S&W Model 10 .. A Short and Improper History

The Smith & Wesson Model 10 - Possibly the most popular revolver ever made.

The sixgun that we now know as the S&W Model 10 was first introduced in 1899, making it now over 120 years old. Its continuing popularity is a testimony to the design. While many will downplay the revolver in this age of autoloaders, the revolver has been and continues to be a great choice. It served many a military man or law enforcement well for a very long time, and it will still do so today.

S&W 1st Model Hand Ejector Military & Police

HISTORY
NAMES and DESIGNATIONS

1899 – Introduced in 1899 as the “Hand Ejector”, it was renamed the "S&W Military and Police" later in 1899 after being adopted by the military.
1902 - Second Model M&P
1905 - M&P Model 1905
1942 to 1944 "Victory Model" (used by Air National Guard tanker crews until 1991 and by US Navy security personnel until 1995)

S&W Victory Model

1957 S&W changed the designation to “Model 10” and adopted Model numbers for all their revolvers.

S&W Model 10's .. Top- Heavy Barrel .. Bottom – Standard Barrel

Model 10 changes:

10-1 1959 Heavy barrel introduced
10-2 1961 Change extractor rod thread for standard barrel
10-3 1961 Change extractor rod thread for heavy barrel, change front sight width from 1/10" to 1/8"
10-4 1962 Eliminate trigger-guard screw on standard barrel frame
10-5 1962 Change sight width from 1/10" to 1/8" on standard barrel
10-6 1962 Eliminate trigger-guard screw on heavy-barrel frame
10-7 1977 Change gas ring from yoke to cylinder for standard barrel
10-8 1977 Change gas ring from yoke to cylinder for heavy barrel
10-9 1988 Replace yoke retention system, radius stud package, floating hand hammer nose bushing for standard barrel
10-10 1988 Replace yoke retention system, radius stud package, floating hand hammer nose bushing for heavy barrel
10-11 1997 MIM hammer/trigger and floating firing pin for standard barrel and heavy barrel Model M10 Park police model.
10-12 1997 MIM hammer/trigger + floating firing pin for heavy barrel
10-13 2002 Limited production 1899 commemorative edition
10-14 2002 Internal lock added
10-14 2010 Discontinued
10-14 2012 Reintroduced as part of the Classic Line

Over 6 million Model 10's were produced since 1899. The Model 10 has been described as the most popular handgun of the 20th century. These as well as a number of other Models were all built on what S&W now calls "the K-frame."

THE MODEL 10 HAS BEEN USED BY THESE COUNTRIES:
Canada- Various Police Forces.
China
Costa Rica
France
Hong Kong Police Force
Icelandic Police
Iran
Ireland- Armed units of the Garda Síochána
Israel
Jamaica
Japan - Used in some prefecture police headquarters since late 1940s.
Jordan
Kingdom of Laos
Latvia
Libya
Malaysia
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Norway - standard firearm of Norwegian Police Service from 1981 until about 2007.
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Portugal
Saudi Arabia
Singapore Police Force
South Africa
South Vietnam
Vietnam
Thailand
Turkish National Police
United Kingdom - formerly a police-issue weapon
United States- Military and Police Forces, prisons who had armed guards.

IT WAS PRODUCED IN THESE BARREL LENGTHS:

2"
3"
4"
5"
6"
Some special contract 2.5" barrels were produced also.

PRODUCED IN THESE CALIBERS:

.38 Long Colt
.38 Special
There was a .357 Magnum - a small prototype run of Model 10-6 revolvers in S&W .357 Magnum caliber was made by S&W prior to bringing out the Model 13.
Also from the late 1940s to early 1960s Smith & Wesson made a variation of the Model 10 chambered for .38 S&W called the Model 11 in caliber .38/200 (.38 S&W aka 9×20mmR)

Left to right- .38 S&W .. .38 Long Colt … .38 Special

COPIES OF THE MODEL 10:

Garate Anitua &Cia, Eibar, Spain made copies of the Model 10 in .32-20 from 1930 through 1936.

Trocaola Aranzabal y Cia, Eibar, Spain made copies of the Model 10 in .38 Special in the period between both world wars.

Gabilondo, Eibar, Spain made copies of the Model 10 between 1955 and 1970 in calibers .22 LR, .32 S&W, .32 WCF, and .38 Special. It is said that a few were also chambered in .357 Magnum.

Copies of Smith & Wesson Model 10 are produced in Israel by Israel Military Industries (IMI), called Revolver IMI 9mm. It is chambered in the 9x21 mm.

Copies of the Model 10 are made in Brazil by Taurus, called the Model 82. These are in .38 Special.

There may be others also. I have not done a lot of research to find out. What I have found simply reinforces what I said at the beginning. This is one popular sixgun!

K-FRAME MODELS
The K-frame has grown into a number of variations over the years.

Model 10 - .38 Special
Model 11 - .38 S&W
Model 12 - .38 Special ("Airweight")
Model 13 - .357 Magnum
Model 14 - .38 Special ("K-38 Masterpiece")
Model 15 - .38 Special (".38 Combat Masterpiece")
Model 16 - .32 S&W Long ("K-32 Masterpiece")
Model 17 - .22 rimfire ("K-22 Masterpiece")
Model 18 - .22 rimfire ("K-22 Combat Masterpiece")
Model 19 - .357 Magnum ("Combat Magnum")
Model 53 - .22 Remington Jet
Model 64 - .38 Special (stainless steel version of the Model 10)
Model 65 - .357 Magnum (stainless steel version of the Model 13)
Model 66 - .357 Magnum (stainless steel version of the Model 19)
Model 67 - .38 Special (stainless steel version of the Model 15)
Model 68 - .38 Special (.38 Special version of the Model 66 with a 6" barrel)
Model 617 - .22 rimfire (full-lug stainless steel 10-shot version of the Model 17)
The K-frame S&W's have been copied by a number of companies around the world. While I am sure S&W would rather not have that happening, it is a testimony to the popularity of that frame size.

The Model 10 continues to be one of the most sought revolvers. With its double action and fixed sights there is little to operating a Model 10. Line up the sights, put your finger on the trigger and squeeze. If you have a misfire at some point, there are no clearing exercises to learn. Just pull the trigger again.

The Model 10 is easy to handle for just about everyone, even those who have smaller hands. The simplicity of the revolver is a big attraction to many who are just starting to shoot handguns. While many opt for semi-automatics, one should never discount ease of use, comfort and confidence, especially for new shooters ….. As some of us older ones are rediscovering. These days I enjoy shooting target loads from the Model 10 S&W about as much as anything I shoot.