It occurs to me that I have done nothing particularly egregious in the last few months and should reward myself with a new SW revolver. This is not as easy as it appears because I never met a SW revolver I didn't like and there are many to choose from.

I have given the matter at least 3 or 4 minutes of careful thought and realize that I have never owned a K frame. I am talking about shooters, not collectibles, and I have had J frames for carry, L frames for trail use and hunting and N frames for hunting, but never a K.

For those who have K frames and like to shoot them, what do you like to use them for? Is there a particular use for which you feel they are particularly well suited?

New K frames fixed the weak points of the old ones. There's enough heft to dampen 357 recoil. So for 6 shots it's perfect.
Need 7? Get an L frame. Need 8? Get an N frame.

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To cannon, all men are equal

The K frame is perfect for 38spcl and/or modest .357 range loads. Great feel and size!

There are many good K frames to choose from. How can I name them all?
2 wonderful examples are a 14-3, 6" barrel gun. Very accurate. Another would be a 67, or 15, in 4" If you shoot .357 more often than not, consider a L frame such as 586, or 686. These are only my opinions! Bob

The S&W K frame is the greatest invention since sliced bread. AS or FS, 2” to 8 3/8” barrel lengths, over half a dozen calibers, RB or SB, capable of fitting the hands of anyone 8 to 80, with the proper caliber and ammo it will handle most anything on the Continent. There should be a K frame on display in the Smithsonian.

Don't forget the M19 and M66, two of the most popular S&W's made. Tone down the .357 loads just a little and don't use 110 or 125 grain bullets and they'll last forever. A RB 2-1/2" makes a good CC, only marginally bigger than a J-frame snubbie.

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To be a bit contrarian the K frame is perfect for being good on most anything you can do with a handgun.

Not perfect but it will do what you want it to do. In plain English a very good compromise gun!

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

K frames were in police holsters from before WWII until the mid 1980's. My town in northern NJ had Model 15's. They were the Glock of their time. Joe

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Behavior Creates Destiny

To me they are the smoothest and most mechanically balanced of all S&W revolvers. My personal favorites are the K-22 models. My K-22 Combat Master Piece in particular.

I like my J, L, and N frames, but 2/3 of my S&W revolvers are K frames.

They just feel right.

My favorite range guns are 6" K-frames with adjustable sights. Currently that's a 66-2 and a 14-3. Very accurate, especially considering that they are basically stock. The only thing I did to them accuracy-wise was to ream the throats for lead bullets.

.38 ammo is pretty cheap and easy to reload, and you don't have to pick up brass. Recoil is more than manageable, and the guns are not so heavy as to induce fatigue, but heavy enough to "hold" on target well.

I shoot mine a lot. So much that I try to remember to rotate to some others so as not to wear them out. But I miss them.

Over the years I’ve just reached the point where various K frames just feel right for range or field. Since they’re sort of “middle of the road” powerwise, I like them chambered in 32, with a recreated Model 16-3 in original 32 S&W L, and a true custom 4” stainless 327 Fed Mag. If I can shoot it with a revolver, one of these two will probably be the right gun for the job.

Froggie

PS In addition to the K32 Masterpiece, I have an original, early K22 and K38, and next to the 32s, the K22 gets the most love.

The K-frame gets you a larger diameter cylinder than that of a J-frame, so it is capable of being machined for a greater number of rounds than a J-frame cylinder.


The K-frame gets you a leaf main spring, which can provide a better double action trigger pull than a coil spring.


The K-frame gets you a larger grip frame, making it easier to handle calibers like 38 Special and 357 Magnum recoil.


The 19/66 Classic also brings a redesigned crane lock and barrel, which should make them at least as durable as the L-frame 357 Magnum, but in a slightly smaller and lighter package. I'm wondering if we would even have the L-frame if the Dan Wesson patent on the tensioned barrel system had not been in effect when S&W developed the L-frame.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

The K frame was made for the 38 Special. Millions of M&Ps were made. The models 14 and 15 are perfection. And the K22 series is a wonderful 22 platform that is easier to shoot accurately than the smaller J frames.

John

They are well suited for almost anything one would want to do with a DA revolver.

I use a 6" model 14-1 to shoot bullseye and it's great at that. I use the same gun to pop squirrels during the hunting season.

I use a 4" model 19-3 as a winter carry gun and as a great range gun. It could also double as a good deer gun but I've never used it in that capacity yet.

I use an old 5" model 10 as a good range gun shooting double action IDPA-like courses.

K frames are great and there's a reason they became the most ubiquitous revolver of the 20th century. They were on the vast majority of cops' belts, almost like the Glock of its day. Very nice sweet spot for almost anything.

