My new model 10

[Ron IL]

I have been looking for a nice model 10-10. I hadn't been to a grocery store or a gun store for six months due to COVID and me on chemo for five months. I got my chemo done about three weeks ago and decide I needed to slip out to the gun shop. The first on was just a quick walk through since their gun counter was pretty much empty and no used stuff. So I ran out to Gander Outdoors to look at their stuff. I remembered they had a pretty good gun display. It was still pretty full and checked the used area and there was a nice model 10-10. I looked it over and bought it. After my three day wait I picked it up. It has most of the blue on it with a little wear on the top strap and the very tip of the barrel. It had small little spots of rust and some minor pitting. The barrel look new inside. It came with pachmayer gripper grips that look like they have been with it since new. It is a 1997 model but must have been made early in the year because it doesn't have the new features that came out in 97. It still has the firing pin on the hammer and not sure about the MIM stuff if they are on it or regular steel. Serial # prefix CBU. I got the Standard Catalog of SW Saturday in the mail and picked up the gun Sunday. It is all nice and clean under the side plate and I put a couple drops of oil in there while I had it open. The SA trigger is 4 lb and the DA is 11 lb. The cylinder throats all measure .358. It has the heavy barrel and a round butt. The grip has a little damage on the right side and the medallion is gone. I figured the guy carrying it was right handed and banged it on everything. The front sight has been filed down a little. The lockup is really tight and no end shake. Mechanically it's like new. It has a CAI import sign on the bottom in front of the trigger guard. I emailed CAI to see if they could tell me where it had been. I don't see any other markings on it that might tell. I have been wanting one of these for a long time. For six months now I have been watching the Hero channel and all of those old TV shows they are using model 10''s. I may be hooked on them. They had another one that I didn't even look at. It had some beat up wood grips and almost no bluing at all. I wanted to see what dash model it was. It was 100 cheaper. This one was $362. I took it out today to test it. Put about 75 rounds through it. I was able to pick leafs off of the 25 yard berm very easily. It is a keeper.


Ron

 

[kaaskop49]

Nice little gun! I've carried the blued 10 for "business," but prefer the stainless 64HB as I can rust a blued gun by looking at it... Once you get to know the gun, you won't be paying attention to trigger pull as these HB 10/64's fire themselves. You do have to load them, though. If your gun is a square butt under those Pachs, you may want to look for a set of Magna service grips. The gun shoots even better with those. Of course, I'm prejudiced: nothing fits my hand better than a 10/64HB with service grips.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

 

[krsmith58]

WELCOME

welcome from Texas. model 10s are hard to beat with standard 38 special loads. being done with chemo i pray has gotten rid of the nasties. i wager you'll like it here. been here a year as of may. i learn something about something almost every time i get on. great bunch of folks. again, welcome from southeast texas. hang around and thanks for sharing. krs

 

[rwsmith]

Great gun....

Any model 10 in good working order is a GREAT GUN.

 

[k22fan]

Nice Model 10.

It does not have a MIM hammer. That's easy. The MIM hammers do not have a firing pin attached to them. Newer revolvers have a spring retracted firing pin in the frame. Your trigger is probably a MIM trigger but I'm not sure. MIM triggers interchange with the old forged ones. MIM triggers made their way into revolvers before MIM hammers. All MIM parts have a shrinkage hole some where. In S&W revolver triggers it is in the back side of the trigger behind the surface your finger presses on. Also the sloped cylinder release thumb pieces are MIM.

Most of the modern auto loaders are not as easy to hit small targets with.

 

[raygixxer89]

Welcome to the site! You can't beat a nice Model 10. I enjoy shooting mine whenever possible. Just a pleasant gun all around. Beware! It won't be your last S&W revolver!

 

[bananaman]

Welcome to the FORUM from Michigan! Nice Model 10. They are capable of doing many things. I used to have a 10-8, that was a Victoria, Australia Military/ Police gun. Not real fancy, but functioned well. Enjoy your 10! Bob

 

[2ndshift]

Ron congratulations on beating cancer. I know the feeling. Its great to be alive. Also enjoy your new 38.

 

[Old_Cop]

A CAI import mark indicates that the revolver served somewhere outside the US. Could have been Canada, Israel, France or many others. Obviously yours was not abused. Pachmayer grips might still be available or you may choose to replace them with S&W magnas of targets.

Welcome to the forum from NE PA.

