Value question Model 10-4

Hair Trigger · Jun 22, 2020

I saw a Model 10-4, 4" heavy barrel .38 Spl., in my LGS for $425. The frame is clean, no scratches or rust; cylinder has the fine line at the locking lug from lots of spinning, the muzzle and front edges of the cylinder at the flutes has what I would consider normal holster wear for a 58-ish year old revolver. Pinned barrel and recessed cylinder, standard trigger and hammer, square butt and small grips in good shape. Action is smooth and it locks up tightly. I didn't get the SN, but did confirm inside the gantry it is a -4. According to what I could find, the -4 was introduced in 1962 (as well as the -5, and -6). It has three side plate screws, forgot to look for the trigger guard screw, which was supposedly eliminated on the standard barrel -4. Would that also include the heavy barrel?

Question is, is it worth the asking price? Looks like a well kept service revolver. No box or other stuff.

Absalom · Jun 22, 2020

The way I read the dash-change chronology, a Model 10-4 should NOT have a heavy barrel. Both the 10-4 and 10-5 were tapered-barrel iterations which happened in 1962, with the 10-5 then continuing until 1977. The HB version went from 10-3 to 10-6.

Bladeswitcher · Jun 22, 2020

Hair Trigger said:
I saw a Model 10-4, 4" heavy barrel .38 Spl., in my LGS for $425. The frame is clean, no scratches or rust; cylinder has the fine line at the locking lug from lots of spinning, the muzzle and front edges of the cylinder at the flutes has what I would consider normal holster wear for a 58-ish year old revolver. Pinned barrel and recessed cylinder . . .

Question is, is it worth the asking price? Looks like a well kept service revolver. No box or other stuff.

Sounds like a pretty average condition gun. Nothing special, nothing too bad. IDEALLY, you'd want to pick a revolver like that up for $325-$350, but those deals are getting harder to find. Still, unless you've just got to have it, $425 seems a bit high. That's certainly near top dollar. Yeah, you can find lots of them on Gunbroker with higher asking prices, but that doesn't mean they'll sell at those prices.

BTW, I doubt the cylinder is recessed. Typically, that's only done on magnums.

Speedo2 · Jun 22, 2020

Recessed cylinder?

murphydog · Jun 22, 2020

If the parts are all original to the gun, my guess is it is a 10-1. Knowing the serial number and seeing the fourth screw would confirm this.

Hair Trigger · Jun 22, 2020

The info I read mentioned the heavy barrel was introduced in 1959 with the -1 modification, so a -4 could be either the pencil barrel or heavy barrel, I believe. The heavy barrel I don't think replaced the light barrel, it is an option.

As for the recessed cylinder, My bad. I'm so used to looking for pinned and recessed magnums, it was an automatic statement.

I figured the gun was probably on the high end for price. It is like someone mentioned, average condition. If I see it again I'll get the SN for a definitive age. I doubt seriously I'll get it; I'd rather keep saving my money for what I really want, a M57 no dash, and/or a M29 up to a -2, both in blue.

Hair Trigger · Jun 22, 2020

murphydog said:
If the parts are all original to the gun, my guess is it is a 10-1. Knowing the serial number and seeing the fourth screw would confirm this.

I'm positive it is a 10-4; it is stamped inside the gantry.

BSA1 · Jun 22, 2020

I would buy it but the heavy barrel Model 10 is one of my favorite guns.

With the current events occurring in our country all handguns are in demand. With States like California banning semi-auto handguns it is driving the demand and price of revolvers up. The basic no-frills 38 Special Revolver served LEO’s for many decades and is still up to the job for citizens. The one thing we can be sure of is the anti-2A’s continuing to try to ban firearms.

murphydog · Jun 22, 2020

Hair Trigger said:
I'm positive it is a 10-4; it is stamped inside the gantry.

Have a look at the frame/barrel junction; the standard barrel frame is contoured to match the thinner part, and the bull barrel frame is not so this part looks mismatched on a standard barrel frame (the rear barrel edges overhang the frame).

The standard (10, 10-2, 10-4) and bull barrel (10-1, 10-3) were made at the same times but were not offered with both barrel styles, so a bull barrel 10-4 was either mis-stamped or has the wrong part installed. Did we mention we like photos?

Absalom · Jun 23, 2020

Hair Trigger said:
I'm positive it is a 10-4; it is stamped inside the gantry.

Based on the SCSW, and some additional research, I am now positive that the regular 10-4 had a tapered, not a heavy barrel. The 10-4 was made for only a few months before the change to the 10-5, so model collectors of the 10 series value it higher than run-of-the-mill dash versions.

So if you are looking at a heavy barrel gun marked 10-4, it was either some special order or is mis-marked. Or as Alan suggests, reassembled

oldbrownhat · Jun 23, 2020

Bladeswitcher said:
...IDEALLY, you'd want to pick a revolver like that up for $325-$350, but those deals are getting harder to find. Still, unless you've just got to have it, $425 seems a bit high. That's certainly near top dollar. Yeah, you can find lots of them on Gunbroker with higher asking prices, but that doesn't mean they'll sell at those prices...

Agreed. I was looking online at Model 10 prices (as a possible choice for my gf, who has been thinking it might be wise to have a gun at home) and I was very surprised (astounded?) to see asking prices in the $500+ range, expecting, as you say, somewhere around $350-375, given that there must be a zillion out there. I'm obviously WAY out of touch.

GerSan69 · Jun 23, 2020

It's not unusual to find an example that either has or doesn't have engineering features that we "think" it should. OP should determine if this gun has a trigger guard screw, which according to SCSW was removed from the Model 10 with the -6 change. By the way, OP, that's the "yoke," not the "gantry."
Model 10s are a fine old gun, the basic gun of the S&W line. A 10 in good shape that's given a reasonable amount of care will outlast all of us. The price you saw is pretty much average these days. Don't worry, if you pass on it, they made millions of them. Not scarce at all.

Value question Model 10-4

Hair Trigger

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Absalom

SWCA Member, Absent Comrade

Bladeswitcher

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Speedo2

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murphydog

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Hair Trigger

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Hair Trigger

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BSA1

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murphydog

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Absalom

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oldbrownhat

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GerSan69

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