#2A - The S&W Model 10 is the Yardstick of Revolvers
From prison yards to city streets, the Smith & Wesson Model 10 has stood as the trusted benchmark of service revolvers for more than a century.
From prison yards to city streets, the Smith & Wesson Model 10 has stood as the trusted benchmark of service revolvers for more than a century.
(Steve Charles) - Night shift, Michigan Department of Corrections, 1988. Three prisoners were trying to slip over the fences, and I was the one standing between them and freedom. My hand closed around my issued 4-inch Smith & Wesson heavy barreled Model 10-6, and everything else faded into the background. The balance, the weight, the quiet promise of the steel, this revolver didn’t hesitate, and neither could I. By the time the night ended, the prisoners were in segregation unit cells, and I had an affirmed appreciation for why this revolver had earned its legendary reputation.
The Model 10’s story goes back even further. Introduced in 1899 as the .38 Hand Ejector, Military & Police, it became simply the Model 10 over the decades and more than six million were produced. Beat cops, detectives, soldiers, and bank guards all carried one. They trusted it with their lives, and so did I.
What made it so special? The K-frame size was perfect: stout enough for the .38 Special, yet slim enough to carry comfortably all day. The trigger teaches discipline, the sights are straightforward, and the balance is natural. Pick one up and you immediately know why it became the benchmark. Learn to shoot a Model 10 well, and you can shoot anything.
A few years later, I became a…
I used to carry a Model 10 -4- in thin barrel. An absolutely best weapon. Always regretted trading it in for a Model 686.