Folks:
I realize I haven't been posting much of late and decided to remedy that with an article I wrote for my blog, "Thoughts of a Brick Agent". There is lots of crazy stuff going on on the world and I figured this might be a welcome diversion. Hope you enjoy it.
"Thoughts of a Brick Agent
Smith and Wesson Model 10-8
By SA Bruce Cartwright (Ret’d)
Copyright May 2020
This Thoughts of a Brick Agent is going to cover an older Bureau revolver. Specifically, a Smith and Wesson Model 10-8 38 Special revolver. This is a relatively rare revolver to begin with and I have only ever seen two of them during my FBI service. The first one I observed was in a gun vault in a small FBI satellite office called a Resident Agency (“RA”) in New Hampshire and the other, in the Coeur d’Alene Idaho RA. What makes this revolver unusual is the barrel length: 2.5 inches.
Most S&W Model 10s carried either 2 or 4 inch long barrels. The Bureau, as I understand the story, asked Smith and Wesson to produce a short barreled version of their famous Model 10 heavy barreled revolver. Smith and Wesson complied and did a run of approximately 700 or so revolvers. 500 went to the Bureau and the remaining 200 or so I believe went to the Michigan State Police. These revolvers were issued to agents over the years. Both examples that I observed had wear consistent with carry.
This revolver later morphed into the Smith and Wesson Model 13. The Model 13 is also a “K” frame revolver although it is chambered in 357 magnum, as opposed to 38 Special and it carries a 3 inch long barrel. The Model 13’s slightly longer ejector rod makes it easier to eject fired cartridge cases. I was surprised how much better the slightly longer ejector rod worked. Another factor in favor of the Model 13, was the slightly longer barrel allowed a shooter to more securely place the revolver in his/her waistband with the cylinder open in the event you needed to conduct a single hand reload. When I practiced this technique with the pictured revolver, it tended to slip out of my waistband.
The front sight is pinned in place as is the barrel. This gun carried a Pachmayr grip adapter. The other specimen I observed also had a Pachmayr grip adaptor as I recall. The addition of the grip adapter greatly improves the way this gun handles. The service stocks provide a good grip yet do not snag on a concealing garment. This gun has an incredibly smooth action. It timed up early and passed the push off test. The sights are regulated so 158 grain 38 Special ammunition hits so the point of aim coincides with the point of impact at 25 yards. In a decent holster this gun easily disappeared and was a joy to carry.
The Model 13 was the last issued FBI revolver. The configuration that this Model 10 morphed into was a great investigators gun. The current analog is the Glock 19. There was very little on the gun that could snag on clothing during the draw. The Bureau issue thumb break holsters that covered the hammer spur. The ejector rod was long enough to eject 38 Special cases. The grip size suited a wide variety of hand sizes. The action was a well proven design that facilitated a smooth trigger press. Likewise, the barrels were a known quantity. The good actions, blocky sights, and accurate barrels were not just niceties. I have always contended that fixed sight K frame revolvers shot as accurately as their match designated counterparts, like the K-38 Masterpiece. During the time period when these types of revolvers were issued, agents were required to qualify from 50 yards. Failure to qualify was a ticket to another career.
This Model 10 and the later Model 13 were a sort of “Sweet” spot in revolver design. All of the agents I spoke to that carried and shot these revolvers praised them uniformly. In terms of a gun that is carried on average for 10 plus hours a day by a plain clothes investigator, these guns made a lot of sense. Small enough to be easily carried, yet big enough to do the job. While these guns are rather plain, the Bureau enforced a lot of law with them.
Bruce
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Originally Posted by RAM Engineer
