Model 10 .357mag

[bobsguns]

Buddy of mine just got a Model 10-10, CA DOC run as listed in the Smith book.

He's real good on guns, so I don't doubt him on this. But he says this Model 10 is chambered for .357mag ammo. The Smith book says nothing about this at all for a CA DOC run.

Was this an aftermarket swap? Private owner swap?

Thoughts, info please.

 

[jeffrefrig]

The best I have is that would really be a cool gun to have. I had a 10-8 with the 4" fat/bull barrel that I'm sure could take a few 357s if it had to. Cylinder seemed beefy enough, but I sure don't know enough to do that.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

S&W Model 10 .357 Magnum with elk stocks by bgmntmn

SCSW 4th edition Page 206/first column:

"Around 3000 Model 10-6s were made in .357 Magnum...."

The only gun I ever scored 250 out of 250 with on the Texas Concealed Handgun test. Using .38 Specials, of course.

 

[biku324]

It was somewhat common in the '70s/early '80s in SW Missouri for police to have their issue Model 10s get deepened chambers to accept 357 mag rounds. They always carried 357 rounds on the street, but qualified with 38s. I doubt their supervisors approved.

 

[jaymoore]

S&W Model 10 .357 Magnum with elk stocks by bgmntmn

SCSW 4th edition Page 206/first column:

"Around 3000 Model 10-6s were made in .357 Magnum...."

The only gun I ever scored 250 out of 250 with on the Texas Concealed Handgun test. Using .38 Specials, of course.

I have one of the 10-6 .357 revolvers. With box. Certain prts of the labeling indicate it's a .38, other parts state that it is a .357 inside. I'm pretty sure there's an old thread with photos that I contributed to some years back, but it may take some time to root through the archives.

ETA: Oops, the "confused Model" with box is an early Model 65. Or is it a 64? You decide. I have a 10-6 .357, but no box.

Good thread, though!:
The Pre-13

 

[Llance]

I have asked myself why not? several times considering the M-10 and the M-19 are both K-frames. I thought about doing a retro fit, but then thought better of it since I already have a couple of 19's. Much easier, and cheaper, to grab a 19 from the armory.

Llance

 

[murphydog]

The cylinder length would tell you if it was originally a .38 Special and bored out to .357 (1.56"), or a replacement barrel with a shorter forcing cone and longer cylinder (1.67").

 

[mtgianni]

What cartridge does the barrel stamp say?

 

[ISCS Yoda]

What cartridge does the barrel stamp say?

.357 Magnum

It was a discussion like this, on this Forum, almost 10 years ago, that led me to the gun pictured above and below. I had asked a question or two and someone noted that there was one for sale on Gun Broker. I checked, there it was, and I bought it on the spot. This is the original photograph.

 

[BC38]

I have one of the 10-6 .357 revolvers. With box. Certain prts of the labeling indicate it's a .38, other parts state that it is a .357 inside. I'm pretty sure there's an old thread with photos that I contributed to some years back, but it may take some time to root through the archives.

ETA: Oops, the "confused Model" with box is an early Model 65. Or is it a 64? You decide. I have a 10-6 .357, but no box.

Good thread, though!:
The Pre-13

I have a 13-1 that was built on an over-stamped 10-6 frame.

I've thought of having it lettered just out of curiosity.

One really interesting thing about it is that the finish shows quite a bit of holster wear at the muzzle and cylinder flutes, but the numbers-matching stocks are in great shape with hardly any wear.

The only explanation that makes sense to me is that the original owner (probably LEO) carried it with a set of aftermarket grips and then put the originals back on it before selling it.

 

[shawn mccarver]

Buddy of mine just got a Model 10-10, CA DOC run as listed in the Smith book.

He's real good on guns, so I don't doubt him on this. But he says this Model 10 is chambered for .357mag ammo. The Smith book says nothing about this at all for a CA DOC run.

Was this an aftermarket swap? Private owner swap?

Thoughts, info please.

I have never heard of a .357 Magnum version of the Model 10 apart from the 10-6, made initially for New York State Police, with some overruns finding their way out.

Perhaps other agencies got some, but after it became popular, S&W renamed the .357 Magnum version of the 10-6 the Model 13.

The same happened with the Model 64. Oklahoma Highway Patrol ordered some 64s in .357 Magnum, when S&W saw the demand, they renamed the .357 version of the Model 64 to the Model 65.

 

[bobsguns]

What cartridge does the barrel stamp say?

.38spl, which is why I think aftermarket cylinder swap.

 

[T44spl]

For thse of us old enough to remember the magnum craze and +P or +P+ rumors of the 1980's is it possible that these were guns ordered that way by certain agencies to be "Politically Correct"? Then again individual LEO could have had their guns modified to this effect to avoid critcism.
Guys carrying non-regulation ammo into the "badlands" was not unheard of in the bad old days. Remember, better to be tried by 12 than carried by 6.

 

[Bullet Bob]

Thanks for replying, bobsguns. Did he determine it was actually chambered in .357 by the cylinder measurement method in one of the other replies, or just by trying a .357 cartridge?

Thanks again.

 

[bobsguns]

Thanks for replying, bobsguns. Did he determine it was actually chambered in .357 by the cylinder measurement method in one of the other replies, or just by trying a .357 cartridge?

Thanks again.

No, he dropped a .357mag rd in & closed the cylinder. Like I said, he's a huge gun guy. Used to be an overseas contractor training foreign cops, carried full-auto, all that sort of thing.

As I said, the Smith book mentions the CA CDC but not any conversion. Not sure why Smith would convert it anyways.

 

[much ado]

Model 10-.357

I`m going completely by memory here but there was a post and replies some years back that essentially said there were 10-5s chambered in .357 and they were for a French police department. ???

 

[bobsguns]

I`m going completely by memory here but there was a post and replies some years back that essentially said there were 10-5s chambered in .357 and they were for a French police department. ???

But his is a -10 and a special run by Smith for the CA DOC.

 

[05srt10]

A letter would confirm. Only ones I knew of were mentioned above 10-6 for NY. There were suspose to be 1500 but NY didn't take them all . Some were sold some were overstamped model 13. I bid on one on GB I quit at $750 because it was rough it looked like he beat the side plate up probably with the seatbelt

 

[Muley Gil]

No, he dropped a .357mag rd in & closed the cylinder. Like I said, he's a huge gun guy. Used to be an overseas contractor training foreign cops, carried full-auto, all that sort of thing.

As I said, the Smith book mentions the CA CDC but not any conversion. Not sure why Smith would convert it anyways.

I've done that!