Please educate me on this s&w model 19-7

[Viper99]

Hello all,
I bough this model 19-7 from my local gun dealer and paid $550 out the door. It belonged to one of the workers there and he said he never fired it but did dry fired it. I know.. I know but I have gotten good deals from them before and wanted to feed the local guys in order to get a better deal in the future.

Can the experts here tell if I overpaid / they're misrepresented the gun / did I get a decent deal?

By the way, this is my first revolver.

Regards to all.

 

[Viper99]

more pictures

 

[Viper99]

finally

 

[Bob Wright]

Well, I don't think you got a wham-doodler of a bargain, but don't think you got taken, either.

From the photos, gun looks very good, stocks a little warped at the butt. I'd say you got a fair deal from them. Smiths are beginning to escalate in value. Just sold two N-Frames for $650, and another for $700. Trying to get $800 for one more. K-Frames just slightly under those prices.

I think you ought to be satisfied.

Bob Wright

 

[bigStag]

You paid what its worth which is what you can expect when you go to a dealer.

I would have paid that.

 

[Chaz88]

I would have paid that. I recently paid little more than that for a 19-2 in nickel.

 

[Viper99]

I would have paid more for a stainless 66 but I am just starting to get into revolvers. Too beautiful to resist. But not enough knowledge to know a good deal vs a bad one. lol

I want a snub in .357 next.

 

[James K]

You can't go far wrong with a Model 19.

Jim

 

[hAkron]

In some markets, 19's are worth more than 66's. I would have tried to talk him down to $500, but I would have still been secretly happy to get a 4" model 19 in the box for $550.

 

[jglsprings]

Looks like box and papers included... I think you did well.

 

[Viper99]

Yes, the box, manuals are included.

 

[18DAI]

You got a good deal on the last of the the desireable S&W revolvers.

The 19-7 was the next to last variant of the famed model 19. The 19-7 is the last variant I purchased having no interest in the model 19-8. My 19-7 is a matte bead blast blue example made for the Diplomatic Security Service arm of the State Department.

The 19-7 was the last model 19 to have a hammer mounted firing pin. The later 19-8 had a frame mounted firing pin. The 19-7 line had forged parts as well. Although I've come across a couple of late 19-7's which had a MIM thumb latch and MIM trigger.

Everything you need in a revolver and nothing you don't. Enjoy that fine model 19-7 ! Regards 18DAI

 

[Bob Wright]

I was in a local gun shop this morning ans saw a beautiful S&W Model 19, 6" and nickel plated. Pristine from what I saw~ asking price $1095. Similar 4" blue was $795.

Thought you might be interested.

Bob Wright

 

[old bear]

Viper99, look at it this way, you did not pay to much, you just bought a little early. As several others have suggested S&W prices had REALLY gone up over the last year and, sadly, I don't see them coming down any time soon. So in 12 - 18 months you can brag how you were able to snag your M-19 at a great price.

No matter what you paid, you now own one of the finest production revolvers ever produced. Remember to shoot and enjoy it.

 

[BigJimP]

I think you did real well on the price...

The model 19-7 is the last engineering version that most of us would want in the model 19 ...because its prior to the MIM hammer and internal frame locks that show up on the model 19-8's in 1988 ...( model 19 was discontinued in November 1999) according to the S&W book...

Your gun looks like a Square Butt...and in 1995 - 96 in the model 19-7 run, they deleted the square butt...( so your gun was probably made in 1994) when the model 19-7 first shows up.

I would have bought it at that price / and in that condition.
----------
like someone said, looks like the stocks are a little warped. You can easily find some K frame, square butt stocks at most local gunshows...and you might try "steaming" the stocks you have ( off the gun )....wrap them in a damp, not wet, bar towel....and run an old steam iron over them for several minutes...trying to get the wood to relieve some of its stress..and move back...wrap them in that "damp" towel...held firmly, and squarely, by something like a woodworking vice grip clamp ....for 3 or 4 days..and then take the towel off ...and see if they flatten out and stay that way.

they might move back to square ...to eliminate that gap on the base of the grip area ...or they might not...hard to tell.

If it doesn't work...there are lots of replacement stocks around ( or you might even try to flatten the current stocks with some sand paper, sanding them by hand, on a good flat steel surface ( like the top of a table saw ).. or a good stationary belt sander..../ but the trick is holding them square as you sand then flat and true - and its hard to do...

 

[Viper99]

Same person I bough this from has a S&W model 29 in mint condition that I might need a crow bar to get it from him. By I will try.

 

[bedbugbilly]

I went to look at a 19-3 the other day - 4" that was listed in excellent condition - no box or papers. They had it at $589 and when I talked to them on the phone, they said the price was firm. It was a trade in. I've dealt with the dealer before - they've been in business for many years and are known for their fair prices. Anyway, by the time I drove to their shop - it was gone. I mainly shoot 38s but thought it would be nice to have the option of 357 as I reload. I was prepared to pay the $589 if it was as described as I wanted a good shooter in 4". Smiths are out there but the prices are going up and in my area, there doesn't seem to be a lot of the older vintage ones showing up. I think that you got a fair deal, especially with the box and papers.

 

[Glenn Dee]

I'm going to say that you hit a home run on that purchase. Really nice gun, great price... I noticed some paper work in the background.. if you have the box and papers even better. If you have the cleaning tools and the screw driver.. your in Model 19 heaven.

You did good, and the dealer did good by you...

 

[Jeff #111]

You did just fine. I'be bought most of my guns from dealers and that's not a bad price considering what the market is doing right now. A couple weeks ago I purchased a 6" Model 19-3 (box and papers included) from a co-worker for $475.00. My co-worker stated that he figured in a shop that same Model 19 would probably sale for $650. I told him that he's probably right, but if he had sold it to a dealer he probably wouldn't have gotten $475.00 and he agreeded. As stated by another poster in a year you'll be able to brag about the great price you got.

A couple months ago I saw a 4"bl 19-4 for sale in a LGS for $700.00 and it sold! So you did just fine.

 

[tacticalmedic]

That's a beautiful piece of artwork. You did good. I traded a S&W 5946 for a model 19-3 a few years ago. The 5946 was a Cincinnati PD trade in I bought for $250. I almost felt bad trading him even.