New to me 19-3 4" Blue

[tmd17]

Traded with a shooting buddy today for this 19-3 blued 4" It came with the Pachmayer Gripper stocks but I will probably clean up a set of Herrett's I have and put them on.

A few questions for you experts. Are there some 19-3's out there with factory front sight inserts? Is the color fill an after market touch?

And for the curious - my side of the trade was about $600 value.

 

[tmd17]

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[tmd17]

Works were fairly clean.

 

[Breakaway500]

Well traded!

 

[snw19_357]

Yes, the Red Ramp (and White Outline rear) were options on the Model 19 since its introduction.
It was offered with RR/WO and standard trigger and hammer or like yours appears to be RR/WO, target trigger and target hammer.
Yours have the white outline rear? On S&W's scale of 1 - 8, 1 being 'standard', yours is an 8.

Are there some 19-3's out there with factory front sight inserts?

 

[Model29-26.5]

A beauty. Great deal.
Very cool.

 

[Engine49guy]

The gold fill was done after it left the factory,
It can usually be removed with a solvent.

Your 19-3 has the hallmarks of a 70's made gun,
60's era 19-3 are different in a few ways.
When I see the wide trigger and hammer usually expect to see the red ramp insert and white outline rear blade.
Factory stocks would have been checkered target stocks with the football shaped relief cut.

Ps, just wanted to add, your ramp is integral but the fs blade is pinned in place but polished flush so hard to see.
Also there is a ton of posts on the subject but avoid the lighter 110 grain .357 mag in K magnums as they can crack the forcing cone at the 6 O clock position where it is weakest.

 

[ameridaddy]

You got a very nice gun at a very nice price. Shoot it with the Pachmayrs, show it with some football targets.
Some CRC brake cleaner in a spray can will flush out that old goop while you have the side plate off. Replace the goop with some synthetic oil, lightly, at the pivot points and rebound slide, and you'll be good to go for another 50 years.

 

[squidsix]

Great set of Uncle Mike’s grips too. Make sure to periodically remove them and oil the grip frame to prevent rust

 

[tmd17]

...
Yours have the white outline rear? On S&W's scale of 1 - 8, 1 being 'standard', yours is an 8.

Thanks for the score of 8 ! I am happy with it!
It does indeed have a white outline rear sight and wide target trigger and hammer.

 

[tmd17]

... ramp is integral but the fs blade is pinned in place but polished flush so hard to see.
Also there is a ton of posts on the subject but avoid the lighter 110 grain .357 mag in K magnums as they can crack the forcing cone at the 6 O clock position where it is weakest.

Thanks! Under good light and magnification I spotted the pin! My first look I thought I saw the line at the front of the insert, but could not see the pin.

I knew before hand to check the forcing cone. Thankfully this one was NOT cracked, and no worries about me causing it to!

As for the white color fill, it is well done and looks good, so I will likely leave it as is.

 

[tmd17]

...
Some CRC brake cleaner in a spray can will flush out that old goop ...

I am old school and not a fan of blaster / foaming / brake cleaner type solvents on a gun. They can leave deposits of gunk in hidden spots. I prefer to completely disassemble and hand clean with Hoppes , a cloth, and swabs. All the nook and crannies get attention, then a little oil or grease on each part as required before assembly.


Nothing more relaxing to me than cleaning a gun.

 

[Engine49guy]

Gold paint filling the letters was fairly common years ago,
When I see white I suspect white crayon first before paint.

 

[minconrevo]

Looks like a nice, gently used Mod. 19. Personally I avoid anything lighter than 150gr. bullets in K frames. I've seen a few K frames with cracks in the forcing cone at 6 o'clock. Some of those will have an over dimension cone, caused by non-factory over reaming. If you are going to use this 19 for serious purposes, remove the trigger stop and its screw. Retain for possible later re-install.

I've removed the paint in roll markings, or whatever it may be, with acetone on a Q-tip. If it's some sort of nasty paint, it may take numerous applications and a little patience.

The vast majority of the factory sight inserts were red. A few were yellow, which actually makes more sense to me for use in the real world.

 

[ameridaddy]

... I prefer to completely disassemble and hand clean with Hoppes , a cloth, and swabs. All the nook and crannies get attention, then a little oil or grease on each part as required before assembly.
Nothing more relaxing to me than cleaning a gun.

I agree; I wasn't sure if you were comfortable with doing that disassembly, but to my mind, that's the right way. Have fun with your new toy!

 

[stansdds]

I'm thinking that other than the rubber grips, it's an original Model 19-3. It looks to be in fantastic condition.

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

Traded with a shooting buddy today for this 19-3 blued 4" It came with the Pachmayer Gripper stocks but I will probably clean up a set of Herrett's I have and put them on.

A few questions for you experts. Are there some 19-3's out there with factory front sight inserts? Is the color fill an after market touch?

My favorite 19-3 came with RR/WO and the three Ts. (TT, TH, TS) some 19s came as plain janes similar to 15s except for the caliber.

I like the look of the Herrett Grips. It just seems right.

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

The vast majority of the factory sight inserts were red. A few were yellow, which actually makes more sense to me for use in the real world.

For me red worked better in 1974 and no surprise to me I still prefer red today in 2024 especially on a four inch.

 

[Model19man]

For me red worked better in 1974 and no surprise to me I still prefer red today in 2024 especially on a four inch.

I had a Model 25-5 with a white Outline rear sight and a Green insert on the front sight. It was crazy accurate however I lost it in a burglary in the late 1980's. Would love to find it one day. Insurance paid for it back then. Have seen the green inserts were available from S&W but not factory installed like the Red ones.