To Buy Or Not To Buy: S&W Model 10 Police Trade-In

[BuffCyclist]

Revolvers are becoming very appealing to me lately and I swore up until now that I wanted a Ruger LCR in .357mag (for the option to shoot .357mag if I ever felt brave out of the 17oz pistol lol). Then, I decided I should get a LCR in .22lr so I could teach my Fiancee how to shoot and she wouldn't be afraid of recoil. Then, I saw the lower price of S&W 642s and they started becoming more appealing.

Until now...

I stumbled across the S&W Model 10 Police Trade Ins (http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/411545791) that Buds has. It's a heavy barrel, round butt, 4" model for $269 with free shipping. The reviews on Buds has them all in very good condition except for wear of the bluing from holsters. The action seems barely used and nearly everyone rates them at a 4 or 5 out of 5.

Calculating in the 3% non-cash price and my $25 FFL Transfer fee, I could have one for $302 all said and done. Everywhere I read about them, they are solid revolvers and are very accurate and reliable.

So what do you all think, is this something that I definitely need? Or can a better deal be found elsewhere? I'm about to get a security deposit and prorated rent from the house I was leasing before I purchased one and had planned on putting most in savings but keeping about $250 for a new pistol.




eta: Ended up Purchasing one. Review on Page 4. HIGHLY recommend anyone pick one up if they're even slightly intrigued by the deal!

[thebriarman]

First of all, of course you need another gun, don't we all:)

I carried one of this on duty for 5 years and it is simply a work horse. No issues ever and always went bang. It's simply a basic revolver and I think you'd enjoy it. They also seem to be holding their value.

I actually put a larger grip on mine that took away the rounded butt look and fit my hand better. The grip is cut out to encase the round butt frame.

[sellersm]

Yes, you need it. I've been itching to add some more revolvers to my collection as well. This is tempting!

[BuffCyclist]

It's very tempting! And no gun collection is complete without at least one revolver and a shotgun (my collection needs both lol).

They also have the square butt version (http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/910/products_id/411545790) for the same price or the 3" model (http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/774/products_id/411545640/Used+Guns/Used+Handguns/Used%20Smith%20and%20Wesson%20Model%2010%2038SPL%2 03/quot;/) for $299. I personally like the 4" model, and from what I've read, the round butt is more desirable as you can add square butt grips to it, but you can't add round butt grips to a square model.

[lifeon2]

Great price on a great gun.

[cstone]

I've got a Model 15 4", and a Model 19 2.5" and they are both blued. I only shoot .38 Spl out of them even thought I have the option of .357 from the Model 19.

Sounds like a great price. Buy it, keep it for at least a year. If you don't like it, go to the S&W forum. You will not lose money on that purchase. [Beer]

[BuffCyclist]

Well after thinking about it very hard the past 2 days, and reading more reviews of it I've decided to go ahead and purchase one on Monday. Found some other deals on model 16s over at J&G Sales, but they are all DAO and look pretty beat up.

I'll update the thread once I order/receive it and give a review on the quality.

[sroz]

If it interests you you may want to take a peek at their 3" barrel versions. I think they are $299.

[BuffCyclist]

If it interests you you may want to take a peek at their 3" barrel versions. I think they are $299.

Any reason to get a 3" version over a 4" version? As in, is the 3" better than the 4"?

[sroz]

Any reason to get a 3" version over a 4" version? As in, is the 3" better than the 4"?

No reason other than preference. For a lot of folks the 3" revolvers are more desireable & they are not as common. I guess it's also a bit more concealable.

[BuffCyclist]

Just placed my order for a 4" round butt Model 10. I was considering the 3" version for various reasons but the 3" is a 10-5 (earliest manufacture is 1962) and the 4" round butt model is a 10-10 (earliest manufacture is 1988).

I asked them nicely to pick me a good quality one with little rust and little wearing of the bluing. We'll see if they can accomodate me!

Depending on the quality though and if they still have them, I may decide to pick up another one in a couple months. Now the painful wait begins!

[Coedwards5]

Your also going to gain accuracy and less kick with the 4". Congrats on the new addition. I have a .38 special with 6" barrel down in Texas. I love that gun. Shoots like a dream.

[BuffCyclist]

Thanks! I'm very excited and can't wait to get it! Just got the email saying its shipped, 2nd day air!

Sad thing is that I'm leaving on a work shift tomorrow afternoon so I won't be able to pick it up until next week Mon/Tues. :(

Oh well, guess that gives me time to read up on it and learn more about it.

[cstone]

Thanks! I'm very excited and can't wait to get it! Just got the email saying its shipped, 2nd day air!

Sad thing is that I'm leaving on a work shift tomorrow afternoon so I won't be able to pick it up until next week Mon/Tues. :(

Oh well, guess that gives me time to read up on it and learn more about it.

