Many years ago I lucked into a Quantico assembled S&W FBI 10mm. I shot it a bunch just messing around with it, never took it that serious as I had a thing for big bore revolvers at the time and the 10mm came in to my possession while that was going on.
Then one day I was reading about a guide somewhere up in Alaska, he was on his knees and removing the cape from a client's caribou when a big brown charged into them, his clients ran, one of them dropping his rifle and the other pants too full of everything he had ever eaten to use his. The guide had a S&W 1086, the model that was DA only. when the bear swatted him, he somehow managed to get his hand on his pistol and got 5 rounds into the bear's face, throat and chest and one of them was the magic bullet and the bear fell dead almost on top of him.
I took a new interest in the 1076 which had spent all it's time in the gun safe since I last played with it, but never carried it. I sent it in to the S&W Performance Center and in a few days the gunsmith called me, he put heavy springs in it for the 165gr Doubletap ammo I wanted to use in it all the time. Polished the feed ramp, gave me new mag springs and followers for my magazines and put in a new extractor because he said it had a little wear on it. When it came back to me, I had already ordered a case of the 165gr Doubletap so I went out and ran 250 rounds of it through the gun and shot another 100 of Winchester 175gr Silvertips and 20 of some old Federal Hydroshock FBI load I had (geeze those were like ladyfingers going off compared to the 165gr Doubletaps which sounded more like M-80's going off).
The Winchester Silvertips shot really accurate but when I shot them and the 165 Doubletap loads, the penetration and explosiveness of the Doubletap rounds in the red clay mud bank I shot them into.
I managed to get hired for a grocery store chain doing plainclothes store security and my armed commission in KCK allowed me to carry the 1076. So I did and then the company made me start working in KCMO and the KCMO PD being the more politically correct variety of PD's, would not let me carry that way overpowered 10mm cartridge on their city streets. So I bought a Springfield XD 45acp to carry in KCMO and still used the 1076 for my EDC.
10rnds of hot 165gr 10mm in a Colt Commander sized gun, the 1076 is sweet.
I had a Aneurysm in my left eye in 2010 so I had to sell many nice guns to cover expenses, including the 1076. I originally had about $300 value when I got it, Cabela's Gun Library in KC gave me $675 for it and I was in a pinch for money and let it go.
Maybe one day another one will come to me.
Yes all of the S&W 10xx series guns were rugged, tough and reliable shooters...the only thing now is that S&W quit producing parts and no longer have any in stock these days. :(
I got my first S&W semi auto in the form of the 1006 March 1st 1990. It wasn't long after that the 40S&W cartridge became popular and brass was plentiful. Bar-Sto offered a 40S&W Match Grade Barrel conversion barrel and I jumped in on that early on. It required some minor fitting to the slide and frame for it to function. The addiction added one of each of the models in the series but added a second 1086 just because... :D
Later I was searching data and info studying a lot of what Mike McNett was doing with the 10mm and came across a snippet on a forum where he ordered some Bar-Sto 9x25Dillon conversion barrels to fit various 10mm guns, with the 1006 being one of them. He offered it as a New Old Stock Match Grade and I purchased it. Being a Match Grade Barrel, it required fitting to the slide and frame and then a final chamber reaming for the proper head spacing for it to function. So this sort of makes my S&W 1006 and other 5" models useable with these conversion barrels...
I cherish my S&W collection and still working with a fellow, that is in the long drawn out process of making me 4 conversion barrels for my collection. He has about a 100 barrels in the works, but is waiting on open time on the CNC machines to finish the work. This consist of a 6" 9x25Dillon, a 5" 357Sig for the 5" models and a 4.25" 40S&W and a 357Sig conversion for the shorter models. :P
I have always wanted one of those big smiths. They play a role in several of Tom Clancy's books and have wanted one ever since!