I am brand new here, and this is my first post. Woo hoo! I have been scouring through the forums here looking for this topic, and have seen a few posts, but figured I would ask anyway.
I'm a LEO, and several years ago our local police supply store was selling a lot of surplus model 66's and 686's for $350 and $400!! They had been in a vault since the Mississippi DOC quit using them in the late 1990's. By the time I got down there, they were all gone. (I'm still crying) Ever since then, I have been looking for a full size S&W .357. It has been a bucket list item, but I haven't had the money to buy one in a store or online. A guy that I work with offered to sell me this model 19 that he found while cleaning out his father in-law's house. It is a 19-4, and I snagged it for $400. When I got it home to clean it up some, I did notice some of the nickel is gone around the cylinder flutes, and there is some other slight cosmetic damage. I have found that S&W can refinish it in nickel for less than $300. I don't plan on selling it, but was wondering how much it would affect the overall value? If it's something that will knock it down to less than I paid, then I will leave it as-is. But, right now, the gun has no sentimental value, and I'm just happy as a pig in the sun to have it in my possession.
On a side note, he also had an old model 36 in nickel that was a little scuffed up too. Offered it to me for $200. I told him I'd think about it. I can post pics of it as well. Thanks!

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Welcome to the forum!

I think you made a fine purchase for a nice price. The nickel loss to me looks minor. You COULD have the gun re-nickeled. It would probably cost you a few hundred dollars. Conceivably, you could have just the cylinder done. I'd just put some Ren-Wax on it, and use it like it is.

(I'd also jump all over the model 36 at that price!)

Welcome to the Forum from Pennsylvania, Brent.
That Mod.19 looks pretty nice. I would polish it gently with Flitz and likely be satisfied with it. The price was right.
And on that Mod. 36, if it functions, pick it up. That price is very low in the market today. If you don't want it, I'll take it sight unseen at that price!

Welcome to the S&W Forums!

The Model 19 is a fine revolver and yours shows some wear and a little neglect, not uncommon for LEO sidearms. You paid $400 for it, which is a very good price these days, and if you had it completely refinished you will have around $700 in it. Since it will be refinished, it's collector value, which this particular example has very little, would not be significantly impacted, especially if S&W does the work. You might also find an excellent condition Model 19 factory nickel finish for $700, so in this case, having it re-nickled is a break even deal.

A used Model 36 with nickel finish for $200? Unless it has mechanical issues, severe pitting or severe finish wear, that's a no-brainer buy.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

Thank you for your service.

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Kenny
Endeavor to persevere.

I would leave it as is and shoot the snot out of it. If you have it refinished, then you might worry about getting a scratch or blemish on it if you use it regularly. As with all quality Smiths, it was meant to be shot regularly. A great gun at a great price.

A very nice revolver! I don't see this one as really needing a refinish.
It is a desirable model, and I believe most collectors would prefer a slightly imperfect appearance over a refinished one, regardless of who did the work.

Standard Catalog of Smith and Wesson 4th edition says the pinned barrel/recessed cylinder features were eliminated with the -5 in 1982. By the mid-70's the stocks began incorporating the speed loader cutout on the left side, as yours show. If you post the SN we can narrow down the shipping date a bit better than that. The SN is found inside the frame behind the crane/cylinder, and on the butt under the grips. It will have a K for the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th digit. Replace the last 2 or 3 digits with an X if desired.

Welcome to the Forum! It's a great source of info for what you own, and what you end up owning due to our, em, encouragement.

Wow! Thank you all for the replies. I'm still just so excited to have the gun. It's a good feeling to get something that has been sitting in a musty old storage shed for 20 years. When I'm not shooting it or "admiring" it, it will go into my gun safe. The serial number is 59K6175. Thanks for checking on that for me.

As for the model 36, I am attaching some pics of it. I think I will try to snag it as well. Since I've never owned a nickel gun, I'm not really sure to how polish them? Mother's mag polish is what some people have said?

When he pulled out the old briefcase he had them in, I also looked over a blued S&W model 15. I am not familiar with that model. It had a very wide hammer and trigger, I'm assuming target model? It had several large patches of rust, and possible some pitting under the rust, but I didn't look too closely.

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Welcome and just keep "snagging" them shooters !!! that's what I do

The M36 looks pretty rough, but if it’s mechanically serviceable it’s surely worth $200. It might clean up.

It’s a square butt which some find desirable for being easier to shoot than the round butt (which is more common).

Welcome !!

Tell us more about the model 15. They are 38 special, and one of S&W's finest efforts. For the right money and condition, that is not to be overlooked. I have 4, and I bet there are guys here with 24. Stick with us on cleaning, and restoring etc. I posted on the S&W smithing section of this forum questions on nickel cleaning. Find that thread. Lots of good info

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Pete
I ain't no fortunate son

Mechanically, the 36 felt very good. Tight action and locked up nice. It just irks me to see guns that have not been taken care of over the years. I guess some people that don't have an appreciation for them don't really don't know that they're doing anything wrong. The guy that has these is not a gun guy, and does not even like handling them, hence why he's trying to get them out of his house.

