Model 10-5 U.S. marked.

[charlie sherrill]

I recently picked up a 4" model 10-5 that is stamped "U.S." on the back of the grip frame. I don't see any other unusual markings anywhere. Diamond insert grips are numbered to the gun. Serial number is C767XXX. I thought one of you guys might have something similar and give me a little more info on it. A friend told me he thought it might be some kind of pilot weapon used in Viet Nam but as of now there is no proof of that.

 

[Alk8944]

Standard request, photos are helpful!

Without having the gun in hand to examine it is impossible to know what the U S means! It is even possible a previous owner stamped it himself, possibly with fraudulent intent to increase the guns value.

 

[jeffrefrig]

Sounds interesting. As previous post said, a picture could be helpful. Not that I know what I'm looking at; I just like looking at gun pictures, along with a thousand other men & ladies. (Not pics of men & ladies, just to clarify a little better.)

 

[kwill1911]

Nice find. They were generally issued to Army aviators.

Just checked my data to remember that 000s of these were also issued to ARVN troops.

 

[murphydog]

The military issued guns of this era and model were generally round butt frames.

 

[MajorD]

Large numbers of model 10’s were ordered by the government during the Vietnam era, and as mentioned they seem to have been predominantly round butts. I have seen several postings here and elsewhere of U.S. marked round butt 10’s.
I don’t think anyone would go to the trouble of fake marking a model 10 with a U.S. stamp, but anything is possible.
They were issued mostly to aviators, as well as female MP’s.

Some might ask why a 38 revolver? In regards to the aviators, beak in mind the standard military method at the time of carrying the 45 was empty chamber rack it when you draw. Impossible to do while trying to control an aircraft. So revolvers became standard in the aviation community.

 

[Slufstuff]

Here are a couple pictures of one of my Model 10-5 US marked revolvers. They were a US issue firearm during the Vietnam war and for a few years after, before the M9 replaced them. A lot of use by army helicopter pilots during the war.

 

[DWalt]

I remember that back in the late 1960s, new S&W revolvers were becoming a little difficult to find, the reason being given was that S&W was giving priority to filling military purchase orders.

 

[charlie sherrill]

Here are a couple pictures of one of my Model 10-5 US marked revolvers. They were a US issue firearm during the Vietnam war and for a few years after, before the M9 replaced them. A lot of use by army helicopter pilots during the war.

Mine has the same stamp as this one, but it is a square butt.

 

[charlie sherrill]

Here’s the photos. I can’t find much info on the earlier C prefix, only the D prefixes. Any idea as to when this might have shipped and how many? The book also mentions a version with a “P” on the frame. Does anyone have a photo of that version?

 

[JP@AK]

I can’t find much info on the earlier C prefix, only the D prefixes. Any idea as to when this might have shipped and how many?

Most likely 1965, Charlie.
I think Pate says the total military purchase exceeded 130,000 units. I haven't looked at his book lately, but that is the number that sticks in my head.

 

[kwill1911]

Jack, I'm sure you know something I don't but Pate's book on U.S. Handguns does not address anything after WWII. Are you thinking of another source?

 

[MajorD]

Charlie- first time I have ever seen a U.S. marked square butt!

 

[JP@AK]

Pate's book on U.S. Handguns does not address anything after WWII. Are you thinking of another source?

I believe it is in his other book with Anthony C. Daum.

 

[F224]

I could not spot a flaming-cannonball stamp in the photos. The M-10's we had in the Iowa Army NG were all round butts in my experience and along with a few Colt revolvers we had all had the cannonball stamp.

 

[Alk8944]

I could not spot a flaming-cannonball stamp in the photos. The M-10's we had in the Iowa Army NG were all round butts in my experience and along with a few Colt revolvers we had all had the cannonball stamp.

It it is a representation of a medieval period hand grenade, referred to in military service, particularly the Ordnance Corps as a flaming p... pot. Yeah, my time in the service was in ordnance.

 

[DWalt]

Or flaming bomb. The British army in the colonial period had soldiers called Grenadiers. They were usually big guys. Their job was to light fuses on those types of spherical grenades and throw them accurately at the enemy. They were about the size of a baseball.

 

[jpage]

My USGI M10-5 does not have a flaming-bomb either.

 

[charlie sherrill]

Charlie- first time I have ever seen a U.S. marked square butt!

I've only seen the round butts until now.

 

[S-W4EVER]

The Army bought more M-10’s in 1973 or ‘74 for female MP’s. I don’t recall whether they were round or square butt or how they were marked but I do remember they were blued steel 4” pencil barrels.