Hello Forum Members,
I just joined the Forum because this weekend I just bought my first S&W Revolver, a 19-3 at a Gun Show in Vermont.

I had been wanting any decent Smith Revolver for a while and almost bought a really nice older Model 10 last year, but held off.

I saw this gun at a show in Rutland and started checking it out. Beautiful deep blueing and finish with very little apparent wear.
Seller said it came from the Estate of a Man who owned a Gun Shop and it was one of his collectibles. The Jeweled Trigger and Hammer are a bonus as I was only looking for a Stock gun.
The trigger seems to have had work on it as it feels great, but I have not yet had the chance to shoot it and I have nothing to directly compare it to. I love the heft and butter smoothness of it. Serial number is K9600xx

My only other revolver is an old High Standard .22 9 shot, which is very nice but the trigger is rimfire heavy.

I paid $450 for it, the same price I would have paid for the 10 I passed on. Can't wait to burn some ammo!

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Beautiful gun, perhaps the most beautiful and useful of all modern era S&W revolvers, IMO. Good price, as well.

You should remove the rubber grips during cleaning to ensure no rust is slowly eroding your purchase. Rubber grips seem to trap moisture.

You got a great gun for a great price!

Congratulations

Very Nice model 19, and an excellent Price. Put some vintage wood grips on that beauty and shoot it. BTW Welcome to the Forum from Arkansas!

Welcome to the forum from the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Give us a range report on that 19.

Welcome to the forum from Central Ohio!

You've made a very wise decision in buying that 19-3.

A true classic at a very reasonable price (in today's market).

Good price. I personally would swap out the grips for wood target grips. And id also probably look for a trigger and hammer. But that's just me. If YOU like that look on the hammer and trigger then keep it that way because it should be the way you want it, not me!

Nice buy and great gun. Excellent barrel length for target shooting. Congrats!

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Rather be outdoors

Welcome to the Forum

You got a very good buy on a very good revovler

Lucky for you that I didn't see it first. Excellent buy at an excellent price! Like others have suggested, swap out the rubber grips for a pair of S&W Goncala Alves target grips to compliment your new find. Congrats!

Welcome to the forum.

Great pick up and a wonderful way to start your revolver collection.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

Excellent choice and excellent price.

My only thought is about the trigger.
When you shoot, if you have any misfires
and you shouldn't, the remedies are easy.
I raise this possibility only because some
used guns have had lightened springs or
a strain screw turned out at the bottom of
the butt.

Tell us how it shoots and maybe do a
little bragging about how good you
are with a revolver. We like to read
those reports all the time.

Well done! That’s a nice revolver and you got a pretty good deal price wise.

Congratulations! You got an excellent deal on a super clean model 19. A rare find at a rare price.

That was a fortunate find and a wise decision to buy it. It is probably
the best S&W revolver to start with, however the model 10 would have
been great as well.
I suggest you discard those Pacs and get some vintage, like mentioned
above, or perhaps some Herretts? You will also need a nice holster.

Here is a shot of my 19-4 wearing Herrett's Jordan Trooper stocks and
riding in a Thad Rybka Tom Threepersons holster with hammer protector.

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In Omnia Paratus

I'm gonna be contrary, keep the rubber grips. You will find that the gun is much more comfortable to shoot. There is a reason that rubber grips were developed, factory wooden ones suck. Look at all the pros who carried revolvers for a living who changed to rubber. Also in the end even Smith and Wesson changed over.

For $450 you got a great deal! Enjoy that Model 19-3, take good care of it and don't hammer it to death with 110 and 125 grain magnum loads.

There is some truth to this. I have a 29, and the factory combats hurt my wrist, but not the rubber. However, that being said, I shoot some rubber, but display wood. Obviously figured wood looks better than molded rubber. At least IMO

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Pete
I ain't no fortunate son

My only advice would be take the gun out and shoot it some you may love those grips some do some dont .Just give us some target pictures soon . If you do change out tne grips at least take a look at some Patrick Grashorn stags .I know I know they are different but I like em especially with extra heavy bark left on that helps in wet weather but I'm outdoors a lot. Welcome to the forum from down in Alabama .Nice gun thanks for shareing

I just got these from Patrick and I love them.

