Petrol & Powder
Well-Known Member
Recently the topic of the 10mm cartridge came up on this forum and, as is common, my mind started to wander. I remembered the early 3rd generation S&W 10mm pistols, in particular, the models 1076 and 1026. Those two variants had short careers but an interesting place in history.
For those of you that may not be familiar with those models, the 1076 was an all stainless, 3rd generation S&W pistol chambered in 10mm with a 4.25” barrel. It had a frame mounted de-cock lever (a’ la SIG) and no slide mounted safety. The 1076 was a special order for the FBI and “the bureau” ordered 10,000 pistols but only took delivery of about 2400 pistols before they canceled the contract. The total production for the 1076 was about 31,000 pistols but only a small portion went to the FBI.
The 1026 was a special order specifically made for the Virginia State Police [VSP] and they took delivery of about 2200 pistols of the roughly 3100 made by S&W. The 1026 was identical to the 1076 but with a 5” barrel & slide. In 1990 the model 1026 replaced the S&W model 64 revolvers previously used by the VSP.
The VSP only issued the S&W model 1026 from 1990 to 1994. When you talk to troopers and agents from that era, you will find two distinct groups: Ones that say when fed the correct ammo, the gun was reliable and accurate. And ones that will say the gun was plagued with problems. Most of the officers that were “Gun Guys” will tell you the ammunition was the problem. In any event, the 1026 was the last S&W issued by the VSP and they went with SIG after that.
The S&W model 1006 (slide mounted safety/de-cocker) is far more commonly encountered than the 1076 or 1026. In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s there was a scramble to switch from revolvers to pistols. A lot of agencies adopted some semi-auto pistol only to quickly un-adopt it and move onto another type of pistol. The 1026 was one of those pistols from that era whose time in the sun was brief.
Examples of the 1076 and 1026 are rarely encountered these days but they did have their place in history.
For those of you that may not be familiar with those models, the 1076 was an all stainless, 3rd generation S&W pistol chambered in 10mm with a 4.25” barrel. It had a frame mounted de-cock lever (a’ la SIG) and no slide mounted safety. The 1076 was a special order for the FBI and “the bureau” ordered 10,000 pistols but only took delivery of about 2400 pistols before they canceled the contract. The total production for the 1076 was about 31,000 pistols but only a small portion went to the FBI.
The 1026 was a special order specifically made for the Virginia State Police [VSP] and they took delivery of about 2200 pistols of the roughly 3100 made by S&W. The 1026 was identical to the 1076 but with a 5” barrel & slide. In 1990 the model 1026 replaced the S&W model 64 revolvers previously used by the VSP.
The VSP only issued the S&W model 1026 from 1990 to 1994. When you talk to troopers and agents from that era, you will find two distinct groups: Ones that say when fed the correct ammo, the gun was reliable and accurate. And ones that will say the gun was plagued with problems. Most of the officers that were “Gun Guys” will tell you the ammunition was the problem. In any event, the 1026 was the last S&W issued by the VSP and they went with SIG after that.
The S&W model 1006 (slide mounted safety/de-cocker) is far more commonly encountered than the 1076 or 1026. In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s there was a scramble to switch from revolvers to pistols. A lot of agencies adopted some semi-auto pistol only to quickly un-adopt it and move onto another type of pistol. The 1026 was one of those pistols from that era whose time in the sun was brief.
Examples of the 1076 and 1026 are rarely encountered these days but they did have their place in history.
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