Model 66 no dash

[VivaElZo]

hi this is my first post and my first pistol. i picked it up at a gun show and it was exactly what i pictured in my head that i wanted. I absolutely love my new model 66 no dash with a 4" barrel it is beautiful in about 90 to 95% condition and i cant decide if i want to shoot it or just admire it. any info on it would be appreciated as i want to learn everything about it. Are 357s dangerous for it? Any dos and donts? what is the value of it? Any cool things i can do with it? i will try to put pictures up if i can figure out how. Any info would be appreciated and any pictures would be really cool too. Thank you.

[Beemerguy53]

Hello, and welcome to the Forum!

Your Model 66 was designed to shoot .357 Magnum cartidges, so no, that round will not be "dangerous" to shoot, provided you are using commercial ammo or normal handloads. For lighter recoil, and a little less wear, you can also shoot any .38 Special ammo in your Model 66. (That round is cheaper than the .357 as well.)

Dos and don'ts? Well, all the normal safety rules certainly apply, but other than that, I would say keep it clean and lightly lubricated, and respect it as you would any firearm.

[VivaElZo]

thanks alot. i have shot it yesterday and googled just about everything on it. I love it and hope to pass it on to my kids one day. I want to shoot it every once in a while and mostly keep it with me for long trips or beside me in my night stand when things go bump in the night. any tips on letting it be a shooter and still keeping it nice i have alot of black on the front of the cylinder from just shooting less than 50 38s through that seems really tough to get off. once again any input is greatly appreciated.

[Fishslayer]

Congratulations on a fine gun. A lot of people put the M19/M66 in the top few "best ever" S&Ws.

The blackening on the front of the cylinder is normal. I usually just scrub that area and around the forcing cone with a regular toothbrush & Hoppes #9. This leaves it "clean." If you want to remove the black circles you can use a lead remover cloth or Mother's Mag & Aluminum polish. Many think the black circles give the gun character.

Welcome to the forum.

[Beemerguy53]

Originally Posted by VivaElZo

thanks alot. i have shot it yesterday and googled just about everything on it. I love it and hope to pass it on to my kids one day. I want to shoot it every once in a while and mostly keep it with me for long trips or beside me in my night stand when things go bump in the night. any tips on letting it be a shooter and still keeping it nice i have alot of black on the front of the cylinder from just shooting less than 50 38s through that seems really tough to get off. once again any input is greatly appreciated.

Any revolver you shoot will have those stains on the front of the cylinder. There are some products that will remove them, but if you are going to shoot this gun regularly, my advice would be to just clean it with Hoppe's No. 9 after shooting it, and not worry about the stains in the cylinder face.

[TDC]

You asked for pictures and here are two that show a completely original early Mod 66 no dash 4". The early ones had all stainless sights. It was only the second stainless handgun to be produced by S&W and was an immediate success.

It is a much sought after model today by many, many people but unfortunately, along with other "K" frame models, no longer produced by S&W.

Do a search on this website and you'll find tons of posts about the great model 66's..

Welcome toi the forum!!

[murphydog]

Originally Posted by VivaElZo

i will try to put pictures up if i can figure out how.

Welcome to the Forum. To post photos, click on Post Reply under the last message, then Manage Attachments. A pop-up window will open that allows you to link to photos from your computer or a web site. Enjoy!

[stevieboy]

Removal of those stains on the cylinder face of your gun, if they bother you, is easy. Just purchase a lead removal cloth (the stains are actually carbon stains, but never mind) from one of the on-line sites like Brownell's. A couple minutes of vigorous wiping will take the stains right off.

[cjtraining]

[Joe in SC]

If you are real new to shooting handguns then you might want to sign up for a handgun course at your local indoor range or gun club. Most range/club's offer this service.

There's lots of stuff you can learn from these courses, handgun safety being the most important. Also, if you aren't a member, join the NRA. You can go to Shooting USA's web-sight and they will pay 10 bucks on you first year's membership fee of $35 (shootingusa.com , I think.) The NRA has a wealth of videos, brochures and courses you can utilize to learn all this also.

You've good a very good first gun. You will enjoy owning it!

[Camster]

Originally Posted by VivaElZo

hi this is my first post and my first pistol. i picked it up at a gun show and it was exactly what i pictured in my head that i wanted. I absolutely love my new model 66 no dash with a 4" barrel it is beautiful in about 90 to 95% condition and i cant decide if i want to shoot it or just admire it. any info on it would be appreciated as i want to learn everything about it. Are 357s dangerous for it? Any dos and donts? what is the value of it? Any cool things i can do with it? i will try to put pictures up if i can figure out how. Any info would be appreciated and any pictures would be really cool too. Thank you.

I wouldn't use lightwieght-125 grain 357s in it.Stick to 38 specials or the heavier weight 357s.
Cool things to do with it? I wouldn't be "Bogarting it",that is,snapping the open cylinder into place by flicking your wrist.

[lhump1961]

Excellent advice already given...my .02 is 158gr .357 are fine all day long although I really like .38 and .38+p in mine! That's one of the great things about .357's...the range of ammo that you can choose from is vast. If I really must shoot the 125gr "hot" loads then I pick up my 686. I don't have an N frame (yet) but love and carry my K's all the time.

If you are not familiar with frames just ask here or google S&W revolver frame sizes...just be prepared! You may get the sickness like I have! and need a couple of everything!

Welcome to it!

[Texas Star]

Shoot about 10-15% Magnum loads, and stick to bullet weights of 140-158 grains. The hot 125 grain and lighter bullets wear the forcing cone too much and erode the top strap. You can see an extreme example of this on one of the Ruger boards, where some guy loaded 125 grain bullets hot and actually cracked the forcing cone on a GP-100! And the barrel throat and cone show extreme erosion. The GP-100 is a larger, tougher gun than your M-66. It was designed for use with .357's and is built to take it, but this guy went overboard. http://rugerforum.net/ruger-double-a...one-gp100.html Look for Sniper 5's thumbnail pic and use a magnifying glass on it when you click on it. It is a sobering sight!

Swing out the cylinder and look at the bottom of the barrel. See where it's machined flat, to let the cylinder close? That's a thinner, weak spot. It may crack if you shoot a lot of those 125 grain factory loads or similar handloads. K-frame .357's sometimes do that. Stick to the bullet weights I mentioned, and use them in moderation.

Your gun is basically a .38 that was heat-treated to be able to take .357 ammo in moderation. It does use different steel than do .38's, too. I assume you know that it's just the stainless version of the .357 Combat Magnum/ Model 19?

It's virtue, apart from being relatively stainless, is that it offers full .357 power when needed, with the versatility of a range of .38 ammo, and weighs less than larger .357's and is handier to carry and use.

A lot of people say that if they could have only one handgun, the M-66 would be it. With the right grips, it is certainly easier to conceal than a M-686 or M-27!

Despite its being stainless, give it normal care and cleaning. Wipe it off with an oily cloth after handling. I use Break-Free CLP as a lube/preservative.

You seem very new to guns. If you can, buy a copy of the late David W. Arnold's, "Shoot a Handgun." It will give you the basics, including data on many guns. It is worth searching for a copy. I'm not saying that just because I knew the author; I really think it's the best such book in many years.

I also recommend acquiring the late Geoffrey Boothroyd's, "The Handgun" and the late Elmer Keith's, "Sixguns", the revised 1961 edition or a reprint. These will give you a good background in handguns. Keith's book will also tell you how to shoot one astonishingly well at even long ranges. I saw him shoot at 200 yards, and he was then in his late 70's. He wasn't lying about his accomplishments!

I trust that this will be of help to you. Just be DANGED careful, especially if you have children at home. Keep the gun where they can't get it, and tell them that if they want to see it, to ask you to show it to them. Also tell them not to brag at school or to their neighbors that you have a gun.
That will invite burglars and negative comments from parents who don't like firearms.

T-Star

[C Islander]

Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on your 66. I've got a 2.5" 66 no dash thats one of my favorite handguns. I recently retired it as my EDC because it's becoming more valueable as a collector. It's still one of yhe best carry guns ever made. For cleaning the front of the cylinder, get a Birchwood Casey lead away cloth. They work great.

[Texas Star]

OP:

I gotta ask: does your board name mean, "Viva El Zorro"?

[sheepdawg]

I have two 66 no dashes. They don't make em' like that anymore. It's with it's Model 19 brother are some of S&W's best ever.

[VivaElZo]

Wow thanks for all the help guys and i am not entirely new to guns just pistols especially revolvers. i own a Norinco Mak 90 AK 47 and a Mosin Nagant which both arent very practical for self defense. and unfortunately i have about 100 125 grain hollow tip 357s that i bought shortly after getting the gun so hopefully i can find someone that will trade me for some less powerful rounds. and my last name is Alonzo hence where the zo came from. i will check out one of the books but i figure i can pick up alot of shooting tips from the web hopefully. Once again thanks for all the feedback i didnt expect u guys would be such a tremendous help.