Can you help me decipher the label? What year? 1969?
What does the "T" in the stock box refer to?
Also, what does the PKR 2 mean?

Came in its original box smelling a little of a basement and has some rust on the front sight, a spot on the cylinder and some under the grips

The grips are Pachmayr black rubber and marked with "S&W K Frame Small Grip" on each half.












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Probably 1977, T is for target stocks. I don't know what the 2 is for.

I would "guess" that INS is Inspected or Inspector and PKR is packer.

I'm sure one of our experts will be along to shoot holes in that theory!!!

Did they make them in '77? Didn't the 19-4 come out then?


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Looks like it was made in 1976...a bicentennial gun


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philydude, you really need to get on that rust with some oil and brass or copper wool. Once you get the rust knocked down apply several THIN coats of wax to protect the finish.

Enjoy your new revolver, the M-19 series is one of the best built.

Yeah, I took dry 0000 steel wool to it this morning and knocked it down. Applied a thin coat of Ballistol and plan on a more thorough cleaning once I get some housework finished. Finish is worn through so it will need some wax but I am honestly thinking about sending it out for a rebluing job once I am sure it is fulling functioning and that the timing and lockup is all good.

I just wanted to circle back...been to the range a few time with this gun and it has shot excellent. The timing is perfect and the trigger in SA breaks surprisingly crisply and lighter than expected.
I've been putting some old stock 3D commercial reloads I picked up from Sportsman's Outdoor Superstore through it and it is the best shooting, most accurate handgun I own.
It shoots so well that I am honestly thinking about sending it out to get stripped and re-blued.
I'm VERY happy with this revolver...so glad I went with an older one at a lower cost than picking up a new 686.


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I used the 19-3 after I moved to FL to qualify when taking my course for the concealed permit.
The instructor asked who was qualifying with a revolver and I raised my hand along with a couple newbie shooters. He asked them what they were shooting and they said they were shooting Airweights. After criticizing them for choosing a lightweight revolver as their 1st gun and letting a gun store guy talk them into that specific type of gun, he asked me what I was shooting. I told him a S&W 19-3 .357
The look on his face was

I did bring my CZ 75 SP01 Tactical but I hadn't shot it in a while and I didn't want to look bad during the qualifying shots (plus, this range had a "brass hits the floor its ours" policy and I wasn't giving them any more of my $$).
I asked them when they said they required 25 shots within the silhouette if I could only shoot 20 if I put them all within the 9 ring...they agreed but said if I didn't, they'd make me shoot 50.
Well, they didn't know how well this gun shoots those .38SPL 3-D 148gr SWCs I picked up a while back.
20 shots, all but one to the 10 and X rings with the final one just a little high in the 9.
The instructor was a bit egg-faced as I'm sure most of the people he sees have limited firearms experience. I just couldn't get that off my face because I LOVE shooting this revolver!!