This revolver is so old, they introduced it at the turn of the century – not 1999, 1899 is when it first hit store shelves.
It was chambered in .38 S&W then later in the less anemic .38 Special.
To give you an idea of how powerful the .38 Special was, its 158-ish grain projectile zoomed at about 850 feet per second.
But compared to the 9mm Luger, the German round fired a 115 grain projectile at about 1,200-ish feet per second.
Although they had different terminal ballistics, due to standard bullet weights, they were very similar when loaded with the same weight projectile, even today. The diameter of their projectiles are nearly identical, if that helps you visualize it
Whereas, the eight shot P-08 Luger pistol could be very finicky about the ammunition it was fed, the six shot S&W revolver didn’t care what rounds it was fed, as long as they were .38 Special. It rarely choked on ammunition, even home made loads that didn’t exceed published pressure limits.
They were both ready in time for World War One and served, officially, and as personally supplied weapons.
The police in the US nearly all adopted the Model 10 because it was the most practical handgun for everyone to use, from the state police on down to township constables.
Whereas, the US military went with the Browning Model of 1911.
But during World War Two, the demand for handguns went through the roof. The US military filled the gap with the S&W M10 “Victory Model,” which was a Parkerized, rough military finish type to speed up production. They were exported to Allied countries too, in .38 S&W caliber, ammunition which other countries already had on hand.
By the Korean and Vietnam Wars, the S&W M10 became known as the M&P, Military and Police Model. Pilots were often armed with them.
Domestically, the commercial market always favored what the military and police chose for their weapon, just like people do today.
But in 1986, the FBI Miami Shootout ignited change, where the service revolver was dumped overnight, in favor of the self-loading pistol.
Smith & Wesson was on the spot with their existing 3900 series autoloader, that was superseded by the 5900 in the late 1980’s.
With police departments dumping their revolvers all across the country, the S&W M10 and M15, chambered in .357 Magnum, were sold off to the surplus market. People could buy them used for about $200USD. It was the deal of the century but most went ignored because the public wanted one of the many “Wonder Nines” too.
And right after firearm manufacturers made capital investments in Wonder Nine production, the polymer Glock appeared and wiped out those investments.
Fast forward to the 21st century.
By 2008, the unwanted, unloved S&W M10 remained a relic of the Wheel Gun era. Collectors picked up many for peanuts. I did too.
Today, they’re about $650 used. You can buy a new Glock for that kind of money. But the old Wheel Gun still holds the stigma of being worthless, not good for much more than plinking. The rationale being, if you’re going to carry a full sized handgun, it better have more than just six shots and reload by magazine, rather than reloading one cartridge at a time. Very, very untactical.
But in the hands of the old school shooter, it’s still a formidable combat handgun.
On the trail, no one is going to risk their life to try to rob anyone for an old, surplus revolver like they would for a Glock or HK USP.
The M10 that I carry is for open carry, while walking my dog. It’s loaded with two snake shot and four semi-wadcutters because of Rattlesnakes and Javolinas. A .38 Special load might not kill a Javolina head-on but from the side, a neck shot or two will choke it enough to disengage from tearing up my good boy. That’s the two main jobs I need my Model 10 to perform.
One caveat to mention, never load +P .38 Special in a Model 10. It won’t blow up but it can jam the action you’ll need a fine screwdriver to unjam.
It’s not an uncommon problem to jam the cylinder from rotating to the next chamber after the recoil of a +P. The revolver can jam. Maybe not the first time but beating the action with too many +P cartridges will eventually wear out that tiny spring behind the cylinder lock pin. The cylinder release won’t even work properly. Prying open the cylinder is going to take some finesse. That’s not a project you want to start when you need that revolver to work.
When buying a used Model 10, the integrity of the cylinder release is another consideration, in addition to the condition of the action lock work.
Mine is an old five-screw type from the Korean War era. I added a 1985 period, police style, Pachmayr grip, which makes shooting it effortless.
The Smith & Wesson Model 10 is a very accurate and dependable sport plinker and dog walking companion with character and history.