Talk to me about the SW Model 10

B

Bourbon Fan

Inactive
I like classic guns and have a soft spot for blued steel and wood grips. The model 10 seems to check all these boxes. Any reason I shouldn't own a model 10? Are the newer iterations any good? Or should I haunt the local gun and pawn shops until a nice, older, used example falls in my lap?
 
Everybody should own a Model 10. I am old and old fashioned so of course I prefer the pre1982 versions with pinned barrels. Even better are the pre 1958 versions with no model number called the Military & Police Model. :)

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In my view, you will be happier with an older model...so yes, shop the best used gun stores or gunshows in your area.

There are lot of model 10's ---and their variants out there now for sale..Victory Models, Military and Police...

I like the model 10's.../ but its my personal opinion that the model 19's are more iconic ( .357 Mag ) and worth serious consideration as well ...over a model 10 ( both are K frames )..../ and if you want to really move up in terms of iconic, look for a model 27 blued ( N frames )...model 27's are some of the finest revolvers made in my view.

But go with the model 10's if that meets your budget better right now..they are quite a bit less than the model 19's in similar condition ..and way less than the model 27's.
 
I'll have to go 180 degrees from Mr. P above me, I honestly find the 19 to be poor at both things that it "can" do. When mimicking a Model 10, it's a little more bulky and blocky and I would simply rather have a 4" heavy barrel 10. And with .357 Mag, a 4" Model 19 is just no L-frame and absolutely no N-frame and I find it wholly uncomfortable in recoil.

I have a pair of old Fourth Change M&P's and they are terrific but if we are talking straight up Model 10, then make mine a 4" heavy barrel absolutely every single time. And my next closest favorite would be the exact same thing in stainless, a Model 64.

I've had pinned and tapered barrels but a modern (but pre-lock) heavy barrel is for sure my favorite. My 10 is a former Dept of Corrections 10-10, circa 1994. Hard working, accurate, enjoyable revolver with the kind of double action that a revolver should have.
 
The Model 10 is the "plain Jane" (with apologies to ladies named Jane) of the revolver world, along with the .38 caliber Colt PPS, the other quintessential "cop gun" of the revolver era. There are millions of both models out there; they are usually easy to find on the web sites and many gun shops have at least one or two in stock almost all the time. If fixed sights are OK, and .38 Special is adequate, a Model 10 will do anything more powerful and expensive revolvers will do, and at lower cost.

Jim
 
Howdy

No, every one should not have a Model 10, because that leaves less for me.

The Model 10-5 at the bottom of this photo left the factory about 1964. It was a police trade in, you can see the armorer's inventory number stamped on the frame above the trigger guard. I got the best deal I ever go on a S&W revolver with this gun, $125 out the door a bunch of years ago. Those days are long gone.

It's older brother, the 38 Military and Police above it was made in 1934. This photo shows some of the classic differences between the older guns and the newer ones. The M&P has the old long throw hammer and the typical half moon front sight. The more modern Model 10 has a serrated ramp cut into the front sight and uses the modern short throw hammer.

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In 1957 Smith and Wesson changed over to a model numbering system, and the old 38 M&P became the Model 10.

I actually have more M&Ps than Model 10s, I seem to run into them more.

A 38 M&P Target Model, precursor to the K-38 and Model 14. This one shipped in 1917. A classic Five Screw, there are four screws holding the side plate on and one more screw not visible in this view, in front of the trigger guard. Typical service grips from this era. Note the large, mushroom shaped extractor rod cap.

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A four inch M&P with a round butt and hard rubber grips. This one left the factory in 1939.

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I came across this tired old girl just a few months ago. There were two others in the shop, and they had less wear, but this one still timed perfectly, the other two did not. The grips have a lot of wear on them, but they are lettered to the gun and I would not dream of changing them. Still as accurate as when it left the factory in 1920.

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The revolver that started it all, a 38 M&P Model of 1899. Note the lack of a locking lug under the barrel for the extractor rod. That did not happen until 1902. The internal mechanism of this model is a bit different than everything made since 1905. This one left the factory in 1899.

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Yes, everybody should have a Model 10 (or a 38 M&P). Obviously I like the older ones. I don't much care for the new ones with the bull barrels, but that is just personal choice.
 
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Model 10 Standard Barrel: Great!

Model 10 Heavy Barrel: Great!

.38 Special Alternative to
the Model 10: Model 15 Great!
 
Is there any reason you should not own a model 10? Absolutely not, there is no reason you should not own one. They are the backbone of the S&W revolver line. Most of their revolvers can be traced back to the model 10 or some variant of it. I have only 1 model 10 and that is a 10-8. For a fixed sight gun it is one of my best shooters. The heavy barrel dampens recoil but then the recoil is very mild anyway out of a .38 Special. I should have also picked up a 10-7 when I got my 10-8, the standard tapered barrel does have a classic look to it. It has everything you need and nothing you don't want.
 
