Picked this up recently and shot it for the first time today, flawless function and a tack driver. Made in '67 or so. I've got a Tyler T-grip on the way for it.
NOS Model 10
- Thread starter Lahti35
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Art Doc
SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
Really nice
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That's a great looking old Model 10. It'll look slick with the T-grip. Hopefully you picked one up secondhand or it'll be awhile.
Thanks! I saw it on display and it called my name.
I wish the grip was second hand on ebay or something but its not. I sent the check out this week so hopefully in 2-3 weeks as the website says... I ordered a J frame T grip also to have on hand when I get a 442 shortly so I don't have to wait again.
I wasn't sure about polished or brushed aluminum so I went with polished, I can always scotch-brite it if the polished is too much.
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Very interesting. It has non-diamond Magna stocks, so 1967 or later makes some sense. But here's the oddity. The box does not have the Bangor Punta name on the top, where the company name is. BP took over S&W in 1965, and the new boxes showed up soon afterwards. Sure, some hung around for a while and shipped after the new boxes were in stock. But two years is a long time and I don't believe I've ever seen one that shipped two or three years after 1965. Does the serial number on the box end label match the number on the butt of the gun? And what is the serial number, anyway? By 1967, it should be a high C number. The D numbers started in 1968.
Nice revolver you have there, by the way!
Very interesting. It has non-diamond Magna stocks, so 1967 or later makes some sense. But here's the oddity. The box does not have the Bangor Punta name on the top, where the company name is. BP took over S&W in 1965, and the new boxes showed up soon afterwards. Sure, some hung around for a while and shipped after the new boxes were in stock. But two years is a long time and I don't believe I've ever seen one that shipped two or three years after 1965. Does the serial number on the box end label match the number on the butt of the gun? And what is the serial number, anyway? By 1967, it should be a high C number. The D numbers started in 1968.
Nice revolver you have there, by the way!
Interesting stuff!
The serial number on the gun and box match, it is a C prefix number. I took a pic of the label, and the price tag for giggles and grins... Wish I got it for that price, lol!
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Okay. So the box is original, just a late shipper for that style. I will make a note of this - latest one I've seen. Not too surprising I guess, since some of the gold boxes were shipped as late as the early 1960s on some models.
The price is about what I would expect in the late 1960s. I just checked a 1965 Gun Digest and the list price for a blued Model 10 was $65. With the nickel finish, it was $70. No difference in price between the tapered barrel (Model 10-5) and the heavy barrel (Model 10-6).
The price is about what I would expect in the late 1960s. I just checked a 1965 Gun Digest and the list price for a blued Model 10 was $65. With the nickel finish, it was $70. No difference in price between the tapered barrel (Model 10-5) and the heavy barrel (Model 10-6).
VaTom
Member
tenntex32
Member
I have a 1973'ish factory nickel 10-5.
While it doesn't necessarily fit my collection I just had to have it when I saw it. These are pics of when I first received it and there was still dried grease/preservative on it in places, and the butt pic is an example of what I am talking about. It cleaned up very nicely and I need to get some current pics of it. I have resisted the urge to polish the nickel finish thus far since it did clean up rather nicely.
Jack, when did S&W switch to the light blue boxes? My box is also the original matching serial numbered box.
While it doesn't necessarily fit my collection I just had to have it when I saw it. These are pics of when I first received it and there was still dried grease/preservative on it in places, and the butt pic is an example of what I am talking about. It cleaned up very nicely and I need to get some current pics of it. I have resisted the urge to polish the nickel finish thus far since it did clean up rather nicely.
Jack, when did S&W switch to the light blue boxes? My box is also the original matching serial numbered box.
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Factory Nickel 10-5 with box, paperwork, brush early 1973'ish (9).jpg -
Factory Nickel 10-5 with box, paperwork, brush early 1973'ish (14).jpg -
Factory Nickel 10-5 with box, paperwork, brush early 1973'ish (23).jpg -
Factory Nickel 10-5 with box, paperwork, brush early 1973'ish (11).jpg -
Factory Nickel 10-5 with box, paperwork, brush early 1973'ish (4).jpg
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As I recall I purchased a new M14 in 66'. I drooled over it for months saving up the $68 dollars! My pay at the time, for a 20 year old ("telephone company") was a little over $2 an hour!
That M14 set the hook! Everybody I knew at the time was ordering their DCM 1911's! I still have that gun and it has more than a few thousand rounds fired in PPC and Distinguished Revolver matches.
As a Deputy and Range Master I worked in the armory at times doing maintenance and cleaning the inventory.
There were around 30 M10's in the inventory. Every single one shot to POA!
Smiles,
That M14 set the hook! Everybody I knew at the time was ordering their DCM 1911's! I still have that gun and it has more than a few thousand rounds fired in PPC and Distinguished Revolver matches.
As a Deputy and Range Master I worked in the armory at times doing maintenance and cleaning the inventory.
There were around 30 M10's in the inventory. Every single one shot to POA!
Smiles,
Should I assume you mean the silver/gray boxes, like the one in your picture? If so, they showed up at the same time as the blue two-piece box, c. 1956. SCSW says 1957, but I have at least two in my safe that shipped in 1956.
The difference is that the silver/gray boxes were used to ship revolvers with the nickel finish. Blued guns, as well as anodized aluminum frame guns (the Airweights) shipped in the blue boxes during the same period.
