What's the rarest model 10

[Jebus35745]

Couple years ago I bought a 10-3 with a 4" heavy bbl well used. Tonight a friend brought over 4 guns and one is a mint 10-4 with a light 6" barrel. The latter is here because her husband is entering into Alzheimer's disease and they are moving. Aren't these 2 engineering changes only made for a couple of months? What are some of the rare versions of the popular model 10's? Larry

 

[DWalt]

10-3 (1961): change extractor rod thread for heavy barrel, change front sight width from 1/10" to 1/8"
10-4 (1962): eliminate trigger-guard screw on standard barrel frame
10-5 (1962): change sight width from 1/10" to 1/8" for standard barrel
10-6 (1962): eliminate trigger-guard screw on heavy-barrel frame

I don't think any of these changes makes a Model 10 any more valuable or desirable.

 

[k22fan]

I don't think "Model 10" belongs on the same page as "rare." I've never seen one so for scarce my vote goes to 2 1/2" 10s. The SCSWs writes they were made for special contracts and at least one member has pictures of one in their photo album.

 

[KEN L]

I would say the rarest Model 10 would be the very first one marked "MOD. 10". I wonder where it is........ ?

 

[rct269]

First, I have no idea about the rarest Model 10. Truth be known, I don't give a damn about any model number guns-----a couple of autoloaders excepted.

I also don't know about the rarest M&P (Target)----but I do have an idea. My idea is the M&P Targets made (approximately) between 1911 and 1923. The serial number spread (again approximately) is between 195504 and 379988 (for .38 Specials), and 76613 and 95573 (for 32-20's). Why?

The generally accepted percentage of target guns is 10% of the number of standard guns. "Generally accepted" means nobody knows. That said, Jinks opines the number of M&P Targets during this time period is 2%.

Here endeth my idea-----which is a felonious abstraction from Jinks!

Ralph Tremaine

 

[k22fan]

rct696,

You did not write it but I presume the .32-20 Targets from your time period would be the rare ones.

Since you started "felonious" thread drift I won't be the furthest off topic with these. Model 11s which are just Model 10s chambered for .38 S&W are seldom seen. I understand large numbers of them were shipped to India and other countries formerly ruled by Great Britain but very few were sold in the U.S. Post WW II M&Ps chambered for .32 S&W Long are scarce. I don't know of any being made in the model number era so I don't think they ever got a number.

 

[murphydog]

If you are looking for the least common model 10s (dash anything), the -2 through 4s are difficult, the later 2.5" -10s also. A ghost gun is the 10-12, I have never even seen a photo of one. A few 3" shrouded ejector rod 10-10s, most went to Brazil. Special orders, barrel lengths...it would be very easy to have a collection of rare variants but not so easy to get them all .

 

[digi-shots]

I agree, I think the 2 1/2" (vs. standard 2") is hard to come by.

Also, I can't remember but I thought there was one -change made for just one day... was it the -4 ?? Or was is the -2 ?

 

[SWSC]

10-13 only 34 made.

 

[lawandorder]

Don't know where it falls on the rare............

..........meter but it took me a long time to find one of these. A 10-10 the gun that Smith & Wesson should have made for the U. S. Market, and should still be making.

I blame Rob for setting me on the quest to find one and thanks to the kindness of one of the members here I now own one .

Even if it is rare, I am planning on shooting it a lot.

 

[rct269]

IT MUST HAVE BEEN A TRICK QUESTION

rct696,

You did not write it but I presume the .32-20 Targets from your time period would be the rare ones.

Since you started "felonious" thread drift I won't be the furthest off topic with these. Model 11s which are just Model 10s chambered for .38 S&W are seldom seen. I understand large numbers of them were shipped to India and other countries formerly ruled by Great Britain but very few were sold in the U.S. Post WW II M&Ps chambered for .32 S&W Long are scarce. I don't know of any being made in the model number era so I don't think they ever got a number.