My preference is for the 4'' tapered barrel versions. They seem to be creeping up in price but if you can find a good deal on one I wouldn't hesitate. They're fantastic plinking guns and new shooters seem to learn well on them. Load it with some quality ammo and it still does just fine for most self defense encounters.
 
Mine is a military and police from 1916 with a 5" barrel. It has had a lot of rounds through it and is still a good shooter at over one hundred years old.

They are iconic service revolvers.

Of course you should get one!
 
Honestly, it's likely all the gun anyone would ever "need" to protect themselves. It's about as time tested and proven as any mechanical device ever made and about as reliable as a ball peen hammer.

I have quite a few model 10's and M&P's.

As mentioned, it's the direct line ancestor of (at least):
Models
14
15
18
45
64
65
66
67
68

In barrel lengths of 2", 2 1/2", 3", 4", 5" And 6" And in some K frames 8 3/8".

That's quite a pedigree and history. At one time, I'll bet 30,000 NYPD cops were carrying a Model 10. (With a few Colt thrown in and later, Rugers)
 
Very few problems can;t be solved with a old model 10, I've had a few of them over the years and one was my first very own centerfire handgun back when I was 12 or 13, I put many rounds and lots of miles on that gun and eventually a couple more like it. Classic gun.
 
heavy barrel

I always thought the Heavy Barrel version pointed and held, and seemed to have better balance overall. The slightly added heft made for a better DA trigger pull for me too.
 
The M&P/Model 10 is about as close to "everyman's" gun as you're going to find. It was usually the lest expensive thing in the store, or at least the most inexpensive quality thing. It's got everything you need, and nothing that you don't.

Personally unlike most people here I don't care for the heavy barrel guns, but prefer the look and feel of the more classic tapered barrel. I'm also a sucker for diamond Magna grips (If you stick around S&W's for any length of time, you'll start to learn about these things.).





This one, a Model 10 "no dash, four screw" from 1960, came to me "pre-stressed" like those new jeans they're selling, but in near new mechanical condition. I've put the diamond Magna's in storage, and replaced them with a set of Pachmayr Grippers I had in a junk drawer. It now does duty as my nightstand gun.
 
I don't have a Model 10.

I have this bad boy, a pre-Model 10 Military & Police Hand Ejector made sometime in the 1920s.

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It's hanging out with my Regulation Police .32 Long of the same vintage.

Both have gone brown patina, unfortunately, but they both shoot very well.
 
To me, the Smith M & P (pre Model 10) or a good Model 10 is one of the finest revolvers ever made. I don't own a Model 10 but I do have a M & P Target from the 1920's, a M & P with a 5 inch barrel and a Combat Masterpiece. Of all my double action revolvers that I own or have owned (and owned a 4" Python at one time and hated it) - my 5" M & P would be my favorite. Mine was born the same year as I was - 1955 - and it will still be going strong long after I'm gone. Mine are all 38 specials which is a great cartridge. My 5" gets a steady diet of my reloads with a 160 gr. cast lead RN and it is such a pleasure to shoot.

Everybody has their own preferences . . . but to me, the K frame is a great revolver and the M & P/Model 10 one of the best. There was a reason so many were made and why so many are still being shot.

And . . . the photos are great eye candy! Some very nice revolvers!
 
S&W Model 10

Lots of M&P fans here, and rightly so.

Most of my knowledge is limited to betting my life on a model 10 every day for 25 years. In 1973 I purchased a Pencil barrel model 10 and reported to the police range. Seeing everyone with the cooler heavy barrel I traded the light barrel in and got the heavy barrel. It cost me $93.00

That gun was my constant companion and protector for a long time. I fired it twice a year at the department range. 400 rounds. I shot 200 rounds a month for personal practice. I happened to shoot it several times during the course of my duties. Once as a rookie it fell out of an unauthorized holster and skittered about 10 feet along a cobble stone street. I once tried to break a really thick window with it. The gun has real battle scars.

In all that time, with all that stress the gun never ever failed to do what I asked of it. It's what I learned to shoot with. It's perfectly balanced , has a very smooth trigger and is accurate beyond my capabilities. The gun is IMO comfortable to carry as I always carried it while working out of uniform and off duty. One upside to carrying it I got from reading crime novels. Quoting "COFFIN ED JOHNSON" "people don't take as seriously as gun they can bairely see. My model 10 is big enough to be intimidating enough to end a gunfight without a shot being fired.
 
Looks like I'll be the outlier :rolleyes:...

I'll agree the Model 10 is iconic, and if you're a revolver enthusiast, there ought to be one in your safe...at least for some period of time.

The thing is, "everything you need, nothing you don't" is a nice sentiment that, IMO, wears though its venier in actual usage: Like a car without AC, power steering and power brakes, I don't find the Model 10 all that usable. Mine mostly just sat in the safe, while I instead opted for niceties like adjustable sights, an underlug, and stainless finish for my serious shooting. Revolver aficionados may wrench their garments and pluck their beards, but I eventually sold my mostly-unused M10...and did so without much guilt. :p
 
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