I know the usual arguments against .38 special from many but I'm still curious.

I saw a nice Nickel plated Model 10-4 snubby. I'm very tempted to pick it up. Is anyone carrying a model 10 snubnose as their carry weapon? If so is there a particular round you'd recommend? would a swchp round be a good choice and what weight are you guys finding that work well in yours?

I just might have to go back and at least put a deposit on this one. Especially since it's Nickel plated and in pretty decent shape.

Not a model 10, but a Model 66-2 2.5" has been a constant companion in the summer months. .38 special is fine for personal defense in my opinion.

As far as ammunition selection goes, whatever you can find that will hit to the sights is the #1 pick, as shot placement is king regarding low capacity weapons. I personally like Speer's 125grn +p .38 special loading, which is a JHP. This may not be easy to find for you in these times however.

I would pick something in the flavor of a SWC or a JHP of some sort, as long as they hit to the sights. I have heard good things across the board about Federal's Gold Medal Match .38 wadcutters for snubs that will be socially used.

You may find the sights on that model 10 to be regulated to shoot 158grain stuff- Hornady's XTP is what I was using when messing around with a model 64 (now my sister's) for CC.

I carry a round butt 10-7 snub---have been doing so for a couple years now. I carry SigSauer Elite +P hollowpoints in it.

158gr SWCHP was the old FBI load...... nothing wrong with it.

Shot placement is King....... double tap is Queen.

All handgun rounds "go through a plate glass window like a brick" ...... but none guarantee a "one shot stop"

Had a 2" nickel 10-4 I sold to a friend to buy a CZ Kadet..... nice guns....I prefer a 2 1/2 or 3 inch 65 or 66..... generally carried with a +P.38 125 hp.

Excellent info. Thank you

So plus p's are ok in the model 10's?. I think the dash 4 is mid 60's but not sure

3 #1 buck shot in a Speer shot capsule helps with shot placement
Like being hit with a 22 magnum 3 times at once. 3" group at 5 yards.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

My M10-7 snub was my service revolver before we got the stainless steel replacements & stays in the nightstand.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

Frequently carry a 3 inch model 10 and feel very comfortable with it.

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LEX ET ORDO

Me and my 36 snubby(hornady self-defense) round butt are inseparable.

The Model 10-6 4” Heavy Barrel and it’s Stainless Steel brother Model 64 are my favorite handguns. With the Magna grips and Tyler Grip Adapter they fit my hand and their weight balances perfectly for me. Alas the world and crime in America has become worse and the revolver has taken a back seat for use on the streets.

However it shines in a role for home defense. In addition gun bans on semi-autos such as in California has folks discovering how useful the K-Frame revolver is.

The 2” barrel for me is to short whereas the 3” and 4” fills the “just right” size.

I carried a 10-5 as a condition of employment for for many years. I still carry one often.
Find the right ammo for the gun and there isn't anything out there any better.
I too carry the old 158 FBI load.

Model 64, 2" round butt was my concealed carry from 1 976 - 1992 while working before we went to Glocks. Then Glock Model 23. Retirement gift was a Shield 9mm which is my concealed carry now. However if didn't have Shield i would still carry my 64 in its pancake holster from 44 years ago with +P ammo.

Since my surgeries (shoulder, wrist, elbow) I have put the larger semi-autos away for now and gone back to my old K-frame revolvers, 2" Model 64 round-butt daily with a 3" Model 10 square butt kept handy at home.

I still have a pretty good supply of the old Federal 158-SWCHP .38 Special +P (so-called FBI load). I practice with cast 158 SWC loaded to +P level, and that would be a good carry load also.

I have an S&W Model 10-5. Although I don't carry it every day, I do
carry it on occasions. I cannot cite chapter and verse, but I seem to recall
reading that +P ammo is safe to shoot in 10-4 and above.

When I carry the 10-5 it is loaded with Buffalo Bore's version of the old
FBI load. 158-Gr. L.S.W.H.C.-G.C. (Gas Check). They claim 1000 fps
and muzzle energy of 306 ft. lbs. (Probably from a 4"?) Mine is 2".
Buffalo Bore's item # is 20A/20.

Photo below-left with matching (?) Puma Prince folder.
2nd from left shown in it's favorite holster, an RSS (Revolver Super Speed)
by Ken Null.

