S&W Model 10 vs Colt Official Police
- Thread starter shafter
- Start date
I have not owned a 10, but have owned several OP models, excellent gun, very strong frame, too strong for the 38 Spl really, great sights, nice trigger...Colt's excellent lock-up, nothing cheap about it...I fired old Hi-Speed, and metal-piercing rounds through mine(over 900 fps)...
brian45auto
New member
i recall seeing a vintage add from the early-mid twenties from colt proclaiming the pistol(forget if it was an AS or OP) could handle 38-44 ammo(pretty much .38spl+P), where as the general rule of thumb is to not feed s&w's revolvers made prior to the late fifties +p ammo.
i have several of each model, and while i say get each, i prefer the smith more.
however,
the model10 is reported to have had over 6M pieces produced. being in production steadily from 1899 to 2009(iirc). the closest i could come up with the colt, combining the numbers from the army special, official police and commando was something just over 1M(got a number of 400k for the op, sorta guessed at the other two).
so, if you see/find a colt, buy the colt....there will be another model10.
i have several of each model, and while i say get each, i prefer the smith more.
however,
the model10 is reported to have had over 6M pieces produced. being in production steadily from 1899 to 2009(iirc). the closest i could come up with the colt, combining the numbers from the army special, official police and commando was something just over 1M(got a number of 400k for the op, sorta guessed at the other two).
so, if you see/find a colt, buy the colt....there will be another model10.
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spacecoast
New member
Buy a newish (60s or later) Model 10 to shoot and/or carry, buy the Colt for the sake of history (and occasional shooting with light loads). BTW, the Model 64 is a stainless Model 10 and will be easier to care for, generally speaking. You can still get them for $200 used.
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JollyRoger
New member
I own both. Go for the Model 10. It can be had in tapered barrel or heavy, and parts and service are readily available. I personally prefer the Smith trigger. The Official Police uses a wishbone shaped mainspring that's pretty hard to find, as are some other parts because the OP has been out of production for a while. The model 10 uses a flat mainspring and coils throughout. You can buy all the springs in a Model 10 from Wolff or S&W and replace them yourself with little effort. Accessories such as grips, holster, and speedloaders are readily available for the Smith because Smith recently made K frames and L frames, which are still made, have the same grips. Colt OP's have been out of production for a while, so it is considerably harder to come by the accessories at a reasonable price.
That being said, the Colts are pretty cool, too.
That being said, the Colts are pretty cool, too.
Both the Police Positive and M10 competed for the same market: Law Enforcement and Security. Both pistols are similar in size and weight, though my recollection is that the Police Positive is lighter.
My M10, a barely fired but heavily carried Security Guard gun, is wonderfully accurate and those grips fit my hand well.
The Police Positive is very accurate but I prefer the double action on the Smith. The old grips with a Pachymr adapter are not as good as the gripper grips on the Smith.
Flip a coin. Both are good. Colt D frame revolvers are really collector items and finding someone to work on one and getting parts is a chore.
My M10, a barely fired but heavily carried Security Guard gun, is wonderfully accurate and those grips fit my hand well.
The Police Positive is very accurate but I prefer the double action on the Smith. The old grips with a Pachymr adapter are not as good as the gripper grips on the Smith.
Flip a coin. Both are good. Colt D frame revolvers are really collector items and finding someone to work on one and getting parts is a chore.
The 38/44 loads were less .38+p, and more .357 Mag for pressures. I shoot on occasion hi pressure .38 loads in my Colt Marshal, an OP with rounded grip frame and relatively stout loads thru a 1930ish 32/20 OP.
I wouldn't abuse one because parts are getting scarce, but they aren't delicate and contrary to popular belief, you don't have to be an alchemist to work on them.
I wouldn't abuse one because parts are getting scarce, but they aren't delicate and contrary to popular belief, you don't have to be an alchemist to work on them.
brian45auto
New member
brian45auto
New member
m1896, in .38 long colt.
I own a 6" Colt OP made in 1965 and a 4" Colt PPS made in 1930. I also own a S&W Brazilian contract .45 revolver made in 1937. Love em all. I'd say its hard to go wrong with either a Colt or a S&W and that its mostly a matter of personal preference.
I have heard that its getting hard to find gunsmiths to work on old Colt revolvers though, which may be true because they've been out of production for a long time now and seem to be getting scarce. I'm sure there are still a lot of them out there in bedside table drawers, but many are owned by people like me who rarely shoot them but are never going to sell them.
So, if you've got the money and don't need to shoot the gun a lot, I'd buy the Colt OP. I feel sure you could always sell it for more tomorrow than you paid for it today. But you're risking something going wrong if you shoot a lot, and if no gunsmiths near you will work on one...it could get expensive.
The old Smiths don't seem to me to have been made to quite the same extremely high quality standards as the old Colts were, but they were well made and they had smooth as silk actions. You can find a gunsmith for a Smith most anywhere. So, if you want a shooter, I'd go with the Smith 10.
I have heard that its getting hard to find gunsmiths to work on old Colt revolvers though, which may be true because they've been out of production for a long time now and seem to be getting scarce. I'm sure there are still a lot of them out there in bedside table drawers, but many are owned by people like me who rarely shoot them but are never going to sell them.
