now the deal is done no going back, what does everybody think about this? i traded an almost new eaa witness compact steel frame 9mm for a very nice but used of course model 19-3 smith in blue of course, and a box of umc 125 gr jacketed soft point ammo. did i get hosed? the 19 locks up tight sounds like a bank vault when i close the cylinder and has a very good action job done to it. i paid 299.99 for the witness last year but as i carry c&l the witness with its one-sided controls didnt work for me. i know i sound like i'm having withdrawals but i think i'm happy with this. thanks
ok so i have a model 19 now woohoo
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Nick96
Member
Around here, a new plain "Witness" 9MM goes for about $350. The closest currently produced equivelant to the S&W M-19 goes for $150 plus more. So an even trade of a good used Witness for a good used S&W M-19 sounds like a good deal. And between the two, the S&W is probably the more "quality" handgun.
The M-19 .357Mag is basically a slightly beefed up S&W M-10 (or Military & Police) .38Spl that has been in production for over 100 years. Probably the most used Police handgun of the 20th century. In other words, a very refined and proven design. The M-19 came along in the 1960's & 70's in answer to Police requests for the more potent .357Mag round in a realitivly light & compact package.
Some will say the M-19's short coming is that a steady diet of full power .357Mag will cause forcing cone wear, timing problems, etc. However, if the example you have locks up tight, the gap between the cylinder and barrel is about the width of a business card and there is no visable excessive wear - it probably hasn't been shot excessivly. The truth of the matter is though, that most guns do not get shot excessivly (like tens of thousands of rounds). So the supposed issues with the M-19 never had much merit anyway for the majority of users. You will probably find that shooting .38's is going to me the most enjoyable and economical - but you will be able to shoot your heart's desire of .357's without worry. And, if anything does ever need to be fixed - S&W has a good service operation (not necessarily so with EAA). There are also ample gunsmiths and parts around for tuning and customizing if you wish.
Regarding the "user" attributes between the two guns, I think you will come to appreciate and enjoy the flexibility, accuracy and feel of shooting this revolver over the auto.
The M-19 .357Mag is basically a slightly beefed up S&W M-10 (or Military & Police) .38Spl that has been in production for over 100 years. Probably the most used Police handgun of the 20th century. In other words, a very refined and proven design. The M-19 came along in the 1960's & 70's in answer to Police requests for the more potent .357Mag round in a realitivly light & compact package.
Some will say the M-19's short coming is that a steady diet of full power .357Mag will cause forcing cone wear, timing problems, etc. However, if the example you have locks up tight, the gap between the cylinder and barrel is about the width of a business card and there is no visable excessive wear - it probably hasn't been shot excessivly. The truth of the matter is though, that most guns do not get shot excessivly (like tens of thousands of rounds). So the supposed issues with the M-19 never had much merit anyway for the majority of users. You will probably find that shooting .38's is going to me the most enjoyable and economical - but you will be able to shoot your heart's desire of .357's without worry. And, if anything does ever need to be fixed - S&W has a good service operation (not necessarily so with EAA). There are also ample gunsmiths and parts around for tuning and customizing if you wish.
Regarding the "user" attributes between the two guns, I think you will come to appreciate and enjoy the flexibility, accuracy and feel of shooting this revolver over the auto.
Assuming that the M19 "action job" was professionally done (not all are!) you have moved up in the world considerably. A lot of us would have been wiser if we had started (and stopped!) with a M19.
It will handle the .357/125s but you and it will be better served with a diet of milder stuff most of the time.
Watch the sight attachment screw on the top strap; watch the ejector rod to make sure it doesn't loosen in time; and keep the recess under the ejector star clean and dry at all times.
Enjoy.
It will handle the .357/125s but you and it will be better served with a diet of milder stuff most of the time.
Watch the sight attachment screw on the top strap; watch the ejector rod to make sure it doesn't loosen in time; and keep the recess under the ejector star clean and dry at all times.
Enjoy.
Preacherman
Member
Two load recommendations:
1. If you want a full-house .357 Magnum load, try the Winchester Silvertip 145gr. JHP. It's less punishing to the gun than the 125gr. loads, but has less kick than the full-weight 158gr. loads, and is very accurate. It's my standard carry load when I load Magnums.
2. A new and very exciting alternative (well, exciting to me, anyway!
) is the Buffalo Bore .38 Special +P 158gr. LSWCHP - it's rated at 1,000 fps from a 2" snubby barrel! That puts it well up into the light .357 Magnum energy class, and the bullet is a well-proven performer. I think that this may well displace the Winchester load in my .357's for urban shooting.