K-frames are the perfect platform for a .22lr.... Models 17 & 18

K-frames with 2 1/2 or 3 inch barrel are the perfect concealed carry gun in +P.38s and .357 magnum.... think Models 13,19,65,66.

K frames were the ideal size for a police .357 duty gun from 1955-1980 and the introduction of the L frame.... which kept the grip frame and trigger reach of the K-frame but beefed up/enlarged the front of the frame around the barrel .

I own 2.5" and 4" K frames in 38 special and .357, and love them all. I really hope to find a 3" model 65 before I get too old to enjoy it.

The 66-1 is a great carry piece. The 4" 15 & 66 are great woods walkers around here (no bears or hogs......yet).

I just think the 3" would be the best of both.

Treat yourself to a K-22. You will never again ask that question. Pure shooting enjoyment.

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I need ammo, not a ride.

K-frames are the Goldilocks of S&W revolvers, in my opinion, the j-frames are a little to small, the N-frames are a little to big, but the K-frames are just right. In anything from .357 down they are just about the perfect revolvers.

Don't forget the 617 ,22lr 10 shot!
A beautiful K frame that you can afford to shoot!

I believe that K and J frames are the most popular S&W revolvers ever made. Most of mine are K and J frames.

They must have some utilitarian uses or there wouldn't be so many out there. Police and military purchased a lot of K frames.

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That's just somebody talkin.

Owned and still own K frames since 1970, all the rest come and go.

I have a handful (well, several handfuls) of K frames. None are .357s. I'd rather have the extra heft of a L or N frame.

They're great shooters and have historical value. I wouldn't buy a new one but I'll gladly round up the older ones, particularly those with adjustable sights.

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Psalm 27:2

Thanks guys, I'm going to see if I can find a 3" 66.

Good luck.... IIRC only about 5500 out there..... about the same as the Registered Magnum!!!!!

They are great guns for concealed carry.... ask me how I know!!!

In my opinion revolvers in the original Combat Masterpiece/Combat Magnum configurations are the best handling/carrying/shooting .38s & .357s ever devised!

If you don't have one you owe it to yourself.

So that means a K frame with 4" barrel, square butt and adjustable sights in .38 special or .357 Magnum. A 67 or 66 in stainless or a blued or nickel 14 or 19.

I have a 6" 48-2 .22 Magnum and a 3" 13-2 .357 and love them, but the sweetest of the Ks are 4"s with target sights and square butts. They have the nicest triggers, best fitting grips, smoothest reloads and work the best from the holster, at least for me.

I still need a 19 and a K22 myself...

I learned to shoot on a K frame in the 50's and the Air Force taught me more about them in the 60's. They just sort of came natural to me. Fit me perfect.


Can't get enough of them.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

The K frame is a wonderful medium frame .38 Special, as it was orginally designed. A great combination of ergonomics and heft in a mid size revolver.

However, when it comes to .357 Magnum, the L frame is a much better option. Most Smith fans will not admit this, but there is less than one ounce of weight difference between a half lug L frame and a K frame Magnum, with the same profile barrel. A good example that I like to use is the 620 vs 66-8 comparison. The 620 weighs in at 37 ounces, and the 66-8 weighs in at 36.9 ounces. A six shot 686 Mountain Gun, with a tapered barrel, weighs in at just over 35 ounces. The L frame also has the advantage of an optional seven round cylinder.

With the K frame magnum, you will also have to deal with a clearanced forcing cone (as with the originals), or a deleted gas ring (as with the new versions). There are simply no advantages to a K magnum over a half lug L frame.

I'll always equate 38 spl with the K and J frame and 357 with the larger frames. L frame was designed for the 357 from day one.

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That's just somebody talkin.

While I like my K-frames, if I had to get rid of all my handguns but one, this would be my keeper.

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Let's be careful out there

K-Frames... did someone mention K-Frames?

.22's, 38's, 32 H&R Magnum, .357 Magnum and a .22 Jet. The K-Frames have the most variations in calibers and barrel lengths to choose from, so there's a lot of options.

The two with the full barrel under lugs that look like an L-Frames are my K-Frame 16-4's. One of them has been re-chambered to .327 Fed. Mag, and it has become my all time favorite "woods gun".

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Conrad
SWCA #1830 SWHF #222

The old magnum Ks had issues that were a bit overblown. I've owned as many as if not more than lightweight J frames, and I've had three Js with cracked or otherwise destroyed frames, but still have yet to encounter a 19 with a cracked forcing cone in the wild.

