S&W Mod 10

[hm1996]

I picked up what I believe to be a Mod 10 (2" square butt on K frame is all I know for sure) a couple of years ago and it has been sitting in the safe. A lot of gun behind such a short barrel. Hadn't busted a cap in well over a year and was visiting a BIL who has just completed a really nice range on his property, so threw it in the car to be sure it would shoot. Well, it took me several shots to find a 3" dueling tree at about 15 yards, but there were a lot of weeds on the backstop so took several shots to see where they were hitting, and then there's those terrible sights and my 87 year old eyes and, and............Seriously, my lack of practice is probably the main excuse, but do wish I could see those sights better, and if I were planning to shoot it a lot, I'd add some Hogue Monogrip Grips on it as the grip is a bit small for my hand. Have a mod. 60 with those on it and it fits like a glove.

That is one slick action and really has a nice trigger for a factory gun; Smith made some really nice pistols back in the day.

 

[GC]

The Model 10 S&W is a classic service pistol. At one time when the semi-auto craze took off good revolvers like the M10 were piling up in gun stores with dirt-cheap prices. I wish I would have bought half a dozen of them for the $250-300 I found them for sale. I would have an M10 in every vehicle, the tractor, the barn, and scattered across several rooms in the house. Nowadays nice old S&W revolvers sell for silly high prices.

Put a dab of white Testers model paint on the front sight blade. Load two CCI snake loads for those big rattlesnakes and follow that with four 148 gr. hard cast full wadcutters at 850 fps +P and you're set. The wadcutter loads I speak of are these...

.38 Special. +P 148 Grain Hard Cast Full Wadcutters (100 RND)

.38 Special +P 148 grain full wadcutter. Very simply a heavy hitting load that does not require any expansion to work. They penetrate straight and deep. Excellent Snub Nose load. These +P 148 grain full wadcutters are rather potent and were tested in S&W Airweight 1 & 7/8ths" J frames as well as...

www.lostriverammocompany.com

These flat-faced hard casts won't recoil badly and will be controllable but will penetrate hog shoulders, skulls, or bad guys in leather jackets. These are high-quality loads from a good man. Underwood and Buffalo Bore offer the same load. I like Mac's Lost River Ammo best.

 

[hm1996]

The Model 10 S&W is a classic service pistol. At one time when the semi-auto craze took off good revolvers like the M10 were piling up in gun stores with dirt-cheap prices. I wish I would have bought half a dozen of them for the $250-300 I found them for sale. I would have an M10 in every vehicle, the tractor, the barn, and scattered across several rooms in the house. Nowadays nice old S&W revolvers sell for silly high prices.

Put a dab of white Testers model paint on the front sight blade. Load two CCI snake loads for those big rattlesnakes and follow that with four 148 gr. hard cast full wadcutters at 850 fps +P and you're set. The wadcutter loads I speak of are these...

.38 Special. +P 148 Grain Hard Cast Full Wadcutters (100 RND)

.38 Special +P 148 grain full wadcutter. Very simply a heavy hitting load that does not require any expansion to work. They penetrate straight and deep. Excellent Snub Nose load. These +P 148 grain full wadcutters are rather potent and were tested in S&W Airweight 1 & 7/8ths" J frames as well as...

www.lostriverammocompany.com

These flat-faced hard casts won't recoil badly and will be controllable but will penetrate hog shoulders, skulls, or bad guys in leather jackets. These are high-quality loads from a good man. Underwood and Buffalo Bore offer the same load. I like Mac's Lost River Ammo best.

When I took it out of the safe to head for the range, I looked at the sight and headed for my desk. Only color paint I had on hand was red, so it now wears two coats of whiteout,,,,will replace w/paint soon as I suspect the whiteout is not too durable, but any port in a storm. Doubt I'll carry the 10 hunting, but it would be my 2nd choice; my 60, being SS and a bit more compact is always present in the field, as you suggested, loaded w/2 snakeshot and 3 hardcast 158's.

I bet those WC's would be sweet shooting, but the 60 is not hard to manage w/combat grips. That is my only complaint on the 10 w/the factory grips are a bit small for my hand; if I were going to carry it, I'd get a set of combat grips for a bit better control.

 

[GC]

That is an older M10. I would be curious what the birth year of that old snubby is. A Tyler T grip adapter would be perfect for that old gal. I have used White Out before. It is surprisingly durable on a front sight. I like your .38, it should serve you well.

 

[hm1996]

Thanks, Gary. IIRC, I put whiteout on an M1 Carbine front sight years ago to let some kids use it in our DCM clinic and last I looked, it is still on there, but it is protected. I wouldn't mind knowing birth year either but couldn't locate anything online. There is an S before the SN, but not adjacent to the SN. The only thing I found may narrow down to 1936 -1962 based on tapered barrel & width of front sight, which is .1".
ETA: Oops got an extra 1 in there.

After the War, the M&P would become the standard issue police sidearm for the next 70 years. It would also become very popular with civilian shooters, with several new models being made, including the first snubnosed 2-, 2.5- and 3-inch barrel models being made in 1936.

Beginning with the Model 10–5 series in the late 1960s, the tapered barrel and its trademark 'half moon' front sight (as shown in the illustrations on this page) were replaced by a straight bull barrel and a sloped milled ramp front sight.

10-5

1962

Change sight width from 1/10" to 1/8" on standard barrel