Model 19 cylinder gap

There are lots of S&W gunsmiths who could help tighten up your Model 19, I would search out ones the guys here recommend and try them first.

All I can add is my most recent S&W return was a huge disappointment, my 48-3 is still not right. The performance center told me to wait from March until June to ship it, they had it from June to October, charged me $192.00 plus $30 shipping... and it’s back at the local gunsmith getting fixed again because it couldn’t get through a box of .22 WMR without seizing up again.

Just my .02...

Stay safe.

“Ballistics by the Inch” did some studies on velocity loss from the gap. I don’t think you are losing much and the thought of them doing some damage makes me think I would leave the gun alone.

7600carbine said:

I have a model 19-5. I bought it on a whim used, and it ended up being the best shooter I have.

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Just keep it as is and shoot it.

.013" gap is not really as bad as it sounds and I would almost bet that S&W today will say it is "in spec.". Absolutely DO NOT return the gun to S&W - they will not fix the problem and might make it worse. There ARE plenty of good revolversmiths out there who can correct the gap. If the gun is accurate then I wouldn't sweat the gap too much.

check the "carry up": cock the empty!!! gun while putting a bit of a drag on the cylinder, note whether, or not, the bolt falls into the bolt notch (s&w calls the "bolt" something else which eludes me at the moment). if not, the gun has a timing issue and should be checked out by a smith. the spitting can be caused by the cylinder out of line with the barrel which is caused by this issue.

luck,

murf

wgf said:

“Ballistics by the Inch” did some studies on velocity loss from the gap. I don’t think you are losing much and the thought of them doing some damage makes me think I would leave the gun alone.

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Kookla said:

Just keep it as is and shoot it.

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7600carbine said:

I notice some spitting of what I assume is burnt powder.

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Just leave the gun alone and keep shooting it even though it's spitting burnt powder???
I once had a 357 Mag (a Dan Wesson) that spit burnt powder back at me. Without gauntlet gloves and a full-face shield it was painful and dangerous to shoot.
I eventually traded the gun off to a local gunsmith (who also had a gunstore) that figured he could fix it by changing the angle of the forcing cone. BTW, to stop that revolver from stinging my hands, arms and face every time I fired it, I DID try adjusting its barrel/cylinder gap - several times. It didn't work, and I never was that fond of the gun anyway. That's why I gave up and traded it off - for a 10.5" Ruger "Super Silhouette" 44 Mag if I remember right. I never followed up to find out whether or not that gunsmith was able to fix the Dan Wesson 357 Mag.

murf said:

the spitting can be caused by the cylinder out of line with the barrel which is caused by this issue.

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That was my thought too.

Excessive cylinder gap is one of my big pet peeves, especially in a high-pressure, high-performance magnum cartridge. I have bypassed purchase of several nice guns for this reason alone.

.455_Hunter said:

Excessive cylinder gap is one of my big pet peeves, especially in a high-pressure, high-performance magnum cartridge. I have bypassed purchase of several nice guns for this reason alone.

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Really shouldnt run alot of magnum cartridges through an old 19 anyway- cracked forcing cones are a thing on those. Best thought of as a .38 with the capability to fire .357s occasionally.

To the OP, as long as the carryup, locking, and end shake are acceptable, I wouldnt worry about that gap too much.

.455_Hunter said:

Excessive cylinder gap is one of my big pet peeves, especially in a high-pressure, high-performance magnum cartridge. I have bypassed purchase of several nice guns for this reason alone.

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It's pretty sad when a "war emergency" production Webley MKVI from 1916 in low pressure / low performance .455 has a tighter cylinder gap than a current S&W or Ruger magnum.