Hi Guys,
Just picked up this 19-3. Being still a novice, thought I'd get some thoughts from experienced shooters/collectors. Manufactured in 1969. The fella I got it from says it's buttery smooth.
Thanks!

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Nice looking gun. If you paid under $800 you did fine. A little more and maybe you paid a little early as they say.

Stay away from a steady diet of max loads...shoot the snot out of it and clean it when you're done.

Leave it to your grandkids, repeat.

Mine is 45 years old and still looks great and shoots great. I do shoot 38's in it but generally shoot 158 gr factory loads or a reload I have made up.

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Robert
SWCA #2906, SWHF #760

Thanks, Ral,
Yeah I will shoot primarily +P, with the occasional .357 session. I plan on keepin' her!

That's a sweet looking 19-3! Oddly enough, I also snagged a 19-3 this week, and it has a trigger shoe as well. Only not quite as nice as yours, but nice enough. Mine is a 1970 with a 2.5" barrel, and numbers matching stocks.

Buddy called me up needing $500 bucks, with a S&W lined holster. They are hard to pass up aren't they? Congratulations on that fine looking 4" 19!

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I guess I like them. I have 3. Some of my favorites. Enjoy it. They are fantastic shooters

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SWCA 3255 SWHF 615

Congrats right back at ya! Pretty dash 2 there. I want one to carry! So, trigger shoe, eh? We weren't sure what it was called, thanks for that. What exactly is its purpose?

Thanks very much!

The trigger shoes were designed to provide a (often smooth, but not always) wide surface for your finger to spread out the pressure being applied to the trigger, over a wider area, making the trigger pull seem lighter. It was a poor man's "trigger job", and it works.

Some folks claim they are too wide and exceed the width of the trigger guard. A too wide trigger can snag upon re-holstering and cause an accidental discharge of the weapon, while it's near ones leg. They need to be set on the trigger snugly, with no wiggle, and preferably set with Loctite on the screw threads. And checked often.

This is the first one I've had on a gun since the mid '80s, and I never had any trouble with it over a decade of use, it never moved or caught on anything. Some people love them, some hate them (or fear them). I'm okay with them if they are properly sized, installed and maintained.

You will notice a sizable increase in trigger pull without it. However, a properly tuned trigger/hammer fitting doesn't require one in order to be smooth & light. Totally an operators choice, unless upper management nixes them for use, like in a Police or Security agency. Target triggers operate on the same principle, except they don't come loose.

Mine is 1970. Looks just like yours.
Best trigger I have on a handgun, both SA and DA.
I changed out to some magnas because I like the feel better, and it pretty much only sees .38s.
If I had to take one shot, that'd be the girl I'd bring to the dance.

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Because of the metric system?

Got this 19-3 in a trade many years ago at a LGS. It had ony been in the shop a day. If I recall correctly it was an even trade for a scandium frame .38 Spl J-frame with the frame lock. Didn't even have to pay sales tax. On my next trip back to that shop, the owner told me that the guy that traded in the 19-3 came back the day after I took it because he had second thoughts and wanted it back. When they are good, think really hard before letting them go.

Added these elk stags a year or so later.

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Beautiful revolver! About the best S&W ever made. Sincerely. bruce.

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<><

Thanks, Guys!
Great info. I think I'll leave it on. Hell. I'm a poor man! The guy said he just really liked the feel of it. I can't wait to shoot it.


Murdock, that 's a sweet 19-3.


Pete, do you find Magnas more comfortable?


Kraynky, very thorough explanation. Thanks!

Very nice Model 19-3, yours looks a whole lot nicer than my beater 19-3. The 110 and 125 grain magnum loads are the worst offenders when it comes to forcing cone erosion, which is believed to be the root cause of cracked forcing cones. It should do fine with 38 Special +P ammo or the reduced velocity, short barrel 357 ammo available from several manufacturers.

I'll second what Kraynky said about trigger shoes.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

I had a nickel 19-3, 2.5” loved it

The 19-3 is perhaps the best looking, most versatile, all around revolver ever made by S&W.

Another M19-3 owner here. Nice looking wheel gun you found. The trigger shoe basically makes a standard trigger into a target trigger, without having to change out the whole trigger and then fit the new one properly.

