S&W Revolvers...Now I get it.

[Calamity Jake]

While you have it tore down put a good aftermarket spring kit in it.

 

[gerhard1]

The Model 19 is one S&W that I never owned. When my brother got on with the police in 1970, his gun that he carried was the 19, and it is easy to see why. I have shot my brother's, and it was a beautiful handgun, but at that time I was more into Colts , and then I picked up a 3" Model 13 and carried that one for a while, but did not care for the 3" barrel. I got various other Colt's and S&W's and the ones that I carry the most are the Model 681 and the Model 65 pictured in my avatar. Both of these S&W's have butter smooth actions, produced in part by gunsmiths, but mostly just by shooting many hundreds of rounds through them.

And I agree about not shooting 125 gr 357 Magnum loads through it. A few won't hurt, but I'd limit them and has also been said here, if you shoot mostly 38's through it, it will be a lot easier on the gun.

Anyway, congratulations on the Combat Magnum. Take care of it and she will give a lifetime of shooting.

 

[Brandi]

They will handle full loads no problem. Take a look at the forcing cone where it meets the cylinder. At the 6 o'clock position it is thinner to clear the crane. This is on the k-frames. The stories I have read say that after 1000's of rounds of 125 grain bullet the forcing cone will crack where it is thin. The round count was crazy high for this to happen. Supposedly it is blamed on the fast 125s are shorter (less bearing area) and they make the jump from cylinder to forcing cone maybe getting a little cocked and beat the crap out of forcing cone.

Like I said count has be super high for this to result. This was the purpose of the L frame guns. Beefed them up. The K frames are like beutifully built German car, but just because it will do 180 MPH turning 5000 RPM you dont drive it like that every time you hit the key. It won't last as long. Respect it and it will last for ever.

There are few stories about cracked cones you can read up on it.

Thanks, that pretty much summed it up.

 

[Brandi]

Are there any newer models that are worth a damn? All of the newer models I have handled are not anywhere in the same league as the ones my Grandfather handed down.

My 629 V-Comp is about the sweetest wheelie gun you could skin, you must have been in the Taurus section LOL.

 

[Shadowrider]

Are there any newer models that are worth a damn? All of the newer models I have handled are not anywhere in the same league as the ones my Grandfather handed down.

To be totally honest with you I do like my old school, all forged S&W revos, but like I said, in all honesty if they would ditch that damn lock, they would be hard pressed to make a better gun. Their machining today is far better than they have ever been at any time before. And MIM trigger parts are basically just a drop in affair when a replacement is needed, they polish up better and with less work than any forged part ever did and you end up with a lighter action in the end with less work.

Yes, I've worked and tuned several of each variety, and there just isn't any comparing them. All that really needs to be done to a brand new production gun is swap out some springs, polish a couple of spots with nothing more than a cotton fob and rouge or you can just forego the polishing altogether and dry fire it a ton. Older guns need stoning and polishing and each gun is different in the attention it needs, today not near as much. Edit: Of course there are the normal QC issues that still pop up like with everyone, but my point is still valid.

 

[Cedar Creek]

I'm in the 4th quarter of life, I guess, @ age 63 and have accumulated guns for 40+ years. I already handed my modern S&W revolvers down to my son - one is a Model 67 with a Jim Robertson trigger job, one is an old K-22, and the other is a Model 15 that matches the K-22. He loves them and will probably hand them down to the next generation.

Cedar Creek

 

[Glocktogo]

I almost hate to ask, but how did I do deal-wise? I swapped a guy my Sig P-239 in really good condition and some extra mags for it

You did great and that's a beautiful gun. A P&R 19 is the best of the best in S&W revos.

 

[TheLastDaze]

Sweet score !! Had a 686 no dash and sold if for a whopping 500...big regrets no doubt...still have my 17-3 iirc in .22... wheel guns are the only thing im interested in from S&W

 

[okiebindernut]

Just more confirmation on what everyone has said. You got a nice one there, take care of her and she'll last forever. I used to really like long barreled revolvers but now days I would rather shoot my 2 inch barreled model 19 than any thing else.

 

[Pokem807]

I ordered the reduced power spring kit from Wolff, and hopefully it'll get here before I head back to work on Friday. As soon as it shows up, I'll tear her down per the sticky and give her a good cleaning. Had a light strike on one primer last night, which may have been the ammo, but I've never had that happen while running that ammo through my other revolvers.

Some family came over last night and I pulled out a few guns for everyone to shoot. It was funny how they all gravitated towards the older blued revolvers. The grins just got bigger after the first round or two.