19-7 opinion

[jackmoineau]

Hello all,

My gunsmith showed me this 19-7.

I'm no expert at all to inspect a used revolver so I'd like some of your advice.

I watched two videos explaining how to inspect one before buying:





Overall, in my humble opinion the gun is in good condition, it passed all the tests I remembered from both videos (I surely forgot some stuffs so will have to review them and recheck the gun if necessary).

My only concern is the flat portion of the forcing cone which is not perfectly flat.

Is it a red flag, something which should/could be repaired (gunsmith said he could flatten it), or nothing to worry about? No danger? It might be naive, but I don't want to handle something which could explode in my hands.

For context, I have a brand new 686-6 which I'll use at the range most of the time. So I don't plan to shoot a lot of 357 (if ever) with the 19, will mostly shoot 38 SP and WC, and it will not be my "main range gun".

Minor concerns are the cylinder release which had some "vertical play" at rest (I guess it can be solved if you tighten its screw). Anyway, it came well back after closing the cylinder as explained in the videos.

Another one is the small red point on the ejector rod (noticed it and then forgot about it, so I don't know if it's rust or something else).

Again, I'm no expert, but honestly think the gun is in good condition, the chambers and the barrel seem to be clean, trigger is smooth and my gunsmith is asking a fair price.

I know it's not easy to give an opinion without handling the gun and pictures sometimes exaggerate small defects (we don't look any gun under microscope) but any advice is welcome. Thanks a lot!

It would perfectly complete my current collection!

Pics:
https://ibb.co/7NJzLSmM
https://ibb.co/zW9ssptC
https://ibb.co/7NJzLSmMhttps://ibb.co/7JQmxzC7
https://ibb.co/XkfxfnLj
https://ibb.co/Ldv32cPw

 

[SLT223]

That forcing cone has some decent erosion going on. I have a low mileage 19-7 2.5". When the kids go to bed I'll show you the forcing cone.

K Frame forcing cone pics are harder to take than I would have thought…

Sorry for not lighting the bore…just noticed that.

 

[jackmoineau]

By decent you mean “acceptable” or “a lot” (sorry I don’t get all nuances in English)?

 

[SLT223]

I looked hard at your pictures again. I think it might be ok. Kinda tough for me to make out the depth of the erosion. How’s the rest of the gun?

 

[daveboy]

Play in the cylinder release is no problem. If the forcing cone is not cracked, I wouldn't worry about it. If the lockup is tight, endplay good, and the price was right, I'd be bringing it home.

 

[jackmoineau]

I looked hard at your pictures again. I think it might be ok. Kinda tough for me to make out the depth of the erosion. How’s the rest of the gun?

Rest of the gun seems clean to me! Thanks for your pictures

 

[stansdds]

I see what appears to be a fair amount of erosion at the forcing cone. Knowing the potential for barrel cracks to form along that flat spot, I'd be wary of buying one with visible erosion.

 

[CH4]

If it’s under $700 and you plan to mainly shoot .38s, I’d buy it. I wouldn’t be worried about carrying magnums, but I’d keep em above 140 grains. One of my 2.5” 19s is a -7 and she’s a beauty. The only thing I don’t like is screw hole in the top strap near the forcing cone causes half moon burn marks on the cylinder from normal firing.

 

[jackmoineau]

Your 19 looks beautiful! Price is closer to $ 525

 

[CH4]

Your 19 looks beautiful! Price is closer to $ 525

Buy it!!!

 

[oink]

I don't really see any erosion. It looks to have been chamfered a bit but that's a good thing. It looks a little dinged up underneath which could have come from rough handling during cleaning or even from the factory.

 

[Frailer]

Your 19 looks beautiful! Price is closer to $ 525

I’m not a big fan of K-frame .357s, so I generally pass them by, but I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase this revolver at that price.

 

[jackmoineau]

Thank you for your opinions, I'll got back to the shop then...

 

[jackmoineau]

I’m not a big fan of K-frame .357s, so I generally pass them by, but I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase this revolver at that price.

Thx for your input.

I got my 686 so I'll mainly shoot 38 with this one!

Will go back on Saturday so time to clean it, pics will be here on Sunday.

 

[SLT223]

I don't really see any erosion. It looks to have been chamfered a bit but that's a good thing. It looks a little dinged up underneath which could have come from rough handling during cleaning or even from the factory.

It's the rough bevel that begin halfway between the inside and outside diameter of the forcing cone.

 

[jackmoineau]

It's the rough bevel that begin halfway between the inside and outside diameter of the forcing cone.

So nothing to worry about? I think you are describing what I wanted to highlight i.e. the triangular ^ at the base of the flat portion

 

[stansdds]

So nothing to worry about? I think you are describing what I wanted to highlight i.e. the triangular ^ at the base of the flat portion

I said what I thought in post #7 and I stand by what I said.

 

[John in Yuma]

"My gunsmith . . ."
That's how you began your post. Do you mean that like folks do; "My Pastor," "My Doctor," or, "My Lawyer?"
Was it more like; "My trash collector," " "My waitress," or, "the guy who installs night sights" at the local gun store?
If Your Gunsmith, maybe you should ask and trust his/her advice.

 

[jackmoineau]

"My gunsmith . . ."
That's how you began your post. Do you mean that like folks do; "My Pastor," "My Doctor," or, "My Lawyer?"
Was it more like; "My trash collector," " "My waitress," or, "the guy who installs night sights" at the local gun store?
If Your Gunsmith, maybe you should ask and trust his/her advice.

Fair enough, but in the in end, they have to sell, so even though I trust him, I thought external advice, always keep critical mind, whoever tells me sth.

 

[SLT223]

I think it’s fine on second and third look. There definitely some erosion there from slow powder / full power ammo but I think there appears to be plenty of meat left on the forcing cone. If it’s good deal, why not? 19-7 is a very good generation.