Picked up a Model 19-3 today at my LGS

[UKWildcatFan]

***NEWBIE NEEDS INFO/HELP***

Hello. So I saw this in the case, and it came home with me. SN#4K1905. I don’t have a lot of experience with Smiths, so any information would be appreciated regarding it as far as manufactured date, are 6” barrels fairly common, triggers, sights, what sticks most likely came on it, etc. any and all information would be helpful and appreciated. I really appreciate it.

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[robertrwalsh]

The gun was probably manufactured in late 1973 though strictly speaking Smith tracked SHIPPING dates, not manufacturing dates. The 6" barrel was not at all uncommon. Yours appears to have service stocks and a target hammer and target trigger. It is also what is called "pinned and recessed." That is the barrel is pinned in place and the cylinder bores are recessed to enclose the heads of the cartridges. These are desirable features to S&W purists. You have a very nice example of a very nice class revolver there. Enjoy.

 

[Truckman]

From the angle of the pictures, I can't really say whether the hammer and trigger are the wide target options or not...With a 6" barrel, it wouldn't surprise me though...I would suggest an SWHF letter to confirm how, when and where it shipped originally......Ben

 

[UKWildcatFan]

From the angle of the pictures, I can't really say whether the hammer and trigger are the wide target options or not...With a 6" barrel, it wouldn't surprise me though...I would suggest an SWHF letter to confirm how, when and where it shipped originally......Ben

Hopefully these help.

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[zonker5]

The gun was probably manufactured in late 1973 though strictly speaking Smith tracked SHIPPING dates, not manufacturing dates. .....

I most respectfully disagree, all of the published lists are of manufacture date, not the date they left the mother ship.

S&W would run off a batch of a certain model and put them in the vault. They would then trickle out as they were ordered, so shipping could be a few years after they were made. They did not ship in numerical order.

The only way to obtain the shipping date is for Roy Jinks to look it up in the company records.

-Z-

 

[notsofast]

Very nice gun, I had a 6” mdl-66 (the stainless equivalent of what you have) and I sold it….that was a mistake on my part.

 

[gmborkovic]

Why did you sell that m-66?

 

[Barbarian-CBX]

Looks like a target hammer, but not a target trigger.

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[JP@AK]

4K1905 is a 1973 serial number (4K1628 to 4K54104). It is impossible to say whether it was "early" or "late" in the year, since revolvers were not assembled in serial order. As for the ship date, it could be 1973 or later, because they were also not shipped in serial order. On the other hand, the Combat Magnum was a pretty good selling item, so it was likely shipped in 1973. Only a letter will tell you for certain.

One observation about this revolver is that the stocks are almost certainly not original to this handgun. The Model 19 nearly always shipped with target stocks.

 

[notsofast]

Why did you sell that m-66?

I still ask myself the very same question

 

[Muley Gil]

The revolver shown has the standard .265" serrated trigger and the standard semi target hammer, NOT a .500" target hammer.

 

[Model19man]

I think you are going to need a letter to tell what your revolver came with when it shipped. The stocks were typical on 4" barrel. I think the service stocks would have been typical on a 6" barrel Model 19 with standard trigger and hammer. Yours has a target hammer which means someone special ordered it that way or they changed the hammer at some point. Way too many variables for me.

Typically if your revolver shipped with target trigger and hammer it would also come with target stocks. Yours didn't so it needs a letter.

 

[snw19_357]

Square butt Model 19s shipped standard with target stocks, round butt with magnas (until they went to Uncle Mike's).

Muley Gil is correct, that is a standard .375" semi-target hammer.

 

[JP@AK]

The stocks were typical on 4" barrel. I think the service stocks would have been typical on a 6" barrel Model 19 with standard trigger and hammer.

Typically if your revolver shipped with target trigger and hammer it would also come with target stocks.

These are common assumptions, but research simply does not bear them out.

Speaking strictly about the Combat Magnum, including the Model 19, revolvers with 4" and 6" barrels came standard with target stocks. This is without respect to the configuration of the hammer and trigger. There simply is no correlation between the hammer and trigger and the stocks with respect to standard configuration.

On the other K frame revolvers with target sights, the situation is slightly different. The K-38 Masterpiece, .38 Combat Masterpiece, K-22 Masterpiece and the .22 Combat Masterpiece shipped standard with Magna stocks, again without respect to the hammer and trigger combination. Yes, there were 3T guns shipped, but those were ordered that way by the customer (individual, distributor or gun shop). 2T guns were also common on these models, especially the K-22 and K-38 Masterpiece revolvers.

What I have stated here applies to all of the K target guns up to the end of the -3 series. Things began to change a bit with the -4 and I don't follow them at all beyond that.

 

[stansdds]

The most common barrel length for the Model 19 has to be 4 inches, followed by the 2 1/2" snubs. I think S&W made a fair number of Model 19's with 6 inch barrels and there are certainly more 6 inch Model 19's than there are 8 3/8 inch Model 19's, but you don't see many 6 inch Model 19's.

The hammer and trigger appear to be the same as what is on my old 4 inch Model 19-3, which is the standard trigger and hammer. Model 19's normally shipped with target stocks, but S&W would change stocks if a buyer ordered it with Magna stocks. S&W should have information on the configuration of your revolver when it left the factory, the challenge is in getting someone with knowledge of how to look up that information to help you.

 

[Doc44]

The .357 Combat Magnum, Model 19, was cataloged as being available with a 2 1/2-inch, 4-inch, or 6-inch barrel, a standard hammer and trigger (like yours), bright blue (like yours) or nickel finish, and target stocks made of Goncalo alves (see photo below). The 2 1/2-inch had Magna stocks made of walnut with a round butt. The 2 1/2-inch and 4-inch revolvers had a Baughman quick draw front sight and the 6-inch revolvers usually had a Patridge front sight (like yours). The serial number of your Model 19 indicates it was most likely shipped in 1973. The photo below shows the stainless version of the .357 Combat Magnum, Model 66, with stocks that are correct for your revolver. Click on the photo for a better look.

Bill

 

[CH4]

Fine acquisition you got there, OP. I, too, recently picked up a 19-3, but with a 2.5” barrel. Although the combats aren’t original to the gun, the target trigger and hammer likely are. A few years ago, I picked up a 2.5” -4 that also had target hammer and trigger. Not my preference for a snubbie, but not a big enough issue for me to not bring it home. I swapped out the hammer and trigger on the -4 to the narrower version, but will leave this -3 as is. I actually, bought it for the combat stocks, the gun was a bonus.

 

[M29since14]

Your gun (externally) looks perfectly stock/original to me, except the stocks, which are magnas and should be football targets, as Bill has already written. Your particular version, 6-inch barrel and Patridge front sight, was very desirable back in my younger days when outdoorsmen/field shooters generally tried to squeeze best precision and velocity from their revolvers. It is still “one of my favorites,” but I have to admit I like just about any Model 19 that’s ever been made.

Great looking revolver. Congratulations on finding that one.

 

[T44spl]

This gun displays the standard hammer & trigger. There is No TH or TT, however we can easily solve a couple of questions by gingerly removing the grips panels & inspecting for the presence of a serial number stamped into the wood.