First and foremost, thank you all for receiving me here! 29 year old wheel gun newbie who just recently bought his first S&W revolver on 1/7/2024, at a gun show. I traded a Beretta Bobcat Covert 21A (.22 LR) and $275 cash. Everything appears to function as it should, and the rifling is strong. I called on a friend, who's very knowledgeable on S&W revolvers, and took to his S&W Standard Catalog for some basic identification attempts. From what we gathered, we think this might either be a Model 10 made for the New York State Police (1972) chambered in .357 Magnum, or a Model 10 that was converted into a .357 Magnum by a hobbyist and/or gunsmith that refurbishes old S&Ws.

I humbly ask and thank you in advance for your expertise and guidance identifying this revolver. My friend did say that part of the charm of an old Smith is having knowledgeable people identify it! Full disclaimer, I know nothing about these guns, except what I've gathered so far from the catalog.

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Welcome to the Forum.

Is it marked .357 Magnum on the barrel? It should also have a recessed cylinder.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Hello, thanks for your reply. I cannot find any markings on the firearm that say .357 Magnum. I've been told the gun has been re-blued, so it may have lost that marking during that process.

It was quite common in the 70s in SW MO for police limited to 38 split Model 10s to have a gunsmith lengthen the chambers to accept 357 ammo, which the guys I knew who did this used sparingly.

I can’t see a blued gun in your photo. I see a stainless steel gun.

Welcome to the S&W Forum! It pleases me to no end to hear from a guy under 30 interested in great revolvers. Wonderful. Many of us are well over twice your age and we sometimes wonder if we are a dying breed.

If you tell us the serial number on the butt, we can let you know if it is in the right serial number range for an NYSP unit. It most likely is, but that doesn't mean it actually went to the NY department, since there were some overruns. To know for certain, you will have to get a letter on it from the S&W Historical Foundation.

In any case, I own two of the NYSP guns and I can tell you that you are fortunate to have one of these relatively uncommon Model 10 revolvers that were chambered for the magnum cartridge. It was not long afterwards that S&W replaced them with the Model 13-1, due to demand for that configuration.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

Hi Jack! Thanks so much for the warm welcome! Yes, I love seeing collector's faces light up when I tell them I love all the older stuff!

Serial number is D706762.

You cannot see enough of the gun in the attached photo to tell what it other than some sort of S&W 400 or 600 series revolver. Just answer the other post by Rpg. Is there any caliber marking on the right side of the barrel? A 10-6 can be either a .38 Spl. or a .357 Magnum. It was the precursor to the Model 13 which was basically identical to the .357 10-6.

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Gunsmithing since 1961

You stated that the serial number was D706762. That is in the right range for the NYSP revolvers.

However, in the picture you posted of the right side, the barrel appears to read 38 S&W Special CTG. That isn't a good sign with respect to it being one that was made for the New York agency. Those actually have 357 Magnum CTG on the right side of the barrel.

Check to see if the cylinder has counterbored chambers. I suspect it does not. In that case, you simply have a standard Model 10-6, that was originally chambered for the .38 Special and has had the cylinder altered to accept the magnum cartridge.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

Thanks for the reply! No, there is no caliber marking on the right side of the barrel. I believe this was lost during the re-blueing process.

The pics from the other site won't download but I screengrabbed this shot of the serial number.

Pics on the other site show recessed cylinder and pinned barrel. The cutout area isn't real clear but appears to be marked 10-6.

OP, posting pics here isn't hard. Hit reply, click "go advanced" and scroll down to "manage attachments". Then it's something like "select files to upload".

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Just Say No - To Social Media

Yes. I see that now. Not being a regular user of that forum, I didn't realize at first how to see your added photos. Just figured it out.

Now I do see that there is no caliber mark on the right side, as you said. I also do see the counterbored cylinder, which is a good sign.

Too bad about the poor reblue job. But your gun may well be one of the NYSP units. It very likely is. Your serial number is higher than one of mine and just a tiny bit lower than the other one. You will have to letter the gun to be sure, but I think the odds are good.

Added: Note also that the D prefix in the serial number on the butt has been nearly eliminated by over-polishing when the revolver was reblued. Over-polishing probably accounts for the missing caliber stamp on the barrel, too.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

More pics attached...

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Forgive the rookie question, but how can one tell that the reblue job is bad?

Another point to consider. The target stocks - which actually have been altered - did not come on that gun. All of the NYSP Model 10-6 revolvers I have ever seen, including the two I own, shipped with Magna stocks, not targets.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

Over-polishing is the biggest sin in this case. This is seen on the butt and on both sides of the barrel. On the left side "Smith & Wesson" is faded, although not completely eliminated as is the cartridge stamp on the other side.

Also, the trigger and hammer appear to be blued, which they should not be.

Finally, you can see that the screws on the sideplate are in holes that are more deeply countersunk than they should be.

On the plus side, whoever did this at least did not greatly reduced the tight sideplate fit, like we see so often on guns refinished outside the factory.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

More pics added to the original post, thanks! Yes, the cutout is marked 10-6.

Thanks for that explanation! Is it possible or probable that it was reblued because it was beat up being a police revolver?

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?

I wouldn't bother. Your pics are here and hosted on this server and will be here as long as the board exists. If you put them on a 3rd party host, they'll probably disappear at some point and leave more holes in the board.

Everyone here understands how to view attached pics.

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Just Say No - To Social Media

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!

"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.

:-)

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

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

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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.

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.

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.

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

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?

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Just Say No - To Social Media

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

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.

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.

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:


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

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696-6906-457-38-3913-CS40-411

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.

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?

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

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.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

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.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

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.

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

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.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

IF the serial number is altered 99.99% of the population including Leos would not know that. Unless he does something stupid he chances anyone will ever look at it is 1 in 1000.

It has an actual 357 cylinder and a 10-6 frame. I would shoot anything in it I would shoot in any other K frame 357 mag

It cracks me up when people worry about the frame taking it. First of all frames don't let go until after the cylinder blows up. Plus, I have never seen any evidence that a frame stretched from any kind of load that didn't blow the cylinder. Then there are the Scandium 357s, that have the same dimensions as steel ones and the best grade of scandium is not a strong as 4140. Add tro that the fact that we now have J frame 357s with way less frame material than any K frame and they are staying together. Lastly, consider the Colt Dragoon built with 1850s steel. It fired a .454 lead ball at over 1200fps with absolutely no back strap what so ever and stayed together

Check the back of the extractor for the serial number.

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

+1 Me too. If it was mine I would happily shoot 38 Special through it.

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S&WHF #946
S&WCA #3824

No, the serial number does not reappear anywhere else on the gun. The only other number I can find on the gun is by opening the cylinder and looking at the crane. We can see a number and "E13" stamped 90 degrees perpendicular. Please see attached pic.

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There is no number on the back of the extractor, but I found a number in the attached picture. Also "E13" runs 90 degrees perpendicular.

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Nothing on the back of the extractor.

On the bright side, you bought a superbly balanced 4” heavy barreled S&W K frame that shoots a great caliber. Now you’ll have something fun to shoot as you acquire more interesting Smiths, and knowledge.


Donnie

OK, it would have been nice to have the serial somewhere else but it's no biggie. I'd keep the purchase paperwork handy on the 1 in a gazillion chance anything ever comes of it.

Meanwhile you have a great old 357 wheelgun at a reasonable enough price. Enjoy it!

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