50th Anniversary Revolver
By Guy Sagi
More than six million Smith & Wesson Model 10 revolvers—of various versions—have been sold since the handgun was first introduced in 1899. Its reliable service in the hands of law enforcement is legendary. To this day the gun is a trusted backup for those who protect and serve and thousands of members of the general public rely on it as a primary self-defense gun. There could be no better easel to create 50 artfully done commemorations of the NRA Law Enforcement Division’s 50th anniversary.
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The National Rifle Association was involved with law enforcement as early at the 1920s, but the organization’s Law Enforcement Division wasn’t officially created until 1960. Since then more than 50,000 law enforcement instructors and thousands of police competitors have benefited from its programs.
“The NRA’s Law Enforcement Division has been proudly serving the law enforcement officers of America for 50 years,” said Glen Hoyer, Director of the Law Enforcement Division. “The Smith & Wesson revolver was the choice of law enforcement officers in 1960, whether it was for self-defense or competition, and is still serving today. It was the obvious choice as a commemorative firearm to showcase the NRA Law Enforcement Division birth in 1960 and our 50 years of service.”
Only 50 of these special Smith & Wesson Model 10s, which feature the original-design wood grips, will be produced. The 4-inch barreled gun has a classic, blued carbon steel medium frame with fixed sights both fore and aft. The 6-round revolver is chambered for .38 Spl. +P and sequentially numbered on the frame in 24K gold.
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The cylinders have the following text in 24K gold plating: Dedication; Compassion; Courage; Honor; Duty; and Service. Finished with a hand-jeweled hammer and trigger, the barrel has the same nicely contrasting gold finish that reads, “NRA Law Enforcement 1960 50th Anniversary – 2010.”
Each of the guns come with a matching commemorative badge made by Smith & Warren, a longtime provider of police badges, and includes the NRA Law Enforcement Division logo with the anniversary dates of 1960-2010. The badge, which is numbered to match the gun, comes in an NRA display box.
These finely engraved commemorative revolvers can only be found at select 2010 Friends of NRA events (for a listing of Friends of NRA events, visit www.friendsofnra.org/events).
