S&W Model 10 vs. Colt Official Police

[VaTom]

Some other recent threads prompted me to start this one. For those of us old school LEOs that trained on and carried the S&W and Colt revolvers we have our preference. I carried the nickel S&W Model 10 4". In the picture are my two. Took me several years of searching for the 1979 Model 10 like I carried. I came into the very nice 1956 Colt Official Police in 2015 at an Estate Auction.

In Chris Kyle's book "American Gun - A History of the U.S. in Ten Firearms" Chapter 9 is devoted to The .38 Special Police Revolver.

A good article comparing the two is located at GUNS Magazine Colt Official Police And S&W Model 10 - GUNS Magazine.

Shooting both on a regular basis I agree with the conclusions of the author. Both are fine examples of great American Craftsmanship.

 

[Old cop]

I was issued the Colt OP in ‘68 when I was forced to use it. It was replaced w/the S&W M10 and I carried a Smith until the ‘80s when our agency converted to the Glock. The difference between the Colt & Smith was negligible, but I actually preferred the Colt.

 

[teletech]

The Colt is much harder to keep running than the Smith. Not important if you have an armorer on staff and a good stock of parts, but now days...
In fairness, the Colts I've used were excellent when in good tune, a touch more accurate than the Smiths on average, they just didn't stay that way for nearly as long as with the Smiths due to the design of the lockwork and it's reliance on parts that do two things and lack of tolerance for wear.

Not model 10 vs. Official Police, but this Smith vs. Colt video just dropped: [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJsh1uySB0s[/ame]
Shooting Master vs. Registered Magnum

 

[redlevel]

I have owned and shot Model 10s off and on all my adult life.
When I worked as a Pinkerton night watchman in the early 70s, I carried a Colt OP.
We were required to carry an empty chamber under the firing pin, and when we changed shifts,
we unloaded the revolver and handed the gun and a handful of ammo to the next guy.
I never had the opportunity to fire the Colt.

 

[stansdds]

The Colt is much harder to keep running than the Smith. Not important if you have an armorer on staff and a good stock of parts, but now days...
In fairness, the Colts I've used were excellent when in good tune, a touch more accurate than the Smiths on average, they just didn't stay that way for nearly as long as with the Smiths due to the design of the lockwork and it's reliance on parts that do two things and lack of tolerance for wear.

I agree. Colt's use of the hand and ratchet to provide a second point of cylinder lock works great when the hand and ratchet are in perfect contact with each other. As the hand wears, trouble begins.

 

[cowboy4evr]

On Colts , fast double action shooting was the problem , they will eventually go out of time . I have several colts and I have never had one loose timing , " BUT " I don't do much fast double action shooting . Yes I shoot double action but I slow it down . Double action shooting on the older Colts does require practice to get used to the " stacking " . I have become accustomed to it , so no problem . Let me say I have a lot more Smith's than Colts , but the Colts that I have I do enjoy them . Regards Paul

 

[stansdds]

On Colts , fast double action shooting was the problem , they will eventually go out of time . I have several colts and I have never had one loose timing , " BUT " I don't do much fast double action shooting . Yes I shoot double action but I slow it down . Double action shooting on the older Colts does require practice to get used to the " stacking " . I have become accustomed to it , so no problem . Let me say I have a lot more Smith's than Colts , but the Colts that I have I do enjoy them . Regards Paul

That's how I shoot my Colt revolvers too. Double action is shot slow and deliberate. Single action is cocked firmly, but not with great speed.

 

[Llance]

When I went looking for a revolver for my EDC, I looked at both Colts and S&W's. I choose S&W for several reasons:
#1) I like the feel of the S&W over the Colt.
#2) I prefer the latch system of the S&W over that of the Colts.
#4) I have never been a person to spend money for a "name" when other products are equally good.

I do own some Colts but they are of the 1911 semi-auto style and chambered in .45 ACP. What I carried in the military.

I was never a fan of the Winchester M-70 for the same reason, paying for a name. Then I bought one (Super Grade; man. 1945) at a great price, and found out the very reason why they are called the "Riflemans Rifle". Now you couldn't pry it from my cold dead fingers. Lucky for me I'm not dead yet, so you can't try.

