OK to shoot +P in a 60’s Model 10? I picked up some UMC +P’s, which I doubt are very hot anyway. Thanks.
S&W would probably tell you no for CYA, but model 10’s were issued and used with +P, and +P+ ammunition, by thousands of cops for many years. Even J frames did just fine with reasonable amounts of +P.
according to the folks at the S&W forum, S&W states any gun stamped with a model number is ok for plus p
Absolutely not true.
Model 10 will digest thousands of rounds of +P without issue. When I was a NYPD Police Officer we would fire 1250 rounds of +P annually with no ill effect.
Woah, uncanny, I was going to post the same thread - the age of the S&W is the same, but I was given Gold Dots in +P as a Christmas gift.
Nothing says “Merry Christmas” like 300 rounds of Gold Dot.
I did ask S&W the question a while ago and their answer was no, you cannot use +P in the gun, but like Jake’sDad said, it seemed to be a canned, CYA response. I’d like to hear more responses.
ser number C415XX. mod 10-5. 5 inch barrel
m4brian, if it were mine I would shoot it with +P ammo despite S&Ws canned answer. Not roaring ammo, though, but most +P made today is not too hot, something along the line of LSWHP 158 gr @ 900 fps in a 4" barrel.
sjc3081’s department, along with my own and thousands of others, issued and fired +P, and +P+, for many, many, years, through their pre +P “rated” steel frame guns. It’s a non issue.
Shot the umc +P today. More zip, more blast, a tad more recoil, good accuracy. I did find a listing on another site, and it looks like it is about 1958/9 vintage. It cannot be earlier than that because it is marked model 10. I think the 5 inch barrel is cool. Shoots a bit to the right at 25 yds. Fixed sights of course.
From the S&W manual:
• “Plus-P” ammunition should not be used in medium
(K frame) revolvers manufactured prior to 1958. Such
pre-1958 medium (K-frame) revolvers can be identified by
the absence of a model number stamped inside the yoke
cut of the frame. (i.e., the area of the frame exposed when
the cylinder is in the open position, see Figure 2).
The M10-5 should be post 1962…
Then you left a digit off of the serial number you gave. If it were C415XX, it would be a pre model 10, made in 1948.
If it were mine I wouldn’t have a problem shooting a modest amount of +P through it but would prefer standard pressure for most practice.
It does look like a digit was imprinted BELOW the rest of the number, so 415XXX might be it, which is the 58/59 time frame and definitely a dashed model number. 10-5.
M4Brian, I have a 5" Model 10-5 myself from around 1962. It’s a great gun. You should be fine with +p ammo. With an endorsement from Jake’sDad, you should feel comfortable.
Thanks. Just curious, which manual is that? Is that the Standard S&W Catalog that seems to be referenced alot.
A little more info…mine’s a Model 10-3, serial # C57XXXX, according to S&W manufactured in 1961. It has a 4" heavy barrel. I feel pretty confident that I’ll be okay with the +P now, but I’ll try to get someone with a heartbeat on the S&W customer service line after they come back after New Year’s.
I copy/pasted it from a manual I saved a while back, but it’s the same as what’s in the current manual available on S&W’s website:
http://www.smith-wesson.com/wcsstore/SmWesson2/upload/other/S&W_Revolver_Manual_01-30-2011.pdf
If you’re looking for a factory endorsement of +P for your gun, it’s in the manual novaDAK linked to.