Most Produced Handgun

[JimT]

I know that this is the day and age of the tactical cast from polymer autoloading handgun. However there are still some of us old fanny burbs around that prefer the sixgun for most everything. And while I have some autoloaders, they are made of metal not some type of plasic. But even so, my preference is the revolver. And while I choose the single action sixgun first of all, the double action is my next choice. (and often my first choice) And of the double actions, the S&W Model 10 is at the top. I don't think it has ever been beaten. The Smith & Wesson Model 10 has been in production since 1899. More than 6,000,000 have been produced over the years, making it the most produced handgun of the 20th century. And they have been around for so many years and fought in so many wars that pretty much all the "bugs have been worked out of them.

I bought this gun in 1980 when I was working for the Dept. of Corrections. It was our issue gun. My wife and I were shooting in Combat Matches in those days and she used the Model 10 all the years she competed. She won her share of matches shooting against ladies mostly armed with auto-loaders. She was not as fast as some of them but she rarely missed and in those matches misses counted heavily against you.

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The stocks on this pistol are original Bear Hug by Deacon Deason. Deacon was a good friend and a great grip-maker. The only modifications I did to the sixgun was to chamfer the chambers to help with speed-loading and to remove the grooves on the trigger, polishing the face of the trigger smooth. The grooved trigger made your finger sore when firing a lot of ammo during a match. The double action letoff is smooth and easy to use. The single action letoff is what every other revolver wishes it could do. It's easy to shoot these guns accurately.

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It's true that the .38 Special isn't a Magnum. And I do not try to make it one. You don't need Magnum velocities to get the job done. The nice thing about the .38 Special is it's easy to reload, easy to shoot and plenty accurate. Practice handloads can be made for about the cost of a box of .22 Long Rifle ammo. Practicing with the Model 10 is pretty easy on the pocket book.

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[AJMD429]

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I like revolvers too. SP-101, Speed-Six, and Redhawk make a great trio.

Although there are semiautos I like too (1911, PT92, SIG938, ParaOrdnance P14....ARPistol in 300 Blackout )

But the S&W 10's are truly classics. I only have one (a 6" 32-20) but that' about the perfect one to have if you only have one.

[2ndovc]

My favorite Modell 10. RHKP issue and an outstanding shooter. I also have a Victory that was one of the last of the WWII production that I bought thirty plus years ago at an auction for $120 in near new condition. There's a couple more in there, but those are my favorites. Never had a heavy barrel, but I will eventually.

jb

[kaschi]

Wow, 6 million is a lot! I never would have guessed the Model 10 would be number 1 as far as the most produced handgun goes. I was of the understanding that the Soviet Makarov pistol was the world's most produced handgun having been made in (at least) the USSR, East Germany, Bulgaria, China and possibly North Korea. By "Makarov" I strictly mean the Soviet PM designed pistol and not other pistols chambered for the 9x18 Makarov round.

[JimT]

Wow, 6 million is a lot! I never would have guessed the Model 10 would be number 1 as far as the most produced handgun goes. I was of the understanding that the Soviet Makarov pistol was the world's most produced handgun having been made in (at least) the USSR, East Germany, Bulgaria, China and possibly North Korea. By "Makarov" I strictly mean the Soviet PM designed pistol and not other pistols chambered for the 9x18 Makarov round.

The Makarov is listed as having 5 million produced. (from Wikipedia) The Makarov Pistol (Volume 1): Soviet Union and East Germany by Henry C. Brown and Cameron S. White". Edwin H. Lowe Publishing.

The 6 million figure for the Model 10 does not include all the companies that have made copies of it. Three different Spanish companies have made the Model 10. Israel made some. Rossi makes or made one. I am sure there are others around the world that are not included in the S&W production numbers.

[Crazy Horse]

When I read Most Produced handgun the Model 10 was the first one I thought of.

[gcs]

My first qualification was with a stock, beat up police turn in... the armorer grabbed it out of a box full, gave it a few shakes and said "this one isn't too bad"
Shot a perfect 300 with that clunker, lol

The double action was smooth, you could feel the pause where it went to a single action let off, so you could just lightly squeeze off the shot....Cops couldn't believe I never shot a qual before......

