Their DA revolvers, prestigious as they may have been, were simply sucking up too much money. Colt was heavily occupied with the AR15/M16, Peacemaker and Government Model. The exception? The Python - but I haven’t ever been wealthy enough to own enough of them to worry about!Īside from these reasons, I’m pretty certain Smith just did a better job of marketing their revolvers to the LE community. I’ve wound up sticking a Tyler T-grip adapter on nearly every ’50s to mid-’60s Colt I’ve ever used. Although the actual MSRP differential in 1968 was around 34 bucks, shelling out an additional 65 bucks over the OP’s asking price would get you a Python! Then there was the fact the M10’s grip was more user-friendly across a broader spectrum of hand sizes. So what was the reason for Smith M10’s (and the related medium-framed M15 and M19) eventual primacy in the LE market? Well, there was the cost per unit difference. and both are practically target-grade crisp. The Smith lived up to its reputation for a shorter, more manageable double-action trigger pull at 10 lbs., while the Colt, although measurably lighter at 9 lbs., was significantly longer and “stagier.” Both single-action pulls were dreamy, with the Smith at 2.5 lbs. The front sight width of both guns was an easy-to-acquire and reasonably glare-resistant serrated 1/8″.
539 at the front, a more substantive taper than the OP’s. Looking to the loud end, the 4″ barrel of our M10 mic’d. Skinny “pencil barrel.” Official Police: Naked ejector rod, pull to open cylinder release latch, left to right rotation. Model 10: Semi-shrouded ejector rod, push-to-open cylinder release latch and counter-clockwise rotation. However, in terms of differences, there are several. are similar enough only subjective preference comes into play. The Smith and the Colt, in terms of operation - loading, unloading, etc. 38 Specials as controllability, overpenetration and a shortened service life were all factors to be considered - not to mention the PR controversies associated with magnum loadings. Magnums were not universally adopted but if they were, many agencies required them to be loaded with. 38 Specials generally employed a 158-grain bullet with an initial velocity of 800–900 fps but there were a couple of hotshot invigorated options, of course. 357 Magnum capability, considering the larger range in velocities and resulting shifts in point of impact. Adjustables were for sporting/target revolvers and made more sense on guns with. The OP shown here is a 1958-vintage 5″ model, not quite as minty as the Smith.īoth guns feature a hammer-mounted firing pin, square checkered-walnut butt, and, in deference to their service roles, fixed sights. For a steeper price tag, of course, either could be had in nickel. The Colt Official Police was a bit pricier circa 1968 - $110 blued and slightly heavier because it was built on Colt’s. Still early enough to enjoy beautiful bluing, Magna grips, and a pinned barrel. My specimen is a “10-5,” made in 1972 by the numbers. It only became the Model 10 in 1957 when Smith went to numbers.
The Model 10 was the culmination of S&W’s original M&P series. By 1970, Colt had made 400,000 Ops - a whole lot of Colt anythings. It began as the Army Special, but was “deluxified” in 1927 and christened the “Official Police.” The final three years of its run saw the original format altered to the Mk III line (in essence, a different gun), which never achieved the success or cachet of the original. Neither sprung fully formed “as is.” The Official Police’s manufacturing run was a lengthy one from 1908 to 1969.
38 Special service revolvers epitomizing the struggle for primacy in the LE market, they would have to be Colt’s Official Police (OP) and Smith & Wesson’s Model 10.