Well, I live in Mexico, so I suppose my opinion on the matter of the Model 10 in Mexico is somewhat qualified. Yes, there are still Model 10's in service. I have seen no NEW Model 10's in service, most of them being "pre-lock" models with 4 inch heavy barrels.
Up until about 8 years ago, the Model 10 was THE Police Revolver here. Up in Aguascalientes, they were actually using S&W Model 14's. There must be a pile of them on the "used" market up there, but I don't know anyone who knows enough about revolvers in that area to ask to go check. I'll be damned if I'm going up there right now.
8 years ago, the police here switched to the CZ-75 BD, the hammer dropper. About 2 years ago, they switched to the Glock 17. Still, a lot of CZ's remain in service, and some older Colt 1991 .38 Supers as well. The 3 "shift supervisors" carry the S&W 469. They only have 3 of those.
The Model 10's remain in service with the mounted patrols -- quite common around here -- and the Tourist police. Also, many new female officers are being hired (under the unstated assumption that they are more "honest" than their male counterparts) and they often have the old Model 10's, although I have seen a few with Glocks or CZ's, and one with a 1911 once. As all the Autos are carried in Condition 3 around here, personally, I think the Model 10 would probably be the thing to have if one had a choice except for the fact that issue ammo is the Aguila 130 grain FMJ bullet at about 850 fps the last time I chronoed it.
City Policemen in Mexico are not allowed to take their weapons home, and are rarely issued the SAME weapon daily, although they MAY be issued the same type of weapon (or not). They practise less than 100 rounds per year, generally. The upshot of this practise (based on basic distrust of the lowly paid officers) is that they will be unarmed when shift is over. So don't expect heroics during the shift, if you know what I mean. Backwards as hell, and changing only oh-so-slowly. But hey! They all wanna be seen with that Glock, by golly.
Foto; Excitement runs rampant as the first "test load" of Glock 17's arrive and local Police Officials test them out in a gravel pit. I tried to explain that the Glock 17 probably held no significant advantage over the CZ-75 BD that was already issued seeing as all local autoloaders are carried in Condition 3 anyways. However, the Glock is all the rage right now, and so anybody who is anybody in the local P.D. just had to have one.
Foto; Policemen scurry about during the Glock testing. I don't have a decent camera -- these are cel-phone shots that I took when nobody was watching me too close you understand.
Foto; A party-like atmosphere ensued in the gravel pit during the initial Glock test with wives, daughters, sons and midgets joining in. After all, this is Mexico.
Foto; One of my "soldier of fortune" shots. Training Mexican Army rurales. I'm using my own K-38 here, although the rurales used a wide variety of crap -- some okay, some not so okay. I saw a few neat pencil barrel Model 10's in use, some 1911's in .38 Super or .45, and even a Glock 17. One guy had two matching .38 Supers in hand-tooled holsters with guady silver and copper grips on them. He told me he had never fired at a target in his life...only into the air.
"The air?" I asked.
"Si," he said. "The air. At the parties, I drink the tequila, and I shoot into the air."
Giving him my best Eastwood squint, I asked, "Have you ever fired your pistols really quick at the same time into the ground on either side of you like Sam on Bugs Bunny so that you rise up into the air?"
"NO!" He exclaimed. "Does that work?"
"Not usually," I told him.
), the Federal Protective Service still issues revolvers. I was in a Federal building in Boston a couple of weeks ago for an interview and the FPS officers on the door were all wearing revolvers. I think I saw three Rugers (GP100) and two SW Model 10/64. The FPS is charged with guarding Federal Buildings and Courthouses. The Federal Building in Honolulu, HI (I was living out there till last year) is protected by FPS armed with revolvers. I'm not sure what round they are issued, though I believe based on conversations with a couple of the guards that they use the "FBI load."
A pity that Americans aren't more interested in other cultures. Most of what I know about France involves wines. I do know French wines quite well.
