I want a new revolver

[glocktogo]

If I had the funds, I'd buy this gorgeous, pristine S&W Model 19-5, 6" nickel .357 with giraffe bone grips posted on a forum local to me. It's a steal at $750, but I'm gun poor right now.



I had it's big brother in the past (6" nickel Model 27-2 .357) and foolishly sold it. I gotta learn to stop doing that.

[Pappabear]

I have a few nice smiths. One to consider is the M&P 8 shot Performance center gun. Any of the Performance Center guns have nice upgrades IMHO.

I do like the older pinned-recessed- firing pins variety guns as well. It’s really like most decisions, personal preference.
Keep us posted.

PB

[1986s4]

If it were ME, and it's not... There's no way I'd want a comped 3" .357 mag.. Too much blast. F-that. Cool, yes... Practical... Hmmm... Not for me.

If I was going to buy new... I'd get the 8-shot Performance Center 627 4", OR if you must HAVE a comp, get the full 627 V-comp. The comp out of the 5" is much more tame. I have the big brother 629 V-Comp in .44 mag and it's a tack driver. The v-comp is more $$$ but worth every penny IMHO. Go big or go home. Just my two cents.

I with you on the short barrel comp thing. For a gun that maybe used up close and personal I don't want that blast going anywhere but away from me.

[BillB]

The 586 LComp looks rad man. I think that would be a slick blaster, particularly with some trigger work and larger set of stocks you can get your entire hand on. The comp will just reduce muzzle rise, at the expense of blast and noise increases.

Alternatively you could pick up one of the Korth revolvers imported by Nighthawk Custom. Not sure what your budget is but those revolvers are supposed to be superb.

https://www.nighthawkcustom.com/korth

The L comp is actually a PC model and has had trigger and action work and an extra set of fuller size grips so it's all there. I agree, it's a sweet gun.

[BillB]

If I had the funds, I'd buy this gorgeous, pristine S&W Model 19-5, 6" nickel .357 with giraffe bone grips posted on a forum local to me. It's a steal at $750, but I'm gun poor right now.



I had it's big brother in the past (6" nickel Model 27-2 .357) and foolishly sold it. I gotta learn to stop doing that.

Good Lord Almighty that a gorgeous piece!!! Just not what I'm after, agreed though, it's a steal.

[BillB]

If it were ME, and it's not... There's no way I'd want a comped 3" .357 mag.. Too much blast. F-that. Cool, yes... Practical... Hmmm... Not for me.

If I was going to buy new... I'd get the 8-shot Performance Center 627 4", OR if you must HAVE a comp, get the full 627 V-comp. The comp out of the 5" is much more tame. I have the big brother 629 V-Comp in .44 mag and it's a tack driver. The v-comp is more $$$ but worth every penny IMHO. Go big or go home. Just my two cents.

Nope the comp is low on my list of must have but I am wanting a shorter barrel. The 627 is definitely in the running but I seem to have really fallen for the 586 L comp. And, I've watched quite a few vids of it doing its thing and using factory ammo I could not see any fireballs streaking towards the sky. Several of the guys even purposefully videoed at near or full dark. Even at no light the blast wasn't bad at all.
I dont own ANY comp'ed firearms but I swear, I dont see it being too big an issue, 3" or 5", not that big a difference it wouldn't seem. How much extra burn do you get in that extra 2"? I'm asking that seriously.

[The Dumb Gun Collector]

I had a 640 pro a while back (sadly, 5 shot). Great gun. I sold it when I was buying my property but I miss it.

