[DaleCooper51]

Yesterday I was looking for a rifle, but ended up with a Model 19-3. Its been years since I've had one of these or a handgun in general, but just had to have it. I think I got a good deal on it at $285 out the door with a box of ammo. The one thing that I am curious of is the front sight. It has a brass bead in it. I have never seen this before and if its not factory then someone did a real nice job fitting and finishing it.

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l261/bloodphart/LeftSide.jpg

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l261/bloodphart/RightSide.jpg

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l261/bloodphart/FrontSight.jpg

[SASS#23149]

that is a very good price on a 'Smith..around here anyway.
I'd buy it real quick at that price.Ya done good.! :)

[Thaddeus Jones]

WOW you got a great deal! That is a nice looking six-gun. Let us how it shoots.

[hceptj]

nice gun and a good price...i've been looking for a 19 or 66 myself...congrats!

:)

[kmrcstintn]

excellent acquisition...I have a 19-4 that I got last year (1978 vintage, pinned barrel, recessed chambers)...I paid $350 (down from $399 asking price); you definitely got a better deal (comparing gun to gun), but I'm loyal to that shop and he cuts me breaks on other purchases; the brass bead is NOT a factory original...my 19 just has the blued ramp; whoever installed it did a nice job that doesn't scream JERRYRIGGED!

I took off the magna target grips (oversized wood grips) that came with my 19 and mounted Uncle Mike's (now Butler Creek) combat rubber grips and that made a big difference for recoil absorption and controlability during firing

enjoy and have fun

[ravencon]

Nice!

I recently spotted and purchased a Model 66-2. It had recently been retired from a small town police department. The trigger is good as those on new Performance Center S&Ws. A lot less expensive too! These are great classic revolvers.

[DaleCooper51]

Well I took it to the range yesterday. I had wanted to pattern my shotgun and brought the revolver along with me. It was pretty darn cold here 30F, 25mph winds and some flurries, and I was underdressed for the conditions so it was a quick outting.

Two things to mention from this range trip are I remembered how awful those factory grips are for shooting. They look nice, but do not provide a good purchase on the revolver. Even though I like the looks of wood on a blued revolver, rubber grips just work better for me. Im debating between the hogue rubber monogrip or the pachymar professional with the open back strap. Just going to figure that one out.

There was one problem with the revolver though. After the third cylinder full of ammo, the cylinder would not open. At first I thought it was a spring or something with the release button, but on further examination, it appeared that there was some crud in the small spring in the lug that holds the ejector rod. I took it back to the shop to show them the issue. He flushed it with gun scrubber and soaked it with some good penetrating oil and worked the action for a while. It wasnt doing this before I bought it and seems to have worked itself out now. He offered me a 6" m66 in trade if I didnt trust this revolver, but I told him Ill give it another outting to see how it goes before we go that route.

Overall, Im happy with the revolver. For the weather conditions and grips it shot very well. I'm really happy with the shop also. He gave me a good deal on the revolver, took time out of a shop full of people to look at it, and offered to either keep it and give it a thorough break down and cleaning or another revolver to make it right. I wont have much chance to shoot it before next weekend, but will let you know how this one turns out.

[Brian Williams]

Nice Gun, about what I am looking for in a S&W 19, it just needs a Tyler T grip adapter to make it right. Also have the shop look at the ejector rod and see if it was loose, some times they back out and cause the cylinder to lockup. It has a reverse thread so lefty tighty, righty loosey.
Nice gold bead that makes it for me.

$285 is a steal.

[45Badger]

I'f you want to get rid of it, I'll be happy to drive over and pick it up:D

Nice gun at a nice price. I'm sure it will shoot like crazy for you:)

[Tbu61]

Awesome find at a great price!
I know what you mean about the Grips, get the Hogues and you will be impressed with the difference. KEEP the Diamonds (or send them to me for proper disposal)!

The bead is a nice touch, very well installed.

[svtruth]

You now own a superb gun. I love mine. It is pretty much what you suggest when someone asks "What is a good revolver to add to my collection?"

