Model 19/66 round butt/barrel length question

scwv67

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What barrel lengths did the round butt versions commonly come with? I'm interested in picking one of these up, especially an early pinned version if possible, but I prefer the round over the square butt.

Thanks.
 
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Round butt Mod.19/66 with 2 1/2" barrels are the most common.

I think all 3in guns came with round butts , but 3in guns are very rare.

4in is probably the most common 19/66 barrel lemgth , and they were available in round butt. They're also rather rare.
 
4" and 6" model 19's and 66's were only available in square butt until S&W discontinued the square butt in the mid 90's.

Any round butt 4" or 6" 19's or 66's are either conversions or some special order. I believe some government agency bought a small order of round butt 4" model 19's at some point.

Also, all of the 3" model 19's or 66's I have seen were round butt. I would feel if you found a square butt 19 or 66, it likely was converted.
 
Naval Intelligence agents got some round-butt four-inch M-19's. I think some wound up at the FBI.

This would have been a good general option, but not one that S&W made available.

There may have been other special orders that we don't know about. Cops who wanted a gun suited for both uniform carry and for plainclothes would surely see the advantage in a round butt and four-inch bbl.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone. Looks like I'll be on the hunt for a 2 1/2" RB at a price I can afford.
 
about 5 years ago, i purchased a 4" model 66-1 that had been originally bought by a San Francisco field office FBI agent, serial 55Kxxxx, which corresponds to 1978-1979 period per Supica/Nahas' book.....ive got original receipts that list the agents name and address, the guns model, barrel length and serial number, its from Markl supply co, pittsburgh, pa and shows a shipping address to Fed Bldg, 450 Golden Gate ave, etc.......By all accounts S&W only made 4" sq butt guns, and the box confirms this, but this gun has been converted very well to round butt, i understand that FBI agents had the option to send these to dept armorers in Quantico for conversion, the gentlemen who sold me the gun said he had it converted.......I can only find reference to model 19's being so converted, but this is its SS "cousin" the 66.....is this something anyone else has heard of?
 

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