Not new Model 19’s....

[LOBO]

66-0 (no dash) 4" with SS rear sight, Ahrends, & EPS holster

The gun is marked CPD 8. I was told by the seller (pawn shop in GA) that it's for Columbus, GA PD.

[LJP]

DB,

That 19 is a beauty! More than 20 years ago, I had a vintage snubby Model 19. I really wish I still had it and I doubt I'll ever be able to replace it. Maybe some day...

[Jeep]

The key with k frames is to go easy with the .357 mag stuff. Non nuclear loads, and carry and sight confirmation a couple times a year and they are fine,and really what they were designed for. I find that these are great hi performance .38 Special Guns with modern ammunition. You want to really shoot .357 Magnum in a S&W....N frame.

The L frame guns will handle a lot of .357 rounds as well, although they don't have that classic N frame look. Another terrific Model 19 by the way.

[Dagga Boy]

The L frame guns will handle a lot of .357 rounds as well, although they don't have that classic N frame look. Another terrific Model 19 by the way.

They will handle a little more. I was heavily involved in a bunch of testing stuff back in the 80’s with agencies that shot with all .357 Magnum. S&W told them the same thing.....they found out that it wasn’t true. You want to train .357 a lot with a Smith....N frame. Want to do that in a mid frame....Ruger. With that said, when it comes to actions and shooting, the mid frame S&W is fairly wonderous.

[Malamute]

Eh, stainless is nice and all....and I actually have a 66 in the four inch variety.......

but that blueing.....it captivates me. Mine had great blueing.

The blue on pretty much all the 19s Ive had or handled was excellent. I havent had much experience with them in the past 20 years, so dont know what the later guns were like.

Keith wrote in his revised Sixguns that the 19 was polished and finished to the same premium level as the N frame/27 guns (minus the checkered top strap). I dont know if that is correct, but seems to be born out by the guns Ive had and seen. The 19s are one of my all time favorite Smiths.

Family gun, was my dads. The first centerfire pistol I shot. I later traded him out of it and carried a fair bit in Az and up north when not in bear country. The blue isnt so nice any more.

[TGS]

They will handle a little more. I was heavily involved in a bunch of testing stuff back in the 80’s with agencies that shot with all .357 Magnum. S&W told them the same thing.....they found out that it wasn’t true. You want to train .357 a lot with a Smith....N frame. Want to do that in a mid frame....Ruger. With that said, when it comes to actions and shooting, the mid frame S&W is fairly wonderous.

Using 357s, what did the service life difference look like on an N frame vs an L frame?

[Sherman A. House DDS]

I’m not Darryl, but I have experience using L-frames in the armored truck service over a decade. We had 681’s and 686’s, and with the Federal 125 grain SJHP’s, they’ll shoot pretty loose after awhile. The guns we had were various vintages, and my personal 681 is still right, but I shot 125’s for qualifying and for 100 practice rounds before. The rest of the time, I shot 130 grain USAF ball.

The shop would issue 125 grain .357 reloads at 1400 FPS that we’re commercial reloads. Some dudes, that’s all they shot. THOSE guns would lock up, with ejectors unscrewing, cranes coming loose, strain screws loosening under the stocks, you name it. That’s a BUNCH of horsepower under the hood with the 125’s, and the L frame isn’t as beefy as one would think. It’s more like a K frame that doesn’t carry as gracefully or lightly as a K frame 10, 15 or 19 (or their stainless derivatives).




civiliandefender.com

[03RN]

How wide is a 19s cylinder?

Gorgeous gun DB

[Malamute]

How wide is a 19s cylinder?

Gorgeous gun DB

1.452" on my example from 1971/72

[TGS]

I’m not Darryl, but I have experience using L-frames in the armored truck service over a decade. We had 681’s and 686’s, and with the Federal 125 grain SJHP’s, they’ll shoot pretty loose after awhile. The guns we had were various vintages, and my personal 681 is still right, but I shot 125’s for qualifying and for 100 practice rounds before. The rest of the time, I shot 130 grain USAF ball.

The shop would issue 125 grain .357 reloads at 1400 FPS that we’re commercial reloads. Some dudes, that’s all they shot. THOSE guns would lock up, with ejectors unscrewing, cranes coming loose, strain screws loosening under the stocks, you name it. That’s a BUNCH of horsepower under the hood with the 125’s, and the L frame isn’t as beefy as one would think. It’s more like a K frame that doesn’t carry as gracefully or lightly as a K frame 10, 15 or 19 (or their stainless derivatives).




civiliandefender.com

Wow, I thought the L-frame was supposed to be bomb-proof. Thanks for the insight.

FWIW, I'm shamelessly abusing this post to make myself love the K-frame even more. I might have to go from two to three examples if you guys keep this up. I had an L-frame and didn't like it, but when I sold my first Model 19 I knew I had made a mistake, hence why I've now got two more.