I said I wasn't going to buy anymore guns, so don't buy a used car from me, I can't be trusted.



Fit and finish are great - that's just goop in the picture, not rust. Of course, the barrel is canted about 90 degrees. Kidding, it's perfecto. The trigger is a little heavier than most of my other S&W's, and has the slightest amount of creep in single action. We'll see how it feels after a few hundred rounds.

The ball detent mechanism is fascinating, to me. That's some fancy forging and machining. In 100 years they'll be as sought after as a Triple Lock.

The only thing I don't like is the grips. They're very well fitted and finished, and I think they look very good for laminated ones. But, they put the knuckle of my middle finger right up against the trigger guard, which won't feel very good with .357's. I expected that, I haven't seen any double action wood grips in decades, from any manufacturer, that seem to be made for shooting. Fortunately I have this pair of round-to-square Spegel's in dark rosewood:

Hope you enjoy this new variant of the model 19.

In terms of the detent that secures the yoke, I wonder why they didn't use a ball detent that is secured in the top of the yoke, and locks in a small cavity in the bottom of the barrel lug.....the sort of lock used in the PPC revolvers and other revolver barrel combinations when the front locking lug is eliminated?

Excuse my ignorance, as I am unfamiliar with the spcifics regarding the new yoke lock. Thanks

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

Nice congrats. Looks good!

Hey, looks good! another Smith in your stable....going be a fun summer of shooting. Good for you

Welcome to the "dark side" of the Model 19. I can't think of anything you said I don't agree with.

The grips on mine are maybe just a tad too narrow, especially when shooting magnum loads, but not enough to make me want to go out and hunt down some more. I like the dark wood on yours. The ones on mine are sort of "blonde." I've got a set of Altamont Ropers I should put on it.

Good trigger, shoots just fine, excellent fit and finish. If I still prowled around in the woods, it would be on my hip every time.

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John 3:16 .

The Classic 19 has the same yoke lock as the 69 and 66 snubs. Having owned a 69 long barrel with the other ball detent system I like this one better. It has a very distinct feel when the cylinder is swung in or out, and since it's hidden there's no complaints about "the ball isn't centered in the notch", or being out of place on a classic styled gun.

"I wonder why they didn't use a ball detent that is secured in the top of the yoke, and locks in a small cavity in the bottom of the barrel lug.....the sort of lock used in the PPC revolvers and other revolver barrel combinations when the front locking lug is eliminated?"
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I'd like to know the answer to that also - I bought the gun mainly to have an example of the new lockup. Having both types, it seems like this style would be more expensive, but I have zero knowledge of manufacturing. If it is more costly, then I would think it must have an advantage in strength and/or longevity.

It's amazing to me that S&W can do all this at a price I can afford. It's easy (and common )to dismiss their efforts with "it's just fancy machines and MIM", but I think they put forth a lot of engineering and design effort to make a great product.

Very nice. The video of the old Smith and Wesson GS explaining the new VS old 19 is pretty interesting. I bought a new 4" 67 and had remorse until I saw that video. I did get the feeling he did not want to pay new gun prices for an old gun, and that was his motivation for buying a new 19

Humans like to annoint a "best", whether it's a quarterback or year of a manufactured item.

I like them all, there's room at my place for any S&W revolver.

Not too long ago I handled a Model 19 Classic. My impression was that it was well made, everything looked to be good and the barrel shroud was square to the frame and not off center. It felt heavier than my old Model 19-3. Both the double action and single action pulls were quite a bit heavier than my Model 19-3, but my 19-3 has seen a lot of use. Overall, I think the Model 19 Classic is a good revolver and less likely to have forcing cone cracking issues than the older Model 19's.

If you REALLY want to feel good about your decision. Watch every minute of this video.

Danggit! More fuel on the fire for buying either one of these or a new production 66. Nice gun, Bullet Bob. Thanks for the pics. Are those Spegel grips still in production? They look good!

Well, last I heard Mr. Spegel was still making grips. I've been on his waiting list for another pair of his Browning High Power grips for almost two years, so as long as you're not in a hurry...

I think I bought the ones above from the For Sale section of this forum a few years ago. Maybe from SmithNut, but don't trust my memory.

OK... where's the snubbie?

Good question. I would also ask where's the 6 inch barrel? I understand the hesitation to offer a 2 1/2 inch barrel as such a revolver is not legal for sales in Canada and with the J-frame filling that need 5 out of 6 pulls of the trigger. The closest you can get is the Performance Center Model 19 Carry Comp, which features a 3 inch barrel.


I would also think that a 6 inch Model 19 might make a nice woods revolver and would be great on the target range, but S&W does not seem to agree with my ideas.