All I have ever seen is round butt 2.5" Model 19's

Did they ever make any square butt 2.5"?

Steve in oregon

I have never seen one in the flesh, but I really believe that Clint Eastwood's snub 66 in the Gauntlet was a square butt. I would think that some consumers could have had their 4 and 6 inch 19's and 66's barrels swapped out out for 2.5 inches. Though back in the late 80's and early 90s I saw 4 inch 19's with round butts. Probably intended for small handed men and women

I have a buddy who has a round butt 4" model 66. It has been worked over by a pistolsmith, but the frame looks like it started out as a rb. I've never seen a square butt model 66 in the 2 1/2" version.

The newer 66's have rb in the 4". This 66-5 is also "heavy barrel" contour. Joe

__________________
Wisdom chases me; I'm faster

No.

You can double check me but I am 99% certain all the 2.5" and 3" Model 19s were round butts.

I've seen photos of a square butt 2 1/2" M-19's. I understood these were special order short run production guns. There was a thread on this forum about them not to long ago.

The NC Highway Patrol, in the 1970's, carried Nickel four inch Model 19's. The Commander (and possibly some of the Majors) carried a square butt Model 19, 2.5 inch gun. It was a special order. While not a NC SHP Trooper, I went through their academy in 1979 and I saw the gun myself. It was carried in a short patent leather duty holster, one that looked like the full size holsters and had a set of target grips exactly like the four inch guns.

This gun came up in conversation recently with a friend who owns an LE distributorship and worked with another LE distributorship in the late 1970's. He said the Colonel ordered it because the four inch gun did not fit well when he was sitting in a desk chair. He got the gun when he retired and I know of several collectors who have tried to get their hands on it (or one of possibly more than one).

Thank you!

Hi:
In the a past life when a Officer was required to qualify with both service and off duty weapons (furnish your own weapon era) I carried a Model 19 4" on duty. I had a retired S&W Gunsmith install a 2.5" barrel on a second Model 19 4" I had. Thus I had the same grip on both service and off duty weapons.

I don't recall the year, but a co-worker sent an early 66 2 1/2" back for a 4" barrel, then had it engraved. Apparently that request was popular enough that S&W cataloged them later.

If you know someone, S & W tried to please back in the day.

jack