[c1ogden]

But it's been since forever since I bought a new one. Actually, I only have two, a redhawk 357 and a m27 357 obviously. I dont shoot either due to their extreme sentimental value to me so I want to buy one to actually shoot.
I'm leaning towards a Smith if for no other reason than the multitude of choices. Probably a K or L frame. Now, my big issue........ new or pre-lock?????
I have to say, I really like the looks of some of Smith's newer guns. The 686+, 627 PC and the fact that I can now have a powerful revolver with more than 6 rounds ( not that that's that important)but I never see any locally to be able to handle ANY model. I live on Marylands Eastern Shore and all you find here is shotguns and fishing rods at any LGS. So, I just dont know $#!+ about a newer Smiths quality. Whenever I look on the net or YouTube to try to make a decision or see what other folks are getting for their money it's always about a 50/50 wash with a few guys getting happy feelings and others getting junk and headaches. And, the guys who are happy, what's their definition of a "quality" gun? Is it the same as mine? Dont know. I like to think I have a pretty high standard where guns are concerned.
So how about anyone here? Anybody have a newer Smith and are very pleased with the quality? Posted that you wanted probably close to $900 which seems to be the average damn revolver price these days?What model? What about it has impressed you? How do you feel about that stupid ass hole in the side plate? Can you compare the action to say, a M27-3?
Too, I'd be just as happy with an older model so I could send it out to a good smith for tuning and cosmetics. I friggin love a beautiful blued revolver, ss is great too. I will say though, nobody knows how to blue a gun anymore, no company anyway. I love my black rifles but not a revolver.
So I'm just looking for wisdom and knowledge. Old? New? Any models to avoid? A rather disjointed and circuitous route to a question I know. Perhaps that's why I can come to a decision on my own.
Blessed is he who offers advice.

I prefer the K frame over the L frame but that's a matter of personal preference. I don't shoot a lot of .357 so my K frames aren't being stressed. If I was one of those guys who shoots lots of .357 I would definitely go for the L frame. Unless you have such a need for the L, or just happen the like the heavier gun, I'd stay with the K.

New or pre-lock? Definitely pre-lock for me! I won't own one. The lock adds nothing but complexity and is just something else to break. More parts in the gun = more parts that can fail. There were stories going around about these locks jamming and leaving the gun inoperable. A lot of keyboard commandos dismissed the idea as urban legends as they had never seen it happen so the stories must be false. It didn't happen too often but it did happen enough that I'd never depend on a gun with a key lock. I am personally familiar with three cases, two of them involved S&W and one was a Taurus. One of the Smiths was owned by a police officer who was never able to complete his qual course without the lock engaging in the middle of a shot string. Last I heard he still had a problem after several repair attempts and was undecided on whether to sell the gun and buy one that had no lock or to just remove the lock from his gun (a violation of PD rules). Additionally, the presence of the lock is a constant reminder of how S&W sold us out by caving in to the demands of an corrupt president and his subversive wife.

Many of the newer guns also have 2 piece barrels like the old Dan Wesson guns with the interchangeable barrels and some have different cylinder locking points. While they seem to work well they are not the traditionally correct style that I love so much.

As far as trying out the different guns, start going to public ranges and gun clubs and ask around - somebody will have what you want to try or they will know somebody else who has it and most shooters are ore than happy to let you try out their guns. I've loaned guns to other guys at the range dozens of times. As far back as the early 90s when CompuServe started a gun forum I hooked up with almost a dozen newbies who wanted to try out a particular gun. If I or one of my brothers didn't have it then one of my brother officers almost always did. Show up and ask! Try several different types before you buy so you'll know you're getting the best fit. Good luck and good shooting!

[Firefly]

If you are paranoid, you can always take out the ILS on a newer Smith.

Otherwise, it is possible to get a really slick trigger out of a newer Smith.
My hogging .44 has a hillary hole and it does okay.

The only Smith I'd go out of my way for to get a pre-lock is an old popo Heavy Barrel model 10. More to just have. For shooting, I have a Model 65 and a PPC model 10.

I just like the classic A E S T H E T I C of the old oiled Police model 10 when men were men and wore razor crease polyester uniformed and Brasso shined adornments and used either Nyclad ammo or LSWCHP. They carried cocobolo sticks or blackjacks, no tasers, and didnt wear faggy 5.11 crap that looks like something the police extras in Robocop 1987 wore. Shined boots. And only broke out the autopistol if this time....it was personal.

Perhaps I am a bit mawkish, but there is something about good, honest revolver work.

