So I picked up a model 19 on a whim for 300 from a buddy. I know very little about smithy's in .357/.38 special. Any buddy have major issues or problems? Range report? Do they run well, I noticed a ton of smith and wessons on the exchange and that worries me a bit. In terms of the gun its very plain, long barrel, plain sights wood grips and no damage, shoots well I was told. Opinions?
Any info on S&W model 19
- Thread starter AlbertanBound
- Start date
You are luckier than you deserve to be 
Google it. Read about it, and Bill Jordan. On my office wall I have a framed ad (from Outdoor Life, I think) for a Model 19, and bought my first one in 1974. The four-inch barrel is ... ummm ... optimum.
I now have a no-hyphen Model 66 ... which I bought when I realized that I was retiring to rural SW Alberta.
Do not use 125 grain bullets ... the blast-flame apparently is hard (or so I have read) on the K-frame. 158 grain is probably the best.
Prettiest revolver on the planet.
Google it. Read about it, and Bill Jordan. On my office wall I have a framed ad (from Outdoor Life, I think) for a Model 19, and bought my first one in 1974. The four-inch barrel is ... ummm ... optimum.
I now have a no-hyphen Model 66 ... which I bought when I realized that I was retiring to rural SW Alberta.
Do not use 125 grain bullets ... the blast-flame apparently is hard (or so I have read) on the K-frame. 158 grain is probably the best.
Prettiest revolver on the planet.
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I was lucky enough to find a case of surplus RCMP .38 Special originally from (I think) the Maritimes.
I don't want to sound like a ####, but if you now own a Model 19 ... well, you're now gonna have to use punctuation and correct spelling ...
Phat Eagle
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Fraser Valley, BC
IMHO it truly is perhaps the finest combat .357 produced. I have an oldie but goody six inch, and maybe love it more than my 4.25 inch 686... A true classic... Great buy on your part!
PS: x2 on avoiding 125 grain... Allegedly kicks the snot out of the frame... Hey, why take the chance?
PS: x2 on avoiding 125 grain... Allegedly kicks the snot out of the frame... Hey, why take the chance?
The flame cutting with the 125 grain load is highly over-rated--it will cut a small groove and then it quits. The recoil and muzzle blast/flame can be quite exciting out of a 4" or shorter barrel though. In stopping power tests the 125 jhp is one of the top performing .357 loads but the 158 grain lead hp load is not far behind.
The real issue is that the 19 is a "K" frame which was originally designed for the .38 special class of cartridges. When it was introduced it was intended that it would mostly be used with .38 special ammo for target and practice and only shot sparingly with .357 ammo. It was a nice light gun for uniform holster use that could deliver a good smack when needed. As training philosophy changed the guns were subjected to mostly full time use with .357 ammo in a lot of police forces which led to shortened service life of the 19. That is why the "L" frame was developed--it is slightly bigger and stronger than the "K" frame and was specifically designed for full time .357 use.
The real issue is that the 19 is a "K" frame which was originally designed for the .38 special class of cartridges. When it was introduced it was intended that it would mostly be used with .38 special ammo for target and practice and only shot sparingly with .357 ammo. It was a nice light gun for uniform holster use that could deliver a good smack when needed. As training philosophy changed the guns were subjected to mostly full time use with .357 ammo in a lot of police forces which led to shortened service life of the 19. That is why the "L" frame was developed--it is slightly bigger and stronger than the "K" frame and was specifically designed for full time .357 use.
Cocked&Locked
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- S. Ontario
i was going to point out what 44bore did. he beat me to it. Save the 357 for special occasions. Very nice revolver, and you'll enjoy it. Keep it for your kids kids.
Chuckbuster
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I have 2 prohib 19s and 2 prohib 66s. My favourite though is my 4" 19...it was also my first handgun. I bought it while a university student and member of the UWO Rifle and Pistol Club (RIP). It has many thousands of rounds down the pipe and is capable of one hole groups at 25 yards...which sadly, I am not.
You'll enjoy your 19. They are an absolute beauty of a revolver, durable and excellent shooters.
You'll enjoy your 19. They are an absolute beauty of a revolver, durable and excellent shooters.
You may want to try some other grip scales to fit your hands the best. But there's no doubt that the gun itself is one of the finer firearms of all time. But depending on the grip configuration you may find that there's some vast improvements that are possible. My own Model 19 came to me with the Hogue rubber monogrip. That shape fits my hands wonderfully. The small stock S&W Magna grips don't work for me at all. The stock S&W Target grips are better but they feel too fat at the heel for most folks pinky fingers to wrap around.
