1 of a kind 19-3

[geoff40]

Today at a GS I saw a 19-3, the likes of which I've never seen before. Bet most of you never have either.

The owner told me he got the revolver from a retired S&W factory employee. The gun features a nickel finish, with an 8 1/4 inch (yes thats right) barrel. Custom sights too.
The revolver has obviously had a nice tuning and action job done to it. The odd barrel is from a Model 14, so it is marked as a 38 S&W Special, but the frame is stamped 19-3, there is no shroud/under lug. The weirdest thing of all, is that both the Smith & Wesson rollmark and the 38 S&W Special rollmark are both set back from the center of the length of the barrel, toward the frame a bit, looking equally placed.
Overall the revolver is an easy 97%, maybe a 98, and it is of the 9K era in terms of SN. It's wearing a nice set of Goncalo alves target stocks with a football cut, but I was in a hurry and didn't look to see if they had a matching SN. I half expected to see a 0 as the first digit, but it wasn't so. Oh, and I have no doubt that the nickel finish is 100% original.
I took all this in, in the space of about 3 minutes.
The owner of the GS told me that over the years he has purchased several guns from the same source, this being the latest. I plan on going back again next week, as I was in a hurry (just stopped in for some worms for a brook trout excursion with my daughters tomorrow morning, while they were sitting in the car) I'll try to get him to allow me to photograph the revolver. Its pretty interesting, and I would sure be interested in what a factory letter on it had to say. I'd love to shoot the thing off a bench and see what it could do.

 

[snw19_357]

Definitely sounds one of a kind.

...got the revolver from a retired S&W factory employee.

Sound like it could be a difficult one to prove either way. It might even show "Open" in S&W's books and not letter in any way.

I'd be wary of a late '70's 19 with an M14 barrel on it but you never can tell.

Did your LGS buy it from the retired employee or from a different source and the story has been passed on three times?

Target stocks from the later '70's shouldn't be numbered so that wouldn't help much.

 

[geoff40]

Bought it direct from the retired employee.

 

[nipster]

I'd be wary of a late '70's 19 with an M14 barrel on it but you never can tell.

In regards to that statement, I was always under the impression that the 357 magnum barrels were identical to the 38 special barrels (with the exception of maybe the pencil barrel model 10), with the only difference being the threads of the barrel in the forcing cone area being machined at the 6 o'clock position on 357 barrels to allow for crane/yoke clearance.

Am I incorrect in this assumption?

I figured model 14, model 15 and "heavy barrel" model 10 barrels would suffice as far as pressures go.

I dont think I would trust a pencil barrel model 10 barrel or any model 12 aluminum or alloy barrel with a magnum.

 

[Doc44]

In 1996, I purchased a Model 19-2 with an 8 3/8-inch barrel. An "industrious" S&W employee created a lunchbox revolver by using an 8 3/8-inch barrel for a Model 53 bored to .357 inch and roll marked appropriately on the right side of the barrel. It was a great gun to shoot, but lettered as a Model 19 with a 6-inch barrel. I am not sure how the paperwork was done, but it was interesting nonetheless.

I kept the revolver for several years and sold it. I have no idea where it is now.

Bill

 

[Bill Bates]

It sounds like an interesting 19. If one was looking for a long barreled shooter it might be fun to own but only if you could get it cheap.

All guns should have a good story but, as always, pay for the gun and not the story.