As you probably know, the history if the M19/66 & by extension the M13 is rich. Bill Jordan, head of the Border Patrol, was asked by S&W for his insight into a new combat revolver. I think you'll enjoy this -
S&W M19
I am currenty M19/66-less having sold off my last one for an "upgrade", M686 w/ 2 1/2" barrel. I have a 6 1/2" M686 which is a hoot to shoot & carry in a full holster in the field. Unfortunately, the mass of the gun does not work well as a concealed carry weapon which is what the 2 1/2" version is supposed to be. Indeed, it drags my pants down! The M19 that I had never did that.
As an aside, I put perhaps ~1,000 .357 JHP's & handload lead WC's combined through mine. I never used a bullet heavier than 125 gr. The factory load I used was the Federal 125 gr. JHP. When I got rid of it, the forcing cone still looked good. The cylinder face was etched, but not dimensionally off. This was according to the gunsmith who took it in trade. I too have heard the comments about full-on loads through the M19 variants but they do not jive with my experience. As an aside, my M19 had a pinned barrel as yours does whereas ny M66 did not.
It must be the perspective of the shot. The loads look squatty in your picture and I would have lost money on the bet that they were .38's!
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by longbough
The ammo is .38sp Federal Premium Hydra-Shoks.
I didn't shoot much .357 through it because many indoor ranges in Northern California don't allow magnums (go figure). Also I had heard that a steady diet of .357 can weaken the frame of an m-19. I believe that's why the 586 with the full ejector shroud was created which was more sturdy. Still, the m19 is a prettier gun.
I don't shoot the gun much, mainly because I'm a semiauto shooter. The revolver is fun but a bitch to clean compared to my autoloaders (but not as bad as my single action .45 Colt). Still, I want to learn how to shoot that thing fast like the pros some day. I'll probably get another .357 to tune up and have it cut for full moon clips.
I've been itching lately to get an M29-2 (8 3/8" or 6 1/2"). As with the m19 I like the early deep, bright blueing. I've lusted for the M29 since I was a kid watching Dirty Harry, Taxi Driver and The Road Warrior (Lord Humungus's scoped M-29).
|