The History of Smith & Wesson's Famous Model 10 Revolver

Affiliate Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We earn from qualifying purchases.

With more than six million of them made, Smith & Wesson’s Model 10 revolver holds the distinction of being the most-produced handgun of the 20th century. From its use by the armed forces and law enforcement to its popularity with civilian shooters, there’s no denying the huge impact that the Model 10 revolver has had on the gun community as a whole. One could write an entire book on this handgun’s history, but a comprehensive-yet-not-exhaustive article is arguably going to be more popular and is undoubtedly more readable.

Origins and Early Development

Introduced in 1899 as the “.38 Hand Ejector Military & Police,” this new revolver was built on the company’s K-size medium frame, and was a departure from all previous revolver designs in that it featured a swing-out cylinder instead of a top-break design. This new swing-out cylinder is behind the “Hand Ejector” part of the name because it required the user to push on the ejector rod to remove spent or live rounds instead of having them eject automatically like they do on top-break designs.

While there was an earlier Smith & Wesson revolver that also featured a swing-out cylinder, it did not have the now-familiar push latch on the left side of the frame and it was not available in .38 caliber.

The equally new .38 Special cartridge, for which the revolver was chambered, was a marked improvement over the .38 Long Colt. This new gun and ammo would go on to be one of the most widely used combinations in law enforcement for the better part of a century. The United States Military embraced the gun immediately, placing the first order for 1,000 revolvers in June 1900. Another 1,000-gun order followed in February 1901.

The World Wars

Production changes during wartime impact all industries, and Smith & Wesson was not immune to this. To help win World War I, the Military & Police revolver was not in production for 249 days between June 3, 1918, and February 6, 1919, when the factory was focused on producing the Model of 1917 revolver chambered in .45 ACP. That is the only time during the entirety of the 20th century that this humble .38 Special revolver was not in production. If that’s not one hell of an endorsement for a gun, then I don’t know what is.

During the inter-war years, the gun once again saw plenty of civilian and law enforcement sales. You’d have been hard-pressed to encounter a police officer in any major American city - and some foreign ones, too - who wasn’t carrying a Smith & Wesson Military & Police revolver on his hip. Omaha, Honolulu, Providence, and DeSmet are just a few of the cities, with state police in New York, Vermont, and Texas also adopting the guns. The Dominican Republic Municipal Police even carried the gun.

When World War II broke out in the fall of 1939, Smith & Wesson was ready to help America’s allies through the Lend-Lease Program. In March 1940, they began producing what is known as the .38/200 British Service revolver, which is the exact same Military & Police gun except that it is chambered for the .38 S&W cartridge. By war’s end, 568,204 of these .38/200 revolvers had been made for England.

In April 1942, the company had made one million Military & Police revolvers, so a new series of serial numbers was started, beginning with V1. These became nicknamed “Victory Models” as a symbol of the company’s hope for a quick victory. By the end of the war in the fall of 1945, an impressive 811,119 Victory Models had been made.

To help speed up production of these wartime guns, sacrifices were made to their appearance. The finely blued finish and checkered walnut grips were replaced by a parkerized finish and smooth walnut grips. The only addition to the guns was a lanyard ring on the butt. After the war, Victory Models found their way into various police departments overseas. They’ve been documented in Bavaria, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and more.

With the war over, production shifted back to a focus on civilian and law enforcement sales. Leftover frames from Victory Models were utilized at first, marked by a plug where the lanyard ring would have been and a return to the blued finish and checkered walnut grips. The Military & Police sold very well in the post-war years, with civilian buyers eager to get their hands on newly-made revolvers - something that they had been unable to do since World War II began.

A New Name

In 1957, Smith & Wesson adopted a new naming convention for their guns. The Military & Police officially became the Model 10. Under the new name, production continued at a break-neck pace as the gun continued to be embraced by civilians and cops alike. By the time the 1960s rolled around, the Model 10 was in its prime. The guns were literally everywhere. Domestic and foreign law enforcement use soared, with the Model 10 being adopted in Brazil, Canada, Rhode Island, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Chattanooga, Detroit, Peru, Hong Kong, Atlanta, Iran, Washington, D.C., and plenty of others.

