Description
The Smith Wesson PC Model 19 Carry Comp 357 is The Smith Wesson PC Model 19 Carry Comp 357 is the Performance Center version of the Combat Magnum, built around a three inch barrel with a PowerPort vent cut through the top. Six rounds of 357 Magnum in a K-frame is a serious carry proposition on its own, and the port is there to deal with what that cartridge does to the muzzle.
Gas escaping upward at the vent counteracts recoil rise, which brings the sights back into alignment faster than an unported barrel of the same length. Performance Center hand fitting means the action is usually smoother out of the box than standard production.
Smith Wesson PC Model 19 Carry Comp 357 Smith Wesson PC Model 19 Carry Comp 357 PowerPort Barrel And K Frame Balance
Porting matters more with 357 Magnum than with anything else you might put in a K-frame. Full-power magnum loads out of a three inch barrel produce a great deal of gas and a sharp muzzle rise, and the PowerPort on the Smith Wesson PC Model 19 Carry Comp 357 redirects some of that gas upward to push the muzzle back down. The measurable result is a shorter time between a shot and a sight picture for the next one.
Three inches is a well judged barrel length for this gun. It is long enough to give the powder somewhere to burn, which reduces the flash and recovers some of the velocity a two inch barrel throws away, and short enough to clear a holster quickly and ride under a jacket.
The K-frame is what makes it shootable. Six rounds, a grip that fits a full adult hand, and enough weight to keep magnum recoil in the manageable range rather than the punishing one. A five shot small frame magnum of the same barrel length is a considerably harder gun to shoot well.
Performance Center revolvers receive extra hand fitting, and the trigger usually shows it.
Smith Wesson PC Model 19 Carry Comp 357 Porting Trade Offs And Honest Limits
Porting has a cost and with magnum ammunition the cost is loud. The Smith Wesson PC Model 19 Carry Comp 357 vents hot gas and unburned powder directly upward in front of your eyes, which in low light produces a bright flash that will affect your vision, and it makes the report noticeably sharper to the shooter. Anyone buying this for night time defense should fire it in dim light before committing.
It also adds cleaning. Carbon builds around the vent and needs regular attention, and shooting from a close retention position puts that gas jet nearer to your body than an unported barrel would.
Full-power 357 Magnum in any K-frame deserves the standard caution: practice with 38 Special, which this revolver fires without modification, and favor 158 grain and heavier bullets in magnum loadings. Doing so is easier on you and on the gun.
Six rounds is adequate rather than generous, and a revolver reload is slower than a magazine change. Speedloaders are worth learning.
Smith Wesson PC Model 19 Carry Comp 357 Specifications
- Manufacturer part number: 12039
- UPC: 022188874952
- Caliber: 357 Magnum, also fires 38 Special
- Capacity: 6 rounds
- Barrel: 3 inches with PowerPort vent
- Frame: K-frame
- Action: double action and single action
- Build: Smith Wesson Performance Center
- Grips: wood
- Sights: fixed front, notch rear
Buyers weighing the Smith Wesson Model 19 Carry Comp against a plain snub are paying for recovery speed. As a Ported Carry Revolver it brings the sights back down faster, at the price of flash and cleaning. As a 357 Magnum K Frame Revolver it holds six rounds in a grip that fits a full hand, which is why most shooters do measurably better with one than with a five shot small frame magnum.
Why Buyers Choose the Smith Wesson PC Model 19 Carry Comp 357
Buy the Smith Wesson PC Model 19 Carry Comp 357 if you want a carry revolver that shoots a serious cartridge and recovers quickly between shots. Six rounds, a hand fitted Performance Center action, a three inch barrel and a full sized grip make this far easier to shoot well than a small frame magnum, and the port takes the edge off the muzzle rise that 357 produces.
Skip it if low light defense is your main concern, because the flash from the port is genuinely disruptive in the dark. Skip it if you need the smallest possible carry gun, since a J-frame conceals better. And skip it if you would resent the extra cleaning that a ported barrel requires.
Who Should Buy The Smith Wesson PC Model 19 Carry Comp 357
The Smith Wesson PC Model 19 Carry Comp 357 suits This revolver suits belt carriers who want more capability than a snub-nosed J-frame, revolver shooters who appreciate Performance Center work, and anyone who wants one gun that trains cheaply on 38 Special and carries 357 Magnum. It is a poor fit for pocket carry, for low light defensive use, and for shooters who dislike muzzle blast. All firearm sales ship to a licensed FFL dealer for transfer, and handgun and carry rules vary by state, so confirm your local law before ordering.
Learn more from Smith and Wesson, or browse the rest of our firearms selection.
Every firearm we list ships to your chosen FFL and is transferred there after a background check.
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