The Model 10 - Why the bull barrel?

[b737lvr]

I have a Model 10-9 made September 1991. Pic attached. I absolutely love this wheel. The 10-9 is well balanced, accurate, and reliable. Although, whenever I see discussions about the 10 I always seem to notice a general preference for the bull barrel. Why is that? What does the bull barrel offer that my pencil barrel does not?

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

I like your 10-9.

Just personal preferences.

 

[stansdds]

I have a Model 10-9 made September 1991. Pic attached. I absolutely love this wheel. The 10-9 is well balanced, accurate, and reliable. Although, whenever I see discussions about the 10 I always seem to notice a general preference for the bull barrel. Why is that? What does the bull barrel offer that my pencil barrel does not?

The heavy barrel is slightly more muzzle heavy, so that would help with muzzle rise during firing. Other than that, makes the Model 10 look like a Model 13 and that also meant only one fixed sight K-frame barrel and frame profile to produce, not two.

 

[murphydog]

The trend over time in revolver shooting was more and more muzzle weight. Heavy barrels, underlugs. Not for everyone though. Enjoy!

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

I have a Model 10-9 made September 1991. Pic attached. I absolutely love this wheel. The 10-9 is well balanced, accurate, and reliable. Although, whenever I see discussions about the 10 I always seem to notice a general preference for the bull barrel. Why is that? What does the bull barrel offer that my pencil barrel does not?

Better balance and stability for some people, especially when aiming seriously.

It is also possible that at some point in history, some folks, especially in LE, prefered the superiority of the heavy barrel as a bludgeon.

Myself, I pretty much prefer the pencil barrel for its lighter carry weight and for its quicker pointing, but the stability of the heavy barrel is not to be ignored.

 

[magnum0710]

I prefer a bull barrel to a pencil barrel myself, with that being said I'm also a younger guy so heavy barrel revolvers have pretty much always been the norm for me. I think the pencil barrels look weird, and don't get me started on the early Colt snubbies that have no shroud what so ever! A locking point on the ejector is fine but having nothing there at all is just insanity to me. I don't mind the pencil barrel on my early Security Six but it took some getting used to. But given the choice I'll take the bull barrel every time.

S&W really needs to bring back the 3 inch 13 RB! Talk about the perfect carry magnum! Especially with the new no lock classics, and the new K frame with uncut forcing cone. That's like the S&W version of Glock Perfection for me!

 

[Chuck Edwards]

I used a 10-8 for about three years when I was seriously shooting IDPA. The heavier barrel definitely helps with barrel flip when shooting +P-level loads (required back then to meet the power factor) fast. Other than that, some shooters just prefer the way a heavier barrel hangs when shooting.

I've got a 4" 10-5 with a tapered barrel like yours. It's a better carry gun due to its lighter weight, but it's hard to find a holster that works with the tapered barrel.

 

[Rock185]

The heavy barrels are just a bit more stable in most human hands; just more mass. I went from model 10 and 64 revolvers to a model 66, later to the heavier yet model 686. With the heavier revolvers, my qualification scores routinely picked up a point or two.

The old PPC revolvers are a good illustration of what I'm talking about.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

I think the pencil barrels look weird, and don't get me started on the early Colt snubbies that have no shroud what so ever! A locking point on the ejector is fine but having nothing there at all is just insanity to me.

The C*** does not need a locking point on the front of the ejector rod, because the hand locks up the cylinder, unlike the S&W, where the cylinder rotates the wrong way (something about a patent). In addition, the locking pin at the rear is much larger on the C*** than on the S&W, although I wonder whether that makes much difference. S&W has functioned well with only a rear lock, even with the wrong-rotating cylinder, and also with two and three locks.

The success of the C*** with only two locks is hardly surprising. That's as many as S&W usually used.

 

[sjmjax]

I prefer the standard barrel profile on model 10’s.
I also prefer the “mountain gun” profile on my N frame magnums.

I generally like and prefer the weight forward balance of revolvers in general. But, there’s a limit. I especially dislike the full underlug on longer barreled revolvers for both weight and esthetic reasons.

Well, that’s my opinion anyway.

 

[clang444]

I prefer the heavy barrel on a 4" Model 10. It balances nicely and feels a little more steady in hand. For a 6" gun I prefer the tapered barrel.

Here is my old 10-1. I believe these were the first heavy barrel 10s:

 

[dsf]

I have a Model 10-9 made September 1991. Pic attached. I absolutely love this wheel. The 10-9 is well balanced, accurate, and reliable. Although, whenever I see discussions about the 10 I always seem to notice a general preference for the bull barrel. Why is that? What does the bull barrel offer that my pencil barrel does not?

I have a slightly different take on it, from a manufacturer's point of view. You likely would not have bought two 4" pencil barrels, nor two 4" heavy barrels, yes?

 

[Jack Flash]

We often hear the statement that "LE preferred the heavy barrel for use as a club."

Does anyone think a miscreant could tell the difference between a crack on the noggin by one and the other?

Maybe the guy at Project Farm could rig up a precision mechanical arm, dial in the torque, and test one against the other on pumpkins or watermelons. (But heaven forbid, don't use goats!)

Gun writers could come up with a Relative Incapacitation Index for Unloaded Handguns and create subject matter to fill their publications for the next twenty years.

 

[malph]

My theory is the heavier bull barrel makes fast and accurate double-action shooting a tad easier.

 

[stanmerrell]

I've read before that LAPD was largely responsible for the heavy barrel coming into production and favor among officers. They had a big focus on marksmanship, and the bull barrel was easier to stabilize for some shooters. I myself find it to be so as well. I have both styles and prefer the bull barrel for accuracy, but the extra weight is a trade-off.

 

[ralph7]

I have a slightly different take on it, from a manufacturer's point of view. You likely would not have bought two 4" pencil barrels, nor two 4" heavy barrels, yes?

Guess I'm not smart enough to understand how your question is relevant to the op's statement.

 

[Frailer]

Aesthetically my preference is for tapered barrels and round butts, by a considerable margin.

That said, my only 4” Model 10 (a 10-6) has a heavy barrel and a square butt, because it shoots better for me.

 

[TAROMAN]

My theory is the heavier bull barrel makes fast and accurate double-action shooting a tad easier.

^^^^This^^^^

My all-time favorite DA shooter. Not a Model 10, but close:

 

[-BTM-]

My theory is that they wanted to standardize the K frame by eliminating the extra step down to the non-ribbed barrels.

 

[dsf]

Guess I'm not smart enough to understand how your question is relevant to the op's statement.

I appreciate you picking mine first of the "off topic" responses -