Just put one .38 Special round in your left front shirt pocket. Every once in a while pat the pocket and remind yourself that you are joining a long tradition of great wheelgun shooters.

http://barneyfifesbullet.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Barney_Fife.jpg

[G__Fred]

Secure it, switch out the grip to a Hogue, and you have a beautiful / go anywhere piece!

:Cool:

[BuffCyclist]

Secure it, switch out the grip to a Hogue, and you have a beautiful / go anywhere piece!

:Cool:

That is definitely the plan! So now the question is this: LRN or FMJ?

I picked up some FMJ at Walmart just so I'd have something to shoot, but sgammo.com has some PPU 158gr LRN for $11.50 per 50rds. I'm really tempted to pickup 250-300rds of the stuff just because.

[cstone]

That is definitely the plan! So now the question is this: LRN or FMJ?

I picked up some FMJ at Walmart just so I'd have something to shoot, but sgammo.com has some PPU 158gr LRN for $11.50 per 50rds. I'm really tempted to pickup 250-300rds of the stuff just because.

This is more of a plinking/target shooter right? If the pistol is timed correctly and not loose, it should shoot anything without a problem. Sometimes after they have been used and abused, they will start shaving a bit of lead at the forcing cone.

I've always liked shooting wad cutters, but cost per round often over rides that choice. SGAmmo has always been a good source of inexpensive ammo when buying in bulk. It looks like the Prvi is the best deal out there right now, coming in at just about .24 per round delivered to your door: http://www.sgammo.com/product/prvi-partizan/1000-rds-38-special-158-grain-lrn-ammo-prvi-partizan

Don't forget a few speed loaders while you are shopping. [Beer]

[BuffCyclist]

This is more of a plinking/target shooter right? If the pistol is timed correctly and not loose, it should shoot anything without a problem. Sometimes after they have been used and abused, they will start shaving a bit of lead at the forcing cone.

I've always liked shooting wad cutters, but cost per round often over rides that choice. SGAmmo has always been a good source of inexpensive ammo when buying in bulk. It looks like the Prvi is the best deal out there right now, coming in at just about .24 per round delivered to your door: http://www.sgammo.com/product/prvi-partizan/1000-rds-38-special-158-grain-lrn-ammo-prvi-partizan

Don't forget a few speed loaders while you are shopping. [Beer]

Yea, this is just a generic revolver for whatever purposes because everyone needs a classic police revolver. It won't be used for self-defense, might end up in my truck as a last ditch gun for the winter months while driving to/from work. I doubt I'll shoot it all that much, but its another gun that I'm keeping in my collection and probably won't ever sell.

I will be bringing a set of feeler gauges with me when I pick it up, to check the spacing of the barrel to cylinder (which if I'm correct, is the more important distance than the cylinder to hammer distance). I always have the option of refusing the transfer, but frankly it'd be easier just to take it and abuse the heck out of it lol.

Supposedly, they have great reviews on these police trade-ins and all just have lots of wearing of the blue, but most are hard pressed to find any wear of the parts (some reviewers even say they appear to have never been fired).

And yes, I plan to pickup a set of Hogue Bantam grips for it, as well as one speedloader at first.

[Dr_Fwd]

I bought 3 of those from Buds. Absolutely love every each of them! I'll post a picture of one I've polished tomorrow.

[BuffCyclist]

I bought 3 of those from Buds. Absolutely love every each of them! I'll post a picture of one I've polished tomorrow.

Oooh, oooh, real pictures! How was the overall condition of all 3 of yours?

The price is very hard to pass up, which is partly why I'm getting one even though I don't really need it. I thought about ordering 2 of them and telling my Fiancee that they screwed up the order and that you can't return a firearm, so I'm stuck with them both lol. Something tells me I'd be sleeping on the couch for a while though...

[Dr_Fwd]

Well, all 3 of them looked rather rough, BUT mechanically very nice/awesome condition! Shoot very nice, tight groups, no problems whatsoever.
Tell you what - if yours are the same as mine, you will never regret buying it!

[Dr_Fwd]

Give me a couple of minutes I'll snap a picture for ya.

[Dr_Fwd]

Here we go:
Don't have any "before" pictures, these are pictures after I polished it.







http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn270/Dr_Fwd/20120614_025715-1.jpg

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn270/Dr_Fwd/20120614_025746-1.jpg

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn270/Dr_Fwd/20120614_025827-1.jpg

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn270/Dr_Fwd/20120614_025918-1.jpg

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn270/Dr_Fwd/20120614_025943-1.jpg

[BuffCyclist]

WOW! That looks amazing polished!! Did you get all 3 with the square butt?

How did you go about polishing it? I'm not going to ask how long because I'm sure that took a while! I thought I was going to just touch up the bluing on it and leave it, but DAMN that's sexy and I want mine to look like that too!!

I was actually highly considering purchasing one of the Model 64's that J&GSales has, but they are DAO and I couldn't find a complete SA/DA hammer assembly for sale anywhere.

