Model 10-6 .357 Magnum? Need Help Identifying

[DogNutRadio]

"My biggest concern is, can this thing actually shoot .357 Magnum?"

good question.

The K frame can absolutely handle 357...however, with apologies, there is a ton of substandard work on the gun.

Since I totally support your wheelgun addiction and like another poster, am happy to see a young-un like you interested in classic smiths, I don't want to discourage you.

On the other hand...I don't want you to jump down a rabbit hole on a questionable gun and turn you off of the subject of classic smiths.

It is therefore with reluctance that I suggest that you sell this thing and get an unmolested example.

But I do warn you...it is an addiction. A buddy asked to borrow one of my K22s and I found a Model 14 and an 3 inch J Frame that I had forgotten in the third safe. And this ain't bragging. They have guys here with 10 times more guns than me.

 

[DogNutRadio]

also note that one can always learn more and this is a great place to do so with a lot of helpful people.

Understand, I am a published author with several gun inventions and today I bought a gun that I didn't know about and am asking this incredible group of folks for advice.

someone always knows more

 

[mchom]

JP@AK
Curious …
Would these 10-6 in 357 delivered to NYSP have been department marked ?
It seems many other NYSP revolvers were stamped NYSP. The ops may have been polished out if it was marked.
Thanks

 

[.357Magnum]

JP@AK
Curious …
Would these 10-6 in 357 delivered to NYSP have been department marked ?
It seems many other NYSP revolvers were stamped NYSP. The ops may have been polished out if it was marked.
Thanks

According to the Smith & Wesson Standard Catalog, the NYSP revolvers didn't have any known police markings. Please see attached picture of the snippet in the catalog

 

[.357Magnum]

"My biggest concern is, can this thing actually shoot .357 Magnum?"

good question.

The K frame can absolutely handle 357...however, with apologies, there is a ton of substandard work on the gun.

Since I totally support your wheelgun addiction and like another poster, am happy to see a young-un like you interested in classic smiths, I don't want to discourage you.

On the other hand...I don't want you to jump down a rabbit hole on a questionable gun and turn you off of the subject of classic smiths.

It is therefore with reluctance that I suggest that you sell this thing and get an unmolested example.

But I do warn you...it is an addiction. A buddy asked to borrow one of my K22s and I found a Model 14 and an 3 inch J Frame that I had forgotten in the third safe. And this ain't bragging. They have guys here with 10 times more guns than me.

I appreciate the honesty of your input, no offense taken at all! Very curious to know what I have, and it is what it is. A user on Reddit said that I got burned on the trade due to the horrible reblueing. Although discouraging, you got to start somewhere and somehow. In life, one will incur loss! I'll probably just keep it for the time being. Still curious to an idea as to what it's worth, assuming it turns out to be a NYSP.

 

[Retired W4]

Even if a letter confirms that it is one of the NYSP guns the collector value has been destroyed by a previous owner. If it passes all function and safety checks it's value is as a shooter and if it showed up at my tables I would probably tell you it's worth $400-$500. That would not be an offer, but an appraisal. That figure might change lower once I had it in hand.

 

[Hawg Rider]

Maybe it's just my old eyes, but to me the rear of the cylinder looks to have been machined (under the extractor), and the s/n stamps on the grip frame are not traditional S&W stamps...different font and size. The grip frame probably needed to have the s/n restamped after excessive polishing. Cylinder was probably reworked to accept the .357 Magnum cartridges. If it is indeed a NYSP revolver, that's a great find.

 

[ColumbusJBR]

Nice find! Even if the reblue hurts the collector value, you’ve still got a fun shooter. And even if it doesn’t turn out to be all you hoped, here’s the thing… it won’t be your last S&W wheelie

 

[AlHunt]

... the s/n stamps on the grip frame are not traditional S&W stamps...different font and size.

I wondered if it was just me. So, .357Magnum, does the serial number appear anywhere else on that firearm? I'm not sure where it would be by the time that one was made. Maybe behind the extractor star or on the barrel flat? Possibly the back of the yoke, visible through one of the charging holes?

 

[OFT II]

By the time this one was made it should have had a letter prefix in the serial number.

 

[BigMuddy]

First I will say (and this is only my opinion) trading a .380 anything for a S&W K frame heavy barrel revolver, you did NOT get burned. As a shooter much more than a collector I look at the “value” to be “what is it worth to me”. As a gun to carry, shoot, and enjoy I would take your revolver over a .380 any day of the week.

If it is indeed a NYSP gun that’s great. I personally wouldn’t care at this point what the $$ value is at all. With the counter sunk cylinder I would believe it would indeed handle.357’s. I like many shoot more 38’s from my K frame Smith and I would do the same with yours.

If I owned your revolver I would carry and shoot it so much that the “re-blue” would look like it needed to be done again. Having a NIB example of your gun would indeed be nice, but not near as much fun.

Dan

edit to add: It’s your money but I wouldn’t spend it on a letter unless you just “have to know”. Spend the money on ammo.

 

[shovelhead]

This is great! If there's a good chance it's an NYSP unit, then it's definitely worth the $100 to get a letter to confirm. Thanks for all this information! What would an NYSP unit be worth? That horrible reblue job isn't going to help me, but I'd like to know what mine would go for, and what one in good condition would go for, if you or anyone here happen to know. Thanks!

I’m going to sum it up here with my opinion, if it makes you happy that’s the deciding factor. Personally I would have taken that deal too.

On the value of the letter, sometimes it’s worth it at least to you. It may clear up some questions, may open up doors to more. Kind of like my family genealogy research, one never knows where those doors will lead you.

 

[Brian Parrish]

Yes!

I concur with Big Muddy. Ya done good with this deal.
Enjoy the weapon. No, you have not accidently stumbled into a valuable collector piece.
I think the weapon looks good. The reblue is fine and you don't know what it looked like before that was done.
Here is a YouTube man that I like:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgsWqHuytN8&t=17s[/ame]

It is long and kinda dry, but this is a good start to your revolver education.
Welcome and Kind Regards!
BrianD

 

[Bald1]

Based on value of trade you have about $550 in it. Did you overpay? Yeah a little. Did you get burned? Meh….. something is definitely going on with that serial number stamp. What you have is an interesting gun. In the car world they’d call it a twenty footer. Keep it, shoot it, enjoy it.

 

[handejector]

Does that butt number bother anyone besides me?
It appears to have been restamped.
Note the double strike on the first 6.
Is the font and location correct for a 10-6 in 357? This gun is a little later than my interest, so I don't really know.

Is there a number on back of the extractor?
Is there a Model number in the yoke cut?

 

[JP@AK]

Does that butt number bother anyone besides me?
It appears to have been restamped. Note the double strike on the first 6.
Is the font and location correct for a 10-6 in 357? This gun is a little later than my interest, so I don't really know.

Lee
I think it was restamped, except for possibly the D. Clearly this gun was over-polished when it was reblued. If the D was restruck, it wasn't struck deeply, but it looks to me to be original. Notice that it is slightly smaller than the digits. What I think happened is that the digits were polished out, but the D remained visible, so they restruck the numeric digits in a different font. The D is in the right place and the digits are close to the correct location, but the font is different.

I have carefully compared the pictures with one of my NYSP guns, and that is the conclusion I've reached.

 

[JP@AK]

My biggest concern is, can this thing actually shoot .357 Magnum? The recessed/counterbored cylinder and the fact that .357 magnums fit perfectly in the cylinder tell me yes, but the fact that the marking on the right side of the barrel is gone kind of scares me. Thoughts?

As I mentioned previously, the counterbored cylinder tends to suggest this is the original cylinder for a 10-6 .357. The 10-6 .38 Specials did not have that feature.

Keep in mind the bore of the barrel for a .38 Special and for a .357 Magnum is the same. Both cartridges use bullets of .357/.358 diameter. I can't see any reason that you can't shoot .357 Magnum ammo through this revolver. I, and many others, shoot more .38 Specials through our .357 Magnum guns than we shoot magnum cartridges anyway. But if you want to shoot factory magnums, I think they will be fine. The gun is certainly strong enough, assuming everything functions properly.

 

[jb28]

Just an opinion and worth what you paid for it. .
Keep the gun, it's kind of cool even with the "bad" blue job. And it's paid for so it's not costing you money to keep it.
If you have a cronograph, load up some 158 swc to 1050 or 1100 fps for "serious stuff" and standard 38 special eq. for everthing else.
Even one marked model 19 shouldn't see tons of .357 mag loads in my humble opinion and stay on the heavier bullet side. They make 586's and 686's for that.
Now you have an excuse to go find one LOL.

 

[smithman]

I think someone converted a 38 to .357 and polished the cartridge data off the barrel on purpose, then reblued the gun.

 

[murphydog]

Does that butt number bother anyone besides me?
It appears to have been restamped.
Note the double strike on the first 6.
Is the font and location correct for a 10-6 in 357? This gun is a little later than my interest, so I don't really know.

Is there a number on back of the extractor?
Is there a Model number in the yoke cut?

Yes, the serial number has definitely been altered, and if there are no other parts of the gun on which the SN is stamped there is no way to determine if it is correct. Technically this makes the gun illegal to possess.