Curious is anyone can shed some light on something I came across at a gun show this weekend. I found a couple of brand new, never mounted 4” k frame barrels. Nothing particularly strange yet, till I look at the right side, and they are marked .38 spl. They both have a front sight for adjustable sights and ejector shrouds in model 19 style.
My guess was some strange police contract overrun.
The dealer said they were from an estate of a guy who was an engineer for S&W till he got fed up with their politics and went to work on rockets or something in Maryland out near the WV panhandle.
I almost bought one just for the oddity, but I’m trying to cut back on buying “stuff” without a good reason.

Yes, there were later .38 Special only model 19s, probably for a foreign contract. As I recall the barrel markings were laser engraved, not stamped.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Yes, there were .38 Spl. marked Model 19s. They were made for Argentina or Brazil as I recall. Maybe for NYC to???

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Gunsmithing since 1961

Mistakes are made in manufacturing all the time, but the average guy doesn’t usually see them. Or someone here will have heard of these and hopefully will see your post.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

I say you found a barrel for one of these guns!

These are product overrun guns made for Brazil. The irony is both of the guns pictured will chamber a 357rd. There were also a 586 2 1/2", 4 1/4", & 6" made for Brazil in 38 Spl only! The 586 guns will not chamber a 357rd.
jcelect

S&W made a run of fixed sight Model 19s for a French contract.

Yep. I had one not too many years ago. A 19-8 made for a South American police department who for some reason wanted Model 19's but they wanted them in 38 Special.

Smith and Wesson had just stopped making the Model 19 at the time, so they filled the order with whatever parts and pieces they had leftover, which is why some were chambered for 38, and some for 357, but marked as 38's. As often happens the customer canceled the order and Smith and Wesson released them into the US market. Or at least that's the way I remember it. There is some information in SCSW 4.

The one I had would accept 357's, but I actually bought it for a 38 because I thought it would be a neat thing to have. When I found out it would chamber 357's, some of the luster went out of it. It was just another Model 19 (I had a half-dozen or so at the time). I sold it off to fellow who said he was looking for a 38 anyway.

I shudda kept it. It was still pretty unique.

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John 3:16 .

Joe, the cat's out of the bag now!

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Yes, these were 3" barreled guns, some purportedly used by the GIGN, but they were chambered in .357.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Thanks for filling in the info gap. They were pretty much what I figured. I guess just curious what police department.
They were roll stamped, not laser etched. I was figuring mid 1980s police department in the US. Sometime just before everyone went 9mm. I wouldn’t have figured they came off MIM guns.

There was a push in the 80s by the International Association of Chiefs of Police to rid their departments of the .357 Magnum. They thought Magnum had a negative connotation and could cause public outcry in the event of a shooting (How DARE you use such a powerful round? You soulless hateful person you!) As a result many departments stopped issuing .357 rounds. This was the birth of the .38 Special +P+, most marked LEO Only on the box. Essentially the round was a light .357 load in .38 clothing. This is what happens when politics dictate what LEOs must do.....

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Even older, even crankier....