The “Comp” is the port ahead of the front sight that redirects escaping gases up and helps handgunners to manage muzzle flip. So, when the company revived the M19, they brought back an updated version of it. S&W’s Performance Center produced a revolver known as the “K-Comp” back in 1994. The Model 19’s round-butt frame is apparent when looking at the backstrap that curls inside the walnut stocks. Accuracy ranged from good to great with Hornady’s 158-grain XTP JHP load standing out as a clear favorite. That said, the grips controlled recoil extremely well and muzzle flip was evident with only the most powerful loads tested. S&W’s factory grips have always felt big in my hands and the checkered hardwood set on this gun were no exception. Sights on the Model 19 Classic feature the legendary, red-ramped front that aligns within the a fully adjustable rear notch. The single-action (SA) pull was an even 4 pounds with very faint creep. Our test gun’s double-action (DA) trigger broke at just under 10 pounds with only the slightest hint of grit near the end of its pull. The Classic wears a red ramp front sight pinned to the barrel shroud, along with a plain black micrometer-click rear sight that is adjustable for both windage and elevation. The current-production sights have not lost that magic. S&W’s adjustable revolver sights have been the standard by which other handgun sights were judged for decades. To the end user, it is sights and triggers that really matter when it comes to hitting with a handgun. Along with the hammer, the trigger is a MIM’d part that’s color-cased hardened. In comparison, the gap on my 1960s-vintage version measured. Using a feeler gauge, I measured the gap on the test gun at. Though traditionalists might look down at the two-piece barrel arrangement, the truth is that it results in a tighter cylinder gap than many one-piece versions. This eliminates the need to time the barrel threads precisely to the frame so that the barrel cinches-up with the sights in the correct position.
The two-piece design allows for the factory to install a stainless steel cylindrical barrel that is covered by a blued, steel shroud and capped at the muzzle with a flange. While previous M19 barrels were made of a single steel forging that included the ejector shroud and often the front sight, the Classic uses a two-piece arrangement. It’s available in a single 41/4-inch barrel length with a profile that closely matches the original contour. Viewing the muzzle, the two-piece barrel-and-shroud system eliminated the labor involved with timing a one-piece barrel. It sports a polished blue finish, a chamfered cylinder and walnut stocks. This is a very traditional-looking firearm, albeit with some modern design elements. The M19 Classic is a throwback to the original 1950s’-era revolver, complete with the “Combat Magnum” rollmark on the barrel. Both the hammer and smooth-faced trigger are finished in a manner that roughly approximates the company’s traditional case colors, though they lack the swirling blues and purples that made early generations really pop. Like all models produced since 1997, new guns are fit with metal-injection-molded (MIM) hammers, thumb pieces and triggers. Actuating the lock prevents movement of either the hammer or trigger, effectively rendering the gun inert. This round lock, which sits in the frame just above the cylinder release/thumb piece, allows the user to lock the action using a counter-clockwise twist with a proprietary key. Yes, this means that they feature the much-maligned internal lock.
Unique to the Model 19-9, the cylinder’s yoke locks into a detent-spring assembly inside the frame, above the serial number. The new revolvers also incorporate the design changes made during the late 1990s, including the updated lockwork. So, to streamline production, all of the frames are made round. The reality is that grips can be used to effectively convert round butt guns to a square butt, but the inverse is impossible. For starters, all Model 19s produced since 1996 have featured round butts. The revolvers’ carbon-steel, forged K-frame is a close facsimile of the original, with a few notable changes. Smith & Wesson Performance Center Model 19 Carry comp. They are the traditionally-styled Model 19 Classic and the Performance Center Carry Comp. These revolvers are available in two formats, with distinct models envisioned for different roles. 357 Mag.: $826Ĭurrent-production M19s represent the ninth change in the revolver since its introduction and are therefore, technically, called the 19-9. Smith & Wesson Performance Center Model 19 Classic.