Maybe I'm a trifle recoil shy but the full power 158gn magnum loads tend to bust up my hand when shot from my 19. But as a reloader I found that toning them down just a little made shooting the resulting loads great fun. And as a bonus it cuts down on any possible long term issue with the gun betting beat up from full power magnums. Having typed this though I likely shoot a ratio of 50:1 Specials to Magnums from my K frame revolvers.
Maybe I'm a trifle recoil shy but the full power 158gn magnum loads tend to bust up my hand when shot from my 19. But as a reloader I found that toning them down just a little made shooting the resulting loads great fun. And as a bonus it cuts down on any possible long term issue with the gun betting beat up from full power magnums. Having typed this though I likely shoot a ratio of 50:1 Specials to Magnums from my K frame revolvers.
The reason you see so many S&W revolvers listed for sale is simply because they are fairly common. $300 for a good example of a Model 19 is an absolute bargain.
I would agree with sticking to moderate use of full-house .357 Magnum loads and sticking to .38s most of the time. The typical failure mode of these guns when shot with large quantities of hot, light bullet .357s was for the barrel forcing cone to crack on the underside where the barrel is thinnest to clear the cylinder yoke. This would often also result in a cracked frame. The L Frame guns do not have the same flat spot on the underside of the barrel, which is one reason why they are better suited to high volume use with .357s.
I would agree with sticking to moderate use of full-house .357 Magnum loads and sticking to .38s most of the time. The typical failure mode of these guns when shot with large quantities of hot, light bullet .357s was for the barrel forcing cone to crack on the underside where the barrel is thinnest to clear the cylinder yoke. This would often also result in a cracked frame. The L Frame guns do not have the same flat spot on the underside of the barrel, which is one reason why they are better suited to high volume use with .357s.
I bought a 19-3 here that had been on sale for some time. It has custom gun smith work done to it by adding a full length sight. It is the most accurate gun I own and it is a keeper. I love my Rugers but this gun is a bit better due to the better sight. Nothing wrong with a S&W revolver.
Just to clarify. Good info above but the most important thing to watch is after using lead bullet loads that lead the barrel a build up in the forcing cone area can cause the crack mentioned above when a high speed copper jacketed bullet is fired without cleaning first.
Due to the cost and avail of .357 mag ammo around I will most likely stick to the .38 spl ammo. I definitely need small grips as mentioned they are massive at the heel and I dont have small hands. I am not even positive of the type of frame, I gotta somehow take a look. Im just waiting on the ATT......which I hear in BC takes awhile. Do they make speedloaders for this beauty? Are they even legal?
The model 19 is what is known as a K frame gun. There's a number of various models that use the K frame and they all use the same K frame speed loaders.
Speed loaders are totally legal to own. Having tried a couple of different types I can heartily recomend the Safariland style speed loaders. They are slick because they use a simple direct forward push to release the rounds. And if you find some of the Comp III models there's even a spring in the loader that snaps them out and into the cylinder.
Sounds like you would like the Hogue grips as much as I do. Big hands that still find the heel of the stock wood grips "fat". But the Hogues fit like they were molded just for me.
The trick with ammo price is to get into reloading. The difference between Special and Magnum loads is nothing more than using the slightly longer Magnum brass and adding an additional 1.7 cents worth of powder. The primer, powder and bullet are all the same other than this slight issue. It's actually criminal what they charge for Magnum ammo.
Speed loaders are totally legal to own. Having tried a couple of different types I can heartily recomend the Safariland style speed loaders. They are slick because they use a simple direct forward push to release the rounds. And if you find some of the Comp III models there's even a spring in the loader that snaps them out and into the cylinder.
Sounds like you would like the Hogue grips as much as I do. Big hands that still find the heel of the stock wood grips "fat". But the Hogues fit like they were molded just for me.
The trick with ammo price is to get into reloading. The difference between Special and Magnum loads is nothing more than using the slightly longer Magnum brass and adding an additional 1.7 cents worth of powder. The primer, powder and bullet are all the same other than this slight issue. It's actually criminal what they charge for Magnum ammo.
Chuckbuster
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
There are numerous brands of speedloaders available. Just make sure you buy the ones for K-frames. Also, if you keep your eyes open at your local mom and pop type firearms emporium, you can often find a deeply discounted box or two of .357 ammo...I pick up the odd box that way myself...it may be older or discontinued, but it still gives the satisfying roar of the beast.