So, if you've got the money and don't need to shoot the gun a lot, I'd buy the Colt OP. I feel sure you could always sell it for more tomorrow than you paid for it today. But you're risking something going wrong if you shoot a lot, and if no gunsmiths near you will work on one...it could get expensive.
The old Smiths don't seem to me to have been made to quite the same extremely high quality standards as the old Colts were, but they were well made and they had smooth as silk actions. You can find a gunsmith for a Smith most anywhere. So, if you want a shooter, I'd go with the Smith 10.
carguychris
New member
+1. However, it should be emphasized that nobody is really certain about the operating pressures of the .38/44 (aka .38 Special Hi-Speed) cartridge. There was no organization overseeing and regulating cartridge specifications in the late 1920s when this cartridge was introduced. What's known about the .38/44 today was mostly determined by firing vintage .38/44 loads through .357 Magnum revolvers, measuring the velocities, and back-calculating the pressures using ballistic software. This method is only good for rough approximations.
Furthermore, society from the 1920s to the 1940s was far less litigious than today. Many companies, including but not limited to gun manufacturers, made claims about their products that range from questionable to downright ludicrous by today's standards. ("Top Athletes use {insert brand name} Cigarettes- They're a Lighter, Healthier, More Satisfying Smoke!")
The only thing that's for certain about the .38/44 cartridge is that the revolvers designed for it- the S&W .38/44 Heavy Duty and .38/44 Outdoorsman- are ridiculously overbuilt. They have extremely thick cylinder walls, and many have been converted to .357 Magnum in past years without any ill effects.
I would not hang my hat on anything Colt claimed about the .38/44 "back in the day". I would not trust.38/44 ammo in a Colt OP or a S&W Model 10 / .38 M&P.
I own some Colt revolvers but not an Official Police. I'll have to rectify that at some point. I really like the SW K-frames with pencil barrels. They balance very well for me and aren't too heavy to carry. I've got two Model 10s and a pre-M&P Target Model in this configuration.
One of my 10s:
My pre-M&P Target Model (with very sweet action) from the late 1920s:
One of my 10s:
My pre-M&P Target Model (with very sweet action) from the late 1920s:
"I would not hang my hat on anything Colt claimed about the .38/44 "back in the day". I would not trust.38/44 ammo in a Colt OP or a S&W Model 10 / .38 M&P. "
S&W never recommended their K frames for the 38/44, unlike Colt and the OP. S&W's experience with the 19s and 66s kinda shows why the K frames weren't certified for em...and why Colt brought out the python.
S&W never recommended their K frames for the 38/44, unlike Colt and the OP. S&W's experience with the 19s and 66s kinda shows why the K frames weren't certified for em...and why Colt brought out the python.
aarondhgraham
New member
Consider this,,,
There similarity is so close that you should get both,,,
Order a presentation box from Cabela's,,,
And alternate which you shoot.
Seriously, get one of each,,,
They are not that expensive to buy.
What a cool thing it would be,,,
To have the two most carried LE revolvers.
.
There similarity is so close that you should get both,,,
Order a presentation box from Cabela's,,,
And alternate which you shoot.
Seriously, get one of each,,,
They are not that expensive to buy.
What a cool thing it would be,,,
To have the two most carried LE revolvers.
.
Deaf Smith
New member
I've owned two Official Police and several M10s.
I still have a 1953 made Smith M10, real nice condition.
Of the two hmmm.
I like the OPs real BIG bolt lockup at the back, but I also like the front lock of the Smith.
I like the two stage hand that really locks the cylinder upon firing in the Colt OP, but I prefer the Smiths cylinder latch setup.
Both would give outstanding service and I would not argue if issed one or the other. They made those guns GOOD back then.
Deaf
I still have a 1953 made Smith M10, real nice condition.
Of the two hmmm.
I like the OPs real BIG bolt lockup at the back, but I also like the front lock of the Smith.
I like the two stage hand that really locks the cylinder upon firing in the Colt OP, but I prefer the Smiths cylinder latch setup.
Both would give outstanding service and I would not argue if issed one or the other. They made those guns GOOD back then.
Deaf
I own two Colt official police revolvers, one police positive special, and several Mdl 10's. The colt OP are actually slightly larger then the pencil barrel Mdl 10. But the Colt Police positives are smaller frames.
There isnt a lot of difference between the Colt O/P, and the Smith Mdl 10. The Smiths are a little more common. The Colts tend to be a little more expensive for a like specimen.
I recently picked up a cosmetically challanged Colt O/P for $150.00 It's ugly but boy does it shoot.
Bottom line is.... I never met a S&W mdl 10 I didnt like, never met a Colt O/P I didnt like.
There isnt a lot of difference between the Colt O/P, and the Smith Mdl 10. The Smiths are a little more common. The Colts tend to be a little more expensive for a like specimen.
I recently picked up a cosmetically challanged Colt O/P for $150.00 It's ugly but boy does it shoot.
Bottom line is.... I never met a S&W mdl 10 I didnt like, never met a Colt O/P I didnt like.