Hey Brent, welcome to the forum. If you use the search box at the top, you will find several posts by those that have expertise in cleaning and polishing guns. I’ve learned a lot from member rubiranch. So will you. That nickel 19 is a great gun. Enjoy shooting it. Personally, I wouldn’t spend the money on a refinish. With minimal cost and a little elbow grease it will look great

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SWCA 3255 SWHF 615

Only thing I would do is take some Mother's Mag polish to the gun. I would hand rub the frame with the polish then very carefully take a dremmel with buffing wheel attachment to the cylinder. Remove the cylinder and yoke from the frame and with the polish you can make those spots on the cylinder flutes almost invisible. You would be surprised at how much a nickel finish can be brought back to life with a very non abrasive metal polished. Try it by hand on a small spot first to see for yourself if it is worthwhile but I bet you will be pleasantly surprised.

Unless you have super human vision and magic hands, NEVER have a Dremmel tool anywhere near any firearm, PLEASE..

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Always Stay Strong!

^^^ I agree ^^^

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Who are those guys?

Happy for you.

Glad you were able to get something you wanted for a while. Thank you also for your community service in your professional capacity and welcome to the forum.

My recommendation would be to leave it as is and enjoy it. In time, should you wish for a more pristine example, buy one when the timing is better. Don't sweat it at all.

Many of us actively collect, study, plink, et cetera and we would all buy it at that price.

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Rather be outdoors

GO IMMEDIATELY AND PURCHASE THE MODEL 36 !
( cause Jimmy said so)

Hi Brent, welcome aboard!
Great deals, I'd take all he's got that you have $ for.
As for refinishing: I'd do it, but not right away. Shoot them a couple times first, give yourself a chance to get used to them. Then, if they still make you want to send them back to S&W for the refinish job, go for it. There are quite a few 19s around, and unless there's some important history to them, like owned by a President, gift from S&W to some VIP, etc., refinishing won't hurt the value at all and you'll most likely get the cost back if you resell. Congrats!

Rpg thinks it's rough.

I think it's just the picture that's rough.

Thank you LPD.

And I learned everything right here on this forum. Did a lot of searching and reading and got some good pointers from a few close friends.

The biggest issue I face is all my guns are clean and I don't get them dirty nearly as often as I should so that I can clean them again. LOL

No wait. I haven't cleaned my new one yet. Gotta run now.

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Kenny
Endeavor to persevere.

Did I miss something? You got a new one?

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SWCA 3255 SWHF 615

I did. But it doesn't fit in this section too well.

I just bought a new M&P 45 Shield M2.0.

Stupid thing doesn't shine up at all. LOL!!!!

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Kenny
Endeavor to persevere.

Please leave her alone alone. A little honest wear and yes some neglect is okay. It all tells a story.
Small amount of oil on a soft cotton cloth and wipe it down. All you want is to clean it. No need to polish it. The Renaissance Wax is a very good suggestion. They say to avoid products that contain Ammonia You have a great revolver. Just shoot her and keep her clean she needs a good home . Welcome to the forum.

I didn't see that anyone responded to this. That is a 1980 serial number.

The Chiefs Special is also from 1980.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

Been away all day and didn't have a chance to get back to him. Thanks for the coverage Jack.

Great Forum, great members.

Thank you all for the input and the loads of information! I also appreciate the year model info. I will go back and read some of the other posts that were mentioned so that I can become more educated on the model 19 and nickel finish. Some of the older officers that were still on when I started talked about starting their careers with S&W wheel guns in the early 80's, and how much they loved them. (I'm told that our dept even experimented with S&W 9mm revolvers at one time...didn't last long!) Some of those guys have been great resources too.

I am also going to try to acquire the model 36, and maybe the model 15 if he'll hold it for me a little longer. I will keep you all updated on my progress! On these forums, do I just keep posting in my original thread, or start a new one if I change the subject to another gun? Sorry, I'm a 35 year old that has read through TONS of forums over the years, but rarely posted in any at all. Lol!

Start a new thread with each new gun. We are glad to have you aboard.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

So before I posted on here, I had gone to S&W's website and saw that they would do bluing and nickel refinishing for $288. At that time, I sent an online email inquiry. This is the response I received today:

Dear Customer,
Unfortunately we no longer nickel firearms. I would suggest trying Turnbull Fierarm Restoration.
Smith&Wesson values its customers and we are happy to have served you today. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you require further assistance.
Regards, Frank

I guess that finalizes the deal to not have it refinished! Ha

Frank @S&Wcust. service has helped me more than once...seems to be a straight up guy!

Nice gun. Shoot it as is and dont worry about it. Re-nickeling may make it look nicer,but you also run the risk of having the lettering buff out if you do the entire gun