 

[JAREDSHS]

Ron, I love your new gun. It sure is a winner, and by the way so are you. Keep your spirit up and keep up the good fight.(some pretty wood is needed on that new gun)

 

[kaaskop49]

welcome from Texas. model 10s are hard to beat with standard 38 special loads. being done with chemo i pray has gotten rid of the nasties. i wager you'll like it here. been here a year as of may. i learn something about something almost every time i get on. great bunch of folks. again, welcome from southeast texas. hang around and thanks for sharing. krs

Nice bar, but a little thin for my druthers. Gotta get some real whiskey in there to flesh it out. Not just Jim Beam! Sincerely, I hope too that you're done with the 'nasties.' Been there myself.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

 

[AppStFan]

Welcome to the forum from North Carolina and congrats on your Model 10. I have a soft spot in my heart for Model 10's. A Model 10 heavy barrel was my first issued duty weapon when I started out as a rookie cop back in 1980. I wish you continued health as you move on past your last chemo treatment.

 

[swagmeister]

Great look to that gun. I like it.

 

[Ron In MD]

Nice little gun! I've carried the blued 10 for "business," but prefer the stainless 64HB as I can rust a blued gun by looking at it... Once you get to know the gun, you won't be paying attention to trigger pull as these HB 10/64's fire themselves. You do have to load them, though. If your gun is a square butt under those Pachs, you may want to look for a set of Magna service grips. The gun shoots even better with those. Of course, I'm prejudiced: nothing fits my hand better than a 10/64HB with service grips.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

Welcome to the forum. Prayers that the chemo works for you

I prefer the Magna grip also. Having a smallish hand rubber grips just don’t do it for me.

The picture shows you what an MIM trigger looks like. Hope this helps.

 

[Ron IL]

Good news is pet scan showed all clear. Then they will do followup checkups for 5 years. That rubber grip was working on my knuckles a bit so I replaced the grip with a new set of Hogue. Not doing it now. I emailed CAI about the import and they said they won't tell what country it came from unless it was the ATF or police. The front sight has been filed down and is shooting about 5" high so I have been playing with the reloads to maybe get it shooting closer. The trigger and hammer are not MIM. I have had a few Smiths over the years and have a couple I wish I still had. Now that I am into revolvers again I wish I hadn't sold my model 18-4. It was like new in the original box and papers. I sold it for 500 about 7 years ago. And had a 686 with a 8" barrel. If it had of been 4" or 6" I would probably kept it. Now all I have is what I shoot. Too old to start collecting again.

 

[Zarr]

Congrats on your pet scan being clean! Welcome from Western Massachusetts.

 

[k22fan]

Since you can still shoot you are not to old to replace your Model 18! They're great .22s. Ammo cost and old wrists often favor shooting .22s.

 

[lihpster]

Since you can still shoot you are not to old to replace your Model 18! They're great .22s. Ammo cost and old wrists often favor shooting .22s.

I agree. There are very few things in this life more fun than a quality .22 revolver, a pocket full of ammo and an afternoon to kill.

 

[Targets Guy]

I got my Model 10-10 off of Gunbroker in 2019. Came with the holster and two speed loaders. It was used by the NYC - DOC. Shipped 9/1990.






shoots okay

 

[jeffrefrig]

Good news is pet scan showed all clear. Then they will do followup checkups for 5 years. That rubber grip was working on my knuckles a bit so I replaced the grip with a new set of Hogue. Not doing it now. I emailed CAI about the import and they said they won't tell what country it came from unless it was the ATF or police. The front sight has been filed down and is shooting about 5" high so I have been playing with the reloads to maybe get it shooting closer. The trigger and hammer are not MIM. I have had a few Smiths over the years and have a couple I wish I still had. Now that I am into revolvers again I wish I hadn't sold my model 18-4. It was like new in the original box and papers. I sold it for 500 about 7 years ago. And had a 686 with a 8" barrel. If it had of been 4" or 6" I would probably kept it. Now all I have is what I shoot. Too old to start collecting again.

Congrats, Ron, from Jeff T. in Pittsburgh! Steppenwolf had a song that comes to mind often: "It's Never Too Late" (to start all over again.) I bought a 10-8 about 23 years ago and love it. It came with target stocks but my wimpy middle finger was getting the heck beat out of it by the trigger guard so I bought an inexpensive set of rubber Hogues and they made all the difference in the world. I've since acquired a set of magnas for it. It looks a little better but it's still way easier on me than those target stocks. A while back they were selling 10-6 & 10-8 surplus revolvers, I believe under $250. I now wish I had bought a couple.
Again, congrats on everything! (That pic looks like a nice little celebration/dinner!)
Edit: Sorry, that wasn't your picture!