I'm still baffled that not many are recognizing the model 10/ M&P revolvers. A few have in a round about way mentioned the K frame Smith.
The 1911 is legendary to me not because of how many cowboy movies it was in, or how big and bad it is, but more or less because it has been the most popular gun/ type/ design in its class for about 100 years.
The only revolver that can really claim the same is the is the K frame Smith & Wesson , model 10, M&P .38SPC. Take your pick on name as it progressed through the years.
I guess maybe the reason is beacause it is just a plain jane revolver in .38SPC. The fact is though there is no other revolver that can claim the success, popularity, and widespread use as the M&P/ Model 10. That is fact I would challenge anyone to dispute. It is so well known I'm not sure it is worth finding a source to cite. It is common knowledge.
These other revolvers are all "cool", but don't really scream legendary. Guns are all cool, but they are also tools. Their proven reliability and universal acceptance don't even compare to the 1911 or the model 10.
If you want the legendary gun don't look at Dirty Harry... look at police departments, military contracts (for purchasing weapons), production numbers, and how many other companies copied the design, and continue to do so.
The Model 10, formerly the M&P, is essentially the baseline standard for a revolver recognized worldwide from 1899 to present. That is a gun design that has survived during three centuries and is still mass produced to this very day.