My step son is here on a visit and we got into some of his old guns. He is a retired Border Patrol officer and bought one of those Comm. M66's back when they were first offered. We found a blue box marked for a M66 in his things and are wondering if these revolvers were shipped in a regular blue box to be added to the custom box when received. Thanks, Big Larry

Mine came with a display box. I have no idea if it shipped in a blue box, but I'd lean toward thinking that.

There's a badge number on the side of the gun.

So where's the matching serial Randall knife? Its worth more than the M66! I wanted one so badly I paid full pop for it about 15 years ago. One of those shady legal transactions. I'm a Kentucky resident, and the seller is too. But I bought it in Ohio. We agonized over it for about 2 minutes, then decided he should just hold it and drop it off as he came across the bridge on his way home. Interesting drop. he pulls up out front, hands me a display case with the gun and the Randall sitting on top of it, then drives away. Explain that to the nosy neighbors!

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Dick Burg

"One of those shady legal transactions. I'm a Kentucky resident, and the seller is too. But I bought it in Ohio."

Don't never let me catch you in Indiana pullin' that trick!

It's by the book here.

GF

I don't recall a knife being offered as part of the BP commemorative 66.

That was possible with the Texas Ranger 19 a couple of years earlier.

Regards,

Tam 3

You are correct Tam 3, there was no knife offered with the 1974 Border Patrol Commemorative S&W model 66.

Can we bet a little bit on this one? I could use the supplement to my Social Security! That or I've got a one of a kind set and its worth even more than I paid for it!

Better still, both have the same badge number (not that it makes a difference with BP badges) stamped into them.

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Dick Burg

rburg:
Can we see pics?

Not that I'm doubting you.
I'd just like to see the gun & knife.

A very good friend of mine has a 66-2 Commemorative from WV?, or MA? or VA? something like that.
But I got to shoot his & that weekend I found one at a gun show for myself (not a comm, just a regular 66-2)

Anyway, I love those PD/State/US marked guns!

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John 3:17
<><

OK, here is the one owned by my Stepson, US Border Patrol Agent in Charge of Air Operations, El Centro Rtd. It is a 66 no dash with a 7K serial number. There is no number on the badge stamped into it. Just USBP xxxx stamped into the side. I don't have a clue as to if they came with a knife. This one did not. Big Larry

If you've got a private email, I'd be happy to send it.

My set has the number 1152. I guess I've just assumed it was the badge number and not the sequence number. Some place, and I just asssume it was here since we're the only ones who discuss S&W stuff, some one said only about 500 of the full sets were sold, most of the 3100+ guns were just shipped alone.

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Dick Burg

IIRC, the 1974 BP Commemoratives were shipped in a regular blue cardboard box. Each did have a presentation case, too. The BP didn't have badge numbers. There have been a few BP commemoratives, including Remington 870, Iver Johnson semi-auto .380 pistol, folding knives and sheath knives.

Thanks. We were wondering where the M66 box we had came from. Now we know. Thanks all. Big Larry

I had three of those commemoratives. I seem to recall they came in a blue box and the wood box for display. No knife. The BP# was NOT a badge number.

Sort of wish I had kept one, but leveraged the last one so well that it ultimately paid for a first class engraving job on a 1911. Other than the roll marks and the display case they were very much a stock M66.

I don't think that many of those blue boxes survived the trash. That would make them extra special IMHO.

"US Border Patrol Agent in Charge of Air Operations, El Centro Rtd"

I worked in El Centro for 5 years, from '82-'87, and knew all the pilots. We had 1 plane crash while I was down there and the pilot was injured, and one of the Yuma pilots went down while I was there and unfortunately killed. Those guys had big cajones, and flew real low and slow and were invaluable to us on the ground. Tell him hey from a fellow Hell Centro survivor.

Take care...

Thanks rburg.
PM sent.

That is a beautiful gun & box Big Larry.
drool, drool, drool!

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John 3:17
<><

GF, It's not a BP, but I too live in Kentucky. Here is a LPD Commemorative. Big Larry, that is a beautiful gun. Got to love those S&W 66.

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I did some digging around and found the whole story on the Border Patrol Commemorative Randall knife. The S&W model 66 BP commemorative revolvers were not offered with the Randall knives as a set. The Randall knives were offered some time after the revolvers, but if an agent had a commemorative revolver and wanted the knife serial numbered to match it, Randall would do that.

Hello – finally a topic that I know a little about and may possibly add something to.
I first saw a Model 66 USBP commemorative in 1975. I think that is what made me want to join the Border Patrol. That pistol has been one of my Holy Grails for 35 years. I joined the patrol in ’78. I was stationed in Laredo and another agent there had a commemorative that he carried daily on duty. I could have just killed him. I always said that if I could get one of those guns, I would keep in the box forever and never shoot it. It would be my only safe queen.
Several years later (about ’80, ’81, or ‘82), the Randall commemorative knife was offered and you could pick you own serial number as long as the number was still available. I picked the number of my Border Patrol class – 122. It came in a cardboard box directly from Randall. The presentation boxes for the knives were to be made by a Border Patrol agent somewhere out west and shipped later. I never did get a box until many years later. I was on detail some place or another and got to talking with another agent. He happened to have a box but no knife. He was kind enough to send me the box when he got back home from the detail. Hindsight is always 20-20. Looking back, I should have bought more than one (I think the price was $125.00). Of course, in the late 70’s-early 80’s, that was a lot of money.
Finally, last year, after many years of looking, I was fortunate to find a S&W Model 66 USBP commemorative at a price that I could afford. Unfortunately (or fortunately as the case may be) it had been fired but still looks pretty good. To its credit, it’s accurate and has a very smooth action.
Sorry, I don’t have overall pictures right now, but I will take some tonight and post them tomorrow.

