Care and feeding of my used Model 19

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Bought a Model 19-3, have taken it to the range a few times, but have only used .38 in it so far.

If I learn to shoot with .38 pretty well, and decide to move up to the .357, how can I tell if the gun is getting worn out, and how long will it be before that happens?

Also, the cylinder already had rings inside from .38 loads, and brushing doesn't seem to help. Any suggestions?
 
If the revolver is in god condition it should last a fairly long time before repairs are needed. Extensive use of the hot 125 and 110 grainers will accellerate the wear, but the heavier bullet loads will allow it to see it's projected lifespan.
You can take a fired .357mag case and push it in the chambers to scrape most of the fouling out, or chuck a tight fitting bore/chamber brush (not a stainless steel brush though) in a varible speed drill and power it out using low speeds.
 
I have a 19-3, police trade in. The exterior of mine was pretty well trashed, but the interior was like new. I put 300 rounds of Winchester USA 110 grain JHP magnums through mine and now I can see the edge of the barrel forcing cone is no longer flat and sharp. It is roughened and the edge is definitely rounded, this is the first step in forcing cone erosion. I now restrict my 19-3 to reloads with 148 or 158 grain bullets. I think it is permissable to shoot a limited amount of lightweight magnum loads just for sighting in and familiarization, but I was shooting them for routine practice and it proved to be too much for my gun.

Another sign of wear is cylinder end shake. With the cylinder closed, see if you can push it forward and backward within the frame. More than 0.002" of movement is considered excessive.
 
Thanks for the info. If I shouldn't use lighter bullet weights that would preclude the hollowpoint defensive loads, right? It's my home defense gun, or one of them.
 
You can get a hollowpoint configuration in most any bullet weight. What we are saying is to not just exclusively shoot the hot light weight bullet loads all the time. It's the constant use of them that accellerates the wear. The heavier bullet loads creates no adverse wear to the revolvers and can be shot all the time. Most people practice and plink with the .38sp loads, but chamber the hot light weight loads for home/self defence.
Just limit the amount of 110 and 125 grainers at full power and you shouldn't run into any trouble.
 
"What is the difference between a Mod 19 and a 586?"

The M19 is a K-frame whereas the 586 is an L-frame. Basically the L-frame has a slightly beefier frame, heavier cylinder, and a full underlug barrel. It was developed to take more constant magnum use than the K-frames could.
 
OK, thanks. I've got a 586, but it doesn't seem as big as the Mod 28 I (regretfully) sold about 20 years ago.
 
The model 28 is an N-frame, which is larger than the L-frame. The L-frame, as said before, has a slightly larger cylinder and frame than the K-frame, but shares the grip and stocks with the K-frame. The N-frame is S&W's 44 magnum frame and is a good bit larger than the K or L-frames.
 
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