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In Omnia Paratus

Great buy on a beautiful revolver. Welcome.

Wow, great find. I would have chosen the 19 also over the 10, primarily since you cold then shoot both calibers. Plus, I think the 19s are in higher demand...at least they are here in IN. I remember that joy of my first S&W revolver purchase...a 66 4"...sweet shooter...that my wife now has! I'm going back to LGS today to see if they still have the 19 4" Nickel in their case... it was $500 also.

Great gun. The model 19 is a great gun

Many years ago, when I was a youngster, there were a couple of old coots writing for various gun magazines. There names were Bill Jordan, and Skeeter Skelton (Google them if you're not familiar with them). Anyway, reading their stuff convinced me that a medium frame, 357 revolver, with a 4" barrel was the mythical "best all around" handgun.

My first handgun was a Model 19. My most recent one, was a Model 19.

I haven't seen anything in the 40 or so years in between to make me think they were wrong.

If you can find a nice set of wood grips that won't break the bank, I'd say get them, if for no other reason than "show." The rubber ones are great for shooting though.

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John 3:16 .

Personally the Pachs are ugly but so much better to shoot with, keep em'. Like a previous poster said no 110 or 125 gr. 357s, only 158 gr. With 38s anything you like.

Great start, welcome to the club.

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LIVE FROM THE DAWGHOUSE

Riverboys, welcome to the forum, you made a wise decision to wait for a model 19, which is one of the best all around revolvers ever produced. Remember to remove the rubber grips for time to time, as they can trap moisture and lead to rusting. When I have the grips off my revolvers i give the grip frame a wipe down with a silicon cloth.

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Always Stay Strong!

Yeah....S&W also changed over to non-pinned barrels, non-recessed cylinders, MIM parts, internal locks, ****** finishes, etc.

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'Merica!

Yeah, I was bugged about S&W doing away with the recessed cylinders. But eventually, I came to understand that S&W came to realize what Colt, Ruger, Charter Arms and others understood. That is, the increased pressures of the .357 Mag. do not actually require a recessed cylinder - as S&W had previously believed. My 19-4 has recessed and my 19-5 does not. They both work equally well -- although somehow, the recessed cartridges look 'cooler'.

I shot it. Last week I was able to put about 150 rounds through my Model 19. My wife shot about 50 rounds. We shot 130 gr jacketed White Box .38spl.

Having had really NO previous experience with Smith & Wesson's, except for 12 rounds through a friends large Frame .44 mag that I shot in single action 10 years ago, I had no expectation of what the shooting experience would be like.
FYI, I own and shoot a Full-size Ruger 1911 .45, CZ 75D PCR 9mm, Hi Standard .22 DA 9 shot revolver.

I went holster shopping at, Cragins in Rutland, VT where I found what I wanted, an inexpensive Blackhawk Hip Holster for $20.00
The owner also showed me around my gun, explaining how the lockup works etc. He explained how Jeweling was done and pointed out some details about the job done to my pistol's hammer and trigger.
He thought the blueing was original as the S&W roll mark was was distinct and not filled in.
I asked about cleaning it and he said Hoppe's would work well. He thought it was worth about $900.00.

From a Value POV, he thought finding original wood grips would be the way to go.

So, the overall impression - love the heft, DA is smooth and I was able to achieve Perp stopping accuracy at 10 yards. Trigger pulls easily and smoothly.
My wife was able to achieve Perp stopping/slowing accuracy as well, but smooth DA pulls were harder for her. She shot at 6 & 10 yards. She likes it and I hope she will want to shoot it more often.

In SA, the trigger is quite light and very crisp. I managed some Bulls eyes and the gun is clearly quite accurate as it shows up my pattern flaws as a pistol shooter.

I have some 158gr Seller & Belliot .357 to try next time.

As per new grips etc, I will hold off until I just shoot her more.

I am glad I found this gun, especially at the price and I am very proud to own this gun.

Smith's have a dedicated following and I am glad to finally be a member of this Fraternity.

Targets posted below:

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