Jim Taylor
The Handgun That Has The Highest Production Numbers
Thursday, February 06, 2025, 10:05

I know that this is the day and age of the tactical cast from polymer autoloading handgun. However there are still some of us old farts around that prefer the sixgun for most everything. And while I have some autoloaders, they are metal. But my preference is the revolver.

The Smith & Wesson Model 10 has been in production since 1899. More than 6,000,000 have been produced over the years, making it the most produced handgun of the 20th century.

It was first designated as the “38 Hand Ejector Model of 1899”. That was changed to the “S&W Military & Police.” During WWII it was called the “Victory Model.” In the 1950's S&W adopted the numbering system for the various handguns they produced and the old M&P was renamed the “Model 10.” It has gone through a number of internal and cosmetic changes over the years. The one pictured here is a Model 10-8. I believe the latest are Model 10-14.

I bought this gun in 1980 when I was working for the Dept. of Corrections. It was our issue gun. My wife and I were shooting in Combat Matches in those days and she used the Model 10 all the years she competed. She won her share of matches shooting against ladies mostly armed with auto-loaders. She was not as fast as some of them but she rarely missed and in those matches misses counted heavily against you.

The stocks on this pistol are original Bear Hug by Deacon Deason. Deacon was a good friend and a great grip-maker. The only modifications I did to the sixgun was to chamfer the chambers to help with speed-loading and to remove the grooves on the trigger, polishing the face of the trigger smooth. The grooved trigger made your finger sore when firing a lot of ammo during a match.

It's true that the .38 Special isn't a Magnum. And I do not try to make it one. You don't need Magnum velocities to get the job done. The nice thing about the .38 Special is it's easy to reload, easy to shoot and plenty accurate. Practice handloads can be made for about the cost of a box of .22 Long Rifle ammo, making practice with the Model 10 easier on the pocket book.