I'm considering buying a Smith 10mm pistol (if I can find one) and I noticed that the two variants I'm interested in (models 1006 and 1026) are differentiated by the location of the decocking levers (1006-slide-mounted;1026-frame-mounted). I'd like to hear opinions about the advantages and disadvantages of either location. Thanks.
S&W "Third Generation" Pistol Question
- Thread starter dgludwig
- Start date
The slide-mounted safety/decocker on the 1006 was the default arrangement which is far more durable, not to mention far more common than the frame-mounted 1026/1076.
That being said, seeing as most 1076s are old FBI pistols or production overruns, they tend to be more valuable/collectable, so if you find one for a good price, then you should probably buy it. You can always decock the hammer the old-fashioned way by manually letting your thumb ride it back down to the frame.
Keep in mind that the 3rd Generation S&W Semiautomatic Pistols chambered in 10mm Auto are scarce since they were only produced between 1990 and 1995, with the most common variant being the 1006.
That being said, seeing as most 1076s are old FBI pistols or production overruns, they tend to be more valuable/collectable, so if you find one for a good price, then you should probably buy it. You can always decock the hammer the old-fashioned way by manually letting your thumb ride it back down to the frame.
Keep in mind that the 3rd Generation S&W Semiautomatic Pistols chambered in 10mm Auto are scarce since they were only produced between 1990 and 1995, with the most common variant being the 1006.
It’s a moot point. Find one in real good shape and enjoy it. It’s not like S&W are making anymore of these. Last time I checked magazines were a little on the pricey side, but we’re not hard to find.
For the record though my favorite was the 1006.
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For the record though my favorite was the 1006.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Yeah, I agree.
Real question is: does the OP want to get one to be a shooter or possible EDC pistol? ... Or is he looking for a collector/Safe Queen?
If it's for a shooter, I'd get the 1006 with the slide-mounted lever. I have one, very durable, and mine's been a fantastic shooter with a wide range of ammo and handloads - from mild .40-level junk to near-nuclear.
For a carry piece, I might even look real hard for a minty 4.25" 1066 - essentially the "Commander-size" lil' bro of the 1006. Passed on one of those 8-yrs ago and have been kicking myself ever since.
If it's for a collector piece, a 1026 or 1076 will serve you nicely as a once-a-week drool-toy. Much like a fetish doll.
Used 10XX-series 9-rd mags are running north of $80.00 a pop. And be advised, such "used" condition varies widely. Any that appear remotely close to NIB/LNIB, especially at Fun Shows, are running north of $100.00 a pop, unless you happen to find a seller who's not up to speed on current market pricing for 3rd Gen 10mms guns or mags.
You can check GunJoker and e-Bay to comparison shop.
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Like the others have said, it depends on what you want to do with it? If your just going to be using the gun as a shooter go with the 1006, the longer barrel will make the 10mm burn a lot fuller. If you are looking to carry the gun then 1076 is a lot easier to carry with its shorter barrel. I have both pistols and they are tank-built pistols, the only issues today are the lack of repair parts if something happens. If your just looking to shoot 10mm then you may want to consider one of the newer 10mm guns on the market.
A couple points that weren’t specifically addressed that might be relevant...
The 1026 (and 1076) are the two with the Sig-style frame mounted spring-loaded decock lever. This only exists because the FBI demanded it in the contract. S&W’s version of what Sig perfected fell short. S&W only did this for a short while on a precious few pistols. Compared to the Sig design, S&W’s version is cheaper and feels so. (and I’m nutbar, dedicated, crazy S&W pistol guy) Furthermore, S&W had to recall many of the pistols with the frame mount decocker and I think the recall may even still be honored.
Next item that makes the 1026 and 1076 a “lesser” choice, IMO of course, is that the OEM grip is specific to only the single stack frame mount decock models. That means OEM replacement grip can be scarce and I don’t believe any aftermarket grip exists.
This can be a MAJOR deal breaker. We can’t forget that the grip on a S&W 3rd Gen is more than just panels on the frame — the grip retails the mainspring (hammer spring) and if it gets damaged, pistol no go BANG.
Another angle that seems to rarely get mentioned is that, at least in my experience, that big gangly decocker lever mounted on the slide makes a phenomenal gripping surface for yanking the large, heavy slide back. When you go to either the frame mount model or the DAO model, the levers are gone from the slide and I’ve found the slide to be noticeably less “grabbable.” This can obviously be addressed with practice and training, but it was day one first shots experience that I noticed when I took my 3953 on it’s first range trip.
If we are asking me 1006 or 1026, it’s 1006 for sure and not close. And they made literally EIGHT times as many 1006 units as they did the scarce 1026 model. Prices are obviously across the board, especially in this market, but generally speaking, a 1006 should be MUCH easier to find and lower priced than a 1026.
The 1026 (and 1076) are the two with the Sig-style frame mounted spring-loaded decock lever. This only exists because the FBI demanded it in the contract. S&W’s version of what Sig perfected fell short. S&W only did this for a short while on a precious few pistols. Compared to the Sig design, S&W’s version is cheaper and feels so. (and I’m nutbar, dedicated, crazy S&W pistol guy) Furthermore, S&W had to recall many of the pistols with the frame mount decocker and I think the recall may even still be honored.
