When talking about my recent acquisition, I referred to the S&W .38 revolver as a Model 60 — my mistake, as Reader Ken had originally told me that it was a Model 10 M&P (Military & Police, for those not familiar with S&W’s various nomenclatures).
Of course, I’m an idiot and can only plead Old Fart’s Disease plus (if I may make just a feeble excuse) my complete confusion with Smith & Wesson’s cuneiform-style of model numbering. (And I mean “cuneiform” in terms of its incomprehensibility and not how they write it — although it wouldn’t surprise me if their next revolver model is termed as 
a.k.a. M&P, I mean why the hell not?)
Anyway… I seem to have wandered somewhat off the track — yet another symptom of OFD — so let me wind this up by making a fulsome apology.
And yes, I’ve gone full Winston Smith and corrected the earlier post, not because I’m like the New York fucking Times, but because for some reason people sometimes use me as a reference, and I wouldn’t want the mistake to cause confusion.
All that apology stuff aside, I should point out that this lovely gun shoots a lot better than I can shoot it: at 25 ft distance, 2″ groups rested and palm-sized groups offhand. Interestingly, I’m more accurate shooting .38+P than regular .38 Special ammo.
It has replaced the little Model 637 snubbie as an alternative carry piece to the 1911 if my clothing requires a smaller profile.
The only question remaining to be asked is: Why the hell did it take me so long to get one of these fine guns?
[exit, kicking myself]
Old Fart Disease aside, it sure is a purty gun, init?
The Smith and Wesson Model 10 is an absolutely fine revolver. I’ve opted for the .357 magnum K frames because of versatility and if it can withstand the proper loads of .357 magnum, then a steady diet of .38 special or even .38+P special loads shouldn’t wear the revolver out any sooner. Despite that, the .38 special Model 10 and its variants are very, very enjoyable revolvers.
The closest I’ve got to an S&W is a fairly old Taurus from Smith’s original manufacturing line in Brazil. It’s a 6-round, 6″-barreled .357 in stainless steel with a fully-adjustable rear sight with a white “U” outline, and a red-ramp front sight. It’s still one of the nicest sight set-ups I’ve got. Double-action pull is quite smooth, and the single-action pull is extremely light (never measured, but probably about 3 lb.).
I also get confused with Smith’s numbering system for their pistols, but Lucky Gunner has a handy-dandy chart on this post that makes it much clearer for me:
https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/guide-smith-wesson-semi-automatic-models/
I inherited my Dad’s Model 10. I added a Tyler T-grip adapter which makes it more comfortable to shoot, at least for me.
What sort of concealment holster works for a gun that size?
The 4” K frame is easy to carry discreetly. A pancake style belt holster from any reputable maker works well when covered by a shirt tail or jacket.
Inside the waistband is even easier if your pants allow the extra room. In that case, I am partial to the Summer Special by Milt Sparks; many of the imitators are quite good as well.
Yeah, you just need to make sure it rides high up on the belt, no “cowboy” low-slung numbers.
Kim,
Thanks for clearing things up. A man of integrity indeed.
Re: +P accuracy. The factory S&W revolver barrel twist is 1:18.5 and has been for over a century. That leads to best accuracy at 900 fps, give or take a little to account for projectile design (weight, bearing surface area, etc.).
For ICORE, Bianchi Cup, and Distinguished Revolver matches a well made 160 grain bullet running at over 850 fps (but not under) will hold the X ring at 50 yards of the operator does his part. So I’ve accepted that any lost points are my fault, not the ammo or revo.
50 YARDS?
I can’t even see the damn target at that distance.
Fifty feet is about my absolute maximum when shooting anything with less than a 23″ barrel.
I have an Uncle Mike’s vertical shoulder holster for my Model 65. It works great under my flight jacket.