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In Omnia Paratus

Until my back decided to go away and the "peaceful protests" ramped up, I carried a 2" 1963 vintage Model 12-2 loaded with standard pressure Winchester Defend 130 grain JHP ammo in a vintage Clark holster. If my back issues resolve and the country calms down, I'll carry it again.

Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk

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CPT, Armor (Ret)
Luke 22:36

K frame round butt is one of my fav's just fits my
hand just right.
This model 64 and model 12 are in my carry rotation.

Not a Model 10, but this Model 65 is close enough. I carry it quite often.

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Let's be careful out there

My night stand gun is a Mod. 10-5 4in.

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Dogs are better than people.

My very first EDC back in 1979 was a 2" M10 RB in Nickel. I had numerous mechanical issues that caused it to be unreliable (a Factory defect that could not be practically repaired) and so S&W pulled one off their line, stamped my serial number on it and destroyed mine. The replacement was in Blue. I carried that for about two years and decided it was too heavy and bulky so I foolishly sold it to a friend and bought my first M60.

The Blued one was fine and I should have kept it, but back in the very early 80's when I was buying my first house I needed the money.

Yep, a 10-5 with standard barrel, not the
big schnozzola, is a wonderful companion,
this despite my love affair with Combat
Masterpieces and Model 15s.

OK, I'm a two-timing cad.

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Ubi Est Mea

I often carry a 2” 64-2 at work. When I’m not working I carry a 2” 12-2. The first gun I ever carried was a 4” 10-5 when I went to deal with the burglar alarms at my sportsman’s club.

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Wheel guns are real guns.

Pawn shop around the corner from me posted a minty 10-7 SB this morning for $599.00. Was hoping it would last until Monday morning as I was out of town. No such luck. Next time I looked this afternoon it was sold.
Don’t know how good that price was, but it was good enough for me.

The main reason LE went to autopistols was magazine capacity and the use of gross motor skills to reload a magazine (rather than fine motor skills to load cartridges individually). There is nothing wrong with a .38 Special revolver for personal defense (and now that I’m retired my EDC alternates between my Model 442-2 and my 340PD, both w/ .38 Special +P).

And most likely, "Check Mate".

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Hillbilly

I have a 64/4" I have thought about qualifying with. My Duty weapon now is a Beretta 92FS. (I'm armed security not LEO). But likely my aching back after long shifts will take me to a M&P.

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Hillbilly

I carried this Model 10 in my car or truck for many years, way before the CHL law was passed:



I still keep it available for concealed carry. I also keep this customized M64 available for concealed carry:



I use standard, high quality .38 Special loads, no +P, same with my M649 J frame. It will do if I do my job correctly.

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Come and take it!!

I've carried a variety of J frames daily for many years, either 38 Spl or 32 H&R Mag, in a Lobo Enhanced Pancake holster. They were all 2", round butt, concealed- or shrouded-hammer guns.

But I also have a 65-3 (3", round butt) and had a 64-something (2", round butt) that I decided to try carrying. For the extra shot, better recoil absorption, and the ability to use my carry gun in IDPA matches. Got another Lobo Enhanced Pancake holster for 'em and tried it for a while, with the same 38 Special +P 158g lead SWCHP round I carried in the 38 Spl J frames.

But I just never could get used to the weight and the exposed hammer in the K frames. At the end of the day they were really HEAVY hanging on the belt, whereas the J frames were just there. The K frames WERE a lot more fun to practice with than the J frames, of course, but in the end they were just too much gun for daily carry, for me. YMMV, of course.

I think I saw the model 10 you mention. Nice gun
Great for carry

my 10-5 would be a great choice for carry. It shoots well, and it has some wear. Also have a 66-2, but tend to baby it! Bob

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A 2" round butt Model 10 is something I've always lusted for. Nickeled would be a plus. If I saw something like that for a good price it would be mine and yes I would carry it with a stoutly loaded lead semi-wadcutter.

When's the last time you shot a K frame? They are incredibly smooth

What you say is correct. In addition in the city of Cleveland at the time another part of the manufactured controversy was the claim that 9 mm was much more powerful than the .38 spl & could the Police be trusted with such a powerful weapon. Also at the time was a curious dilemma (for today) 9mm hollow point rounds were said to wound excessively (Geneva Convention cited ???) while the FMJ's had excessive penetration & were dangerous well beyond necessary.