[Bill in Oregon]

Jim, they are wonderful revolvers. I still kick myself for not buying a friend's Model 13 several decades ago. It was as near as perfect as any revolver I have handled, and would have been a great one to work up .38-44 Outdoorsman level loads in.

[JimT]

Yes. I should have picked up a few more when they were affordable. I see Model 10's going for as much as 1K these days!! Crazy.

[Griff]

A model 10 with a heavy barrel was my 1st gun with the SD. Our 60 round qualification course had a max score of 300-60X. While I never saw much over 35 X's, that mdl 10 was the 1st revolver I shot a 300 score with. The mdl 19 I replaced it with saw a few 300s. I bought a mdl 65 ~1987, & after having the trigger & hammer replaced with set from a mdl 19 and tuned to perfection, immediately brought back those perfect 300s. One of the few guns I've lusted after is a mdl 13... why? I have no idea!

[jkbrea]

I did a search and Aimplus.com has S&W Mod 64-6 LEO trade-ins for $499. They're Mod 10 that are stainless. From personal experience, most trade-in are in great mechanical shape. Just lots of wear from everyday carry. Most are shot 2-4 times a year for qualifications......shotguns even less.

[marlinman93]

I love S&W's and the Model 10 is one of my favorites! They are the workhorse of S&W handguns, and often overlooked or under appreciated by many revolver lovers. They just feel good, work flawlessly, and the .38 Special is still a wonderful cartridge that's easy to shoot, reload for, and buy brass or ammo for. I'll always own a Model 10 as long as I'm alive.
My Model 10 is a Bill Davis custom I used to compete with, and still love shooting! A SA pull of 1.5 lbs. and the slickest, lightest DA pull of any S&W I've ever owned!
I have multiple grips depending on what I use it for, including a set of Herrets grips I used for target shooting.

[Rimfire McNutjob]

Oh man that's a nice looking revolver. It's got an aggressive stance ... to use a phrase from the car world.

[samsi]

Jim, what did you use to polish the grooves from the trigger? I tried to narrow a target trigger once, that thing was hard as woodpecker lips.

[Paladin]

You are right Jim I have had a few over the years only one left. They are a classic functional revolvers. Even though I am wearing a 3in model 60 currently.

[Streetstar]

I did a search and Aimplus.com has S&W Mod 64-6 LEO trade-ins for $499. They're Mod 10 that are stainless. From personal experience, most trade-in are in great mechanical shape. Just lots of wear from everyday carry. Most are shot 2-4 times a year for qualifications......shotguns even less.

Purchased a bobbed hammer model 64 LEO trade in - (in this case, Brinks security ) a decade ago that was exactly as you described --

Still have a Model 65 - and it is a shooter for sure - but it may as well be a 64 as all i shoot out of it are .38's

[JimT]

Jim, what did you use to polish the grooves from the trigger? I tried to narrow a target trigger once, that thing was hard as woodpecker lips.

It's been too many years. I did that more than 40 years ago. I have a good memory but there are parts of it .. still in good shape ... that I cannot access.

[samsi]

Jim, what did you use to polish the grooves from the trigger? I tried to narrow a target trigger once, that thing was hard as woodpecker lips.

It's been too many years. I did that more than 40 years ago. I have a good memory but there are parts of it .. still in good shape ... that I cannot access.

No worries, I can relate. I understand that S&W hammers and triggers are only case hardened, whereas Ruger's are through hardened. When I worked on the target trigger I figured once it was through the surface hardening it would be easy going, but files just skated off and a diamond hone removed metal but barely. I ended up with a target trigger with nicely polished sides..

[marlinman93]

Oh man that's a nice looking revolver. It's got an aggressive stance ... to use a phrase from the car world.

Funny story on this Bill Davis Model 10 Comp gun. A local dealer had it on his table at a gun show back about 30 years ago, and priced at $250. I knew how good Bill Davis guns were and asked what was wrong with it? The dealer told me nothing was wrong, it was just priced cheap because it wasn't original anymore. I offered his $225 and he quickly took it.

[Walt]

Samsi, I have successfully used a Dremel tool with a sanding drum to smooth Smith trigger faces.