S&W said they quit making them because of poor sales.
I'm a former 647 owner. My 647 was sent back to Smith three times to try and teach it to shoot stright. It wasn't a fast learner.
So, I sold it.
Truth is, if you are looking for a good target gun, buy one. If you are looking for a hunting gun, don't buy one. I have crony-ed almost all manufacturers ammo from the gun and none exceeds 2000fps. It's the velocity of the hmr that gives it the killing power. From a rifle the velocity is 2500fps or better. At 1800fps it just doesnt cut it unless you are shootin chipmonks.
Belive me, they made this a six shot because you need all six shots to actually kill anything.
Dave