Don't carry this much anymore, but it's always ready in the casa.
Bob

10-8 3"

Favorite carry is Model 10, pencil barrel, round butt, 4" of course. Fits my hand like a glove.

A Model 10-6 Heavy Barrel is the preferred "daily driver" here.

My 4" 10-8 HB sees frequent time in the holster and is one of my favorites.

I use Federal HST 130g +p in my 10-7 snub…

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"Non sibi, sed patriae"

Not a 10 but a 64-2, stainless 10. Formally owned by California Dept. of Corrections. Pretty tight, excellent finish still. Carry it every day, practice regularly, I'm pretty confident it will make the desired impression on the bad guy, I've seen it happen.

Carried a pre-10 snub for some time. The pros are that when you get home and take the gun off you get to feel like you're in an old detective movie, the cons are that you're concealing a pretty large and heavy gun for six rounds in an era where you can have 12 on tap in a smaller and lighter package. If you like it, more power to you, having a gun on you puts you ahead of most others from a defensive standpoint. Don't worry too much about ammo selection, placement is key and most any decent defensive ammo will work for you. If you want carry as a reason to buy a cool new gun, don't sweat it at all, go snag it. K frame snubs are inherently cool and you're not likely to regret buying one even if you're not going to wind up carrying it much.

I have never heard of a problem shooting +P .38s in a steel frame revolver.

My EDC is a J frame 640P, not a K, but when spending the day outdoors in cold weather I have carried a 3" 13-2 RB under a jacket. It's heavier but not that bad.

Right now I'm loading Federal +P 130 HST.

I have carried a Model 10 snub in the past but I rarely do so now, despite still loving that gun.



This 2" customized M64 is carried more than that M10. Kinda sorta the same gun, really.

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Come and take it!!

I carry my 2" model 15-3 everyday. However, I just won an auction for a model 10-8 4" RB that I will have the barrel chopped to 3" and a front night sight installed. I plan on making that my carry gun and leave the model 15 as the bedroom gun for my wife.

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Nothing "wrong" with any 2-4" K-frame loaded with .38s for self defense.....shoot what you can get the best shot placement with.... then double tap!!!

The first gun I personally owned was a Model 10. The first gun I carried as a Police Officer was a Model 10. That was 40 years ago. I realized recently I haven’t owned a Model 10 since then. I have other alternatives like 13,19,65. This little beauty, a 10-5 showed up for sale on the forum a couple weeks ago. I happily shot it last week. K frames of all sizes feel like hanging with an old friend.

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SWCA 3255 SWHF 615

The Ammo I prefer in short barrel Revolvers is the old Federal Nyclad 125 grain standard velocity or the +P version of the Nyclad. I still have a couple of boxes of it. I carried this round in my back up Revolver when I was a cop. I carried S&W J frames as my backup.

Now I have found one I like more. A Model 10 with 3" barrel. Not the heavy barrel. It has a square butt which isn't too bad actually although I have traditionally preferred the round butts having carried a Model 19, 2.5" for SO many years.

This is a nice gun. It is true that the typical thug on the street is going to be armed with a pistol with a large volume of fire. And, I like my P365 for that but there are occasions when the Model 10 works. There is something about three decades of firing a revolver once a month if not more.

My first CCW gun was a 2 inch 640 Centennial .38. Yes the gun on the left.

My second CCW gun was a 2 inch 64, also in .38. And that is the gun on the right you are looking at!

I still pack the 640 quite often, 20+ years later, and I would not be afraid to pack the 64 today either.

I'd use the Buffalo Bore Non +P standard 158gr SWCHP at 850 fps though if I packed the 64!

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Deaf

I carry 10-5 2” round butt. Still a viable EDC.

My HB 4 inch Model 10 has been my carry gun for a long time and I know it will work 100% of the time. I carry 2 extras speed loaders with it and feel quite comfortable.

My backup is an EZ-9 but I like the old 6 shot better and can hit better with it.

I love it. Ask a question here and you will get answers! Personally, a 2" M10, a 2" M64 or recentally, a 3" M64. All fed the Hornady Custom 158gr XTP. Good ammo, and like said before, these models are designed for the 158gr. bullet.

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Kevin in Oregon