Opinions on 2.5" Model 19

B

Blue Duck357

New member
I'm considering a quest for a new everyday carry gun. Anyone currently carry one and or own/owned one and have thoughts on them???

Just for refernce I currently carry a 3" 65 I'm very fond of, just normally shoot a bit more confidently with the more prominant adjustable sights. Also have a 4" Model 19 I've qualified with and have carried but it took some work wardrobe wise.

Thanks, Blueduck
 
Hi Blue Duck357,
I've got a 2.5" 66, stainless version, that is sitting next to me right now. It has been my constant "house" gun for many years now. I'm going to qualify for my CCW renewal permit with it tomorrow night. It is one of my all time favorite guns; well balanced and a perfect fit. I've got the Pachmayr Gripper Professionals on it, the ones that don't cover the backstrap, and they seem to work the best for me. I don't carry it though, for that purpose I have a model 37 airweight and just bought a 640 Centennial in .357 that I pick up in a couple of days which will become my carry gun. If you can carry a 3" 65 the 2.5" 19 shouldn't be a problem at all. Do I detect a little bit of the "I need to rationalize my next gun purchase?" ;) Been through it many times myself.:D
 
Greeting's BlueDuck,

Yep, I've owned a few 2.5" model 19's & 66's in
the year's past. I always thought of them as an
excellent CCW piece; until I tried carrying one
in a Bianchi leather holster. Sorry, but I don't
remember the model number of the holster?
Anyway, I found that in most situations
the 2.5" model 19/66 was too big and bulky
for "deep cover" concealment purposes. So,
in an effort to find the "perfect fit", I switched
to a 5 shot J-frame .38 Special made by Smith
& Wesson. Finally, I settled on the original S&W
model 60 dash nothing, with a 2" barrel and
the "R" serial prefix. Its still in use today!

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member
 
Hello. In the past as a working police officer, I carried a 2 1/2" Model 19 under my coat. No problems whatsoever. I like the little things.

Best.
 
Great choice. I often carry a 2½" S&W Model 66 in a Kramer paddle holster. It conceals just fine under a jacket, and is a very comforting thing to have on one's hip! I used to carry it most of the time, until the dark side took me for its own (read: Glock!). Now, most of the time, it's a Glock at my hip... Still, I do like revolvers, and just for the fun of it, switch back to the Model 66 sometimes. Variety is the spice of life!
 
I own and carried for years a M-66 2 1/2". I was entirely satisified with it, and never had doubts about stopping power, or reliability, as with other guns. Plus, I can shoot it well.

Then, in the late 90's I was smart enough to buy the absolute BEST of them all.....a rare 3" barreled M-66. It has the advantages of the round butt and adjustable sights, but also the advantages of a 3" barrel.

You might consider shopping arround for one of these, but the 2 1/2" real hard to beat.
 
Dfariswheel

Yep, the 3" 66s are cool. Took awhile to find one. Its main advantage (for me) is that you get a full length ejector rod, handy when trying to expel HOT magnum cases.
 
Nice guns, but not to easy to find. I have a 2.5" P&R 19, and a 2.5" 66. I like them both, but for some reason my 3" 65 & 10 seem like they 'carry' better. Maybe it's the fixed sights?

Pics

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I find adjustable sights on a carry gun to be a real bother. I have a 2.5" M19 and like it very much, but would not carry a concealed gun with sights that will rip/wear clothing and catch at the wrong time slowing a draw.
 
the 2.5" 19/66 is a great carry gun as long as you are not set on stuffing it into your pocket. the only downsides are the shortened ejector rod which is just a bit shorter than the magnum cases and the sharp rear sight blade.

mastering the short tubed k-frame in DA is a great challenge and makes you a better shooter.

i personally prefer the balance of the 3" 13/65, but i understand what you mean about the low sights. if i had it to do again, i would seriously consider adding a higher profile set of sights.
 
2½" 19...
Had em, have em, like em.
Easy conceal and pack with right gear.
6 rounds your choice of fodder.
Nuff weight to be pleasant shooter.
Accuracy is there, with practice by shooter.

Sam...and it's my favorite 9mm...9X32R
 
Blue Duck

I have a couple of 2 1/2 inch K frames. They are great guns but the adjustable sight blade is hard on skin and clothing. My 65 3" RB with bobbed hammer is much easier to carry. I cannot discern any significant difference about the accuracy of one viz a viz the other be it 2.5, 3, or 4 inche barrel.

However, given the size and weight of a K frames, any auto smaller that a double stack .45 racegun is both smaller and lighter to carry.

I now carry Sig P2XX 9mms and have cut down on visits to the back doctor. These are personal preference, there are probably 20 or 30 other autos that would serve you just as well, and most of them are cheaper than the going price for a used 3" 65. Some of you might raise the issue of stopping power and ballistics. Let me say this: If you need the whoomp of a full pressure .357 for daily carry, you might want to rethink where you travel and what you do for fun/living.

The only advantage to a Revolver that I can fathom is the fact that you do not dump any forensic evidence on the ground until shot #6, and that's your option.
 
When Lew Horton came out with the 3" 66, I bought one. Liked it so much I bought another. My absolute favorite Smith. Also have a 2 1/2" 66, but that slightly longer barrel makes more of a difference than you would think in handling and longer sight radius.(plus the full length ejection). My Safariland paddle holster for the 2 1/2" fits the 3" as well, with the barrel end flush with the bottom of the holster.

My 3"s have case hardened triggers and hammers. Have seen a 3" with stainless (nickeled ?) trigger/hammer. Does anyone know if these are from the Lew Horton run or another?
 
very few stainless smiths have stainless hammers and triggers...they were replaced with conventional pieces that were "flash chromed"...i prefer the case hardened
 
Thanks for all the great replies, more fans than I thought :)

The smooth fixed sights are nice for carry, just hit better with the adjustable especially at longer ranges which I think I'd enjoy the confidense of being able to do.

AlaDan my friend been missing each other on threads lately, nice to hear your input. Honestly the six shot is likely a bit of gamemanship on my part as our twice yearly qualifications are somewhat of a social egt together and competition within the qualification. 5 shots shoot a bit of a different course thus spoiling our little "side show". Don't know if you've tried one or not (and I know they DO look funky) but if I was going to carry a five again it would be the 640. Would have never guessed just no hammer would make a gun so much different for actual day in day out carry, but for me it really did. Very underated gun for CC IMHO.

Jaysouth, good points but what I do for a living is a major bearing on my choice. I "have" to carry a S/W/Colt/Ruger 357 revolver concealed on duty by policey. Off duty it's up to me but don't genereally like the idea of switching around, too much chance of a brain fade under stress. Even barring that I do like revolvers, I reload and where I shoot at mostly you would lose a lot of brass with a semi.

Best and thanks again for all the replies!
 
My 3" M-66 is from a limited 2500 gun run, sold mostly by Ashland Shooter's Supply in Ohio. It has a BFK serial prefix, and a flash chromed hammer and trigger.
 
One of my favorites

I built several years ago and then sold when I needed a few extra $$ was a model 19, 4 inch that I cut back to just a shade over 2.5 Did a complete action job and installed a double action only roller trigger. One SLICK handgun. The advantage I had over my other 2.5 model 19 (whihk I really like) is that this one had a square butt for a bit more ease in controlling it with heavy magnums but also it had the full length ejector rod which made ejecting magnums alot easier than the short rod on the standard 19 2.5
 
As long as you are thinking about 2.5" 6 shot 357's, how about a Python snub? This one gets some funny looks at the range...

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