Model 10 (no dash?) manufacture date confusion. Need help

t_skys93 · Jun 21, 2022

Hello,

Brand new member here who recently acquired a neat blue model 10 with a 4” barrel from my local gun shop. It’s evidently an old police issue as it is inscribed, albeit faintly, with MPDC (metropolitan police District of Columbia) on the backstrap. My question and confusion arises concerning the manufacture date because the model number on the frame is simply “model 10” with no dash, but the serial number on the butt is C471691 which I’ve been told should date it to around 1960/61 making it a 10-1 or 10-2. Has anyone run into this before or have any ideas on why this would be? Replacement parts doesn’t really make sense to me since the model number and the serial number are both aged the same and are integral the frame of the gun. Any help and/or direction would be so greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

Muley Gil · Jun 21, 2022

Welcome to the Forum.

A M10-1 has the heavy barrel. Yours has the standard barrel. Some refer to it as a "pencil" barrel; others HATE that name!

The M10-2 refers to changing the ejector rod threads to left hand. Yours still have the right hand threads. The way to tell the difference is that the LH rods have a space between the knurled area and the rest of the rod.

BTW, I truly love round butt revolvers. The RB K frame like yours fits my hands very well.

t_skys93 · Jun 21, 2022

Thanks so much for the info Muley Gil! Would this mean mine qualifies as a proper 10 no dash then? It really does not make much of a difference to me as it is just a fun new shooter of mine, I’m just trying to learn more about the difference between all the early 10s and how that maps on with serial numbers. Guess it’s somewhat of an inexact science to a degree?

Alk8944 · Jun 21, 2022

Per "The book" your SN could be from 1959-1960, and probably be a 10-1. Having the "dash" number missing, or incorrect, is not particularly unusual. Dash number is not definitive as there s always a period of transition for not only the dash number, but for the specific change it represents too.There is not a discrepancy. The SCSW indicates your SN should be from 1960, but even this can be off by sometimes several years. S&W did not record the assembly date in this time period but only the date actually shipped as this is when the serial number was recorded. A gun could be assembled one year, placed in the warehouse, and not pulled for shipment for several years. Two examples are the New Model 3 where all guns were manufactured before 1900, but were still in inventory for sale until 1915. A second example is the .32-20 K Frame guns that were all completed by 1929, but were still in inventory until 1941 and later. The last of these was actually finally shipped sometime in the early 1970s as I recall!

Muley Gil is absolutely correct about the barrel and extractor rod. (It's late and I should be asleep

) Your gun pre-dates both of these changes, so it IS correctly a "no-dash" Model 10.

.455_Hunter · Jun 21, 2022

I had a 5" .38 K-frame that by serial number should have absolutely been well into the Model 10 era. However, no such stamping was present. Maybe the guy was on a smoke break when it came down the line. I eventually sold it because the cylinder gap was far too excessive for my tastes.

t_skys93 · Jun 21, 2022

Great! That clears it up to a certain extent. A no dash it is. And I took it out shooting for the first time earlier today and it’s definitely a fun one to shoot out some targets with. And I agree Muley, the grip does indeed fit comfortably with the round butt. Thanks for the info and the quick responses everybody!

JP@AK · Jun 21, 2022

t_skys93

It would not be surprising to find a Model 10 without a dash number in that serial range. On my list is one in the C470000 range that shipped in September, 1959. There is also one in the C469000 range that shipped the same month. I also show two Model 12s in the C472000 range that shipped in December 1961, and January 1964, respectively.

We often hear (correctly) that S&W did not ship guns in serial order. What is often overlooked is that they were not necessarily assembled in serial order either. So, especially with models that sold in high volume, you will see lots of overlap in serial ranges among successive dash numbers (or lack of them).

For what it's worth, we find .38 Military & Police revolvers with no model number showing up in the C430000 to C434000 range and shipping almost into the autumn of 1958. So a Model 10 with no dash number in the C471000 range would be no surprise at all.

t_skys93 · Jun 21, 2022

I found it for a very low price at a shop that generally only deals with modern semiautos and occasionally has the odd trade in. I’d been lookin for a .38 K frame for a while, but was committed to being patient for the right price since there’s so many floating around out there. Walked in on a lucky day

JP@AK · Jun 21, 2022

Alk8944 said:
A second example is the .32-20 K Frame guns that were all completed by 1929, but were still in inventory until 1941 and later. The last of these was actually finally shipped sometime in the early 1970s as I recall!

It is serial number 141611 and the story is that it shipped in 1965. To my knowledge this has NOT been verified by factory shipping records, but the story likely is true. One of these days I'm going to remember to ask Don or Roy to run that number and find out for sure.

still in inventory until 1941

Yes. They were listed in the 1940 catalog.
The highest number in my list of known ship dates is 144395 and that gun shipped in November, 1936. But I show one with a lower serial number that shipped in August, 1938.

oldbrownhat · Jun 6, 2025

Found this necro-thread while trying to get some info on a friend's Model 10 no dash he was shooting at the range today. 6" barrel. Crane just says "Mod.10", S/N C548xxx. Square butt and wider front sight. ???

JP@AK · Jun 6, 2025

oldbrownhat said:
trying to get some info on a friend's Model 10 no dash he was shooting at the range today. 6" barrel. Crane just says "Mod.10", S/N C548xxx.

Not surprising. C546058 is a Model 10 that shipped in July 1961.

Incidentally, on a S&W the "crane" is called a yoke.

oldbrownhat · Jun 6, 2025

JP@AK said:
Not surprising. C546058 is a Model 10 that shipped in July 1961.

Incidentally, on a S&W the "crane" is called a yoke.

Thanks for that

And yes, "yoke."

I was surprised that it has the wider front sight, though, as I thought they went to the changed that on the 10-5 in 1962. My 10-5, S/N 448xxx has the narrow FS.

Model 10 (no dash?) manufacture date confusion. Need help

t_skys93

Attachments

Muley Gil

US Veteran

t_skys93

Alk8944

US Veteran

.455_Hunter

Member

t_skys93

JP@AK

US Veteran

t_skys93

JP@AK

US Veteran

oldbrownhat

Member

JP@AK

US Veteran

oldbrownhat

Member

Similar threads

Latest posts