S&W 66/19 or Colt Trooper/Lawman?

The S&W M19 and 66 are fine guns and while certain parts such as barrels are no longer available, those parts are commonly worn out or broken with normal use. So long as you don't abuse the gun and keep Magnums with bullets lighter than 140 gr out of it, you're highly unlikely to ever have a problem that a competent gunsmith or the S&W factory couldn't fix as common wear parts like hands and cylinder stops are interchangeable with other K-Frames.

The Colt Trooper and Lawman, as have been mentioned, are also excellent revolvers but I'd be a bit more hesitant to recommend one for a "working gun" over a S&W for a couple of reasons. First, there is more than one version of both revolvers and while they share names, they are actually very different internally. The original Trooper and Lawman used Colt's older double-pawl lockwork much like the Python and Official Police. While these guns are not as delicate as some claim, they are slightly more prone to timing problems than a S&W or Ruger. Also, they lock up differently and conditions like slight rotational play in the cylinder at full lockup, which would be perfectly normal and acceptable on a S&W or Ruger, are indicative of major timing issues which require the attention of a gunsmith.

Starting with the Trooper/Lawman Mk. III and continuing through the Trooper Mk. V and King Cobra, Colt changed their lockwork to a simpler design more akin to a S&W or Ruger. While Colt enthusiasts don't find these guns quite as desirable as the earlier versions, they are in fact very good guns that are probably stronger and more durable than their predecessors. I personally have always liked the look of the Mk. III in particular due to their half-lug barrels (probably because I'm a S&W guy). One important caveat, however, is that these revolvers should not be dry fired without snap caps as they are prone to break firing pins if such is done and Colt are the only ones with the tools to replace them.

With any Colt DA revolver, my main concern would be the availability of parts and the fact that few gunsmiths are qualified to work on them. While they are fine guns that I certainly wouldn't mind owning and shooting occasionally, for a gun that will be shot and/or carried regularly I'd personally prefer one that can be readily serviced if need be.
 
Tom,
I dunno on date range, they just told him they couldn't correct endshake & BC gap again, frame had stretched too far.
There have been similar issues with 19s elsewhere.

Otherwise, I did say you're better off with S&W for parts. :)

And every time I mention the Colt parts & service issue, I get Colt fans getting irate & telling me they run forever, no problem, get the Colt, you'll love it.
In trying to explain it to people considering buying a classic Colt & shooting it heavily, it invariably brings on "No, you're wrong, they'll outlast you", and so on. :)

I have a small stock of spare parts for my older Smiths, and a few for my older Colts.
The Colts just don't get fired nowdays. :)

But, hope you enjoy your 19, NRN.
Denis
 
Your friend must really like shooting heavy .357 loads through his M19 to have stretched the frame on it that badly. I have found that over the years the lighter loads are not only more pleasurable to shoot, they put less stress on the gun.

It seems that the K frames just don't like a constant diet of full power .357's. When the .357 was first developed, the N frame was the only gun that S&W marketed in that caliber. There was even a hot .38 Special load that was recommended for the .38-44 Outdoorsman or Heavy Duty.

I have a couple K frame .357's and I generally only shoot .38 Specials through them. I believe that with this kind of use, they will last me forever.
 
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The K-Frame .357s were built during an era where .38s were used for practice & .357s for carry, in general.
Jordan had a great deal to do with the introduction of the 19 & he acknowledged it was not generally used with high-volume magnum loads.
Denis
 
I have both, as others have noted the M-19 is really a 38 that can shoot 357s when needed, the Trooper-both models-is a true 357. The S&W L frame was meant to compete with the Python. Yes, parts for the older Colts are hard to come by.
 
RN, I think you made a very good choice for size reasons if nothing else.

From your first post I am guessing you're a woman. Hey, these days, mentioning a "boyfriend" may not mean the poster is a woman, right? So, I'm guessing.

The snubby Lawman you fired was probably a MK III model with a rounded butt and slimmer grips than the 4-inch Lawman or Trooper MK III models.

If you had bought the 4-inch Trooper, you may have found that the grips were too big for you. They are not small grips, being on the edge of too big for even my manly hands. Actually, I have smallish hands compared to many other men.

The S&W should fit you better and there are a huge number of aftermarket choices for customization.

Bart Noir
 
Can't really add anything that hasn't been said here, but I have owned both and there is something about the Colt. I sold mine Colt some years ago and that's one of those gun regrets we all have. The Colt is a bit stronger than the k frame, if that's an issue, I have shot a lot of full power 357 in my model 19 and yeah I did have to have it repaired once. A Trooper should hood up a little better but getting one repaired my be a little harder, does Colt still support these?

In a snub nose I really like the Colt over the S&W, if you can find one and afford it go for a Python absolutely. But the snubby Trooper is pretty darn hard to beat.

Ed
 
SaxonPig, was there ever a Trooper with less than an 4-inch barrel? I haven't seen one, but since there was a 2 1/2-inch Python it may be possible.

I was referring to the 2-inch Lawman, which is mostly a Trooper. Just forget about adjusting the rear sight :p

The short barreled Lawman was not a favorite of mine. It seemed too big and heavy to benefit from an easy-to-hide short barrel. I had two of those short Lawman and turned one into a 4-inch gun and sold the other. I did like the round butt on the Lawman snubby, just not the overall concept of large gun with short barrel.

Bart Noir
 
Colt Trooper Mark III and S&W 66-2 won out!

Well, after bidding, losing, watching.... I finally landed a beauty. It's a Colt Mark III Trooper, 4"bbl, nickel-plated. It's a gem. I do not anticipate shooting it regularly at the range, I just really like it :-). And, yep, I meant the classic Colt cylinder (not barrel, oops) release.

The other is what I anticipate will be my main range gun as it is also more durable stainless steel material than the nickel-plate: S&W 66-2, 4"bbl with Hogue grips. I'll have to try them both out to see which has the best accuracy, hand feel and such for target shooting.

Thanks! I continue to learn so much from you guys.
 

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The S&W 19/66 were excellent revolvers. K frame magnums were in production 50 years before they were discontinued. And remained in production 25 years after the introduction of the L frame 586/686. There was never anything wrong with them. S&W has reintroduced the Model 66.

But if you have a Trooper the 686 is similar in size and an excellent magnum that is still in production and can be had with 7 round capacity.

Off topic, as far as the Python goes its a nice gun with a cult following. But for my money the better gun is the S&W model 27, preferably blue with the 3 1/2 inch barrel.
 
I like the K or L frame S&W over the Colts for shooting. Especially d/a, s/a either one is great. I own both brands, don't remember the last time I shot the Colts. I have a Python and an old 38 (pin on hammer) Trooper, the Trooper has a pretty nice D/A, still prefer the S&W.
 
While I mentioned this in my previous post, I think it bears repeating since you now own a Trooper Mk. III:

Do not dry fire your Colt Trooper Mk. III without snap caps. The Trooper Mk. III is known to break firing pins if dry fired without snap caps and it's a factory-only job to replace them. Compounding the problem, the Trooper Mk. III (and all other Colt DA revolvers) has been out of production long enough that the factory may or may not have replacement firing pins.
 
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