[BillB]

I prefer the K frame over the L frame but that's a matter of personal preference. I don't shoot a lot of .357 so my K frames aren't being stressed. If I was one of those guys who shoots lots of .357 I would definitely go for the L frame. Unless you have such a need for the L, or just happen the like the heavier gun, I'd stay with the K.

New or pre-lock? Definitely pre-lock for me! I won't own one. The lock adds nothing but complexity and is just something else to break. More parts in the gun = more parts that can fail. There were stories going around about these locks jamming and leaving the gun inoperable. A lot of keyboard commandos dismissed the idea as urban legends as they had never seen it happen so the stories must be false. It didn't happen too often but it did happen enough that I'd never depend on a gun with a key lock. I am personally familiar with three cases, two of them involved S&W and one was a Taurus. One of the Smiths was owned by a police officer who was never able to complete his qual course without the lock engaging in the middle of a shot string. Last I heard he still had a problem after several repair attempts and was undecided on whether to sell the gun and buy one that had no lock or to just remove the lock from his gun (a violation of PD rules). Additionally, the presence of the lock is a constant reminder of how S&W sold us out by caving in to the demands of an corrupt president and his subversive wife.

Many of the newer guns also have 2 piece barrels like the old Dan Wesson guns with the interchangeable barrels and some have different cylinder locking points. While they seem to work well they are not the traditionally correct style that I love so much.

As far as trying out the different guns, start going to public ranges and gun clubs and ask around - somebody will have what you want to try or they will know somebody else who has it and most shooters are ore than happy to let you try out their guns. I've loaned guns to other guys at the range dozens of times. As far back as the early 90s when CompuServe started a gun forum I hooked up with almost a dozen newbies who wanted to try out a particular gun. If I or one of my brothers didn't have it then one of my brother officers almost always did. Show up and ask! Try several different types before you buy so you'll know you're getting the best fit. Good luck and good shooting!

Good post, thank you for the effort. I e thought of just the very thing you suggest with the ranges and clubs. Several problems with that for me. One there are no ranges near me. I'm extremely fortunate to have a good friend who owns a farm with some wide open stretches who will let me shoot there saving me a 45 minute drive to the range. I do go there when I want to shoot very long ranges as they have a 600 meter lane. Nice range but expensive to use and far away. Two, when I am there I will go and look at what people are shooting to see if there is something I'd like to try and offering time behind any of mine in exchange but I dont recall ever seeing anyone with a revolver there, at least not when I've been there. Three, and this is just a personal thing, the people here, the shooters too, are very unapproachable people. I mean they're just way different from me and how I was raised. Hell, maybe it me, I dont know but I've lived on 3 different continents, 4 countries and I think 9 states and have just never seen the like of the people here, all reasons, among many, I cant wait to leave. LGS's just dont carry revolvers as a normal matter of course, its shotguns and fishing rods here. Hell they dont even carry the ubiquitous MSR. It's really a communist state. There is one store in a nearby town who does carry ARs etc but their stock is always very, very limited. They're the best guys I've found here but that's it.
All sad I know but what a ya gonna do.
Some of the things you mention above are some of the detrimental characteristics I've heard about the newer Smith's too. Obviously I have no direct or firsthand knowledge of any of them but just stuff I've read. I do agree 100% about the lock adding nothing positive but complicating the gun and possibly being a detriment to tuning and function.
I like the L frame, the K frame, the N frame ,Hell, even the J. I like all of them but I WANT an L frame this time around. It's like everybody says, myself included, a revolver seem to be a more personal decision than most other types. I'm just trying to see what most people have experienced with newer Smith's. I know they seemed to have some QC issues for a time but it seems they may have got it smoothed out. I'm not too crazy about them having a sleeve the bullet is fired through and not a barrel but they, from what I've read, seem to hold up ok and seem to be as accurate too.
I've just been away from revolvers for way too long and behind the curve here. I'll get there eventually I suppose. Like I said, I'm just seeking some wisdom from folks I trust.