S&W 19-2

[wgg]

A local shop has a 6" blued 19. They have it marked for $700.00. The blue is in good shape the end of the barrel is shiney from holster wear. The blueing is not worn on the ejector rod. Does'nt appear to have been shot very much. Anything I should look out for.

 

[C3Ranger]

Definitely. Look out for someone else to buy it while you're still thinking about it

 

[ameridaddy]

Check the action for lock up, forcing cone and top strap for flame cutting, cracks, check for push-off, look around sharp edges - sights for example - for any sign of being dropped, beware of boogered up screws as evidence of Bubba smithing.
If the holster wear bothers you, you can do multiple applications of touch up bluing, but if all else is OK, and you like it, buy it! Around here, that price is a steal if mechanics check out.

 

[Barbarian-CBX]

What's the name of that shop? Do you have its phone number? Asking for a friend.

SWCA# 3713

 

[Masterbuck54]

Sounds like a great price!!

Are the stocks with or without diamond center?

Masterbuck54

 

[peterdeb]

Do the normal revolver checks. Price is more than fair if you like a 6" barrel. A lot of us would have broken our hand pulling out our wallet.

 

[Engine49guy]

The Model 19 Achilles heel is the forcing cone 6 O clock position where it's thinnest.
Check that its not cracked there plus the usual end shake, push off, bent ejector rod , Barrel cylinder gap etc.

 

[pantannojack]

The Model 19 Achilles heel is the forcing cone 6 O clock position where it's thinnest.
Check that its not cracked there plus the usual end shake, push off, bent ejector rod , Barrel cylinder gap etc.

My 19-2 does not have that thinning of the bbl stud. I read that the 19-2 were before the gas ring change, there for not necessary.

 

[schutz5]

Just buy it!!!!!

 

[Engine49guy]

My 19-2 does not have that thinning of the bbl stud. I read that the 19-2 were before the gas ring change, there for not necessary.

Hard to tell from your picture since it's upside down and not showing that area.
the flat spot is located at the 6 O clock position underneath (12 O clock in your pic) , on the outside of the forcing cone.
The flat spot allows the yoke arm to close and all K frames have the flat spot doesn't matter the caliber, only exception might be the two piece barrel design but don't own one to look.
Has nothing to do with the gas ring being on the yoke or cylinder, look underneath and you will see it.

 

[SWFan27]

Hard to tell from your picture since it's upside down and not showing that area.
the flat spot is located at the 6 O clock position underneath (12 O clock in your pic) , on the outside of the forcing cone.
The flat spot allows the yoke arm to close and all K frames have the flat spot doesn't matter the caliber, only exception might be the two piece barrel design but don't own one to look.
Has nothing to do with the gas ring being on the yoke or cylinder, look underneath and you will see it.

The current production K frame revolvers such as the Model 19-9 Classic and the Model 66-8, have a full size forcing cone. There is no longer a flat spot, and you can shoot hot 357 Magnum rounds until the cows come home without worry. I have shot thousands of them.

Smith & Wesson has resolved the concern and problems some had with their older K frames being fed a steady diet of 357 Magnums. I do love the old ones, but as cool and lovely as they certainly are, the older K frames can be a bit more delicate.

 

[SWFan27]

My 19-2 does not have that thinning of the bbl stud. I read that the 19-2 were before the gas ring change, there for not necessary.

The flat spot is on the bottom of the forcing cone. On the exterior side of the barrel. I have never seen an older K frame that did not have the flat area on the lower 6 o'clock exterior side of the forcing cone.

 

[Engine49guy]

Iirc when the Combat Magnum was introduced in 1955 the standard .357 round weighed 158 grains going back to 1935 when it was introduced.
The story goes that the problem of cracked forcing cones began to apear sometime in the mid 1970's and initially baffled S&W engineers, the solution was the introduction of the new L frame which eliminated the flat spot on the forcing cone,
Iirc the final diagnosis was that the the newer faster 110 grain .357 rounds being lighter were making the jump from the cylinder to the forcing cone slightly earlier than the 158 grain load it was designed for,
Because of that early jump the burning powder pressure spike was higher and that was causing the crack at the forcing cone 6 O clock weak spot , in other words it wasn't that the .357 rounds were "hot" it was that the lighter round jumped too soon.
The L frame was engineered to handle a steady diet of the variety of factory .357 rounds including the faster 110 grain loads.

The K frame on the other hand was originally designed to fire the .38 special round and was modified to handle the 158 grain .357 round some 50+ plus years later.
For this reason IMO if your intention is to fire a steady diet of .357 Magnum it is wiser to consider an L frame, if you are content to fire a steady diet of .38 special and occasionally 158 grain .357 and you don't like the look of the full underlug barrel profile the K Magnum is a great alternative.

 

[Hair Trigger]

I'd be on that M19-2 like stink in the basement of an outhouse. I had a 6" dash-2 back in the late 1970's, had the Patridge front sight and was as close to brand new as could be. I sure wish I still had it.

 

[Jack Flash]

A six-inch blued M19 has an elegant look to it. I don't have any data, but I believe the four inch was much more common. So if you like the longer barrel, better get back to the shop.

If it looks like it hasn't been fired much (and most guns haven't been), that's a big plus. Good advice above about checking the forcing cone carefully, but I think the extent of this problem is greatly exaggerated. Certainly it has happened.

 

[gmborkovic]

Whats all the concern? If the cone is burned out, just go buy another
M-19.

 

[wgg]

I was able to get a better look at it this morning. Mechanically looks very good, the blueing is freckeling on both sides. They won't come off the price. I told them I would think about it.

 

[Engine49guy]

The 6" Combat Magnum is a bit of a conundrum IMO, It's basicly a K38 Masterpiece with an ejector rod shroud that can fire .357 Magnum too.
If that's true the rub is that the Combat Magnum was introduced as a smaller lighter .357 duty weapon than the larger N frame pre Models 27 and 28 which were your only other S&W .357 options prior to its introduction in 1956 but if your concern was weight and size savings the 6" doesn't really make sense, my guess is that is why it was introduced as a 4" and why the 6" wasn't offered until the early 60's during the dash 2 revision, in other words there were no 6" four screw Model 19's, whats interesting is when you compare it to the 44 Magnum which is introduced around the same timeframe with a 6.5" barrel at first and a 4" version came a little bit after,
My guess was that the big N frame 44 was aimed at sportsman and hunters not as a duty weapon.
The 6" Model 19 is neat gun especially for range use but as a duty weapon I'm a bigger fan of the 4".
On a side note always wondered why the 6" Model 19 wasn't called the .357 Masterpiece Magnum since the "Combat" name was applied to the 4" K38 Combat Masterpiec and not the 6"which was called the K38 Masterpiece.

 

[Old cop]

Google checking out a used revolver. There are several good videos on Youtube that might be helpful.

 

[peterdeb]

Hey wgg, SO did you buy or pass based on all the information provided here to your question?