Thinking of buying a S&W Model 10

G

GGlock

New member
I've been in the market for a vintage looking S&W revolver that's new. Ideally, I'd like a K-22 but they're hard to find and even harder to find new. I like the blued color look and non full lug barrel and the mild caliber it shoots.

To my surprise I see that S&W still produces the model 10 in .38 special and that gun is even older than the K-22! Why did S&W stop production of the K-22 and replace it with the 617 while they still produce the model 10 but also the stainless version in the model 64?

Are there any other S&W revolvers in production that resemble the look of the old K-22? If not, then I'm going to pick up a model 10 instead. Looks almost the same, but a 4" barrel instead of a 6" barrel and shoots more powerful loads. But it's still a K frame right? So I can swap out those ugly looking Uncle Mike grips with a rich and dark colored squared butt wood grip.

I also like how the new model 10 doesn't have the adjustable rear sight. From what I can see in online pictures it doesn't have any rear sight at all does it? The serrated front sight is nice over the two toned, two piece K-22. Is the serrated front sight on the model 10 molded as part of the barrel?

I think what I like most of all with the model 10 is it's simplicity. More simple than the K-22. Do you think that I'm making the right decision to get the model 10 as a surrogate for the K-22 bearing in mind that I live in California and the K-22 isn't approved so I'm stuck with buying it as a private party transfer and the model 10 is approved.
 
Or....
Have patience and get more gun for less money..Used.

You are comparing horses and apples. K-22 fires .22 rimfire. Model 10 fires .38 Special. First is a target gun and the latter is a utility/combat gun. (Military & Police)

Model 10 is modern designation of the Miitary & Police.
Always had fixed sights. Became Model 10 in 1957.

K-22, K-32, and K-38 were target versions, all with adjustable target sights. The K-22 was re designated the Model 17 in about 1957.

You should be able to find a nice used model 10 or an older M & P for $200 or less.

Patience, and carry cash.

Sam
 
also...

The internals and frame design of the new Smith's differ from the old. New models all have round butts, and frame mounted firing pins on the 10's. I'm with C.R.Sam, If you want a classic...search for one, it's worth the wait.
 
best prices

Best prices I've seen around Los Angeles for a nice Model 10 in decent condition are closer to $300... :(

I did see a very used one at the gun show yesterday for $150. It had a 2" barrel and had almost no finish left. Mechanically, it seemed "OK".

Jeff
 
"&" M/P .38 Special

Just by dumb "beginner's luck" I bought my brother's S&W 1955 vintage Military/Police .38 Special early this year. It is about 97%with just a hint of blueing wear on outer rim of muzzle(holster wear). Other than that, the finish really came-out after I polished with Flitz Gun Wax! Bro had replaced original grips with Hogue nylon monogrip. A really nice guy on TFL is sending me original wood grips. I shoot the heck out of this .38...barely noticable front-rear cylinder movement. Political BS aside, Smith & Wesson really make a quality product...I was five years old when this .38 was manufactured and it will stay with me 'till I check out for good!

P.S. My "greedy" brother thought he really put one over on me by charging me $50.00....best five-thousand pennies I ever spent!



:p
 
The Model 10 is very close to being my favorite handgun, probably for all kinds of largely irrational reasons. The basic design is over 100 years old. It has been carried by countless law officers and protected the homes of countless citizens for many years, mostly years that at least seem to be of a simpler and sturdier time, a time that is rapidly slipping away. I bought one of the last skinny-barrelled Model 10s that came from the factory in about 1994 or thereabouts. Since then I've managed to pick up others, a heavy-barrelled 10-5, a 3 inch square butt 10-7 (NIB), a 2 inch 10-5 and a like-new skinny barrelled 10-5 4-inch nickled. There are lots of them out there in great condition and generally they don't command very high prices. They are plain-jane and I guess not as "sexy" as some other firearms with history and pedigree, but for my book the Model 10 ranks up there with even the 1911 as one of the firearms that defines the 20th century or, as it has been called, The American Century. I would not part with mine and will likely acquire more. They remind me of cops "copping" an apple from the sidewalk fruit stand and old Humphrey Bogart movies. And they still are up to the job (for most folks) to this day.
 
Think about a Model 15

The Model 10 is a classic in every sense of the word. I carried a Victory Model in the USAF for a while and my first duty gun as an LEO was a Model 10.

I would give some thought to a good police trade-in Model 15. It's the same basic gun with adjustable sights (which have their place) and has the old slim barrel which I much prefer to the heavy barrel/lugged/etc 'improved' stuff.

Team that up with a Model 18 .22 and you have just about the perfect combination.
 
I'm sold on the S&W model 10 now.

With the current version being sold. It looks like I don't have any choices in configurations.

It's just a plain K frame model 10 with 4" heavy barrel and blued color. Sights are also milled with the frame.

I actually like this simple configuration as it'll be more of a combat utility gun than a target shooter.