They are of an excellent size, weight, and balance. Here's mine on last week's backpacking trip, with a bonus night shot. As you can see, bears, marmots, moose, and other miscreants are scared by its mere presence and left me to post another day.

Hair Trigger is right I only mentioned .38 Special. There are good quality .357 K frames! Bob

Until you and a buddy have chased a range ball ,each armed with a 17/617 you haven’t really lived haha
It’s a hoot and really improves your target acquisition speed
Not sure why , but I shoot my 17/617 better than anything Ive ever owned

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the rules? there are no rules

True of older K-frame 357's, but the barrel clearance issue was addressed with the current production Model 19 Classic and Model 66 Classic.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

Before changing to Model 645 semi-auto, we carried Model 66 as a duty gun. I sold mine to buy a semi-auto. I since regretted selling it and a j frame. Last year I bought a 3" Model 66, and changed the adjustable sight to a fixed one, and also bought a new Model 60. I don't like adjustable sights.The Model 66 is a great revolver.

Please read the full comment. The way that was "solved" was by deleting the gas ring on the revolver. The K frame Magnum has a long history of gas ring related issues, and this opens a new can of worms. One thing was traded for another.


Jamming-Binding-Locking up new model

As I prevously posted, the K frame Magnum has zero advantages over an L frame with the same barrel profile. There is less than one ounce of weight difference between two comparable revolvers. Design apsects aside, the K Magnum makes no sense from a size efficiency standpoint. It is emotional attachment that hinders people from seeing this. The 619, 620, and 686 Mountain Gun would all be better options than the new K Magnums.

A couple months back I shot my 4” 1980 Python a few rounds at the range then tried my 4” nickel 19-4. I forgot about the Colt and just had a blast with the 19. I think it’s as close to a perfect all around handgun as you can get. And the gun is perfect for all shapes and sizes of shooter’s hands.

In hindsight, I should add futher context to my previous posts.

The best condensed version of the gas ring's function (that I have read) is in The L frame Story article by Mike Wood over at the Revolver Guy blog. "The gas ring’s purpose is to prevent carbon and lead from building up between the axle (“arbor”) and the cylinder itself, which would impede the rotation of the cylinder." One of the seemingly forgotten flaws of the original K frame Magnums is related to this. The extreme heat, and recoil, generated from firing Magnum rounds caused the gas ring to move foward and impede cylinder rotation. Massad Ayoob stated in the Sept./Oct. 1980 issue of American Handgunner "The Combat Magnum is theoretically ideal for use in law enforcement. The only problem is that, especially in the stainless version, it is not unknown for the gas ring to move foward and bind the gun due to buffering from magnum recoil." Smith and Wesson were well aware of this and made a brief change that lasted from 1972 to 1977.

To try and mitigate this problem S&W moved the gas ring from the cylinder to the yoke on all K frames. This was VERY controversial, especially amongst police officers and competition shooters (obviously some overlap there). The yoke mounted gas ring did not seem to work as well as the cylinder mounted ones, and K frames of this era were well known to be very susceptible to sluggish cylinder rotation. It did not take nearly as many rounds down range to notice a difference. More material was also removed from the forcing cone, which made that well known problem even worse. Smith and Wesson went back to a cylinder mounted gas ring in 1977. Taking a look at a 67 no dash and a 67-1 will show the difference.

Fast foward to today. The new 19-9 and 66-8 revolvers have no gas rings at all. This was done to allow for a full sized forcing cone. One flaw was traded for another. I am sure that there are folks that have fired a million dirty handloads through their example without issue, but this will make them more prone to sluggish cylinder rotation than just about any S&W revolver ever produced. The Model 69 also has no gas ring. It makes no sense on that model, as S&W could have just went with a slightly shorter cylinder (like Taurus did on their mid size .44 Magnums). This is one of the things that make the new K frame Magnums a big no-go for me. Obviously, something like this would have never been tried during the revolver era in law enforcement. Honestly, I would rather have a clearanced forcing cone than a deleted gas ring.

The funny thing is that all of this can be avoided with a half lug L frame. The full lug barrel on most L frames make people think that they are bigger than they really are. Once again, there is less than one ounce of weight difference between a K frame Magnum, and a half lug L frame with the same barrel profile. The 620 and the 66-8 both have half lug, two-piece bull barrels. One weighs 37 ounces and the other weighs 36.9 ounces. A six shot 686 Mountain gun weighs 35.5 ounces, and the seven round version weighs even less. The L frames can also be had with a seven round cylinder that has offset cylinder notches. Even when you put the warts of the K Magnums aside, the half lug L frames still make far more sense.

