"help" w/ model 10

[bulletproof-791]

went to local gun shop and found a older model 10 S/N of C77773 need to find out what year it was made and if the wood grips are the right set( i the white set aint factory)
the gun has been refinished due to the polished trigger & hammer....the bluing is polished to a mirror like finish...trust me looks 10x better in person....please tell what you think & any info on this gun.....thanks

price out the door was 299.95
traded a old simga & 50.00
guess i did not do too bad

 

[VM]

Serial number puts it Postwar era. The walnut grips shown are appropriate. If indeed it is reblued, price is too much.
If you are patient and shop around, you can find original M&P's (like new) in the $300-400 range

 

[bulletproof-791]

Serial number puts it Postwar era. The walnut grips shown are appropriate. If indeed it is reblued, price is too much.
If you are patient and shop around, you can find original M&P's (like new) in the $300-400 range

how can i tell if it was reblued ??? it is too shiny not to be ???

 

[Art Doc]

I think the logo on the side plate looks partially polished off, a sign of refinish. The polished hammer and trigger usually means a total refinish.

It is not a Model 10. Model numbers started in 1958 and this gun was made in 1948 or maybe 1949. It is the Military & Police Model.

I agree that $300 is a little high for a refinished M&P. But it is still a cool gun and a fun shooter and if you like it that's all that really matters.

Like none of us ever paid too much for a gun we wanted...

 

[VM]

how can i tell if it was reblued ??? it is too shiny not to be ???

Polished trigger and hammer are red flags to me. Pictures are not detailed enough to see sideplate screws and seam. Also, is there any markings on the grip frame?

 

[bulletproof-791]

the more i look at it the more it looks refinished.....o'well ..i traded a old sigma and $ 50.00 i guess i did not do too bad

 

[boykinlp]

how can i tell if it was reblued ??? it is too shiny not to be ???

If it was a factory reblue, it may be stamped with a "star" after the serial number and have a date code (a series of numbers) on the grip frame.

 

[VM]

Go out and shoot it and report back.
Who wants an "old sigma" anyways?

 

[bulletproof-791]

reblue

If it was a factory reblue, it may be stamped with a "star" after the serial number and have a date code (a series of numbers) on the grip frame.

no star...no date...guess not factory??? i am 99.99% sure now that it is a gunsmith re-blue but done VERY well....like i said for what i have into it (old sigma & 50.00) guess i did not do to bad....Polished trigger and hammer are a dead give a way...all role stamps are clean and crisp, so who know knows

 

[DCWilson]

Very nice gun, and the wooden stocks are indeed correct, but may be from a gun made a little later. Pull the stocks and see if the number pressed into the right panel matches the numerical part of your serial number. I don't claim to be an expert on the postwar M&Ps, but I know a little and think this one probably shipped in late '49 or early '50 if the company happened to be putting the guns out in more or less regular numerical order.

One of the indicators for refinishing on guns of this era is the high polish itself. Original finish on guns of the late 40s and early '50s was ordinarily a kind of satin or matte blue, not as shiny as on the prewar guns or as the mid- to late '50s guns would be. So a deep shiny blue by itself indicates a possible refinish.

While the refinish would erase this gun's interest to a collector, the question of value for someone who just wants a good- looking reliable shooter could support a price higher than a collector would pay. There are geographical areas (California is an example), where it's tough to find a decent gun for less than $300, so the price implicit in the trade you made would be acceptable and maybe even a little under what you would see on the tag in some stores. So don't worry too much about the original v. refinish thing. You got a good gun at a valuation that I don't think is out of line.

 

[VM]

....... and the wooden stocks are indeed correct, but may be from a gun made a little later.

You are correct DCW. In an earlier comment I stated grips were "appropriate" and that's not accurate. They should have the high shoulder on the horns at the top and probably not have the modified (rounded) bottoms.

Nevertheless, it's a nice gun and I think you did alright bp-791.

 

[bulletproof-791]

10

thanks guys....well i like the old k frames so in my eyes i think i did ok...thanks for all the help guys...

 

[jo64ohio]

scott, i looked at that same gun at the gun shop in coventry,i remember that serial no.i was there when the people traded it in on a semi auto.i told them it was re-blued but they didn't seem to know much about guns.that is a good gun shop i am in there 3 to 4 times a week.curt.

 

[bulletproof-791]

coventry

scott, i looked at that same gun at the gun shop in coventry,i remember that serial no.i was there when the people traded it in on a semi auto.i told them it was re-blued but they didn't seem to know much about guns.that is a good gun shop i am in there 3 to 4 times a week.curt.

curt...i to am up there about 2-3 a week ...so i am sure we crossed in there some time...so i think i got a fair deal.....$50.00 and my sigma...what do you think ????