which ammo for Smith & Wesson Mod. 10 Military & Police, .38 Special

A

agent00

New member
I am about to get my first 38 special revolver. I purchased a used Smith & Wesson Mod. 10 Military & Police . 4 inch barrel I will be able to pick up the gun next week at my local gunstore.

I am going to use the gun mainly for target shooting and for home defense only. Carrying guns outside my own home is not possible here in Austria.

Is there anything particular to notice about the ammo?

Here in Austria I can different 158 grain loads in the non plus p variants in the semi lead wadcutter configuration. Also some semi lead wacutter hp loads are available (plus p) and i am also able to get a 125 grain sjhp load from remington.

The most economical solution for me would be the use the 158 grain lead wadcutter bullets for the range and the 158 grain semi lead wadcutter hp rounds for home defense.

Not sure if I should pick the plus p or non plus p variant. Would it be safe to use plus p rounds in such an old revolver or not?
 
If it's an actual Model 10, +P loads won't harm it.

The sights are probably regulated for 158gr bullets. The semi-wadcutters were a standby in American law enforcement for decades. Other designs have come along, but they're fine for home defense.
 
I really like K frame 38 Specials.
If you can find them, the 158gr Semi wadcutter +P, was the standard police load in a lot of departments in the mid 1970s.
Any standard velocity 158 SWC is a great choice. Lower recoil, much easier to shoot.
Factory grips are decent, but I usually use Pachmayr rubber Gripper, or the classic Gripper which has an open back strap.
Enjoy your Military and Police.
 
The LSWCHP +P loadings should be good choices for defense as they'll be most likely to shoot to your sights (158 gr was long considered "standard weight" in .38 Spl). The Remington version of the LSWCHP has long been the most favored as it's loaded to a bith higher velocity than the Federal but uses softer lead than the Winchester but honestly, from a 4" or longer barrel any of the three should be satisfactory.
 
I saw a utube video in the past year where I learned your laws had changed to allow more civilian gun ownership. Is this your first handgun? See if you can find a model 17 or 18 to train with in 22 long rifle. It should be the same frame size. 158 LSWC for practice will help you learn to use a speed loader. You really can't do that very well with a wadcutter. I believe the GECO 158 fmj would be a good one also if they are available locally and you want a load with less lead exposed. Bullet lube on low pressure ammo can be a little smokey.
 
S&W regulated the fixed sights of the model 10 for the standard 158gr load which was a nominal 850fps from a 4" barrel. The sights will "on" with that load at 25yards.

Other ammo, and other distances will require some shooting to see just where the bullets hit. Once you know that, and adjust your aim, you're good to go.

Many rounds will hit close enough to the point of aim that you won't need to worry, but some shooting in needed to know if that is the case with your gun and your ammo, or not.

Once you get your M10, we can help you determine the era of its manufacture, based on the markings and features of your gun. Model 10s were in production for a long time, a lot were made and they were the standard service revolver of many different organizations, as well as being quite popular on the civilian market.
 
The model 10 will be regulated (sights set for ) 158 grain standard velocity ammo .
They can be Lead or jacketed , round nose or semi-wadcutter ...
Shoot some standard velocity ... not +P ... 158 gr loads at targets and see where the bullets hit . Point of impact should be near point of aim .

Usually with a six-o'clock hold ... hold sights low ... 148 gr. Target Wadcutter ammo will shoot just fine ... the group lands just above the sights ... the Target Wadcutters are lower velocity , lower recoil and very accurate ... and fun to shoot at the range .
You might want to avoid a steady diet of 110 gr and 125 gr High Velocity loads as these are hard on the older 38 Special revolvers .
Gary
 
Thanks a lot for the answers. You guys helped me out a lot.

@gwpercle Thx for the warning about using 110 grain or 125 grain high velocity loads too often. This should not be a problem. Have not seen any 110 grain loads yet and even the reminton 125 grain jphp load is quite rare.

The only really powerful 38 spc round I might want to try out are some 158 grain plus p semi lead wadcutter hp rounds but I will stick to the standard 158 grain loads most of the time like you have recommended.

@rc Thanks for the advice as well. The Model 10 is my first sixgun but not my first handgunp per se. Have experience with 9x19mm pistols.
 
I love the CZ 9mms over all other 9s but one of my favorite handguns is a Smith and Wesson 686 which is the slightly larger N frame in 357 magnum. The 357 magnum revolvers can chamber any 38 special and the magnum ammunition too. They also have adjustable sights which is better for a range gun so you can shoot any ammo in them to point of aim. The 617 is a stainless 22 with full under lug below the barrel and the 17 is the older blued 22 with a more traditional barrel profile. Regardless, I'd love to have a model 10 myself but due to stupid laws where I live they are not commonly available like they were in the past on the used market.
 
Excuse me, but the model 686 is the L frame. In between the K frame and N frame. About the same size as a Colt Python, or old King Cobra.
Still really good revolvers.
 
Don't know how I missed this thread...I have been busy lately I suppose. You should be able to shoot +P out of a post war revolver with no issues. I also wouldn't recommend shooting the speedy 125 +p rounds all the time. I carry that exact load, and on occasions I shoot it. But I mostly shoot 158s to ~820 or so.

Those old revolvers are apt and capable SD firearms, and fun to run on top of it. Practice with a speedloader enough and you'll grow to realize a good revolver shooter can hold their own with the seme-auto guys if the round count is under 12. Sure, you won't shoot faster than a serious shooter/trainer/competitor with a Glock... but you will be able to hang with some of the guys who are more than just novices.
 
Ammo doesn't really matter. Just shoot what hits point of aim.

If you want good expansion learn to cast pure lead hollow points. The lead bullets you buy from most companies isn't pure lead.
 
Loads for the 38 Special used to have a warning-- "Only use maximum loads in a quality revolver in good condition."

Now they call the maximum loads "+P"

You don't want this for target shooting, not at all.

Super Sneaky Steve is almost correct about cast bullets.

Most bullets are cast very hard, so they are not damaged in shipping. It takes a good BANG! to get the base to expand into the gooves of the barrel.

Light target loads won't be enough to obdurate the base. Hot gas will flow around the bullet and the barrel will get leaded up quickly. Bullet is too hard.

Reducing the hardness, the back of the bullet will seal and a nice accurate wadcutter or semi-wadcutter will fly out cleanly at 800-850 feet per second or so. Proper hardness, nice clean barrel.

But if you push the velocity of that soft bullet, it will skip out of the grooves and smear lead down the barrel. Pushing a soft bullet too hard... leaded barrel.

In the quest for target ammunition, you will see that full wadcutters are seated nearly flush with the case mouth. There are historical reasons for that.

If you get yourself wadcutters that are swaged rather than cast, you know you have nice soft bullets that are inexpensive. You can also ask what the Brinell Hardness is.

But I had several revolvers that shot more accurately with the wadcutters seated out long, crimped on a lube groove. Of course, give proper clearance to the forcing cone, if that seems too complex, ignore what I just said.

As for "home defense"... anything you buy will be fine. After all, you lived this long without it, and you're still alive.
 
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