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One-in-a-million shot time: My dad was a Multnomah County Deputy Sheriff back in the day, as they say. I won't go into the details of his career, but it started out way back in hallowed antiquity, when cops wore wool uniforms, leather gear, and carried revolvers. Dad was a Smith & Wesson man through and through, as were most of the guys he worked with, and went through a few other revolvers (starting with a borrowed .44 triple-lock, then a .38 M&P, then a 28) before finding the gun he thought was the epitome of the combat handgun -- the Model 19. His gun was a special order -- he ordered one with a red ramp front sight and white outline rear, and with a wide target hammer and wide trigger with trigger stop. To round it out, he replaced the wide "coke bottle" grips with "magna" grips and a Pachmayr grip adapter. It, for him, was the perfect carry piece. It was also the first centerfire handgun I ever shot. I remember holding it for the first time, looking at it as the shiny blue finish reflected the gleam of the sun, remembering that Hoppes-and-gunpowder smell. It was a thing of wonder for me. Now, in those days, I was considering a law enforcement career myself, and was a member of a local police explorer post. I used dad's gun for firearms training and competition, and did well. However, the gun received some criticism from firearms trainers and range masters -- that trigger stop had to go, and the trigger was too wide to work with some of the more modern security holsters that had become standard in police work. And, since retiring, my dad had the notion that he wanted a stainless gun, since those required a little less maintenance. And so, he traded that 19 off for a 66. I still have the 66, and will never get rid of it, not willingly, anyway. I ended up not pursuing a career in police work, but I am still looking for dad's old gun. I have a couple 19's now, but neither of them are anything like dad's old gun.
If anybody out there has -- or knows where there is -- an earlier-generation (don't remember what dash, but it was P&R'd) model 19 with red ramp front, white outline rear, wide target hammer and trigger, trigger stop, magna grips with Pachmayr insert, and the original blue box, and wouldn't mind parting with it, let me know. I'd sure be interested in seeing it... chances are it is long gone to parts unknown, but you never know...
If anybody out there has -- or knows where there is -- an earlier-generation (don't remember what dash, but it was P&R'd) model 19 with red ramp front, white outline rear, wide target hammer and trigger, trigger stop, magna grips with Pachmayr insert, and the original blue box, and wouldn't mind parting with it, let me know. I'd sure be interested in seeing it... chances are it is long gone to parts unknown, but you never know...
