Model 19 loads

[csdmann]

Hey guys, I just picked up a Nice model 19-5 in a 4" barrel. I have read all the information on where and how the m-19 was cracking due to the 125gr 357mags that the police were shooting out of them. I am looking for some more information from you guys on what is safe to load and shoot out of the M-19. It will see mostly .38spl +P's but once in a while I like to shoot some 357mags. Thank you in advance.

 

[rwsmith]

Remington...

Hey guys, I just picked up a Nice model 19-5 in a 4" barrel. I have read all the information on where and how the m-19 was cracking due to the 125gr 357mags that the police were shooting out of them. I am looking for some more information from you guys on what is safe to load and shoot out of the M-19. It will see mostly .38spl +P's but once in a while I like to shoot some 357mags. Thank you in advance.

Remington 158 gr lead SWC Target ammo. I'd just stay with 'normal' .357 loads that use the heavier bullets, lead or jacketed where a 158 gr bullet velocity is about 1250 fps. Not the 'hot' stuff that runs over 1400 fps. It doesn't sound like you want to shoot a lot of these but another problem besides the forcing cone cracking was that a model 19 will shake loose faster when using full .357 rounds and S&W recommends that using full loads be kept to a minimum. A few boxes wouldn't hurt much of anything.
Any .357 round is shootable in the 19 as long as you stayi away from high velocity light bullets.

 

[Nevada Ed]

Your 19-5 will hold up a lot better with 140gr bullets or larger at the slower speeds.
My 19-5 6" shot the hot 110 and 125gr Jhp bullets just fine but they should be used in moderation
in the 1450 fps package.
One reason the companies have dropped the 110gr down to around 1250 fps on a lot of their offerings.
The Hot 125gr is a great SD load but it will also shoot very well at the reduced loadings put out by
Remington and others.

You might try a box of factory 140gr Jhp if you get a chance...........the recoil is not bad and the accuracy super.

Good shooting.

 

[brucev]

Hey guys, I just picked up a Nice model 19-5 in a 4" barrel. I have read all the information on where and how the m-19 was cracking due to the 125gr 357mags that the police were shooting out of them. I am looking for some more information from you guys on what is safe to load and shoot out of the M-19. It will see mostly .38spl +P's but once in a while I like to shoot some 357mags. Thank you in advance.

Congratulations on the new revolver! In every way the 19 is just about the ultimate .357 revolver for carry and shooting. As far as shooting, use normal SAAMI rated ammunion produced by any reputable domestic or foreign manufacturer and all will be fine.

From time to time one reads of cracked forcing cones. Doubtless someone somewhere has had this happen. Once upon a time when I was young and less smart, I shot the hound out of a N-frame six inch 28-2 using very heavy hand loads. I found out that even the strongest revolver can be messed up if you try hard enough. I've had a number of 19's and 66's (which are simply stainless steel 19's). They have all been wonderful. I never had a problem with any of them using factory loads, or sane handloads. The nuclear level stuff... given time it'll mess up anything.

Take your new 19 and give it a good cleaning. Take a cleaning rod and screw a good bronze cleaning brush into the tip. Wrap the brush with strands from a copper Chore Boy. You'll need to run the rod down the barrel and then screw in the brush. Chuck the other end of the rod in a electric drill and run it at slow speed for a couple of seconds. Pull back so that the brush cleans the forcing cone. A few drops of solvent will help. Likely there will not be much to clean, but this will make sure that all is spic and span. Use the same apparatus to thoroughly clean each of the charge holes. It is possible that there might be some buildup of lead/lubricant in one or more of the charge holes in the cylinder. You will also want to wipe out/ clean under the extractor star. When you are through, factory ammunition in either .38 or .357 caliber should easily enter any of the charge holes.

Now, take your new revolver and enjoy shooting it. There are folks who think nothing of shooting cases of ammunition through their handguns. Good for them. However, most people don't have the disposable income to fund such high rates of shooting hot handloaded ammunition much less factory fodder. Back when the 19 was developed, the expectation was that everyone would shoot a lot of .38 Special ammunition for practice and that they'd use the .357 Magnum stuff for serious things. With any .38 Special ammunition your 19 will out last you and be a fine revolver for your descendants to enjoy. Shoot it with .357 Magnum ammunition. It will do just fine! There will be those who opine that a .357 Magnum revolver should always be shot with only magnum ammunition. There used to be folks who thought that the only way to run a car or truck was with their foot buried in the carburetor running the vehicle as hard as possible. The tire manufactures as well as the machine shops and mechanics loved these sort of folks. They guaranteed a nice cash flow. Good for them. Not so good for the ones with their foots buried in the carburetors.

 

[AveragEd]

My first S&W was a Model 19 I bought new in 1974. It was a great gun - very accurate and enjoyable to shoot. But I was a newbie handloader at that time and although I shot it most with 148-grain hollow-base wadcutters loaded lightly for target use, I did run my share of hotly-loaded magnum fodder though it. Eventually, sticky extraction reared its ugly head.

