Today's Take
A second version of the new Model 19 comes from the S&W Performance Center and is known as the Model 19 Carry Comp. This serious little packing pistol comes with a 3″ barrel and, as the official name suggests, is compensated. The front sight, which is a Trijicon unit, is set back from the front edge of the barrel enough to allow room for the port. This port makes a huge difference in felt recoil, making .38 Spl. loads feel like shooting .22s and full-house magnums seem more like .38 Spl. shots.
Just as with the Model 19 Classic, this version has a rounded butt. It comes with custom wood grips that do not fill in the backstrap or under the butt and have one finger groove on the front strap. In addition to this grip Smith & Wesson also provides a very comfortable, more hand-filling wrap-around rubber grip that also fills in at the bottom of the butt.
This grip combined with the porting makes this the most comfortable short-barreled .357 Mag. gun I’ve ever fired. In fact, I enjoyed shooting this one so much I gathered up all the ammunition I could find and went through 16 different .38 Spl. loads and seven .357 Mag. loads. All loads were fired at a self-defense distance of 7 yards with groups averaging 1″ or less. My favorite Black Hills 125-gr. JHP clocked out at 1,275 fps and placed 5 shots in 1″. The Black Hills 158-gr. JHP at 1,055 fps and the SIG SAUER 125-gr. FMJ (1,250 fps) are also excellent shooting and delivered groups less than 1″.
The Performance Center Model 19-9 Carry Comp has an MSRP of $1,092 while the 19-9 Classic Combat Magnum’s MSRP is $826.
For more info:
Smith & Wesson
Ph: (800) 331-0852
www.americanhandgunner.com/company/smith-wesson/
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