Smith & Wesson Model 10-5 "Detroit Police" .38 Special, 5-Inch, Bright Nickel, K-Frame Service Revolver
This Smith & Wesson Model 10-5 is a Detroit Police Department service revolver with documented agency markings. It features a bright nickel finish, a 5-inch tapered "pencil" barrel, and classic K-frame, square-butt configuration. Late-1976 to early-1977 D-prefix production and backstrap markings with Detroit Police inventory code add clear provenance and collector interest.
Condition
Overall Condition: Good condition, showing some signs of prior use and handling.
Bore Condition: Good - Clean, well-maintained, minor wear marks.
Bore Rifling: Good Rifling - Intact, well-defined lands and grooves.
Specific Condition Notes: Finish wear and some scorching are present. Wear from use is evident on exterior surfaces. The checkered walnut Magna grips are slightly loose.
What’s Included
- Smith & Wesson Model 10-5 "Detroit Police" .38 Special revolver
The backstrap is factory-marked "DETROIT POLICE" with the agency inventory code "20T-80," confirming its police service history. This marked provenance, combined with its 1970s production window, makes it a noteworthy variant for collectors of U.S. law-enforcement firearms.
The 10-5 configuration includes a 5-inch tapered barrel with a pinned fit, a three-screw frame, and a six-shot fluted cylinder. The revolver wears a bright nickel finish on the carbon steel frame and cylinder. It retains the knurled ejector-rod tip with a front lock under the short lug, consistent with period-correct K-frame details.
Sighting equipment is the fixed-service style: an integral ramped and serrated front sight paired with a fixed square-notch rear in the topstrap. The action is double-action/single-action with an exposed hammer and a hammer-mounted firing pin.
Production falls in the D-prefix range associated with late 1976 to early 1977. Factory rollmarks include "MADE IN U.S.A. MARCAS REGISTRADAS SMITH & WESSON SPRINGFIELD, MASS., TRADE MARK REG. U.S. PAT.
OFF." Original-style checkered walnut Magna grips with S&W medallions complete the period-correct appearance.