[Rapier]

16,
Just to add a couple of items. The 28 and the 27 are exactly the same gun except for the finish. The 28 has a textured finish with a "flat" blue job and is the Highway Patrol model. The old 27s have a beautiful polished finish with nothing about them that is 2nd class. When I shot against Jerry M at a qualification match, prior to my going to the FIPT, in the late 80s he was carrying what he claimed to be a stock M-27 in a cross draw holster and it was worth the 2 hour drive just to see the man work. What I saw at about 10 feet did not look like a stock 27 working. :-)

The 19 and its brother the 15 are the smaller K frame versions. The 19 is the Combat Magnum and the 15 is the Combat Masterpiece. All four guns are excellent DA revolvers. I carried a 15 under my fatigue shirt, when we were not supposed to be carrying personal firearms during the unplesetness in SE Asia. That was only so because at the time Smiths were very scarce I could not get a 19 and I got a 15 right off the assembly line thanks to Dick Riley of Hooksett, NH.

I guess I have owned a 19 or 66 most of my adult life. They are my backup hunting handguns when I am out in the woods with a rifle. They go under the jacket and get used for dispatching small critters or wounded game animals that require a second shot.

All of my Smiths are pin barrel guns, "just because," so I have no real experiance with the newer guns. But, the 19/66 has been carried for many years by LEO folks who trust or have trusted the gun with their lives until the autos came down the pike. And I have seen hunting guides all over the country packing a 66 on their hip in the woods. Its light, reliable and tough. I have seen pro hog hunting guides go into brush piles on hands and knees with a 4 inch 66.... not me, but them.

It (old 19/66) probably is the finest DA revolver in the world, based on reliability, accuracy, finish and cost. It is just a very fine gun for the money.
Ed