[Dr_Fwd]

Yeap, all 3 square. First removed all the remaining finish, after that started with 800 grid sand paper and ended with 2000 grid. And after that polishing wax(or whatever the hell is the name of that stuff)
Took me about 15 hours total...
If i ever decide to polish another gun - I'd better pay someone to do it... Lol!

[Dr_Fwd]

Oh, and those grips make a HUGE difference! Order them now so you don't have to wait another couple of days after you get your revolver..

[Dr_Fwd]

Oh and the member here (TheInternet I think) does polishing.

[BuffCyclist]

Haha, sounds like a great way to get some TLC to an old neglected revolver though! Is there a chemical soak that I could soak the entire revolver in to start removing the bluing? I think I read way back when, that vinegar will remove bluing. Could I soak the revolver in that for a bit? Though I wonder what it would do to the various springs and other parts.

I think I'll do some research on how to remove the bluing and be prepared to do something to it in case the bluing is in really bad shape when I get it on Monday night.

However, I might just be motivated enough to attempt this as I've got quite a bit of spare time right now.

Yea, I was planning on ordering the grips from Amazon tomorrow, with Amazon Prime I'll get them on Monday just before I pick up the revolver! :)

And thanks for the tip about TheInternet's polishing services, alas I don't live in Colorado and wouldn't be able to get it to him easily to polish it for me.

[Dr_Fwd]

This what I used to remove bluing www.buy.com/pr/product.aspx?sku=200290438&sellerid=34158266
And I disassembled the entire gun from the start.

[BuffCyclist]

Awesome, thank you for that link! I'll do some research on it and see if there is a best way to go about using it, don't want to leave it on too long and ruin the metal or something.

[Dr_Fwd]

I bought it from big5 it comes with the instructions and all.

[BuffCyclist]

Well dang, I thought my FFL was going to take shipment today, but the UPS tracking status shows a delivery attempt was made. Hopefully he's able to accept the shipment tomorrow...

Scratch that! They decided to try delivering it again tonight, it just got updated in the system 2min ago that it was delivered to my FFL, apparently he had to sign for it. Yay! Now, if only Monday would get here sooner!

[BuffCyclist]

Alright, well I picked up my Model 10-11 (CCVxxxx) from my FFL last night, but wasn't able to really go over it until this morning. Here's what I've found so far. From what I've found so far, the 10-11 was produced as early as 1997 and can handle +P ammo.

Upon first opening it, I was highly impressed in the such good overall condition of this revolver! I was shocked that I only paid $270 for it, as I could easily see them selling for $400 or more. Sure, the bluing was a little worn away, but overall its in excellent condition.

Mine has very little wearing of the bluing, mostly the first half inch in "triangles" on the left and right side of the barrel, muzzle end. The SA trigger feels absolutely wonderful and I'm sure I'll be quite accurate with it! It doesn't have a take up stage at all, its just put finger on trigger and when I feel like I'm applying pressure the hammer drops. There is very little finger movement which will help with accuracy. The DA trigger is long but rather smooth along the entire length. When checking the hammer for bad stoning, it seems to be very solid when pulled back with no discernible slop.

The grips it came with were not the factory grips. After installing the Hogue grips, I could see that the grips were Uncle Mike's Round to Square Conversion grips (glad I didn't buy the Hogue Round to Square Conversion grips!). They wrap around the entire back of the grip, completely covering the backstrap. The Uncle Mike's Grips seemed very large in my hands, but after installing the Hogue grips, I can definitely say that I like the Hogue grips more. They are a little smaller, allowing me a more comfortable grip on the revolver.

The cylinder has some spinning marks on it (not sure what they're called) but the individual cylinder stops all appear to be undamaged. There are 3 slight dings on the rear outer edge of the cylinder, I'm sure I could stone them out if I really wanted to. The barrel to cylinder gap is between .004 and .005 (.004 slides in, but .005 barely will fit). The timing seems spot on for all 6 cylinders. The cylinder play is very good overall, nothing front to back (at full lockup), and the cylinder will rotate a tiny bit (I mean like less than 1mm at the outer edge of the cylinder).

Someone mucked up the front most side plate screw (of the 3 screws) and I was unable to remove the side plate to look at the internals. I may have to drill that out at a later time, though I'll probably just leave it until I absolutely have to remove it.

The rifling in the barrel seems excellent, I can't wait to get it to the range to test it out! Upon further inspection (with a flashlight), the rifling seems brand new. The edges are very sharp and I'm sure this revolver will be very accurate. I have a feeling this will be a favorite of mine for a long time! Heck, it may have even made me start liking revolvers a whole lot more, so I wouldn't be surprised if I pickup more revolvers soon.

Now, onto the fun part: PICTURES!

[G__Fred]

It is Beautiful when you can land the deal and come out GREAT on all sides!

And BTY, yes the Hogue grips defiantly "pull it together"!


:Cool: