Should I Purchase a New S&W Model 19-9 Classic Series?

[housedog]

I bought a 19-9 classic back in May, I probably have over 800 rounds down range so far, mostly my reloads in .357 cases ranging from mild 158's at 850 fps to my version of my personal hotter practice 158gr load at 1000 fps. Not a single problem, accuracy is excellent, cylinder gap was .004 when I received it. First range session I made the point to heat it up rapidly, too hot to touch the frame or cylinder, to see if it would start to show any problems, it did not. I am pretty pleased with it.

I changed the trigger return spring to 14# which is my standard weight for these, plugged the lock hole and removed the offending lug on the lock arm/flag to insure that obnoxious contraption is completely gone, put a set of Pachmayer compact round butt grips on because I am too much of a wimp to shoot a lot of anything approaching full power rounds with any wooden grips any more.

As soon as our heat relents a bit and daily thunderstorms slow down I plan to put a lot of rounds down range with this one. My sample of one is a winner.

Mine came from a CA dealer, Camarillo Traders Too, via gunbroker because I could not find one anywhere locally.

 

[Mercury]

I'm with chief38 or at least don't buy a new S&W revolver unless you can thoroughly inspect and dry fire it before hand.

The factory's lack of a meaningful QA/QC program is appalling and it lets just about anything out the door.
YMMV

ETA: And I'm a big S&W fan, it's just very sad to see such a prestigious manufacturer lose it's standing in the industry.

 

[rct269]

Should you buy new/current, or before-----WAY before?!

As for me, a looooooooong time observer, there's NO WAY I'd buy a new offering!! The why of it goes like this:

Once upon a time (the first 100 years), S&W's philosophy was very clearly a long these lines: We will be successful if we build the best possible product for the price---and they did------and they were.

Then someone, either in-house, or the then current owner's house, came up with the idea maybe they could be MORE successful (make more money by spending less money) if they built their product at the lowest possible cost. If nothing else, that very clearly makes sense.

BUT------operating a business at the lowest possible cost requires cutting some corners. I could spend my time and yours enumerating those corners, but suffice it to say they're everything we see folks fussing and fuming about here on this forum.

I collected target guns ---had damn near all, if not all of them from the get-go (1870's) to the end of the "five screws" (mid 1950's).

So why'd I stop there? I stopped there because it was manifestly clear to me their philosophy was undergoing a change---from what it had been to a new and improved(??) version that goes like this: We will be successful if we build our product at the lowest possible cost.

Now the first very obvious cost cutting measure (from five screws to four) was no big deal in the eyes of most, almost all---except for those few observers who'd been trained in, and practiced problem solving ---in order to make their living. Some of those folks saw what was what. What was what was there was a new philosophy brewing, and it was going to come to be identified as THE problem------and all the stuff we see folks fussing and fuming about hereabouts are simply symptoms of THE REAL PROBLEM.

I could go on---and on, but while I've been to and taught in Problem Solving School, and made a goodly portion of my living identifying and solving REAL problems rather than fooling with the symptoms (which tend to disappear once REAL problems are solved), I've already given you a short course which should suffice for you to proceed on your own---and buy whatever you damn well please!

But if what you buy is a new one, do us a favor and don't come moanin' and groanin' to us about what a piece of junk it is. We've been there and heard that already----sadly.

Ralph Tremaine

 

[Lou_the_welder]

Why not? If you want one and have a need for one. Why not.

If it had been for the unavailability of an older model? I don't see why you can't buy one locally too. I've seen them sell and recently. Look in calguns forums. Or online at Turner's outdoorsman. Consignments. ( used guns)

If you find someone to sell to you locally- you can forego any sales tax too.