Why did S&W stop producing the other configurations and settle with the current one? Or did they just replace them with the model 64 series and up with the stainless frames and different barrel lengths, but still kept producing the model 10 in carbon steel because it's such a classic and they know they'll always have a market for it?

Why have some complained about the heavy barrel? I thought the extra steel helped support the extractor rod.

Some don't like the frame mounted firing pin. Isn't that a more reliable or at least safer design? For when thumbing down the hammer?

I also like to purchase new firearms only. So it looks like I'm going to take the plunge sometime this week unless someone says otherwise.

Lastly, does anyone have any pictures of the original wood grips that came with the model 10 or other stock wood grips in the past? I don't like the current Uncle Mike's grips and want to swap them out ASAP with wood grips that are the original or look like the original if someone can point me to a place that sold them.

Thanks for the help!

Meanwhile, I'll also keep my eyes out for a K-22.
 
You like em new.
I don't. I see a LOT more value for the money in the older ones. Fit, finish and function.

If you go for a new one...use Jim March's excellant revolver check list to do your own QC.....and accept nothing less than perfection. At the outragious prices of the new ones, you should expect perfection. Link here...
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=57816

And for political reason to not buy a new one...link here.
http://www.nraila.org/FactSheets.asp?FormMode=Detail&ID=31&1=View

Sam
 
GGlock - In my somewhat amateur opinion, I don't think there is anything wrong with the heavy barrel. It might be better if you're shooting hotter loads. I just really like the looks, the grace, and the lighter weight of the old pencil-barrel. There is a considerable weight difference and, to me, sort-of emphasizes the difference between a .38 and a .357. To me the .38 doesn't "really" need the heavy barrel, just MO. I also agree that there is nothing "wrong" with the frame-mounted firing pin. I have several Rugers that I like very much and they have them. But...as much as I like the Rugers, it is the older model Smiths that "talk" to me. I guess for me and older version Model 10 is just a way of connecting to another time and place and I want to have a few before they are lost in time. Heck, it could be old Colt SAAs or something else, but Model 10s are available and within my budget. :) BTW, the advice on the Model 15s is well-taken. I have a couple of those too and you can't go wrong with one of them either with their nice lines and adjustable sights. I agree with you that Smith and Wesson probably feels that they have to keep the classic Model 10 in 4 inch blue in their lineup simply because it is an all-time classic even with the changes, and there have been changes all along so that's not new. I would have no worry with a new model, just like the older ones a bit better. Good luck.
 
I came Thiiiiiiiiis close to walking out of a gun shop with a Model 10 today. Very good/excellent condition and $195. It's still calling me. He also had another Model 10 NIB collectible type for $295.
 
Some don't like the heavy barrel because of the looks. It really doesn't add much to the strength of the extractor rod, which is supported only at the tip by the barrel lug.

S&W stopped selling blued handguns because people stoppped buying blued handguns.

Frame mounted or hammer mounted firing pin makes absolutely no difference in the safety of the gun. The frame mounted firing pin does, however, make it harder to get the same kind of trigger pull you can with the older style.

New handguns are fine, but quality control has been a continuing worry for me about Smith & Wesson handguns for nearly 10 years now. Unfortunatly, the situation hasn't been improving.

It's not at all hard to shop judiciously and patiently and find a 15 or 20 year old -- or older -- Model 10 that has never been fired outside the factory -- in essence a new gun. And likely one with better fit and finish, to boot.

Add to that the taint of collaboration with anti-gun forces in the United States, and new Smith & Wesson firearms should lose all appeal.
 
I pretty much agree with Mike & Sam on this. Although I purchased a NIB 686-5 (1999), and it is a well made revolver, it doesn't come close to the fit & finish of my older Smiths.
Politics arn't what keeps me from buying a new S&W, but the beauty & quality of the older ones.
There is nothing wrong with buying that new model 10, but you might miss out on what some of us already know.
Take my comments for what the're worth.
 
Maybe you should shop around a little a lot of local P.D.are trading in their old Model 10s in you might get a good deal on a used one if you look around.:eek:
 
Nothing wrong with buying a new Model 10...

I guess there wasn't anything wrong with voting for Bill Clinton or Al Gore, either...
 
If you buy the new gun, be aware that all new S&W revolvers have the round butt configuration and getting older styled grips may be a problem. The heavy barrel was to add weight for recoil reduction and in improve shooting quality. maybe also to be a better sap for cops who carried them. I prefer the HB in 4" to the thinner standard barrel, but I like the 5" thin barrel a lot. Bought one for my mom in 1976 (she still has it in her night stand drawer) and recently swapped a damaged 4" tube from a Vivtory Model for a 5" barrel I picked up on ebay for $5.

About two years ago I bought a 2" M10 off an auction site for $150. Don't ask me why I wanted a square-butt, K frame snub. But it is a lot of fun.
 
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