Mine was a 3T model from the factory, I got really lucky when I found it on consignment at my LGS. What's the SN# start with on yours, curious to know how close ours are. Mine's a bit newer than yours, maybe, I think it's from the early-mid '70s.

The marred spot on the left side of your, mine has one just about identical. The only thing I can think of that would cause those marks in that place would be when the shooter ejects his brass and the case head of the closest one scrapes the finish. Over time, the varnish gets worn off.

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Nice M19, my only one is a nickel 6"...great shooter.. would like to add a blue, but the right one has not come along yet....cook up some 158gr. 38's and go to shootin it!

I've owned over a dozen Model 19's. Still have my first Smith & Wesson, a Model 19 with a 6" barrel. You'll love it! I know I do.

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Don Mundell

Not trying to hijack the thread, but I have noticed that the 4" and shorter barrels seem to be more popular. Carry aside, is there some reason for that? I really like the Patridge (sp?) sights, and Model 19's with TT and Patridge sights come up now and then locally.

edit: Oh, and I am asking because one just appeared again at a LGS.

Nice! Thanks for showing.

I kinda like them shiny


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Robert
SWCA #2906, SWHF #760

Hair Trigger,
My s/n starts with: K8966

I was wondering myself what caused the wear in that part of the stock. I saw another online with that exact spot as well.

Could you guys tell me about the sights and stocks these guns normally shipped with? These grips don't have the s/n like my 10-5 had. But the seller said he was all but certain they're original. I say "seller, but it was actually a trade.

Beauty! Nickel? That pic looks like a page out of a magazine! Class!

Hope you bought it!

Some claim the 4 inch barrel revolver in whatever frame,is better balanced in the hand than the 6 inch.
Makes no difference to me.

I think the Targets are a little too bulky for me, comfort-wise. Somewhere in the middle would be about perfect.

Truth be told, it's mostly because I like the look better. If I shot it a lot, there would be Pachmyers on it.

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Because of the metric system?

Mine starts with 7K121xx, it's newer than yours. the dash 3 had a 10 year span between the dash 2 and dash 4, two major changes made, relocating the rear sight leaf screw, and deleting the diamond insert on the stocks, the latest of those in 1968. Since my stocks don't have the diamond, I know it's later than 1968, and I believe the SN puts it around 1974-75.

Standard stocks were magnas, optional was the Alves Target stocks. Front sight on the shorter barrels was the ramped sight, with an optional red insert. Rear sights were adjustable, the white outline was optional. 6" barrels could have the ramped sight or a Patridge sight. My 1st M19 was a dash-2 6" and had the Patridge. Traded it in 1979 for a M66-1 4"

Pachmayr is a great grip for shock absorption, but always made my hand sweat after a while, and IMO they have no personality. I took the Target stocks off my M19 to preserve them, plus they are a tad bigger than I like (but the Magna is too small), so I bought Altamont stocks for my M19, and also have them on my other S&W's. They are a bit narrower and have a coke-bottle shape and finger reliefs, plus they are beautiful and add to the good looks of a S&W wheel gun.

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Nice Model 19-3,
In general the Combat Magnums that came with Magna stocks were the snub versions,
4" and 6" versions came with target stocks standard or in some cases smooth presentation stocks.
There are several subtle differences when comparing pre vs post 1970 19-3's,
Most notable is the pre 70 four and six inch versions have a fs ramp that is pinned to the barrel where 70 and up it becomes integral.
The rollstamps also changed sometime in the early 70s, older CM's will have big butt ampersand on the frame, there was also a slight change in the barrel caliber roll stamp , early guns have two "dots" between SW and 357 Magnum where later guns have one "dot".
On a side note while the CM was marketed as a duty weapon interestingly there were no satin blue versions offered like the Model 28,
Also the CM was the first of the then new four screw frame guns so no 5 screw CM exists.
The very earliest examples shipped in 1956 and have a unique feature in that they have the old style 6 groove tangs, that changed to 10 groove tangs by 1957.

I know they look good and (like a lot of firearms) I "came close" to getting one from time to time, but never felt like sleeping on the couch those days. Should have! May it serve yu well. ;-)

That is really interesting. I was wondering why I was seeing some pinned and some not!

Thanks again,
I kind of like the feel of these stocks. Was a 19 that was shipped with Magnas grips generally lower-priced?