it neat for collecting, here is why I wouldn't carry it: .357 out of a 2" barrel really doesn't perform all that amazing, you need more barrel to get a full powder burn and take advantage of the velocity. This with the added blast of a .357, where it's going to look/sound like you touched off a 1/4 stick of dynamite in your hand...So then perhaps a 38 Special +P? Well, there are plenty of lightweight 38s that will deliver the same performance as the 640, but save you almost 8oz when carrying it.
I'm not saying the 640 is useless. It certainly is easier to shoot than an alloy .38. However, if I'm carrying a small, lightweight gun for comfort I want it to feel like a small, lightweight gun.
I've carried both a 637 in a IWB, and a 4" 686 OWB when I lived in a city, so I bracketed the 640.
Dont underestimate a 357 out of that shorter barrel. I’ve been surprised with the ability mine has proven itself capable of. Are you getting the maximum out of the 357? No. But it is still no joke. As far as the steel frame, i prefer a lighter gun, but that does come at a price....a very NASTY price. The little bastard i carry you dont want to shoot more than 5 out of it.
I've shot 357 out of big and little barrels and, in my opinion, it is not a lot of fun. All magnum rounds are punishing. I will shoot mostly 38 special out of the 640. Probably carry +p ammo. I will shoot a few 357 rounds every now and then just to prove my manhood.?
.357 in a 2" barrel typically gets you sub-1,000 FPS, and that includes the hot 125gr loads. While more potent than a .38, it's less than a 9mm out of a G19 with twice the blast and recoil.
Ballustics by the Inch did a study a while ago on this. I think jumping to just a 3" barrel gives you ~200 more FPS, and another ~200 FPS jump from 3 to 4" IIRC.
Ballustics by the Inch did a study a while ago on this. I think jumping to just a 3" barrel gives you ~200 more FPS, and another ~200 FPS jump from 3 to 4" IIRC.
You scored a nice gun with that 640. Check out Underwood .38 +P loads. I like their 125gr +P in my 66-2 as it has noticeably less sound and fury compared to any full-power .357 load, and provides velocity and energy equivalent to a strong 124gr 9mm +P load.
I don't know if the 640 comes from the factory set up for moon clips or not.
If it was altered to use them I'm thinking the cylinder would be faced off to allow for the thickness of the clip.
If that's the case the rounds may drop too deep into the cylinder.
I'm not sure about this. Have you tried firing it without the moon clips?
Hope to get it to the range Friday. It appears to have the cut for moon clips and S&W's website mentions clips. I test fit some 38 sp rounds and they did not appear to sit too deep in the cylinder. I've seen moon clips and never paid any attention to them and never shot a gun that used them. All of this is new to me. The only 357 magnum guns I have shot were K and N Frames. Been a while so I may have the nomenclature mixed up.
Hey guys--maybe this is a dumb question, where can I find moon clips for the 640? S&W said I should use them but they are not listed on their website. My local gun shops don't list them. Midway does not list them either. Others are listed but not the 640. Help an idiot out if you can...
Smith & Wesson J-Frame .357?
This is THE moon clip place: https://tkcustom.com/products/moonclips?productfilter_ids[]=4&productfilter_ids[]=8&sortby=pname
This is THE moon clip place: https://tkcustom.com/products/moonclips?productfilter_ids[]=4&productfilter_ids[]=8&sortby=pname
I had a Scandium 357. Shot it once. Loaded five, fired two and the recoil was starting to pull the bullets from the unfired rounds. I sold that puppy and never looked back.
That's the only time a firearm has brought tears to my eyes, including my full tilt .454 Casull hand loads.
That's the only time a firearm has brought tears to my eyes, including my full tilt .454 Casull hand loads.
Downtown, I was thinking the same thing. I had to pick what type of ammo I was going to shoot to order the correct clips. I picked the two that would allow me to shoot the most brands. Will see how it goes. Rlandry, I've heard of that happening but not experienced it myself. I've come close to having one or two pistols come close to the forehead. Learned to keep the elbows locked and let my arms come up together. I'm old and on the small side and don't have anything to prove so I generally stay away from guns that are too punishing. Got the chance to shoot a Japanese paratrooper rifle this summer. I did not know they had paratroopers--they did look it up, pretty interesting. It just about rattled my fillings but it was still fun to shoot. Would not do it all the time though.
i’ve never had issues with bullets jumping crimp...but then again, i roll my own and ensure they are crimped. also, mine says right on the barrel, that bullets under 125 grain are not for use in that gun.
you are right about the scandium.....it is a motherfucker to shoot. and to think, some guys push these on their wives or girlfriends who have never shot before, or shot very little. definately would say it is worse than the 454 i owned and shot.
you are right about the scandium.....it is a motherfucker to shoot. and to think, some guys push these on their wives or girlfriends who have never shot before, or shot very little. definately would say it is worse than the 454 i owned and shot.
I haven't used moon clips myself, yet. I suppose the rims and grooves might be slightly different between brands?
On the Brian Enos forum, there was a discussion about 10mm revolvers with moon clips. Some wanted to use them for USPSA or IDPA with .40 S&W brass. That took selecting exactly the right moon clips. With the wrong clips, you'd get misfires because the rounds were not headspaced just right.
On the Brian Enos forum, there was a discussion about 10mm revolvers with moon clips. Some wanted to use them for USPSA or IDPA with .40 S&W brass. That took selecting exactly the right moon clips. With the wrong clips, you'd get misfires because the rounds were not headspaced just right.
TK really does offer different moon clips, optimized for different brands of brass.
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