S&W Model 19

[ninjaamt]

I had this .357 with a 4" barrel for a long time and enjoy shooting it with magnums or just 38 specials. What are some of the details that makes this different from other models? And, how many models are there anyway? LOL

[BigJimP]

Model 19 is a K frame ....and there are a lot of K frames in the S&W catalog of guns...in .357 mag and in .38 spl...( Model 66's are the stainless version basically of the model 19's that were either blued or Nickel finish .../ but maybe I don't understand what your question is ??

and L and N frames,,,,,etc...

I'd suggest you look for a copy of the 3rd edition of the S&W catalog....
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We can probably give you the year your gun was mfg'd if you have the engineering dash number ( model 19-? ) its inside -on the frame after you open the cyclinder....and the serial number and we can tighten it up...
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Understanding the frame size on your gun ( K frame ) ...like on another thread where you asked about model 17's and 18's are K frames too but they're both .22 caliber...and then you can look at some of the other models of S&W revolvers...in a variety of frame sizes and calibers..../ model 19's are nice guns....but they're just part of the story on S&W .357 Mag's...

Within the model 19's each engineering dash number will mean some technical changes in the guns ..within each dash number/its not a simple answer on why is a model 19 different from a model 66, or 686 or 27 or 28 --even though they are all .357 mag S&W revolvers.

[James K]

You can check out S&W's current models at www.smith-wesson.com but the company has been around since 1857 so they have made a lot of models and a whole lot of guns, mostly handguns, but also have marketed rifles and shotguns under their name.

Jim

[ninjaamt]

Great info, thanks!

[CWKahrFan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMnkr6EoAFw

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith_%26_Wesson_Model_19

[Winchester_73]

The idea of the model 19, aka "combat magnum" was to make a smaller, lightweight 357. The K frame is the S&W medium or 38 frame. The I frame, which later became the J frame was a 32 frame, and the N frame was the 44 frame.

The first 357s were made on the N frame, because that was the strongest and heaviest frame S&W had until the X frame (460 and 500 mag). Approx 20 years after introducing the first 357 magnums, S&W saw a market for a smaller, handier 357. With a few alterations, they got the 357 magnum to work in the K aka medium frame. There were several K frame 357 magnums: the model 19 (adj sight, blue or nickel), the model 13 (fixed sight, blue or nickel), the model 66 (same as 19, but SS) and the model 65 (same as 13, but SS). They were very successful, for many reasons. They were one of the lighest 357s on the market. They were lighter than any design that I know of from Ruger (maybe until the SP101), Dan Wesson, or Colt (until the Magnum Carry). They were also smaller than many of these other models.

Later, issues arose with the model 19. In my opinion, two factors caused these issues, lack of basic maintenance AND light fast 357 magnum loads (125gr at 1400 fps). The guns were said to eventually shoot loose (who knows how many rounds that would take) and many model 19s ended up with cracked forcing cones. The 6pm portion aka bottom of the forcing cone was thinner, because the cylinder window space was was not tall enough to make the forcing cone competely round, and the same thickness throoughout. Many K frame 357s were fine despite the design, while others ended up cracking there. Usually the cracked ones were fed with 125 gr loads which were fast, AND they were not cleaned well. Usually if a particular gun had one or the other in its history, it was fine, but both combined was linked to the failure. This failure, and the complaints about the recoil and shooting loose, spawned the development of the L frame, which had a thicker forcing cone, a full lug (initially) for added weight, among some other improvements.