[zplug123]

I have my eyes on a five-screw Smith and Wesson Model 10 with a pinned, pencil barrel, shooter condition. The gun shop has it listed as a C&R, so I was wondering how safe is it to shoot modern ammunition through it?

[Master Blaster]

If its a 5 screw its an M&P there were no 5 screw model 10's produced. What is the serial number?
That will give an idea of the year of production. What caliber is it? .38 special or .38 S&W?

[zplug123]

Here's a few pictures that the owner sent me, neither of us seem to knowledgeable about it's history. He's got it listed as '.38 S&W Special'. I don't know the serial number either.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/fracspho/pix3177886937.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/fracspho/pix3177887015.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/fracspho/pix3177887718.jpg

[Nikdfish]

Avoid +P & you should probably be fine with current .38 specials if it is marked ".38 S&W SPECIAL CTG.". If there is any concern about the cylinder condition, see a good gunsmith.

What range is the SN? (seller might provide this even if he doesn't want to provide the SN) It looks to be a similar vintage to a 1905 4th change from 1920 or 21 that I have (small trademark on left side of frame, absence of any printing on right ... I don't claim to be an authority). Mine has a 358XXX range SN. '20s or later vintage should have appropriate heat treatment to accomodate current standard pressure loads (from what I've read). If in doubt, consider cowboy action shooting loads.

Nick

[Trebor]

Read Jim March's "revolver check out" thread on the top of this forum.

If the gun is mechanically sound, it will be fine to shoot.

I'd give it a good cleaning first and have someone remove the sideplate, remove the 50 year old dried up lube and relube it. Don't do it yourself unless you are familiar with the guts of a S&W revolver.

After that, just stick to standard pressure .38 Special loads. Don't shoot +P or, God forbid, +P+.

[madcratebuilder]

I have a pre 10 M&P similar to that one, a bit newer. It's been a great shooter, stay away from the + loads. What are they asking for it? Unless it has some special history, I would guess $175 or so.

[SaxonPig]

That's a Military & Police Model made before 1945. Model numbers were assigned in 1957 but many people, even professional gun dealers who really should know better, refer to the older M&P guns as "Model 10s." It's wearing wartime stocks but the gun may be older.

That one looks pretty rough. I hope the price is no more than $150.

Assuming it's in good mechanical shape and the serial is above 165,000 (when they started tempering cylinders) it can shoot any proper .38 Special ammo (make sure the gun is a ,38 SPECIAL and not the .38 S&W caliber).

Oh, and the proper term is standard barrel. That "pencil" reference is dweeb city, dude.

[Old Fuff]

The Old Fuff's trained eyeballs notice that this revolver has a thin-blade front sight, and a small "U" notch rear one. This indicates it was made before 1924.

Also it is not stamped on the frame ""Made in U.S.A." which was started in 1922.

The stocks date from World War Two (1942 - '45) and are not original to the gun, but they give it a later period appearence which could be misleading.

This revolver could have been made anywhere from 1902 to 1922. Without a serial number (stamped on the butt) no one can say. Without more specific information I wouldn't say it was safe to shoot with modern ammunition, and would say that it's probably not safe to carry with a loaded cartridge under the firing pin, as it likely does not have a positive hammer block.

[buttrap]

The lack of finish on the frame vs the barrel and cylinder makes me wonder whats going on there though.

[Gator]

I don't know what the price is, but I'll bet you can find another M&P in better shape for similar money.

[Oro]

Old Fluff is on the game. This is a pre-1921 gun, and it was likely made before the heat treating was systemitized. It would only be safe with light loads. Restored in great shape, it might be worth $400 or so. Getting it there would cost $300 minimum, and you still wouldn't have original grips, and you also don't know the mechanical condition if you can't handle it or it comes from a dealer you know well and can trust him to know how to judge that. Thus, I'd be interested at about $100, but not much more.

[Old Fuff]

In fairness to the seller, he has represented the gun as a C&R, not a shooter, and it is possible that the internals, bore and chambers are fine. The degraded finish might have been caused by storage in a leather holster in a damp environment. That in itself wouldn't effect how the revolver shot.

It could be bead-blasted and Parkerized, to become sort of a pre-Victory Model. Doing this would not be expensive, and I don't see that the revolver has any collector's value. Collectors what them to be mint or like new.

But as a shooter it could have three problems, besides the obvious.

1. Without a serial number we don't know if the cylinder was heat treated or not, and there is a good chance it wasn't. While it has been presumed that it is a 1905 Hand Ejector, it could be an earlier 1902 Model.

2. The sights are very fine, and difficult to see except under the best of conditions. These are not a particularly good choice for shooting.

3. The gun doesn't have a POSITIVE hammer block, given its age. Thus safety considerations should dictate it be carried with the hammer down on an empty chamber.

All of this doesn't rule the gun out as a shooter, and I consider the price to be reasonable for what it's represented to be. It still has the craftsmanship and super-slick "long action" that made the Military & Police line famous. But It isn't the best choice if one wants a current day shooter.