Inherited S&W 10-5. Need info
Hey guys, I just inherited a S&W 10-5 in .38 special from my grandfather. I'll admit I don't know much about revolvers and practically nothing about Smiths. I was hoping you guys could throw me some info on this model. Popularity, pros, cons, when they were sold, history of the model, etc. I'd estimate this one to be in about 85%-90% condition but it does not have the original grips on it. I was curious as to value as a collector piece or a shooter. What do people have to say about these models? How well do they shoot. I dry fired it a few times (using a finger to block the hammer so as not to cause any damage) and I've gotta say I think the trigger is even nicer than my Kimber. I'd like to know ballpark what it's worth although it'll never be for sale. Any info is greatly appreciated and thanks in advance. Again [:p]
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Good solid revolver. S&W has been making them for ever and will probably keep on making them. There are at least a dozen engineering changes to that model and the -5 indicates the fifth change. The nice thing is that your pistol will still ahve the good early features that were done away with as the model revisions progressed. The 4" barrel length is the de facto standard length so any barrel other than four inch brings a premium. 85% condition and not having the original stocks means no real value beyond shooter, but then the Model 10s have always been very fine shooting pistols. I am thinking a value of around $200 or maybe $225 if it looks nicer than the picture I have in my mind or has a non stnadard barrel length. With a little care and cleaning that pistol will last long enough for you to hand it down to your own grand kids. 0 -
The 10's are the most common S & W revolver. 80-90% of the cops carried them between 40's & 80's. Yours dates to the 60's. Goes without saying still lots of them around.
With the popularity of high cap autos, fixed sight .38 special revolvers, aren't big buck items. At 85%? most likely in the $200-$300 range.0 -
I concur with everything Mark said. . .
Smith 10-5
The model 10 .38 Smith and Wesson revolver (aka the old "military and police" revolver) is probably the oldest handgun still in current production. With multiple variations, its literally been in continuous production since the end of the 19th century! Historically speaking, over that time, its been used around the world by any number of police and military forces, including the militaries of the US, Canada, England, Hong Kong Police, etc.
Needless to say, this model hasn't been made and sold by the millions for over 100 years because it isn't any good, or because people don't like it!
Popularity? By production volume, this is probably the single most popular .38 special revolver ever made.
Pros? Glass smooth double action trigger pull is probably the biggest one. You've already noticed the light crisp single-action (cocked) trigger pull.
Cons? IMO, the biggest drawback to these is that the stock fixed sights aren't all that good by modern standards with a shallow rear notch and thin front blade. Also, .38 special isn't a particularly powerful round, though its good enough to do what it needs to do.
Worth?
Unfortunately for you, because literally millions of these have been made, these only have decent collector's value if they are in mint or near mint condition, and with the original grips and box.
So yours doesn't have any.
On the other hand, your 10-5 was probably made sometime in the 1960s, when Smith was still using all forged (not MIM) parts, and when every gun was hand-fitted by a gunsmith before leaving the factory. For reasons of cost they "don't make them like that anymore" and they probably never will.
As a "shooter", I basically concur with Mark on the value. There is no shortage of these revolvers on the used market, and depending on where and what, you'd expect maybe $200-250 for yours.
If the aftermarket grips are particularly nice, those could add some value. Also, you can probably add $50 for a 5 or 6" barrel, or $100 for a snubnose 2" barrel.
