Someone commented today that at one time the Navy SEALS carried S&W Model 19s with 4-inch barrels. This was before they switched to the Beretta M9 and then the SIGP226. I think I heard something about this years ago. Does anyone know if this is true, and if it was a Model 19 they used?

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Aaron Terry

I saw them with S&W Model 66's (stainless version of the Model 19) back in the 1980's and early 1990's. Not sure about before that, though.

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John

John, the 66 definitely makes more sense to me, due to the obvious salt water conditions. I heard they bought a few hundred Model 19s back in the 1960s. Maybe they switched to the 66 later on.

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Aaron Terry

A lot of seals also carried 4" 686's.

Frank

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S&WCA #2173

SEALS like most serious special operators have some latitude in choosing weapons, particularly sidearms. I have interacted with many of the genre in my career even though I am not one of them. The only operators I saw with wheelguns were as BUGs carried on or in combat vests for a last ditch defense, or for some special purpose or other-like to leave at the scene to confuse the BGs. Some operators always go heeled and some choose small wheelguns for that purpose.
Revolvers have always been popular for aviators as they can be used one handed (you need 2 hands to rack a slide)and they will use the .38 flare cartridges that are still around. All 5 of my kids are military aviators and 2 carry wheelguns, the other 3 carry semi autos. The daughter carries a Colt PPS 4" and is absolutely deadly with it, it also takes up little space on her survival vest and she claims that the extra ammo is lighter than 45s.
I would suspect (and have observed) that most special operator types carry a semi auto handgun in a serious caliber.

A classmate/good friend just finished up his tour as a SEAL, and we had this discussion a few weeks ago. He said that they occasionally used 686s for work in and out of the ocean, due to salt water resistance.

It would not surprise me if they used stainless K frames years ago.

Naval Investigative Service used 4" model 19's.
They were round butt, with yellow front sight inserts. They still have a few. Most were transferred to the FBI vault.

As has been mentioned already, the SEAL teams used 66's and 686's. Hope this helps. Regards 18DAI.

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7 +1 Rounds of hope & change

saw a SEAL in central america circa 1982-4 with 4 inch 686

/c

Seal Team 6 used Model 66s. Richard Marcinko, who was the first CO of ST6 and was relieved for various reasons, remarked how hot the Model 66s would get when firing full-load .357 Magnum loads during training in his book "Rogue Warrior." There is also a picture in his book of a team doing a clearing operation onboard a ship; the leader is pointing a Model 66 at a doorway.

Lotta folks got part of the question answered here-
SEALs had requested 4" M-19s for their TO&E in the 60s when the teams were being formed and equipped - a Navy supply bureaucrat overruled the request and aquisitioned them 4" M-15s which were already in the system. These were in common use along with M-39s & pilfered 1911s during Vietnam.
4" M-66s were issued in the late 70s I believe (starting with Team 6) & were soon replaced with M-686s as they wore out. The 686s are still around and are popular for use in basic handgun marksmanship instruction and as "swim guns" on diving missions since they are safe to fire as soon as they come out of the water, as well as holding up much better under saltwater exposure than the SIG 226s the SEALs generally use.
I'm sure some M-19s somehow showed up with individual SEALs in Nam & later, but they weren't an officially issued item.

That's the one I remember as well.

The seals I knew in Nam had S&W 15's. The last "real" seal I saw with a handgun was carrying a S&W 686...

Seal Team Six deployed in Afganistan is carrying Glock Model 19's.

hhb, where did you hear that?

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Aaron Terry

On page 186 of the 3rd Edition of the Standard Catalog Of Smith&Wesson, a Model 19 Variation named the ONI issue is listed.
In the year 1965, 1000 .357 Magnum revolvers were manufactured and issued to the Office Of Naval Intelligence (ONI) and the FBI, within the serial number range of K544000 through K624000. Specs: blue finish, 4" barrel, round butt frame, service trigger, standard hammer, red ramp front and white outline rear sights, grip adapter, and stamped "ONI" on the left side of the frame.
In 1966, Naval Investigative Service (NSI) was formed as a new separate agency, an off-shoot of ONI. NSI Special Agents were issued 200 Model 19 revolvers, similar to the ONI 1000, except with yellow front sight inserts, smooth combat triggers, and NSI markings rather than ONI. In 1972, about 450 of the 1200 guns, variously marked ONI and NIS, were transferred to the FBI. NIS and FBI kept some of them in service until the late 1990's.