[DaleCooper51]

Thanks for the generous offers to take the revolver and those pesky grips off my hands. I've used the Tgrips in the past on J-frames and just never really liked them. I ordered a pair of hogue rubber grips and cant wait to get to the range again.

[Hutch]

I'd keep the diamond-relief Magna's, if only for picture taking! If you decide to ditch 'em, be sure to list them for sale on the appropriate board on this forum.

[Ala Dan]

Could be that your S&W model 19 has what is known as a McGivern Gold Bead
front sight~?:cool: ;) :D

So named after the famous exibition shooter Ed McGivern.They are
rare, but I have heard of them before.

[DaleCooper51]

Unfortunately I just had to let this one go.

Another trip to the range and it started locking up on me again. After cleaning it, the cylinder would release, but it was an effort and not smooth at all.

After I did some reading here and at the smith and wesson forums (which I should have done beforehand), I learned a bunch of what to look for and at when buying a used revolver. This one had a good bit of play in the cylinder. With the feeler gauge I measured between .003 and .009. I also noticed that the side plate screws were a bit buggered which gave me pause about keeping this one.

My two choices at this point were to either send it out and get it fixed or take it back. Even though I really like the 19, it wasn't worth the money that I would have spent on it, so I took it back. I love dealing with good local shops that stand behind their product. When I took it back, he looked at it and gladly offered me an exchange or refund. He had a bunch of nice k frame snubbies including a magnaported 66, but no nice blued 4 inch revolvers. I ended up with a nice looking 6" model 66-3 in exchange. I've never been a big fan of 6" revolvers, but it locked up tight and felt good. Now just to get used to the extra two inches of barrel length.

[Gordon]

Actually the 6" .357 magnum is a better deal , allaround , as the velocity really is there! The 6" model 19 usually have a squared target front sight. Still I'd give $250 or even $285 for that buggered up one you got rid of- in a New York Minute!;)

[10-Ring]

That's too bad that she wasn't a keeper! My 19-3 has been a great addition!
Here's hoping you run across a better sample ;)

[earplug]

Where is it now?
Was the ejector rod tite?

[DaleCooper51]

I thought a lot about sending it back to S&W for a while, but after speaking to them and getting quotes on fixes, It would have brought my investment in the gun close to $500 with shipping and all. It was a nice looking revolver, but just not worth that much to me. Maybe 10 years down the road it would be, but I just wanted a range/woods gun to use. The stainless 66 locks up very tight with very little play and I thought it would be a good replacement. The 357 bug has bitten again and I ordered a 3" model 65 from CDNN. It should arrive tomorrow. I was about to take a picture of the 66, but my stinking batteries are dead. Hopefully I have some around.

[MK11]

Dale, does that mean CDNN got in a new round of 3inch 65s? I know the last batch went pretty quick a month or two ago.

[DaleCooper51]

I called last Friday afternoon and they had 5 or 6 of them in stock. My guess is that they get a bunch every so often and they don't seem to last too long. If I remember correctly, they told me they were NRA rated very good and were $329 and $13 shipped to me in Eastern PA. I would give them a call and see what they have in stock.

[MCgunner]

Brownells sells shim kits that can fix the end play problem. Whether that'd fix the locking up problem is another question. Oh, well, you have a nice 66 to play with, so it was still a good deal! Around here, you can't get a worn out M10 for under 300 bucks and 19s and 66s go for a hundred more!

[DaleCooper51]

Here's the 66 that I ended up with wearing a pair of Siles grips. I don't know anything about these grips, besides seeing them for sale at CDNN for $10. Any information on the company would be great as I didn't turn anything up on a google search. Also this seems relatively of recent manufacture, but I am unsure as to how old it is. The serial is BHM0XXX. Any help as to dating this revolver would be greatly appreciated.


http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l261/bloodphart/M66-3.jpg

[.41Dave]

While the Standard Catalog of Smith and Wesson does not list the BHM prefix specifically, it looks like it would fall into the 1991 timeframe. The gun is new enough that if you call S&W customer service, they can tell you when it was shipped from the factory.

[DaleCooper51]

Thanks Dave.