It got so bad that I had to bump empty cases out of the cylinder with a drift and mallet so I sent it to S&W for repair. They replaced the cylinder under warranty, saying that the chambers were out of round from, they suspected, hot handloads and cautioned me about my ammunition choices. Of course, I assumed they didn't know what they were talking about because my primers were not heavily cratered. I figured I had just been unlucky enough to get a defective cylinder.

But a year or so later, extraction that was painful to the hand started again. S&W replaced the cylinder a second time but warned me in a letter that they would not do so a third time.

My point is that K-frame magnums can be damaged in more ways that those involving cracked forcing cones and flame-cut frames. Today, I consider the K-frames to be my favorite S&W revolver and remind newer owners of them that there is no need for a steady diet of full-house loads in any handgun, let alone one that is about as perfect as revolvers get and is no longer available new.

Ed

 

[eb07]

Have a lot of 158gr and 180gr through my 19-5.

Clean the forcing cone area after you shoot so there is no build up and you will have many years of enjoyment.
compiled data from actual owners here:

Use of Magnum Loads in S&W Model 19 and Other K-Frame Magnums

 

[csdmann]

Thank you as always guys for the great input and feedback. I did take the M-19 out this morning to the range. WOW!! What an accurate shooting gun. It made me look good! I shot some .38spls and some .38spl +P's and it was GREAT! This may be the most accurate shooting gun I have at this point. I am better with it than my M-28 (and that bothers me a little bit because I always thought I shot the N frames better). Thank you again.

 

[max]

It will run forever on 38+P. I mostly shoot 38's in mine as I don't have a need for the magnum stuff. I did load some 125 gr jhp's but dropped the load by a couple of grains.

 

[derek45auto]

I shoot 140gr and 158gr thru mine.

Typical load is 7gr UNIQUE or 6.4gr W-231 and a 158gr.SWC

hotter than 38special, but milder than H-110/W296 magnums

 

[THEWELSHM]

Thank you as always guys for the great input and feedback. I did take the M-19 out this morning to the range. WOW!! What an accurate shooting gun. It made me look good! I shot some .38spls and some .38spl +P's and it was GREAT! This may be the most accurate shooting gun I have at this point. I am better with it than my M-28 (and that bothers me a little bit because I always thought I shot the N frames better). Thank you again.

Its a magnum shoot magnum 158 grain it will be fine. I shoot them with myb19-4

Thewelshm

 

[chief38]

My 6" M19 gets fed mostly 158 grain RNL 38 Specials. When I do shoot Magnums I load them below max velocities and also use hard cast 158 grain RNL or JSP 158 grain bullets. I strictly avoid the 125, 110 or 95 grain bullets. My M19 is old and has faired perfectly well with this diet. The M19 was never designed for the constant heavy pounding that an N Frame was, but is perfect for what it was intended to do. Occasional .357 shooting with the heavier bullets and shot regularly with 38 Specials.

 

[ironhead7544]

The K frame 357 Magnums are just fine. For general use a 158 gr cast loaded to about 1000 fps makes a great load that will not hurt the revolver. Any of the +P 38 Specials are also easy on the M19/66.

If you want to shoot a lot of hot loads, I would say get something else.

 

[TAROMAN]

Mine is a Model 66, sort of the same thing in SS.
Its purely a target gun.
Mostly shooting a polymer coated 148 grain DEWC at about 900 FPS.
Loaded in 357 cases.

 

[JeepinSoldier]

My first handgun in 1985 was a 1970 manufacture 4" Model 19-3 and I still have it.

Its fired mostly .38 Special over the years, but has also seen plenty of 125 and 158 grain .357 Magnums.

Now I only shoot the heavier 158 grain .357's. Either Federal 158 grain JSP, Speer 158 grain Gold Dot, or handloaded Hornady 158 grain JHP over 15 grains of 296.

I do shoot some of the Magnums out of the 19 from time to time, but its semi retired now and if I'm going to shoot lots of Magnums in a range session, I take the 4" 686.

 

[RussellD]

shoot 158 grain coated lead bullets with a slow burning powder and your hand will get tired before your gun does.

 

[pbcaster45]

I found a load for my Model 19 last week that really surprised me. After getting a box of Hornady 158 gr. SWCs that had almost no lube I decided I was going to quit buying them. I knew they'd lead like crazy so I rolled them around in Lee Tumble Lube. I don't know if it was the liquid alox or what but they shot great! Guess I'll have to give them another chance...

This is really a .38 Special load in Magnum cases but it's fun to shoot and didn't leave ANY leading at all!

Bullet: Hornady 158 gr. LSWC
Powder: Winchester 231 4.2 grs.
Primer: Remington 5 ½
Case: Federal .357 Magnum
LOAL: 1.588 (Taper Crimp)

Hornady 148 gr. HBWCs on the left and the lube-free bullets on the right.