Wheelgun Wednesday: One Year With The S&W Model 19 Carry Comp

Welcome back to another Wheelgun Wednesday. This week, I wanted to check out one of my favorite revolvers in my collection, the Smith & Wesson Model 19 Carry Comp. I’ve had this model for just over a year and over time, I have made a few small changes. Throughout my time with the Model 19, there have been some positive as well as a couple of negative aspects. Let's take a closer look at the S&W Model 19 Carry Comp.

What I Enjoyed Over The Last Year

Over the last year, I’ve decided to take the Model 19 Carry Comp out to the range way more than the typical handgun in my collection. These revolvers call back to another time where people wanted a snubnose revolver for self-defense with the ability to shoot magnum rounds if a situation arises for extra power. In terms of a shooter, the K frame has almost zero muzzle rise with .38 Special, but the big difference doesn't come into focus until you load up .357 Magnum into this beast and start firing at the range.

The open top comp does a phenomenal job at cutting down the felt recoil, especially with hotter magnum loads. Having the ability to comfortably shoot both .38 Special and the hotter .357 Magnum loads makes this a fun range gun, along with a great carry option. Another positive part of the Model 19 Carry Comp is the trigger; the double action is as heavy as a typical double action trigger, but it's consistent with a predictable break that you can stage fairly easily with a few dry fire repetitions.

Upgrades I’ve Done

Over the past year, I have changed a couple of things on the Model 19 so it doesn't look like a stock snub nose revolver. After taking the Model 19 Comp out for the first few range sessions, the enlarged wood grips just didn't fit the contour of my hand. I loved the overall size of the K frame, but the grip just wasn't large enough. I ended up snagging a pair of Ivory grips from Altamont grips that have the Smith & Wesson logo set into the grips. I also installed an old-school grip adapter to improve the overall grip angle, which makes shooting the Model 19 easier under stress.

Using this combination of Altamont grips in conjunction with the grip adapter gives more grip for a larger set of hands while remaining small enough to carry concealed without having it be a pain after a few hours. The factory grips looked fantastic, but they just didn't fit my hand, and those were the biggest complaint I had with the original configuration. Now that I changed the grips out, this snub nose is one of my personal favorites in the collection and shoots softer than my L-Frame 686 Plus when they are shot side by side. Apart from the grips, I wouldn't change anything else. I think Smith & Wesson did a fantastic job with the trigger and build quality on their revolver line.

Carrying The Model 19 Carry Comp

It's becoming increasingly rare for people to choose a revolver over a pocket-sized semi-auto handgun. Almost everyone that I talk to who carries a revolver still often chooses the smaller J-Frame revolver or Colt Detective Special in an effort to be as lightweight and compact as possible, but these midsize snubnose revolvers are becoming less and less common to see people carrying on a daily basis. I decided to order a Kydex holster from ANR Design that looks similar to leather on the outside, but has all the benefits of retention from the more rigid Kydex holsters.

Overall Thoughts

Over the last year, I have grown to really enjoy my Model 19 Carry Comp and if I’m being honest, this revolver is the reason I have bought several revolvers in the last couple of months. It has a mix of classic with modern machining with the open top compensator. This Model 19 may not be the cheapest option in Smith & Wesson's line up but it's certainly an enjoyable gun to shoot as well as carry. Have you guys ever shot the Model 19 Carry Comp? If you have any experiences, be sure to talk about them in the comments below. If you have questions about the Model 19 Carry Comp or firearms in general, feel free to message me on Instagram @fridgeoperator. Stay safe out there and we will see you next week for another edition of Wheelgun Wednesday.