 

[Buford57]

I carried a 4" S&W M28 most of my time in uniform, except for about 6 months when I switched to a 6" Colt OP. I shot better with the Colt, but the barrel was too long for a Border Patrol holster and too hard to draw smoothly from a high ride, the only authorized styles. All of my BUGs (and my primary in plainclothes) were Colts (Agent, Cobra, Lawman MKIII). Years later I picked up a M15 in a trade and realized I had missed out on the ideal duty gun.

 

[Scharfschuetzer]

I carried S&W revolvers during my LEO career and I guess I naturally prefer them. Perhaps due to familiarity, I think the DA on the Smiths is better than the Colt's and my ability for fast follow up shots is much better due to the the larger hump on the back strap that keeps the revolver from slipping down in my grip during recoil with service loads. Paid of on the Two Way Range.

I did use a Colt Python (a fancy OP) for the service revolver class in PPC competition, but it went out of time eventually and thus took a hike and it was replaced with an L Frame Smith. I still have a virtually NIB Colt Official Police in my collection and I enjoy shooting it from time to time.

 

[kaaskop49]

I have owned and shot Model 10s off and on all my adult life.
When I worked as a Pinkerton night watchman in the early 70s, I carried a Colt OP.
We were required to carry an empty chamber under the firing pin, and when we changed shifts,
we unloaded the revolver and handed the gun and a handful of ammo to the next guy.

Memories! I also worked for Pinkerton on w/e's and remember the empty chamber required under the hammer. I always loaded 6; our guns were individually issued. They gave me an old Colt PPS which immediately seized up after 12 rounds. They then gave me a Frankengun, a 4" M&P which had been blued over the surface rust and which had a cylinder/yoke assembly from another gun. But I put 30 rounds of service ammo into a fist-sized group at 10 yards and carried that gun with confidence for 2+ years. That is what an M&P does...

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

 

[dmar]

Both are great guns, in my opinion, you can’t go wrong with either. Have to say, of the two, I do prefer the Colt. I like the action/trigger on the Colt a little better, and I get better accuracy.

I haven’t had an issue with any of my Colts getting out of time, yet... And my Smiths have all been perfect, too. Aren’t we lucky to have two great choices in beautiful revolvers!

 

[wrkerr]

Carried both a Colt and a Smith M10 back in the 70's and 80's. Not an OP, but similar 3-5-7. Never had an issue with timing in either weapon, but then the fastest DA shooting we did was 7 yards, 12 rds, 25 seconds.

The "stacking" with the Colt took a little getting used to, but once mastered I actually preferred the Colt. I still shoot my duty weapons to this day. I'm usually the only one at the range with a wheel gun. I don't have the grip strength I used to, so these days the M10 is a little easier to shoot. Getting old sucks......

 

[crazyphil]

I have read that back in the 50s and 60s a new FBI Agent recruit would
get a choice of either the S&W Model 10 or Colt's OP. They were issued
either a Heiser or Crump holster. The holster shown below left was made
for Colt's OP, but the Model 10 fits just fine. 2nd from left is my Model 10
in a Heiser.

I have also found that if the leather goes up beyond the rear
sight, the Model 10 will be too loose for a holster made for Colt's
OP, but a Model 19 fits pretty good. The 3rd from left is a
Heiser 459 made for Colt's OP, but fits the Model 19.
Actually the Heiser made holsters were provided to FBI by
Evaluators.

The Heiser 2nd from left is a Model 457, and the one 3rd from left
is a 459. The difference is the hammer protector on the 459,
to keep the hammer spur from shredding the Agent's jacket
lining. I prefer to call it a "dog ear", which I believe was a name
given to it by the Texas Rangers.

 

[rogerwnuss]

I agree. Colt's use of the hand and ratchet to provide a second point of cylinder lock works great when the hand and ratchet are in perfect contact with each other. As the hand wears, trouble begins.

I love both, but I have to admit I like the way Smiths pretime, and that's the first thing I check when looking at any used S&W at my local gunshops.