KaBar, that was a real find and you did good to bring it home with you. You just can't beat a S&W model 10 M&P for a simple, time tested, dependable .38 revolver. My first centerfire revolver was a M&P with the old skinny 5 inch barrel and that buttery smooth old style action. It was made for the British military in WW2, then brought back into this country as surplus and sold, probably in the 1950s. Originally it was chambered for the Brits' shorter .38-200 cartridge, which we call the .38 S&W (NOT the .38 S&W Special), but when it was resold here it was reamed to accept our .38 Special rounds. Yes, the .38 Special case is a few thousandths smaller than the .38 S&W, but it hardly matters unless you're reloading the brass several times. I now have another one of these good old British M&Ps in my glove compartment. It came my way recently at a good price and it's in great shape, too. Curiously, the barrel on this one is only 3-5/8" long, so I presume it was shortened when it was brought back into this country. The front sight was remounted and it was either nickeled or chromed, as was often done at that time. A couple of variations on the M&P that you may not have seen are the old .38 Special model 12, which is an Airweight (aluminum frame) model 10 with a round butt and a 2" or 4" extra skinny barrel, and the .357 magnum model 13, which is a more recent version using a round butt and a heavy 3" barrel. The 13 was the last revolver the FBI issued to its agents, and it's a helluva fine weapon. Both the 12 and the 13 use fixed sights, of course. :thumbup:
