I think I saw someone post that the 19s are a 38 frame, and I'd be better off with a 586 or 686 that's beefier.
Howdy Again
Not quite. The model 19 is built on the K frame.
Let's go back a little bit into the history of S&W revolvers for a slightly more thorough explanation.
This is a Smith and Wesson 38 Military and Police 1st Model, also known as the Model of 1899 Army-Navy Revolver.
This is the first revolver Smith and Wesson made for the then brand new 38 Special cartridge. The frame size of this revolver came to be known as the K frame.
This photo shows how the cylinder for the Model of 1899 was the perfect size to accept six 38 Special cartridges. Just enough metal between the chambers to contain the pressure generated when the cartridges fired. (I might add that the very first 38 Special cartridges were loaded with Black Powder, not Smokeless. Anybody who has ever reloaded the 38 Special will have noticed how much extra space there is in the case after the powder charge has been added. This is because Black Powder was not as energetic as modern Smokeless powder, and a cartridge loaded with Black Powder needed a lot of space inside for enough powder for a man stopping load.
Interestingly enough, there was no relief cut on the bottom of the forcing cone on this model.
But not too much later S&W modified the design of the gas collar on the front of the cylinder, and a relief cut was added to clear the modified gas collar. This is the forcing cone on a 38 M&P from 1939, clearly showing the relief cut. So the forcing cone is slightly thinner in the area of the relief cut. This was never a problem with 38 Special cartridges, there was never an issue with K frame forcing cones splitting with standard 38 Special ammunition.
I explained earlier how the Model 19 came about, as a 357 Magnum revolver built on the K frame, weighing less than the N frame 357 Magnum revolvers available at the time. This is the forcing cone on an N frame Model 28. The cylinder is much larger than the cylinder of a K frame revolver, so there is more space between the center of the cylinder and the center of the bore. Notice how massive the forcing cone is on this revolver, and notice there is no clearance cut because the extra space means it is not required.
Around 1980 Smith and Wesson came out with the L frame. Slightly larger than the K frame, but not as massive as the N frame.The point was there was slightly more space between the center of the cylinder and the center of the bore. So there was no need for a relief cut to clear the gas collar. This is a photo of the forcing cone on a Model 686. Not as massive as the Model 28 forcing cone, but because there is no relief cut there is no weak spot where the forcing cone might tend to split. The L frame was designed specifically with the 357 Magnum cartridge in mind, unlike 357 Magnum K frames, which are a bit of a compromise.
One more photo. Here is the forcing cone on my K frame Model 19-3. You can plainly see the relief cut. I have owned this revolver for 45 years and it is still going strong. Of course I don't shoot much Magnum ammo through it, never have. And when I do it is pretty much 158 grain Magnums.
So there you have it, how the K frame came about to house a brand new cartridge called the 38 Special. Except of course if you look at the caliber marking on any S&W 38 Special revolver it will say 38 S&W Special CTG. It is the same cartridge, S&W likes to add their name to 38 Special because they developed the cartridge. And CTG is short for Cartridge.