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There was an article in a gun mag back during the period. I've got it...someplace. We moved in the last year and I'm lucky to have found the gun and knife. Sooner or later the article will show up when I'm not looking for it.

By far the knife is the more valuable part of the set, my guess being the knife is probably worth $750 or so, with the M66 maybe $500 or so.

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Dick Burg

I'm a little late on this thread and a new member. Here's what I can tell you about the USBP 50th Anniversary S&W Model 66 as I've owned mine since they were issued to us. I was stationed at Rouses Point, NY from 1973 to 1976 and coordinated the order for everyone at my station plus some other former Border Patrol Agents. We received 31 copies in my area out of the 3K+ that were made. The order was placed via a local FFL and received by him some time later and I was present when all the boxes were opened. To our surprise when we started matching serial numbers to names we found that most of the revolvers had the USBP serial number that matched the individual's radio call sign. We were part of the Swanton, VT sector which was Sector 2 with call signs starting at 200 for Chief and on down. Rouses Point station started at 210 and I was "217" which is the USBP serial number on my copy. We later found it that it was done as a favor sinve the national president of the union (National Border Patrol Council) was in our sector. The union, with the blessing of BP HQ in DC put this effort together.

Here's how they came boxed and, no, there was no Randall knife as part of the deal although I seem to remember the knife offered at a later date to be paired with the revolver. Outside cardboard box from Betts&Majors, Dallas, TX which was the S&W distributor at the time that the total order went through. The project number was CRP-1402 for the entire project. Inside the box is another lighted weight cardboard box containing the wooden commemorative box, also a side standard blue S&W box containing the revolver, and cleaning kit. How do I know this? I'm looking at it all right now including original paperwork as received. I can still read the original postmark on the outer shipping box-Jan.16, 1976. It took about a year and a half to get this project going and to receive the revolvers.

I have never removed the Goncalo Alvez oversized grips to see the serial number but my paperworks says 7 K 51 xxx.

Hope this puts new light into the situation as I was there and lived it. That being said and since I have only daughters and granddaughters who have no interest, the entire package is for sale so contact me if interested. I also have the USBP Commemmorative Model 94 Winchester carbine (Trapper version chambered in 30-30) We tried to get Winchester to chamber in .357 magnum but there weren't enough orders to get a special chambering run.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it :-) PS: The project began with S&W offering a blued model 19 or the new, at the time, stainless model 66. Union members voted which one to get and the vote went for stainless. The reason being, there were about 20x more agents on the southern border who wanted to carry the revolver and stainless was much more resistant to their habitat. IMHO the blued steed with gold inlayed badge and text as a collector's item would have been a lot better. Those of us who had already done our time in Hell and transferred north were voted down. Don't think I ever ran into anyone that actually carried theirs.
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ADDED INFORMATION: Just to clarify some of the earlier posts, the Border Patrol badge "did not" have a serial number as INS (Border Patrol) did not issue them. The badge on the reverse clearly states " this badge conveys no authority unless accompanied by proper credentials". How do I know this, I'm looking at my old badge right now. Prior to becoming re-named Border Patrol Agents in June 1970 were known as "Immigration Patrol Inspectors" and I also have that badge sitting in front of me. When I left the BP I became a Treasury Special Agent and the whole world revolved around the badge number which was plainly in gold surrounded by blue acrylic on the front of the badge....again, looking at that retired badge right now.

The USBP Serial number on the revolver is on the left side rear frame and is USBPxxxx. Those numbers were random and had nothing to do with date of order or anything else. As I mentioned above, some of us in the Swanton, VT Sector received our radio number as our serial number only due to the fact our national union president was also assigned to Swanton Sector and had a lot of input on the program. Receiving your radio number as your revolver number was a big surprise when the FFL and I began opening all those boxes on his dining room table-he was the mayor of Champlain, NY at the time and firearms was more of a hobby than a business (probably wouldn't float in modern times)

T'was said above, "ADDED INFORMATION: Just to clarify some of the earlier posts, the Border Patrol badge "did not" have a serial number as INS (Border Patrol) did not issue them. The badge on the reverse clearly states " this badge conveys no authority unless accompanied by proper credentials"."

My Patrol Inspector badge, now sitting on my desk encased in Lucite, does indeed have that inscription about authority on the back, but it also has a serial number, 06072. It was only because I could remember the number that, in 1972 after the position title was changed to Patrol Agent, I could get my original badge back, for my property issue card, on which issue of the badge was recorded, had been destroyed. Other guys got PI badges in Lucite but not many of us got our very own back.

Troutozark's recollection of packaging is correct. Because I bought the revolver knowing that I would give it to my son someday (he was 8 when we got them) I carried it for a couple years, knowing that he would value it more if I had done so. I was correct. He's a BP supervisor, now, but the days of a revolver in an Agent's holster are long gone. I'm not sure that's really a good thing, but what the heck do I know any more?