Type Revolver Manufacturer Smith & Wesson Action Double-action | Designed 2000 Cartridge .40 S&W | |
Place of origin United States of America | ||
The Smith & Wesson Model 646 is a six-shot, double-action revolver chambered for the .40 S&W pistol cartridge, manufactured in 2000 and 2003 by the U.S. company Smith & Wesson.
Contents
Design
The 646 was offered in a stainless steel finish with titanium cylinder. Production was limited to 900 guns. It was offered in a Performance Center version in 2000 ( 300 pieces ) as a space-age looking stainless steel revolver with a slab-sided heavy barrel and matte gray titanium cylinder. In 2003 a limited run ( almost 600 ) was made with a more traditional underlug barrel design.
Operation and availability
The 646 is unusual in that it is a revolver chambered for a rimless cartridge generally used only for semi-automatic pistols. In order to effectively use the rimless .40 S&W cartridge, the revolver utilized moon clips, a metal flange which holds the cartridges in place for loading and ejection.
But unlike other moon clip revolvers such as the 610 and 625, the 646 generally wouldn't fire a cartridge without the clips. Dogged by persistent complaints of sticky extraction, ignition problems caused by varying rim thickness on factory .40 ammo, and a MSRP just shy of $850, The PC version vanished without much comment after its short run. The non PC version works flawless with correct moonclips.