1. If you want a full-house .357 Magnum load, try the Winchester Silvertip 145gr. JHP. It's less punishing to the gun than the 125gr. loads, but has less kick than the full-weight 158gr. loads, and is very accurate. It's my standard carry load when I load Magnums.
2. A new and very exciting alternative (well, exciting to me, anyway!
) is the Buffalo Bore .38 Special +P 158gr. LSWCHP - it's rated at 1,000 fps from a 2" snubby barrel! That puts it well up into the light .357 Magnum energy class, and the bullet is a well-proven performer. I think that this may well displace the Winchester load in my .357's for urban shooting.I also just traded. I had a Model 10 that was great, except for the sights. The Model 19 has the same feel as the 10 but the sights feel like something for the 20th C vs. the 19th. I have not shot the beast yet but it carries great and the added flexibility of the caliber is just one more thing to love about it.
stans
Member
Wait a minute there Rabbi, are you saying that you are carrying a gun that you have yet to test fire?
Al Thompson
Moderator Emeritus
Here in SC, I'd trade like that all day long.
Be sure and shoot your M19 bunches - I'm pretty leery of "action jobs"" unless I know who did it. IMHO, a hundred or so rounds of ammo is a great confidence builder.
Be sure and shoot your M19 bunches - I'm pretty leery of "action jobs"" unless I know who did it. IMHO, a hundred or so rounds of ammo is a great confidence builder.
Yeah, Stans. I am. I wouldnt do that with just any gun but one of the many nice things about revolvers is that they do tend to work. I would feel reasonably comfortable picking a Smith Handejector 1899 that had been sitting on the shelf since manufacture, loading it with .38s and carrying it in reasonable assurance that it would do what it was designed for. I cant say the same thing with a 1911 in the same state.
Have someone that knows revolvers remove the grips and check the main spring screw. NOT that I look a gift horse in the mouth or anything
, but any number of Smith "Action jobs" amount to someone backing that strain screw out a turn or so.Assuming that isn't the case,,, I favor 19-3's and 19-4's simply because out of the box,,compared to their modern counterparts,,,they ALL feel like they've had an action job. What you might be feeling is simply the standard out of the box action of a 19-3.
(Yes - at one point - fine triggers were an assumed on box stock guns)
stans
Member
You are a braver man than I. I will not carry a gun, revolver or semi-auto, until I have put at least 200 rounds through it to prove that it is reliable and to determine point of aim. You would be surprised at how far off the sights can be.
burrhead
Member
Yeah, Stans. I am. I wouldnt do that with just any gun but one of the many nice things about revolvers is that they do tend to work. I would feel reasonably comfortable picking a Smith Handejector 1899 that had been sitting on the shelf since manufacture, loading it with .38s and carrying it in reasonable assurance that it would do what it was designed for. I cant say the same thing with a 1911 in the same state.
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Over the last thirty years I've owned something like twenty five S&W revolvers. Several years ago I bought a NEW M38 that had headspace problems. Had about a 3% "failure to ignite the primer" rate over 300 rounds fired. The factory replaced the cylinder and all is well.
A couple of years ago I bought a used M19 in which someone had installed a Wolff reduced power mainspring and it was very unreliable. New factory mainspring fixed it.
Bottom line is that ALL guns used for defence need to be tested.
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Over the last thirty years I've owned something like twenty five S&W revolvers. Several years ago I bought a NEW M38 that had headspace problems. Had about a 3% "failure to ignite the primer" rate over 300 rounds fired. The factory replaced the cylinder and all is well.
A couple of years ago I bought a used M19 in which someone had installed a Wolff reduced power mainspring and it was very unreliable. New factory mainspring fixed it.
Bottom line is that ALL guns used for defence need to be tested.
I finally managed to get out and shoot my Model 19 today. Wow. What a pleasure! I shot it with wimpy .38 reloads and it did just fine, very tight groupings. I shot it with .38+Ps and it did just fine. I fired it with .357magnums and it did just fine. Not a lot of recoil but it did get my attention. With the Winchester loads I had it also spit out what seemed like a wall of fire. Only negative I saw what that the front screw of the rear site began backing out.
Other than that, I can say this is maybe the smoothest action revolver I have ever shot. I may sell every other gun I own just to feed this one.
Other than that, I can say this is maybe the smoothest action revolver I have ever shot. I may sell every other gun I own just to feed this one.
jed
Member
Rabbi
If you sell every other one, want you still have half of them??
If you sell every other one, want you still have half of them??
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