Source of S&W M&P models?

B

Bob Wright

New member
I've seen a plethora of articles recently about the Smith & Wesson Military & Police (Model 10) .38 Special. There seems to be considerable interest in these revolvers. Has there been a sudden release of these guns by some agency or distributor?

I refer to the release of guns such as the Colt New Service and M1917 revolvers of the late 'Fifties when the market was suddenly flooded with these guns at very attractive prices.

How do you account for it?

Bob Wright
 
Well, the Colt and S&W Model 1917 revolvers flooded the market at one time because they were military revolvers which were declared surplus by the U.S. and other countries and released onto the market. The average price was around $25-30, and many were brand new, never having been issued.

Then, too, even commercial guns in the 50's and 60's were inexpensive compared with today's prices, the result of both inflation and the need for makers today to guard against liability suits by either paying whopping insurance premiums or building up a big self-insurance fund.

As to the Model 10, I know of no big release of those guns, but there seems to be a small but steady number becoming available as police surplus. Many departments switched to auto pistols, but kept revolvers for arming reserve police and the like; the switchover has been completed and those guns are being sold off, in spite of the administration's stated desire that police surplus guns be destroyed to keep them out of the hand of "terrorists" (those who oppose the re-election of the president).

Jim
 
Hi Bob,

There seems to always be some of these being sold as police trade-ins at any given time. Right now Buds out of Austin Texas has them for attractive prices. Five years ago model 28s were everywhere at gunshows and hardly a model 10 around, it seemed. Now it seems the opposite. Geography will vary, but this has been my experience between Midland TX and Houston TX.
 
I don't think I ever saw an unissued M1917, all were pretty much reworked. But the New Service guns were commercial models turned in by state police and the Canadian Mounties. Most of the better guns were ex-Mounties .455s reworked to .45 Colt, as mine was.

But new handguns were hard to get, and the $90 to $100 price tags were just as much out of reach for me then as current prices are today.

I was in the Army in the late 'Fifties, and a few M1917 Colts were still in arms rooms. Even mule harnesses were still issued! The last Army mules were sold while I was at Ft. Carson, Colorado.

Bob Wright
 
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