Well, now that you mention it, the 32-20's are certainly more rare than the 38 Specials---in that time period---and any other. That said, you also force me to admit the 32-20's hadn't even surfaced in my (one track) mind when I started to write. That mind associates M&P's (and Model 10's) with 38 Special----period---never mind the truth of the matter. And that said, the K-32 1st is (very likely) the rarest of the M&P's.

And that brings us to an entirely whacky extrapolation of my felonious thread drift---the lightweight 38/44 Outdoorsman. The scene is SWCA Orlando. I have several guns laid out, essentially as show and tell items. One of them is a .44 HE 3rd Target (Model of 1926). It's sitting right next to a 38/44 Outdoorsman. A fellow comes along, stops----and begins staring intently at the Model of 1926 Target----which, aside from the size of the holes, is identical to the Outdoorsman. After quite some time, he asks, "What is this?" I couldn't resist----and told him it was a lightweight Outdoorsman----with an entirely straight face. He was clearly puzzled, but nodded, and went on his way. Fortunately, he returned; and after giving me hell in a good natured manner, turned out to be one of the good guys.

Ralph Tremaine

 

[ISCS Yoda]

This one is kind of rare:

http://smith-wessonforum.com/album.php?albumid=771&pictureid=12670

I am not sure how many M10 .357s were made unless I look it up, probably a sufficient number such that they're not REAL REAL rare. Just buried in safes and such.

 

[Jebus35745]

I'm sure someone collects the model 10's and looks for the not common ones. I can remember someone posted that he had a 32 m&p target with a 4" bbl. There was a post also that said 2 of the - numbers were only made for 2-3 months, I thought they were the -3 & -4's. The 10-10's are nice looking. Larry

 

[Jim Watson]

I once saw a M10-? with round butt and 3" tapered barrel.

I don't know how rare they are in the great scheme of things, but that was the only one I have seen in the sea of 3" HBs.
Should'a bought it, it was at a gun show and I had just sold one of those way kewl European automatics but I did not trust myself on a spur of the moment purchase.

 

[sigp220.45]

The FBI issued the 2 1/2 inch heavy barreled Model 10s just before adopting the Model 13. I knew some guys who carried them, but outside of those I've never seen one.

They probably aren't the rarest, but they are distinctive and certainly aren't common. I'd love to find one.

 

[k22fan]

I once saw a M10-? with round butt and 3" tapered barrel.

I don't know how rare they are in the great scheme of things, but that was the only one I have seen in the sea of 3" HBs.
Should'a bought it, it was at a gun show and I had just sold one of those way kewl European automatics but I did not trust myself on a spur of the moment purchase.

Heavy barrel 3" round butt 10s and tapered barrel 3" square butt 10s are common enough that neither are any where near scarce. I suspect the latter are the more common of the two because a few years ago Bud's sold ones that had been traded in to S&W buy Australian police for $279 shipped to your dealer.

On a slightly different topic, lawandorder, thank-you to for showing us a picture of your 10-10 with ejector rod shroud. I did not know they exist.

 

[44wheelman]

Re Model 10-6 .357; I wouldn't call them rare.

"In 1972 Smith & Wesson had in inventory a quantity of .357 Military & Police revolvers with fixed sights. These were completed and although they have the Model 10-6 markings (.357 caliber), they are the original Model 13's. The approximate quantity is 1200 units and their serial numbers are dispersed throughout the D prefix serial number range. Between 1972 and 1974 a total of approximately 3,000 Model 10-6s were manufactured for a series of law enforcement agencies."

Info plagerized from 18dai's summary of a Jink's letter on that model.

 

[cerwinvega15]

Serial # 1.

 

[DWalt]

The postwar M&Ps chambered in .32 S&W Long are very unusual. But they are not Model 10s.

 

[k22fan]

Serial # 1.

There never was a serial number one. The "MOD 10" stamp was added in the middle of the then current C prefix serial number series during 1957. The SCSW gives the serial range C402924 - C429740 for 1957 - 1959.