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Smith & Wesson’s New 640 Revolver

Smith & Wesson 640

Smith & Wesson is showing a new model 640 revolver at the 2010 SHOT Show.  The very popular 640 is a five-shot, .357 Magnum “hammerless” revolver.  S&W tweaked it for 2010, adding several new features that should prove to be popular.

First off, the old fixed sights have been replaced by a set of tritium, three-dot sights.  Additionally, the sights are now dovetailed into the frame, meaning you can replace them without major gunsmithing if you so desire.  These sights are a huge improvement over the standard plain ramp and shallow notch found on the previous 640 revolvers.

Second, the barrel has been fluted, giving it a longer, leaner appearance.  The fluting may also shave a few fractions of an ounce off of the total weight of the gun.  For a concealed carry revolver, this is important for many people.

Smith and Wesson 640

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly for many people, there is no internal lock in this model.  The internal lock on the Smith & Wesson revolvers has been shown to cause the gun to “lock up” when shooting in certain, limited circumstances.  Smith & Wesson hasn’t been very vocal about this problem in the past, and it would be nice if they came out and addressed this issue head-on with the shooting community.

I expect the lack of internal lock to sell more of this gun than the other features.  However, I really like the fact the sights have been upgraded to tritium, and the fact that they are replaceable is a nice bonus.

Smith & Wesson 640 Specifications

  • company SKU:  178044
  • caliber:  .357 Magnum
  • capacity:  five rounds
  • barrel length:  2 1/8″
  • sights:  three-dot, tritium night sights
  • grips:  rubber

Update – October 2013

This version of the S&W 640 was introduced at the SHOT Show in January of 2010.  As of October 2013, this gun is still in production and listed in the company’s catalog.  The gun carries an MSRP of $809.

By Richard Johnson

Richard Johnson is a gun writer, amateur historian and - most importantly - a dad. He's done a lot of silly things in his life, but quitting police work to follow his passion of writing about guns was one of the smartest things he ever did. He founded this site and continues to manage its operation.