When I was active duty USAF we were issued the M15 SW Combat Masterpiece .... beautiful solid revolver. I was EOD an we weren’t as “supervised” as SP’s, Aircrew etc.... and got away with purchasing our own Super Vel 110gr JHP... Had we been caught carrying that ammo versus the old M83 ball issued we’d have been still making little rocks out of big rocks at Levenworth.... But we never felt under gunned while burdened with the M-15. Later mid career we wormed our way with command to use 1911A1’s and keep the 1911’s when new M9 berettas were issued.
Loved those Super Vels while we had the Smiths.....
I remember when the APes carried S&W revolvers. Daddy worked at the King Hangar at Eglin for several years. There was a large office building also next to the hangar and Daddy’s little office was technically in the office building but right at the hangar.
The APs often stopped by and drank coffee with daddy. He would sometimes let me come to work with him when he was on the night shift. The APs all knew me and would let me roam around the totally empty hangar. When I say empty, I mean no people. It was always full of planes. It was a huge hangar.
I actually could not tell what model the Smiths were but almost certainly model 10,s or 15,s.
Daddy would make me a pallet right under one of the huge boilers and I would sleep until next shift change. Those were fun days climbing all over F-100s, F-104s, B-52s, B-58s etc.
I had a 5 inch model 10 which was a fairly rare barrel length. It was a nice gun but for some reason, probably James Bond, I wanted a PPK and talked a dealer into an even swap. I got the best end of that deal which was rare for me.