1946 model 10

[sw44spl]

today I laid away a model 10 5 screw 4 incher.Ive been wanting one to go with my 6 incher.got it at a good price it look great. some holster wear. but the spur is broke off the hammer but no biggie I know where to get parts.I dry fired it several times it has a great trigger pull double and single. and it has diamond grips.

 

[opoefc]

If it's a 1946 produced gun, it's not a model 10. It's a Model 1905 Military & Police Hand Ejector, 4th model. Model numbers were not used until 1957, when the Model 1905 M&P Hand Ejector became the model 10. If it is really a 1946 produced gun, it could be interesting as this production period had many guns that were "transitional" in that they were using up left over parts from Pre-WW2 supplies mixed with newer design modifications, giving us collectors some nice variations to look for. The hammer is one of those variations, so be sure you match your old hammer to any new one you buy to be sure you are getting the style for your gun's action, or the new hammer won't function. Ed.

 

[DCWilson]

Make sure you get the right replacement hammer. In 1946, M&Ps were still long action guns. You will need a prewar or wartime hammer.

If by any chance this is a short-action gun, then it will be from 1948 at the earliest, and you will need a short action "speed" or "fishhook" hammer.

Can you share the first part of the serial number? If it has an S-prefix, it's almost certainly a long action gun. If it has a C prefix, then it's almost certainly short action.

 

[S&W Neophyte]

sw44spl,
It's funny how this works. I just started lurking here this week and saw this thread this morning and decided to join.

If you decide to get rid of the hammer you have, I'd be interested in taking it off your hands.

I'm a big fan of the long action k-frames, and have wanted to convert one to DAO for a while now. If your hammer already has the spur broken, it might work well for this application.

I'd offer my hammer in exchange, but it is older and is not compatible with the later hammer block that your post-war gun should have. My hammer was also blued when the gun was refinished by a previous owner.

 

[handejector]

Make sure you get the right replacement hammer. In 1946, M&Ps were still long action guns. You will need a prewar or wartime hammer.

Not exactly.
You need a TRANSITION hammer- EXACTLY a Transition hammer, and nothing else if you want to keep the hammer block in the gun!
See the pic below.
These are N frame hammers, but the same shapes I am talking about apply to K frames-

Transition (post-war) Long Action hammer on left.
See the square notch below hammer nose for the Safety Hammer Block? This is what you need.
Pre-war hammer on right.
A pre-war hammer will not work with the post-war hammer block.

 

[DCWilson]

Not exactly.
You need a TRANSITION hammer- EXACTLY a Transition hammer, and nothing else if you want to keep the hammer block in the gun!
See the pic below.
These are N frame hammers, but the same shapes I am talking about apply to K frames-

Transition (post-war) Long Action hammer on left.
See the square notch below hammer nose for the Safety Hammer Block? This is what you need.
Pre-war hammer on right.
A pre-war hammer will not work with the post-war hammer block.

Duhh! Of course.

I plead a momentary lack of reason, or protracted lack of caffeine, or something like, you know, that.

 

[SDH]

Thanks for clarifying Lee. Would only take a moment with the wrong hammer, but better thought of Before!

 

[S&W Neophyte]

Am I correct in assuming a hammer from a transitional gun will work in a pre-war gun, but not the other way around?

 

[handejector]

Am I correct in assuming a hammer from a transitional gun will work in a pre-war gun, but not the other way around?

It most likely will. However, you have WAY less surface area to actually hit the pre-war hammer block, so you DO risk the gun firing if dropped.
Transition hammers are far less common than pre-war hammers, so why use one?
Matter of fact, I have seen several surplus N frame Transition hammers, but I have never seen a loose K frame transition hammer floating around. If I had one, I would save it for a Transition gun. Finding one will be tough.

 

[S&W Neophyte]

Sorry, my gun has the pre-war hammer block so I was curious if a transitional hammer would work in it. Is there a place to get pre-war style hammers for a k-frame?

 

[sw44spl]

ok i know its not a model 10 but thats what i called it.I have 7 model 10s.been wanting a 1940s one,ssn is S 827xxx. I have a 6 inch pre model 10. it is S 939xxx .and yes you can get the old hammer on it if it will work for your gun.I dont have the gun yet so I dont know if it has the hammer block.and I will make sure to match the new hammer up with the old one i remove .thanks to the ifo i got here.

 

[handejector]

It will have the modern hammer block, unless already removed.
That's what the S stands for- "Safety Hammer Block"

 

[sw44spl]

so is it a 1946 dob did I guess that right on the ssn chart?