When the BP boxes appeared (late 1965 or early 1966), the border around the top surface changed from a solid line to a hashmark line. This was true on both the blue and silver/gray boxes.
I hope this answers your question.
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tenntex32
Member
Thanks! I never knew they used a different color box for nickeled finish revolvers. I had simply (incorrectly) chalked it up to box changes made over time.
This is my only S&W example with a factory cardboard box. I am way way out of my realm of knowledge if not discussing the M1917 and Victory models..............and it shows here!
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You should come to the big state for a visit. You'd have a ball looking through my large safe. I had to move most of the rifles to the "small" safe to make room for all my S&W boxes. Of course, all the boxes have handguns in them (mostly revolvers).
tenntex32
Member
You should come to the big state for a visit. You'd have a ball looking through my large safe. I had to move most of the rifles to the "small" safe to make room for all my S&W boxes. Of course, all the boxes have handguns in them (mostly revolvers).
The family and I were just up there about 7 or 8 summers ago vacationing and visiting extended family in the Fairbanks, Delta Junction, and Denali areas. (I highly recommend a hike in Denali.)
We really enjoyed our time up there and I keep thinking we'll get back up that way some time again.
Over the years I would say I have had at least 5 other all original post-WWII M&P and pre-Model 10 examples. I am currently down to just the factory nickel 10-6 with regards to post-WWII M&P/pre-Model 10/Model 10 examples.
Looking back on it my biggest regret is deciding to part with the nice 4" S-prefix M&P as it would have displayed rather well with my 4" Victory examples. The 5" examples didn't bother me as much to gift or sell but I'll probably end up with a few more pre-WWII and post-WWII SV and S prefix 4" M&P examples before it is all over with.
I feel your pain with regards to the safes and I am yet again in need of attempting to better organize for more convenient handgun storage.........or get yet another safe!
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Grimjaws
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It's sad
That poor revolver is hungry for more ammo and sad.
Shoot the heck out of it. I recently shot all my safe queens and it was so nice. I'm gonna bring them every week now. Life is too short
That poor revolver is hungry for more ammo and sad.
Shoot the heck out of it. I recently shot all my safe queens and it was so nice. I'm gonna bring them every week now. Life is too short
Jack, hope you see this..I have a 1967 10-6 HB C913074, with the same box the OP pictures. numbers match including non-diamond magnas,, same as OP...price tag on box is 70.95
tenntex32
Member
That poor revolver is hungry for more ammo and sad.
Shoot the heck out of it. I recently shot all my safe queens and it was so nice. I'm gonna bring them every week now. Life is too short
I wonder if he had the presence of mind to fire those 6 rounds out of only the 3 chambers used for the factory test firing?
Jdavis
Member
I installed a Tyler-T on mine years ago. The suits me much better a the result.
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tenntex32
Member
While they are not really my thang with regards to collecting the several heavy barreled 10-6 examples I have had the opportunity to shoot over the years grouped lights out fantastic.
At one time you would see a great many of the police trade-ins for $200 in the shops in my neck of the woods. Not so much anymore.
Neat info, thanks for sharing.
Beauties, all. I've always been a sucker for the proportions on a 6" revolver.
WB5MHA
Member
About 15 years ago I bought a NOS model 10 from a dealer in Maine via Gunbroker. He asked how many do you want? Turns out he bought all he could from Smith back in the 1960s. Riots in prisons had prison guards arming themselves. He said he had about 50 still, long forgotten, blue and nickel. I took a blue for 220 and nickel for 230. I should have bought a dozen. Both were untouched and unfired. Came from the golden age of Smith & Wesson.
tenntex32
Member
Oh my...........
missed opportunity?
Seems like your retirement opportunity was staring you in the face... And such a fun one it would have been!
Been there, done that, shoulda bought the T-shirt.
Seems like your retirement opportunity was staring you in the face... And such a fun one it would have been!
Been there, done that, shoulda bought the T-shirt.
I got this 10-11 from a large local dealer 15 years ago with the same story. It's still NIB although the grips replaced the Uncle Mike's original as I was worried about long term storage with rubber on blue. I guess at $300 I shoulda got more. Joe
WB5MHA
Member
Growing up in the 50s and 60s the S&W model 10 was the standard police weapon. Every cop I saw as a kid carried one. Just like every kid today thinks of a Glock as standard. There are many well worn 10s out there as a result. However there are also nice NIB 50 year old 10s that have been in storage and forgotten.
Studying in Mexico in the late 1960s I saw police carrying model 10s that were worn to the point that they had no evidence of blue left. Mexican police today still carry model 10s in some cases in small towns. Some carry Taurus revolvers or autos. The candidate for president back in the 1994, Colossio, was shot and killed with a Taurus that was traced to the Matamoros police department.
Studying in Mexico in the late 1960s I saw police carrying model 10s that were worn to the point that they had no evidence of blue left. Mexican police today still carry model 10s in some cases in small towns. Some carry Taurus revolvers or autos. The candidate for president back in the 1994, Colossio, was shot and killed with a Taurus that was traced to the Matamoros police department.
hkcavalier
US Veteran
Last year I got what is essentially a NOS 14-4 made in 1978...and shot it the next day.
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