The "new" S&W Model 19

sniper

Member
Joined
May 6, 2008
Messages
350
Reaction score
234
There is a fellow on Youtube...GUNBLUE490...that did a review of the reissued Model 19. He was enthused, to say the least. He was a Smith trained armorer for a police department. He had his official Smith &
Wesson armorer's binder of the 50(?) things that needed to be fixed on the "old style" 19s. Good review. He was most complimentary. I would like another 19. I wonder if the same "fixes" are included in the reissued model 66?
 
Register to hide this ad
Yes, the current production Model 66 has the same redesigned features of the current production Model 19.
 
Got a link to the video? I'd love to see what the 49 other things to be fixed on the older M19's are (other than the forcing cone). My M19-3, which is now 47 years old, runs like a Swiss watch, with an action as smooth as glass. I had no idea there were 50 things needed fixing, I better tear it down now and get cracking, before it falls apart. :rolleyes:
 
A good number of S&W enthusiasts don't want to hear this, but aside from collect ability and some aesthetics, the new S&W revolvers are superior to the old ones in almost every way. Of course the finishes were better back in the day. And yes if you compare the action of a gun that's been fired thousands of times over decades it will be smoother than a new gun, or even an unfired example from the same era. Nostalgia usually overrides facts.
 
It's a good video and worth watching -- been discussed on the forum many times and the discussions merit a search.

GUNBLUE490 has quality knowledge and observations, and makes a reasonable case -- not made often enough among us fuddy-duddies here ;) -- for why current S&W revolvers are better than usually given credit for, and in certain ways equal or superior to their predecessors.

It's not a complete case and hardly the final word on the issue, but a useful addition.

It does, however, contain one major logical flaw: he uses decades spent in the job of only seeing the problem examples versus one good current example as proof of his essential assertion -- that the current S&Ws are better than old.

I'm quite sure a current revolversmith who only sees problem revolvers from the current S&W crop and then was handed one good example from an earlier era would come to the opposite conclusion.

Point being, representative sampling is a two-way street, and if it was once your job to only encounter the problem examples but hasn't been since before the new ones came along, you're going to have a skewed perspective.
 
Yep, interesting video with plenty of food for thought. I especially found his reasoning about MIM manufacturing, frame vs hammer mounted firing pins and sleeved barrels enlightening. Sometimes we tend to stick with a long-held belief system for so long that we fail to give progress proper credit. Don't know about you all, but I also fall into the "I heard it on the internet, so it must be true" trap. I recommend the Gunblue490 video.
 
Any idea whether our friends in Springfield are going to similar "fixes" to other K-frames -- like Models 13 and 65, esp. in 3-inch variants? (S&W, are you listening?)
 
I’m a regular on his YouTube channel and always look forward to his videos. I will usually put him on the background when I’m cleaning my guns.

He is a former NH police captain, competitive target shooter, and instructor for law enforcement....now retired. You can see he’s a no-nonsense individual who speaks from years of experience.

The first of his videos I came across on YouTube a few years back was invaluable in teaching me how to properly disassemble a S&W revolver.

I particularly liked his detailed presentation on how to disassemble and clean the S&W revolver and the little tricks the gunsmiths at S&W taught him to avoid damaging the revolver’s finishing. Little things like how to use your opposite hand’s thumb to cradle a screwdriver and all the “hand gymnastics” used to remove the hammer and cylinder.

Here is that video:

Disassembly and Care of the S&W Revolver ~ Learn how to from a Factory Trained Armorer! - YouTube

Cheers,
686PC
 
I remember that video now, I have seen it. He does seem very knowledgeable, and he has another video titled "Disassembly and Care of S&W revolvers" that I found very well done.

He still doesn't convince me that the new production guns are better than those made earlier. He even mentions, at 7:55 into the linked video above, "a lot of these problems....someone who owned them created." As an armorer, he sees the problem children, so he knows what can go wrong with one, either from poor design or mishandling or abuse. But that doesn't necessarily mean that what he sees wrong with those guns applies to all others as well. How many M19's, for instance, has he worked on, compared to how many M19's that are out there and have worked flawlessly since Day One?

I see this on car forums all the time. There may be several people who have a particular car write in and say "such-and-such keeps breaking/burning up/falling off my car". It would seem to imply that these problems are endemic to that model, while they are issues that may come from causes not related to the quality of the car, but from abnormal use, abuse, lack of maintenance, etc. Of the 3 or 4, or 10 or 20 , people who write in to agree or complain about such a problem, how many are out there who've never experienced it. Are they going to write in and say, such-and-such has never broke, burned up, or fell off my car? Probably not.

Time will surely tell. 50 or 60 years from now, let's see how these new-built MIM/CAD-CAM, two-piece barrel, CNC guns stack up against what S&W has built the old-fashioned way for 150+ years. Maybe they will be better, maybe they won't. Even if they do, they'll never develop the character of the older hand-fitted ones, IMO.
 
Last edited:
Any idea whether our friends in Springfield are going to similar "fixes" to other K-frames -- like Models 13 and 65, esp. in 3-inch variants? (S&W, are you listening?)

I dont care for the looks of the 2pc barrel but would like some more fixed sight 3" L and K frames.
 
After reading waffles thread about the poor customer/warranty service he received with his 340SC, that would give me pause to buy a "new" Model 19 or any other new Smith.

BTW, the night table gun I trust my life to is a 19-5.

JMHO YMMV
 
Folks, I have 6 "old" S&W revolvers and 6 "New" ones. In my experience the new guns are no where as good as the old ones. All of the new guns have defects, 2 have gone back on warranty repair and were partially repaired. One has a burr in the forcing cone, it doesn't seem to affect shooting. One spits a little from the left side, one has a hard catch when you start pulling the trigger, The 6th one had a super heavy trigger pull due to a super heavy main spring. This is 6 out of six with defects. They are all accurate once you straighten them out but they are NOT better guns than the old ones. If it was just one of the six that was defective that would be one thing but none of the 6 is without defects.
 
Last edited:
I closely examined lots of new ones and was never able to comfortably pull the trigger - pun intended.

Always something obvious and visibly wrong, nicks or machine smears on the crown...seriously...

GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER S&W. We all want to love the new guns but you make it difficult.

Remove that crazy lock and put in another station for final inspection at the end. Others can do, you can do it too...
 
Sadly, I do not think we can expect the same level of quality fit and finish with modern revolvers that we saw with revolvers of 50 years ago. Gone are the highly skilled, life-time craftsmen who were allowed to take the time to properly polish, blue, and fit those finely crafted firearms. Today, the parts are MIM or CNC machined so that there is little or no need for fitting. The blueing process is far more environmentally friendly and meets EPA regulations, but is thin, black, and not as durable as the blue of 50 years ago. The parts are assembled by people who are trained in assembly, not skilled craftsmen. The new designs are a definite improvement, but there is no longer the high standard of fit and finish that made companies like Colt and S&W world famous.
As Bruce Hornsby sang, "that's just the way it is."
 
I recently purchased a new Model 19 Classic. It is my first revolver purchase. After shooting it for the first time yesterday, I am very satisfied. I can understand people who prefer out of production, historic models, but I am truly happy they released this excellent firearm.
 
I recently purchased a new Model 19 Classic. It is my first revolver purchase. After shooting it for the first time yesterday, I am very satisfied. I can understand people who prefer out of production, historic models, but I am truly happy they released this excellent firearm.


Welcome to the S&W Forums. I am glad that you are pleased with your new Model 19.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top