Posted: 6/21/2009 4:56:59 AM EDT
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I just picked up this former Kentucky State Police Model 1076 10mm pistol. When I took it to range this week, I was pleasantly surprised to discover how enjoyable shooting even full power 10mm loads from it is. I really had a blast with it (no pun intended :))! Both the double and single action trigger pulls are relatively light and smooth and much better than expected. Accuracy was excellent at the 10 and 15 yard lines though I really wanted to see how it would do at 100 yards, but, because it started raining hard, I didn't get to test its long-range capabilities.
I think it's a testament to the toughness of this pistol (and its brethren) that it's still going strong after 18 years of use including 12 hard years of duty as a KSP service weapon. In this modern word of polymer "everything," it's a real shame Smith & Wesson stopped manufacturing these "built like a tank" all-steel workhorses. 
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Quoted:
And that "good reason" would be what, pray tell? I guess loss of love for full steel guns... if S&W ever brought back the 10x6 pistols, I'd want a double stack magazine. 
I have a 1006 (bought it a year or so ago; like new), and they are great guns. I was considering on a 1066 or 1076 to go with it, being I have enough magazines stockpiled for them. The one thing I don't like about the SIG-decocker guns is the fact that you have to mod Hogue grips to work. Does yours have the dots under the decocker for the recall? |
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I picked up a pre CZ DW Razorback with adjustable sights. I believe current ones are fixed. My 1006 was actually my second S&W 10mm, the first being a 1076 w/night sights NIB. My only complaint about the S&W guns is that the grips get slick with age. Hogue rubber grips are a good choice for replacement. As for my DW I love it, but had to do some work one it. The gun came with a memory grip safety that had a sharp top edge. It made my hand hurt shooting it. Took my dremil and smoothed it. Other than that I love it, very accurate as well. |
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Quoted: Check out Fusion Firearms. He is the original guy that ran DW the second time around. He makes a beautiful looking long slide 10mm. It would be the only reason I'd sell my DW.Thanks for the info, P08. I'm looking at the current production Razorback RZ-10 Sportsman. It comes with a red fiber optic front sight and target adjustable rear sight. |
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Quoted:
And that "good reason" would be what, pray tell? Don't get me wrong.......I am a fan of the 4506........Maybe I should have said reason(s).......The Virginia State Police and the Chesterfield County Va Police adopted a 10mm version of the large frame Smith and Wesson automatics soon after the FBI did.........Both departments had numerous issues with reliability. This is in my backyard and I remember the press reports..........both departments ditched them quick......I believe the VSP had them in service for about 3 years tops........ By the time the large frame, 3rd generations smiths had most of the kinks worked out of them it was to late.......The 10mm started to slide into obscurity as a law enforcement cartridge, the 45 acp never had the popularity it really deserved as a law enforcement cartridge, compared to the 9mm, and the 40 stormed to the forefront as a law enforcement cartridge........This basically is where the 40 shines, in a 9mm platform.........or 9mm sized handguns with large magazine capacity.......... .the 1006/4506 is a big, clunky and heavy and a single stack pistol.........and law enforcement started to get away from DA/SA handguns............seeking a more consistent trigger pull found in DA only guns and striker fired pistols such as glock and the numerous copies it has spawned.........I could go on reasons for its demise but I am getting tired..............really |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
And that "good reason" would be what, pray tell? Don't get me wrong.......I am a fan of the 4506........Maybe I should have said reason(s).......The Virginia State Police and the Chesterfield County Va Police adopted a 10mm version of the large frame Smith and Wesson automatics soon after the FBI did.........Both departments had numerous issues with reliability. This is in my backyard and I remember the press reports..........both departments ditched them quick......I believe the VSP had them in service for about 3 years tops........ By the time the large frame, 3rd generations smiths had most of the kinks worked out of them it was to late.......The 10mm started to slide into obscurity as a law enforcement cartridge, the 45 acp never had the popularity it really deserved as a law enforcement cartridge, compared to the 9mm, and the 40 stormed to the forefront as a law enforcement cartridge........This basically is where the 40 shines, in a 9mm platform.........or 9mm sized handguns with large magazine capacity.......... .the 1006/4506 is a big, clunky and heavy and a single stack pistol.........and law enforcement started to get away from DA/SA handguns............seeking a more consistent trigger pull found in DA only guns and striker fired pistols such as glock and the numerous copies it has spawned.........I could go on reasons for its demise but I am getting tired..............really I remember the initial problems also because I was still an active Jersey Trooper at the time of the infamous 1986 "Miami Shootout" (that precipitated the FBI's search for a new caliber/pistol) and the launch of the S&W Series 1000 pistols in 1990. Let me start by pointing out that the "numerous problems" these models suffered from actually numbered just two that involved the pistols themselves and one that was strictly ammo-related. The first problem was with the original Delrin grips which weren't up to the task and would crack under the heavy recoil of the 10mm which would in turn sometimes render the pistol inoperable. This problem involved all of the Series 1000 pistols. The second reliability issue was restricted to the frame-mounted decocker models (the 5" 1026 that the VSP adopted and the 4.25" 1076 that the FBI and KSP adopted) and it involved the decockers themselves. The frame-mounted decockers could and did occasionally jam up and render the pistol inoperable. I might add that S&W never intended to ever use frame-mounted decockers; this was something the FBI insisted upon for reasons I'm unaware of. Anyway, the important thing to note is that both of these admittedly serious reliability issues were quickly remedied by S&W via recalls. All pistols sent in were fitted with beefed up Delrin grips and redesigned frame-mounted decockers. These recalls occurred in 1990 and 1991. Keeping in mind that the pistols were released in 1990, it's apparent that S&W didn't waste any time taking care of these issues. The last problem encountered involved the FBI and their Model 1076s and was, in a sense, of their own making. These pistols were naturally setup for full power 10mm ammo. When the FBI realized that full power 10mm ammo might be "too much of a good thing" for their agents, they made the switch to the "FBI Lite" loads and they again began to experience reliability problems. Recoil spring changes quickly rectified this issue, but the damage had already been done (again). These three issues, which all developed early on and which were all quickly addressed, are what gave these pistols their bad reputation. The point I'm trying to make is this. The main reasons law enforcement moved away from the 10mm were, as you correctly point out, the development of the .40 S&W and the falling out of favor of the SA/DAO and single-stack magazine designs. A secondary reason was the, by then, undeserved reputation of unreliability because, the fact is, by the time these models were dropped, the reliability issues had all been addressed. A testimony to the evolved reliability of these wonderful pistols is the fact that the Kentucky State Police kept them in service for over a decade with good results and that many of these pistols are still going strong some 20 years after their birth in the hands of enthusiast shooters like ourselves! |
Well put.........like I said, I am a 4506 fan................ Furthermore, in the history of small arms development, I feel the de-cock lever is a marvelous development........It allows the operator to lower the hammer without pulling the trigger..........ingenious to say the least...............
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