New production S&W 19

[SlimChicken]

So, I get every other Friday off from work and I've been going to gun stores on those Friday mornings. Scratch my recent post about 1911. Every time I handle a revolver it just feels right. To make a long story short, I handled Rugers, Colts, and S&Ws, and when you combine price, fit/finish, and trigger pull, the S&W 19 and 686 rise above the others (for me). I'll be honest the 19 just speaks to me. Now I know there are purists who detest non-pinned barrels, key lock holes, etc. but I can live with all that. Main questions I have for y'all are;

Cleaning; how often should one remove the side plate to clean the guts? I'm not opposed to learning a full disassembly but could one also flush the guts with lighter fluid or an aerosol gun scrubber/cleaner without full takedown?

Holster; primarily for storage, won't be a daily carry. Anybody got suggestions for a classy looking holster?

 

[ColtRevolver]

I am a revolver guy. I have guns I have owned over 30 years. I have never removed a sideplate as part of cleaning. If I get one that is really gunked up bad, I will remove the grips and soak the whole gun in Ed's Red a while and then let it drip dry. Most of the time even that isn't necessary. A flush with brake cleaner does the job.

You have to be diligent with oiling if you keep a blue gun in a leather holster to avoid rust. I would probably use a nice pistol run for storage instead of a holster.

 

[OkieStubble]

I am a revolver guy. I have guns I have owned over 30 years. I have never removed a sideplate as part of cleaning. If I get one that is really gunked up bad, I will remove the grips and soak the whole gun in Ed's Red a while and then let it drip dry. Most of the time even that isn't necessary. A flush with brake cleaner does the job.

You have to be diligent with oiling if you keep a blue gun in a leather holster to avoid rust. I would probably use a nice pistol run for storage instead of a holster.

Excellent post and advice. I am not a revolver guy, so you know the side plates never come off of my revolvers.

But I still can manage to get the small skinny straw from a rem oil can into cracks and crevices in order to clean or lube the inside clock works of my Ruger SP101.

 

[jar_]

Side plates come off (and by tapping on the reverse side) only when there is no other options available.

And the 19 is a great choice.

 

[SlimChicken]

10-4 thanks fellas. I've been around guns my whole life so honestly I don't feel too inclined to mess with the guts if I end up buying one of these. Kind of like the old Browning A-5 shotguns. If I were to ever own one of those my cleaning routine outside of the bore and exterior would be a can of brake cleaner or powder blast outside, hose out the action and then let the thing dry.

I'm 41 so for better or worse I consider myself part of the glock generation but frankly I don't like plastic guns. I'm not knocking them, they just aren't for me outside of synthetic stocked scatter guns for duck blinds. I tend to like things like Browning O/U shotguns, old A5, mini 14s, 1911s and now apparently wheel guns. When I got the 19 and the 686 in hand something clicked. And I like the looks of the 19 a lot more. I suppose I should try and handle a 586 before making any final decision but that 19 felt damn good.

 

[Acmemfg]

Carried a K frame S&W for many many years as a duty sidearm. Only things I ever removed were the grips.

 

[ColtRevolver]

I didn't carry a S&W revolver, but I did shoot metallic silhouettes over 5 years with a pair of 686 guns. I shot no less than 1k rounds of magnums a month to practice. Those guns are still as tight as new.

 

[simon1]

+1 on not storing it in a holster. Not a good practice.

I've detail stripped my 681, 1911, and single action revolvers just because I wanted to learn how and see how they worked. I've NEVER taken the side plate off of my vintage Colt Cobra. The innards are supposedly much more complicated than an S&W. And I haven't detail stripped any of them in several years....no need to. I'd go with the 19, but that's just me.

Here's a good video on basic storage.

 

[nortac]

The only time I have taken the side plate off was to change out a few parts and do a polish job. No need to do so routinely. It's also a PITA and easy to scuff things up if not real careful.

 

[simon1]

As for holsters...I've had good luck with El Paso Saddlery holsters. @Acmemfg has some beautiful looking leather so he could give some good recommendations.

 

[jar_]

Of all the holsters I've used with my 19 over the decades my old Bucheimer is still my favorite.

 

[Acmemfg]

Not for storage, but a proper holster is a must if you plan on carrying around a revolver on a regular basis.
Quality leather holsters can be made by a number of craftsmen. Among a few others, I‘m partial to the guys who made these:
Milt Sparks Leather, Kirkpatrick Leather, R. Grizzle Leather, Sam Andrews Custom Leather. There are others but these makers are top tier. Prices and availability vary.

 

[Rob72]

All my side plates come off, but I don't recommend it without some reading & watching a few videos.

Kuhnhausen S&W Shop Manuel is a great place to start. I use a 3/8" nylon rod to pop my plates.

Cylinder & Slide Dunk-Kit is a great, no worries way to clean inside & out.

I'm also part of the last generation where some hand-fitting of parts was still done at the factories; alas, no longer. "Break-in" is the pathetic answer to a lack of proper fitting. Revo parts should have only a couple of hard edges, NO casting seams and NO leftover mill-edges.

 

[Champion of Capua]

My vote would be a 2.5” 686+ Performance Center.

 

[DesertIguana]

Well back in 1960’s I had opportunity to own both 4” 19, and 2.5” Roundbutt.

Both were used on job, neither was great with my on trigger with .357 mags.

 

[Lockback]

Revolver sideplate removal = "Here, hold my beer!"

 

[Champion of Capua]

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Not for storage, but a proper holster is a must if you plan on carrying around a revolver on a regular basis.
Quality leather holsters can be made by a number of craftsmen. Among a few others, I‘m partial to the guys who made these:
Milt Sparks Leather, Kirkpatrick Leather, R. Grizzle Leather, Sam Andrews Custom Leather. There are others but these makers are top tier. Prices and availability vary.

Wow, that’s some great leather! Particularly like those 2 snubbies

 

[SlimChicken]

Well. I pulled the trigger (see what I did there). I decided I’d be less likely to lose sleep at night not having to worry about scratching up the shiny blueing and went with a stainless 686.

 

[Rob72]

4" is nice! I had the 2 & 6 inch, and liked both, but if I were doing it again, I'd go with what you picked up. Congratulations!

 

[ColtRevolver]

Excellent choice