Next item that makes the 1026 and 1076 a “lesser” choice, IMO of course, is that the OEM grip is specific to only the single stack frame mount decock models. That means OEM replacement grip can be scarce and I don’t believe any aftermarket grip exists.
This can be a MAJOR deal breaker. We can’t forget that the grip on a S&W 3rd Gen is more than just panels on the frame — the grip retails the mainspring (hammer spring) and if it gets damaged, pistol no go BANG.
Another angle that seems to rarely get mentioned is that, at least in my experience, that big gangly decocker lever mounted on the slide makes a phenomenal gripping surface for yanking the large, heavy slide back. When you go to either the frame mount model or the DAO model, the levers are gone from the slide and I’ve found the slide to be noticeably less “grabbable.” This can obviously be addressed with practice and training, but it was day one first shots experience that I noticed when I took my 3953 on it’s first range trip.
If we are asking me 1006 or 1026, it’s 1006 for sure and not close. And they made literally EIGHT times as many 1006 units as they did the scarce 1026 model. Prices are obviously across the board, especially in this market, but generally speaking, a 1006 should be MUCH easier to find and lower priced than a 1026.
Haha, no....
ALL of the S&W 3rd Gens with the oddball Sig-style thumb decock lever including the 1026, 1076, 4526, 5926, 5946 and 6926 (pistols of whose existence I’ve seen evidence of...) have a non-standard OEM Delrin grip that has to make clearance for that silly decock lever that does not exist on the bulk of the 3rd Gen pistols produced.
So while there certainly was an array of aftermarket 3rd Gen grips (my favorite was the Farrar Machine & Tool grip), none of these would ever work with the select few Sig-style frame mounted decock lever models.
ALL of the S&W 3rd Gens with the oddball Sig-style thumb decock lever including the 1026, 1076, 4526, 5926, 5946 and 6926 (pistols of whose existence I’ve seen evidence of...) have a non-standard OEM Delrin grip that has to make clearance for that silly decock lever that does not exist on the bulk of the 3rd Gen pistols produced.
So while there certainly was an array of aftermarket 3rd Gen grips (my favorite was the Farrar Machine & Tool grip), none of these would ever work with the select few Sig-style frame mounted decock lever models.
I think it can happen with almost any pistol having a slide-mounted safety. It certainly happened to me on occasion while going through malfunction clearing training during qualification drills with my S&W Model 6906. When sweeping your open hand over the top of the slide to clear a "stovepipe" type jam, it is possible to turn the safety from "off" to "on". Knowing it can happen and training for such a mishap will obviate any negative consequence.
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It really just depends on whether you prefer the slide-mounted safety/decocker ala Beretta, Walther, and most other metal-frame S&W semi-autos or the frame mounted decocker ala Sig 220-series. There was a recall on the decocker models 1026 and 1076 and you can tell if your gun has been recalled or not by the presence or absence of two "dots" under the decocker (dots were punched on repaired pistols). Also, there were three types of grips for the 1026 and 1076, straight-backstrap, curved backstrap, and palmswell. With the curved or palmswell type, if you drop the gun on the butt, it is possible to break them and tie up the mainspring, but the straight backstrap grips are apparently redesigned to fix this (I have a set of straight-backstrap grips, but I run the palmswell on my 1076 as I prefer the feel of it). If you send the gun back to S&W, it's likely to come back with straight backstrap grips if it didn't already have them.
The 1026 and 1076 really aren't all that delicate and the 1076 was the second most popular model behind the 1006. In fact, the Kentucky State Police issued the 1076 until around 2004 (issue ammo was Winchester 175 gr Silvertip IIRC). The issues reported with the 1076 were apparently primarily due to a different trigger and trigger bar specified by the FBI for the specimens they bought, the recall involved retrofitting back to S&W's original design which apparently cured the problems. It is true, I suppose, that the 1006 and 1066 would be easier to find parts for as they'd have some in common with the 4506 and 4566, but honestly parts for any of these models are getting scarce as they've all been out of production for quite some time. Magazines are interchangable between all six models of S&W 10mm (there was also a 1046 and 1086 which were DAO) though the mags are getting quite expensive often fetching $100+ on ebay.
The 1026 and 1076 really aren't all that delicate and the 1076 was the second most popular model behind the 1006. In fact, the Kentucky State Police issued the 1076 until around 2004 (issue ammo was Winchester 175 gr Silvertip IIRC). The issues reported with the 1076 were apparently primarily due to a different trigger and trigger bar specified by the FBI for the specimens they bought, the recall involved retrofitting back to S&W's original design which apparently cured the problems. It is true, I suppose, that the 1006 and 1066 would be easier to find parts for as they'd have some in common with the 4506 and 4566, but honestly parts for any of these models are getting scarce as they've all been out of production for quite some time. Magazines are interchangable between all six models of S&W 10mm (there was also a 1046 and 1086 which were DAO) though the mags are getting quite expensive often fetching $100+ on ebay.
I had a member on S&W Forum convert my 1006 to decock-only. Pretty much, mill a cut that was present on the TSW guns, and replace the safety with the decocker. Best part, can always go back to the other, if I ever desired to.
While I don’t mind SIG style decockers, I hate slide mounted safeties. No issue with a slide mounted decocker, which is why I converted my Berettas to G models.
While I don’t mind SIG style decockers, I hate slide mounted safeties. No issue with a slide mounted decocker, which is why I converted my Berettas to G models.