Question - Model 10-5 3-inch Bbl. Square Butt

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karamojo

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I have just bought a nice S&W model 10-5 with pinned 3-inch barrel and square butt, serial no. 2D83xxx, made in year 1978. At first glance, the barrel looks cylindrical like the well-known "Heavy Barrel"-configuration but it has a very, very light taper to it. The "Magna" service grips are serial numbered to the gun, by the way.

All of the model 10s with 3-inch barrels I have seen so far had round butt grip frames, so I suppose this variation is probably more scarce. In the great reference book "Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson - 3rd. Edition" I cannot find much information centering around this variation.

Does anybody here know more about this particular variation, especially whether it was offered as a regular catalog item or if it was some kind of limited production run made for a distributor or agency? Thank you very much for your assistance.

Here are two (crappy) pics of the gun:






By the way, after having handled and fired most service handguns available, I strongly believe that Smith & Wesson's "Military & Police" revolvers are among the very best of all combat handguns. :cool:
 
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I had one of those many moons ago. It does have a mid weight barrel. The story I have heard on them is they were over runs from a contract for a French police agency. That could be made up though. That is a gun you don't see a lot. Someone will probably be along who knows the true story on that gun.
 
Hopefully "SmithNut" will see this post..............I think he will have something to say.
Otherwise, a factory letter will be your best bet.

Nice revolver by the way!
 
Congratulations on buying the sweet looking 10-5 with a very interesting barrel length.
 
As far as 3" variations......

Karamojo,
Your gun is a typical "standard" barrel configuration when it comes to the 3" barrel. As you may know, the factory had parallel engineering changes running concurrently, the standard barrel (typically called the tapered or pencil barrel) and the heavy barrel models. When it comes to the three inch versions, they made both standard and heavy, but with the standard engineering changes, the barrels didn't have a pronounced taper like the 4" and longer versions, and at-a-glance they look to many to be HB in appearance. Here's a pic of the barrel profiles (standard and heavy) side by side:
standard.jpg


Now, the three inch standard barrel versions (Typically seen are the M10-5, M10-7 and M10-9 and on occasion the elusive M10-4 and even earlier scarce versions) were normally used for export orders, many to the Asia market (including Australia) and some to Europe were seen with square butt gripframes. In fact, what we normally see are SB gripframes with the standard barrel models and RB gripframes with the HB engineering changes for some reason. It's fairly unusual to find a RB gripframe on a standard barrel three inch, and conversely it's normally unusual to find a square butt gripframe on a HB three inch. Go figure.

In this old thread you will see many standard barrel three inch guns, with an unusual RB, as well as heavy barrel models, one with a not unusually seen SB gripframe.

http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-re...3-inch-k-frames-part-1-38-special-models.html
 
I think SCS&W refers to a run for an agency in Australia. Love those 3" K-frames. Cool piece.
 
That will teach me to read carefully prior to responding! (sidebar: SmithNut for President!)
 
You guys, especially Mr. SmithNut, are awesome. Thanks a lot for your responses. That was a great learning experience.

And... best of all... I have an perfect excuse now for trying to locate another model 10 with a heavy barrel in three or four inch: "See, this is a standard barrel model 10... I just need a bull barrel model 10 to go along with it..." - Response: no response, just wild eyes! LOL
 
New South Wales (Australia) and Turkish cops had some of those.

T-Star
 
A few years ago my daughter took as liking to one of those at a gun show. I believe J&G or some such outfit had put some of them on the market for about $225 or so. The rumor had them coming out of Australian police service. Hers showed some moderate use and carry, but was otherwise fine. I checked it out and smoothed the grooved trigger for DA, and after refinishing the stock SB stocks put on a Tyler grip adapter for her.

The only trouble with the whole project was that we had only bought one and she cannot be talked out of it. It's a very nice handling, very smooth, wonderful shooting little gun. For some reason the lighter 3" tapered barrel and square butt really click. At the time she bought hers there was a second one on the table and I still kick myself for not buying it then and there. Haven't seen another one for sale since. If I do...
 
This is one weapon for which I would definitely get the factory letter from Mr. Jinks.

Yes, it'll cost $50, but if it originally came from the factory with a SB & mid-weight barrel, it would be worth the cost in the long run.
 
I remember a few years ago when J&G Sales got a bunch of 3" SB M-10s from Australia and were selling them for about $250 bucks. Some of them where a little scuffed up but they all had very few rounds through them and right about the time I was going to buy one they were all sold out.
 
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