A variety of barrel lengths were offered, including 2”, 2.5”, 3” 4”, 5”, and 6”, making for a Model 10 that was suited for anyone’s needs. Undercover cops and civilians gravitated toward the shorter barrels while uniformed officers tended to field revolvers with longer barrels.

Around 1970, a stainless steel version of the gun was introduced. Named the Model 64, it was exactly the same gun as the Model 10 save for the different finish. It, too, was quite popular among shooters of all kinds who had an appreciation for the Model 10’s fine blued finish, but wanted a gun with an exterior that would weather hard use and the elements better than traditional blueing.

Continued Service

The Model 10 - and the Military & Police versions before it - continued to see use in the military even long after the semi-automatic had been adopted in both the form of the M1911, M1911A1, and the M9. It was used in Korea, Vietnam, and Desert Storm. During this time, it was the favored sidearm among military aviators and dog handlers who could not maintain control of a helicopter or a dog, respectively, and cycle the slide on a semi-auto at the same time. As a result, the guns served for decades beyond what anyone ever expected.

Semi-Auto Slump

Beginning in the 1980s, semi-automatic pistols started making serious inroads with law enforcement communities around the world. Even Smith & Wesson couldn’t ignore the trend, as they developed and produced new semi-auto models to keep their brand in department holsters as they transitioned away from revolvers.

Many officers resisted the switch from revolvers to semi-automatics, citing their familiarity with the design. Switching to a semi-auto required a whole new set of skills and the adoption of a platform that was seen as more complicated. In reality, revolvers are generally more finicky and have more moving parts than their semi-auto cousins.

Despite this, one thing was undeniable: cops were being outgunned by criminals with semi-automatics. They could shoot 15+ rounds from one magazine before needing to reload while officers could only fire six shots before needing to do the same. As a result, the Model 10 revolver was phased out in the name of officer safety.

That’s not to say that there haven’t been some hold-outs. It wasn’t until August 31, 2018, that the last 29 officers of the NYPD traded in their Model 10s for semi-autos.

Into the 21st Century

Even though the lion’s share of the Model 10 market was gone by the year 2000, the gun has never been unpopular - though it has had some rough patches. Most notably was the addition of the Internal Key Lock system beginning in 2002. Seen by many as a concession to government gun control overreach, it turned plenty of people off from Smith & Wesson revolvers as a whole, as the lock’s addition was to the entire line and not just the Model 10. 

Even so, the Model 10 is still widely used and enjoyed by collectors, traditionalists, competitors, and more. In 2011, the Model 10 became a part of the company’s Classic series of guns. It was a way to pay homage to the Model 10’s storied history and undeniable impact on the company’s success for more than a century.

The most recent change to the Model 10 has been a long time coming. At SHOT Show 2025, Smith & Wesson announced that the Model 10 would now be made without the internal lock. After 23 years, the gun was going back to its original internal design. As expected, the announcement was very well received.

Lasting Legacy

As we enter the second quarter of the 21st century, the Model 10’s impact on modern revolver culture cannot be understated. With millions of them produced since its introduction, it is a design that defined modern service revolvers. Without the Military & Police design, we wouldn’t have other iconic guns from Smith & Wesson. The basics of that revolver led to some of the company’s other most popular creations. Can you imagine Dirty Harry carrying any other revolver than a Model 29 in .44 Magnum? Nope, didn’t think so.

It’s also not a stretch to say that without this revolver’s design, we might not have modern revolvers as we know them today. It has been instrumental in all revolver design philosophy worldwide. The concept of a swing-out cylinder and a frame-mounted latch originated here and has been adopted everywhere. Despite changing technology, the Model 10 endures as a piece of living history. It is more than just a firearm. It’s a symbol of reliability and tradition for more than 125 years.

---