S&W Model 19

This is a model 19-3.  There are many like it, but this one’s mine.

The Model 19 is the descendant of the Combat Magnum, introduced in 1955 at the behest of Bill Jordan.  Jordan recognized that the K-Frames were a marvelous balance of weight and accuracy, but he wanted a Magnum, and Smith & Wesson’s N-Frames were a bit heavy to be carried all day.

So the engineers started brainstorming.  They gave it a heavy barrel and an underlug (like the N-Frames), and thanks to advances in heat-treating, the steel was strong enough to handle the increased chamber pressures of the .357 (1).

It was an immediate hit with law enforcement, and when Smith & Wesson starting numbering their revolvers, the Combat Magnum became the Model 19.  The 19 was produced until 1999.

The Model 19 was available in barrel lengths from 2.5″ to 6″, with the 4″ model being most common, and the 3″ barrel being incredibly rare.

(I’d do some truly unwholesome things for a 3″ Model 19…)

The 2.5″ model is remembered as one of the great “FBI guns” of the 20th century.  The 3.5″ Model 27 (2) was another, and sometime in the late 1970’s, the 3″ Model 13 became quite common.  Though none were actually issue weapons, agents were allowed to carry personally-owned weapons, and the S&W revolvers were popular to the point of becoming iconic.

Agency loadings were the Remington 158gr LSWCHP +P in .38 Special and 145gr Silvertips in .357.  It’s obvious that the gun prefers the heavier load in .38, as 125gr loadings hit a bit low at 10 yards:

Still, not too shabby for a short-barreled revolver.  In fact, I have a hard time telling the difference between this gun and my 4″ Model 66 (3) in slow fire.  In rapid fire, there’s a bit more muzzle flip, but even with 158gr Magnums, the gun is manageable and the sights are quick to return to target:

In fact, this gun handles the recoil of .357 very well.  Though I’m not usually a fan of round-butt revolvers, the weight and balance of this one is such that the weight settles back into the palm, and the gun “rolls” nicely under recoil.

Also notice the recessed cylinders and pinned barrel.  Though neither are “necessary” from a function standpoint, they’re a nice touch and a reminder of the days when craftsmanship was more of a priority.

That’s not to say S&W doesn’t make great guns anymore; quite the contrary.  It’s just that they haven’t produced anything like this in quite some time.  Of course, there are plenty of folks who point to a specific time and claim that all Smith & Wesson revolvers since then “suck.”  For some folks, that time was when Saf-T-Hammer bought the company and (admit it!) saved it, at the cost of having those silly locks installed on all new revolvers.

Others claim that anything from the “mass produced” Bangor-Punta era somehow falls short, or that the whole company’s gone to the dogs since Carl Hellstrom died.  Some even say that without D.B. Wesson, the company has lost its way.

Feh.  Times change, and whether we like it or not, Smith & Wesson has changed with them. Get over it.

Still, I have to admit a predeliction towards their older wares, and this one’s a great example of 20th century craftsmanship.

(1) Nominal chamber pressures for the .357 are 35,000p/si, where the .38 Special was 17,000.

(2) The Model 27 was originally the “Registered Magnum.”  Man, I wish they still gave their guns cool names like that.  In any case, the first Registered Magnum was presented to J. Edgar Hoover.  That specimen has been lost, and locating it has kept more than a few folks quite busy.

(3) The Model 66 was produced from 1970 to 2005.  It was identical to the 19, except that it was stainless steel rather than blued carbon, and to the best of my knowledge, never had a pinned barrel or recessed cylinder.  One of my favorite shooters is a 1983 66-3.