If you want to keep it, just wipe it down with a thin film of gun oil after shooting it (so it doesn't rust), and engage in other basic maintenance like occasional cleaning and storage in a dry place. If you do that, you should be able to use the gun for a lifetime then hand it down to your own grandkids.0 -
Well I've just finished cleaning her all up and I'm more than excited to find out it's only value is as a shooter. I was hoping to NOT have something that I was going to have to make a safe queen so that I'd be able to enjoy shooting it just like grandpa did. It does have the 4" barrel which I neglected to mention earlier. The grips that are on it, to be honest, are pretty ugly IMO. They're HUGE and they make the pistol look kinda funny to me. It's not a very big framed revolver so these grips look out of place. However, they ARE pretty comfortable and I'm betting they'll tell me why grandpa chose them when I get it to the range. [:D] They definitely lend a feeling of control to the gun. As I've said before, it will never be for sale, but I would kind of like to have smaller grips like the ones that it originally came with just to see if they fit my hand better. They don't have to be original grips, aftermarket is fine. I just need to know what size frame I'm ordering them for... Again, I know nothing about the smith model names and frame sizes other than the J frame is the small one [B)]
Thanks again for all of your replies so far. You guys have provided exactly the type of information I was hoping for. To give a better description of the condition now that all the gunk is gone: There is some pitting on the backstrap of the gun. There is quite a bit of it there but it's not deep. I can see it but can barely feel it with the tip of my fingernail. The bluing is very deep and shiny looking but there is a fair amount of holster wear around the muzzle and the front of the cylinder. (This was his carry gun and given the age of the gun, I'd say it's not excessive) Other than the backstrap, there is not a single spot of rust anywhere else on the gun. The cylinders and the bore look nice and shiny now. And the grips of course, are not original. Based on this description, do you think I'm pretty close on guessing it to be 85%-90%? I'd love to post some pics but I'll have to wait till I can borrow a decent camera. Mine won't show enough detail to even see what I've described so far.
Thanks Rufe. Headed to auction side now [:D]0 -
It's a "K" frame. NO problem in getting grips, there so common almost all the aftermarket outfits make "K" frame grips.
Pitting of any sort is bad, decreases value of handgun. With the pitting your probably looking at 80%, from a collectors aspect.0 -
Again Rufe has it.
Muzzle wear and backstrap pitting probably put the gun closer to 80%. If you want a more informed opinion about percentage, you can take a few high res pictures of the gun in good light then post them here. Instructions on how to do that can be found in the "sticky" at the top of the ASK THE EXPERTS page.
If you're not selling the gun, the exact percentage or rating doesn't really matter.
Edit: Responding to Mark, below. Yeah, unless the aftermarket grips on there are spectacular, a 4" bbl with metal pitting pretty much makes this a $200 gun or even a bit less. Of course those changes are cosmetic only, and with no sense of irony intended, a model 10-5 is probably about the best quality $200 gun out there right now. I doubt that its even possible to build a gun like this for under $200 nowadays. Even in poor cosmetic condition a revolver like this probably "should" cost more, its just that the absolute glut of these on the market makes them inexpensive.
Also note that in a "shooter" gun like this, aftermarket grips aren't going to decrease the value of the gun, unless they're absolutely lousy. Nice grips, of course, can have their own value.
In terms of grips, your gun is a Smith K frame. The K and L frames use the same grips. Your gun is most likely a SQUARE BUTT gun (as the vast majority of models 10 are, including the one in the picture I posted above), but before you go and buy grips, you'd probably want to confirm that. Round-butt Models 10 do exist, and the grips do NOT interchange (see below).
Next, on grips, personally I do NOT care for the older stock Smith K frame grips (again, depicted in the picture above AND below). The stock grips are simply too small for my hand, and don't quite place my trigger finger right onto the trigger. I think this is a fairly common experience, and lots of people prefer larger target type grips. In fact, for quite some time now, the factory grips on Smith model 10s have been bigger than the older factory grips.
Grip choice is largely a matter of personal preference. While a detailed discussion of grips is WAY beyond the scope of this thread, suffice it to say that if you like rubber/synthetic grips its pretty hard to go wrong with anything by Pachmayr or Hogue.
Again, Smith 10 with square butt, 4" bbl, and original style factory grips:
Current manufacture Smith 10 with heavy 4" bbl and factory "Uncle Mikes" fingergroove synthetic grips:
Smith 10-6 with Ahrends "retro-combat" grips (Suh-weet! See here: http://ahrendsgripsusa.com/retro.htm ).
Smith model 10 with ROUND butt and factory grips:
Etc. . .0 -
It is actually much more common to find the older Model 10s with aftermarket stocks than the factory set simply because the OEM stocks were very small compared to the Frame size. The pitting, a four inch barrel and non standard stocks is probably going to mean a value of $150-$175. There are simply too many nicer examples out there. I say clean it up and go out and shoot it, you won't wear it out! 0 -
Midnight...... It seems you've a lot of good info on the model 10, they make a good home protection gun and will handle +P .38spl ammo with no problem if you wish to use it.
I like the older versions.............
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