विवरण
This National Shooting Sports Month video features another Smith & Wesson, but it’s not another rare high end semi-automatic. Today we’re looking at a well-used workhorse example: The Model 19 “Combat Magnum”.
The .357 Magnum Cartridge was developed in the 1930’s and the first revolvers chambered to handle the powerful round were built on what would become known as S&W “N Frames”, a relatively large handgun size still used for the larger .44 Magnum caliber to this day. In the 1950’s, famed Law Enforcement Officer, Educator and Shooter Bill Jordan worked with S&W to develop a smaller framed firearm that would easier carry, but still handle the .357. The result was the Model 19 “combat magnum”. It became an incredibly popular and trusted gun, especially in law enforcement circles) and was used by several agencies for many decades.
The Model 19 in the video was my Father’s carry gun when working in plainclothes as a detective in the 1970s. It also was the centerfire handgun that I shot more than any other in the 1980s…. Though I shot mostly .38 Special rounds through it.
I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with Bill Jordan in the 1990’s before he passed. His book “No Second Place Winner” is worth reading for a look at some of what was considered cutting edge in regard to gear & technique in the 1960’s and 70’s.
Do you still have the gun that you “learned to shoot” with as a child?
Do you have a hand-me-down that carries the scratches and scrapes from decades of use? Take them to the range!
#nationalshootingsportsmonth #combatmagnum #model19