Here are some good links and the aforementioned article

The Smith & Wesson L-Frame Story - RevolverGuy.Com

Jamming-Binding-Locking up new model

https://www.gunblast.com/SW619-620.htm

https://www.gunblast.com/SW-357MtnGun.htm

Gas ring yoke vs cylinder

One of my dream guns is a 10-14 Classic.

I want a brand new version of the gun my old man carried so many, many years ago.

The good about a K frames is they obviously hit a sweet spot as to size and calibers available. I was issued a K frame, then bought my own K frames to carry for work in the mid '70s. I've had 2 1/2", 4" and 6" K frames, and carried a 4" 66 every working day for some years. The 66 was my favorite revolver for recreational shooting too. It didn't crack the forcing cone, but I pretty much wore it out otherwise. In '80 I sent it back to S&W for a complete overhaul, so only the frame, side plate and rear sights are original on mine. Soon after having the 66 overhauled, the L frames were introduced and I started carrying one of those till the Dept. started authorizing semi-autos. Still have the old 66, and have used it for LEOSA qualifications, etc.

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NRA Life, COTEP 640

I carried a K Frame for the first 20 years of my career and one of them, a Model 10 snub, now sits in my nightstand. It’s the only service gun I ever shot a perfect qualification score with many years ago.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

My top K frames are these: The 6" K-22. Simply the best .22 revolver period. I have an early Outdoorsman and a M17-4, and both are great.
The 3" RB guns, Whether it's a M-10, 13, 64, 65 or any of the others. Great balance and natural pointing. I think, the best combat revolver ever made.
The 5" Model 10. To me, this is the most beautiful, and best proportioned gun the company has made. (barely squeezing by the 6.5" N frame.)
Just my not so humble 2 cents.

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Wayne
Torn & Frayed

I own three. Guilty as charged!

Got both. Work fine and I don't clean them regularly. Elon Musk says the worst sin of engineering is optimizing something that doesn't need to exist, i.e., a gas ring.

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To cannon, all men are equal

100% Agree, K22 is pure shooting enjoyment. My model 64 and K38 in 38 special are next on the enjoyment shooting list. All are just a joy to shoot and you can shoot them all day long.

I respectfully disagree, but I hope those revolvers provide you with many years of enjoyment.

They couldn't give 3" revolvers away in the late 80s..... 15 rounds up the butt was required..... think Die Hard and Lethal Weapon. So I bought two one for me and one for my Dad..... Dad opted to "borrow" my 4" no dash round butt 686 instead. They were about $275 out the door back then. So the second became my first "back up" to a EDC gun.

Ran across a used one around 2005 marked "S&W 66 .357" for $300 at a LGS..... asked to see it ...didn't sit it down till we started the paper work.

I typically don’t post until I’ve read all the replies because I don’t feel the need to repeat what’s been said but I’m pressed for time.

In my opinion and experience, a K-frame is absolutely phenomenal but with limits. I loooooove a 4-inch heavy barrel Model 10 and I love any 6-inch barreled K-frame in any chambering but with a strong caveat:

I hate .357 Magnum in a K-frame, which is a bold statement because I can’t get enough .357 Magnum in my L and N-frames and as much as anything, in my Coonan.

I use a 6-inch 66-2 a lot, my 8-3/8” Model 14-3 and a slew of 10’s and 64’s, all for .38 Special and collectively, thousands of rounds each year. But real .357 ammo in a 13/19/65/66 is not enjoyable to me at all.

I like my 16-4 but I think the full barrel underlug, while very nice looking, is gangly and excessive on an otherwise sweetheart .32. Full lug barrel on this one seems like an idea that sounded great but wasn’t great in reality. I’d absolutely swap my shooter 16-4 for a even a custom made .32 K-frame with a target barrel and not this mongo-sized full lug jobber. (So that the gun ended up like a 16-3 but obviously those are all to rare and valuable)

I have a small fleet of K- and L-frames and honestly prefer the K-frames. These days, any Smith & Wesson revolver without the lock and MIM parts that is in nice condition is going to command new gun money but I think they are worth it.

If you will be shooting any .357 Magnum ammunition, the Models 19 (blued) and 66 (stainless) are about as good as a revolver gets. If a lot of magnums are in your future, look at an L-frame Model 586 or 686. For strictly shooting .38 Special ammunition, you would save some money without sacrificing quality with a Model 15 or 67 - but I don't think those models were ever made with barrels longer than four inches.

Below are photos of my no-dash Model 67, six-inch Model 66-2 and five-inch Model 686-3 National Match, a one-of-500 item.

Whatever you choose will serve you well and should never depreciate if kept in high condition.

Ed

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