(Elsewhere on the internet, I have seen, so far, unsubstantiated reports of 150 S&W Model 19-2 ordered by and issued to the Navy SEALS in 1965.)

They use everything they can get there hands on or works for the job. A True Soldier is not locked into any specific kind of weapon. A true soldier IS a weapon.

Special Forces guys will use everything from .22LRs to 44 Magnums.

Colt, Ruger, Sig-Sauer, H&K, S&W, Kimber - whatever it takes.

Not 19 but a 66. In the 70's and early 80's many guys on the teams carried stainless revolvers . It was never a STD issue.

Interesting, my son just got home (he's Army, E6 flight medic-former combat medic and knows weapons-and would've gone to pick up anyone injured in the field) and there were various SEAL Teams coming through his fob, he said all he saw had the Sig 226.

Yes, in the late 70s and early 80s 66s and then 686s were available and used in certain situations (boat/platform boarding i.e.). No I'm not nor have I ever been a SEAL though I do have former co-workers and friends that were and are.

I don't have it handy but I believe in Dick Marcinko's first book "Rogue Warrior" there is a photo of an exercise where one of the Team members has a 66 in his hand. I'm no fan boy of his, a very good friend's father was his CO at one time-they didn't get along and haven't talked for almost 30 years.

It wouldn't be a surprise that Seals use Glocks as I've seen lots of Glock 19's & Sig M11's which were part of Army sf units quite frequently when I was a contract weapons' repair guy (armorer) for the Army up till about a year ago....
When I was a Marine armorer, we learned seals did in fact use model 66's @ North island san diego at least.... NIS was mentioned earlier here here and I'll add that they also carried 2-3/4" blue Ruger Speed-Sixes, s&w 2" model 36's and 3" model 10's from my experience inspecting and repairing them at camp pendleton in the late 80's for NIS....

Seal Team 6 under Capt. Richard Marcinko did use S&W Mod66's.
For 2 reasons, the power of the 357 Mag, and the reliability of a stainless revolver when you were "swimming" it in.

When fired a LOT with 357 Mag ammo the 66 is sorta fragile. Later they did use the 686. After Capt. Marcinko left the SEALS they went to SIG's. Not to say they did not have access to other handguns as well.

I knew Capt. Richard Marcinko personally, and went to schools tought by him.

He was WAY AHEAD OF HIS TIME. He was one of the most Brilliant, Sharpest, Persons, prepared for Anti Terrorist operations I have ever met.

Also, I must say, HE Personally tought me to drink Bombay Gin.

I drank some just today in his Honor.

This Country could use many more like him...

While not a SEAL, I was assigned as assistant operations officer in Naval Special Warfare Group Two in Little Creek, VA from 1986-1988.

The 686 was standard issue at that time and as suggested above was used for operations conducted primarily in the water. At the time the other option was the M9 9x19mm for dryer missions. As it was expressed to me, the revolver was preferred due to concern about lubricants washing off during time in the water. The corrosion resistance of stainless is of course a no-brainer.

A number of the guys privately owned the SIG P226, and I knew of at least two CZ75's in private hands. Most of the guys appeared to be happy with what Uncle Sam provided.

Another use to which the 686 was put was training for close quarters battle (CQB). The guys used to cut the plastic bullet tips off of plastic simunitions ammo, and replace the plastic bullet with a paraffin wax one. Then they would run around the offices in SEAL Two shooting each other. These were days that when we needed information or something from the team we had them come up to the Group office instead of going down there, where it was feeding time at the zoo.

After doing a training mission in Norway one year, one of my SEAL colleagues was prevailed upon by a Norwegian commando officer to buy a M686 for him and ship it to Norway. Apparently the Norwegian was impressed with the Smiths the SEALs used on that mission. My buddy said the paperwork to make the export legal was a real headache, but he got it done.

my late cousin, USN BUD/S carried a 6" model 19 in two tours RVN / Brown Water Navy/Delta that ended in May/June of 1970 or so. When he got to Nam, there was a derth of good quality handguns & he was able to get to a Red Cross phone (if memory serves me correctly) & called his dad to get him to purchase a good 6" .357 mag & send it to him...... my uncle was able to find one & send it to him (with his CO's blessing) the next day or so. It still resides in his family guns for his children to use.