S&W Model 10-5

[Yukonstorm]

I purchased a used S&W model 10-5 from R&G Sales in Az. The gun arrived yesterday in superb condition. It looks as though this gun may have never been fired. R&G was wonderful to deal with, and has what I considered to be excellent prices.
Does anyone know if a 10-5 is safe to fire with +P ammo? Of course not a steady diet, just occasionally. Thanks in advance.

 

[Iggy]

Would you slam the door on your new Ferrari really hard just occasionally?

Seriously, you can probably shoot a few through it with out serious harm, but an awful lot of BGs and GGs went down to a .38 without knowing about +P ammo.


Congrats on obtaining a really neat revolver.

 

[Jkwas]

I just ordered one from J&G in Arizona. Hoping to have the same good luck that you have had! Nice people. I checked out your +p question, and was told any model 10 built after 1958 with the heavy barrel can shoot +p. A lot of +p loads are milder than some of the standard stuff, so just be selective.
I use the gold dot 38+p125gn, and don't find them much different than regular target loads. Good luck!

 

[Ala Dan]

Yes, the S&W model 10-5 is built on the K frame, and therefore can
withstand a moderate diet of +P ammunition~!

 

[thatguy]

In my opinion factory +P is very mild, less than what the original service load* was years ago and I have a hard time understanding why anyone who has looked at the specs for this ammo has any concern at all about using it freely in a Colt or S&W revolver. In my opinion 20,000 to 30,000 rounds of factory +P will nicely break in a Model 10. At 100,000 rounds of factory +P you may actually notice some minor wear.

* Current +P from Federal, Win and Rem uses a 125 at around 950 FPS. Wow, like I'm really impressed with the devstating power of this load. The old original load was a 158 at 870 and nobody seems worried about using this load.

I shoot 125s at 1200-1250 FPS in my guns and so far I have had no problems.

You do what you think is best. If a 125 at a whopping 950 FPS scares you then don't use it.

 

[Yukonstorm]

Thanks everyone, I spoke to S&W this morning, gave them the ser #. They claim the 10-5 should not be fired with +P loads. Their statement is it isnt the FPS, its the CUP that creates a +P load. They strongly advise not to fire them in this gun. My intent was not as a steady diet, but a few to try, then keep loaded with as a house gun for the wife. I think Ill stay with 158 SWCLHP std velocity.

 

[Checkman]

Nothing wrong with that. It could handle a moderate diet of +P or at least you could load the cylinder with +P for a real world situation. But Smith is going to tell you that because of liability. Federal makes a non +P 110 grain HP. The idea is you have a round that delivers as much energy as the +P but is safer to use in older 38 revolvers. One advantage to the 110 grain is that it won't over penetrate and might be better for use in one's home. Of course that's a whole different thread topic.

 

[grimjaw]

Yukonstorm, if you're concerned about it but still want to fire the revolver on a regular basis for practice, I recommend CCI's aluminum-cased Blazer line. They have a standard pressure load, I believe it's lower pressure than even most other standard pressure loads.

jmm

 

[Jkwas]

What does CUP mean?

Their statement is it isnt the FPS, its the CUP that creates a +P load.

I'm not sure what this means. Please elaborate.

 

[flatdog]

CUP: here's a start.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/pressure_measurement.htm

 

[Ala Dan]

CUP is copper units of pressure

 

[Trebor]

How about some contact info for R&G?

Can I ask how much the gun was? Is it a 3" or 4"? I'm awfully tempted by those 3" Model 10's J&G is selling, but I'm not sure on the condition.

 

[sgt127]

Thanks everyone, I spoke to S&W this morning, gave them the ser #. They claim the 10-5 should not be fired with +P loads.

Thats the first I have ever heard of that. The standard answer at S&W has ALWAYS been that if the frame number is stamped in the frame, its safe with +P. Either they are getting paranoid, or someone there was misinformed....

 

[RON in PA]

You spoke to someone at Smith and they told you that a 10-5 isn't suitable for +P ammo? I say hogwash! and that's not based on anything but the fact that for years Smith has said that any K-frame Military and Police revolver marked with a model number (made 1958 or later) is safe with +P. Don't believe me, than go to Smith's home page and hunt around for their online owner's manuals. There is one for revolvers and in it they specificaly state that 38 special K-frames made prior to 1968 should not use +P. The person you spoke with doesn't know their product line. Also do a search here as the question has been asked many times.

 

[Yukonstorm]

The 10-5 was manufactured in 1962, as is all the 10-5 3 inch barrles they currently have. Im still amazed at the pristine condition the gun is in. I thoroughly cleaned it yesterday. I still feel as though this gun may have been minimally fired. prob. just for a LE agent to qualify. In a 2nd call to S&W getting a diff rep on the phone, they still claim not to fire +P ammo in this gun at all. This was not a problem for me, I simply wanted to know. I wasnt certain what yr. it became acceptable to use +P's. I appreciate all your input.
They call this a medium weight barrell, but it looks just like a 4"HB.
The gun came with a brand new set of Pachmyer presentation grips. I consider the $199. a good buy, thanks again