Picked up this very nice 66 -1 RB rare 4" at a local Pawn Shop. Need some help with birthdate ser#89K46XX. Thanks !!! Also, It has a very slick & polished trigger face, & I wonder if that is factory, or if it was originally A grooved trigger.

Attached Images

S&W 66.jpg (112.5 KB, 796 views)

Most model 66's came with the smooth trigger. Should have a trigger stop too. Cant help you with birthdate.

Nice rare find though... is obviously in excellent shape

Never heard of a 66-1 RB besides a snubbie, but never say never. Looks like 1980.

Edit: I think the barrel was swapped.4" RB's came in with the -4's, around 95-96. 3" RB's with -2's.

According to the box it says #66-1, 4", fin. SS,stock rb.

Hmmm, sounds good then. What's the PC number?

Edit: nevermind, didn't have a PC

Got a pic of the box?

Very nice gun. Good find.

Cant find the PC number, the box is in pretty bad shape, also no tools or papers, only the wax wrapper. I think it will make me a great trail companion. I cant wait to shoot it with my 1000fps. 158gr. cast SWC load. that will be the only load that I shoot through it.

Can you post the end label?

The product code for an 89K M66 would have been on another label on the end opposite the handwritten one.

I suspect the trigger has been smoothed though. The smooth combat trigger didn't show up until 1982 and were .312" wide. That looks like a standard .265" trigger

1980 ship date. Never saw one before, nice find!

__________________
Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

is this one of the factory 4 inch RB guns that was bought by NCIS and handed over to the FBI and kept in inventory until the were transferred to the USMC embassy security units, and eventually surplussed?

The trigger is the .265 one. If there was a label on the other end of the box , it is gone now, like I said, the box is in pretty bad shape. It looks like new, & locks up very tight. It should make a great shooter & trail gun.

Very nice.
So odd seeing a RB.

Nice Smith.

It seems we have come full circle on triggers. Early hand ejectors had smooth triggers. In the mid '20s or so, grooved triggers became standard. Then, in the 1990s or so, smooth triggers returned as standard.

__________________
John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Are the Magna stocks numbered to the frame?

Is the rear grip strap grooved?

I used to make up alot of 4" round butt 66's for customers. This is one I kept for myself...



It's a favorite.

Drew

Nice find and piece of history.

__________________
Existimo ergo sum armis

The backstrap is grooved & the grips have the last four digits of the ser: number. It is pinned & recessed also.

Bogman, you can call S&W customer service with the serial number, they can tell you how this gun left the factory. 1-800-331-0852 Or you can have snw19____357 call, he likes doing that.

OOOhhh...Bogman!-


A nice RB M-66 AND a Fallkniven A-1 knife! You ARE ready to walk in the woods!

Which sheath did you get with that knife? Mine has the Kydex option, now replaced by the Zytel one. The leather ones look great, too. I think Fallkniven probably has the best sheaths for any over-the-counter knives, and they are basically of custom knife quality. www.fallkniven.com PRICES AFE IN SWEDISH KRONER! Don't panic; US prices average $125-$600, depending on the model and sheath. And they are WORTH it! Their leather-handled NL line look a lot like Randalls. And the Moran-style edge bevels are sturdy and hold up well.

My M-66-3 has the usual sq. butt, with Pachmayr Presentation grips, but your rnd. butt gun may fit your hand a bit better and be easier to conceal.


The rub is, it's so collectible, esp. if it's one of those NCIS orders, that you probably won't want to carry it routinely.

It baffles me that S&W once managed to turn out a new model of their controversial semi-auto pistols about every other week, but never made many really splendid round -butt M-66's. I thinki the answer is, not many gun companies are run by real gun people!

Warmest congratulations on having both that rare gun and the fine knife! If I could own just one revolver, it'd probably be a round butt M-66-3 with four-inch bbl. and if just one sheath knife, it'd be the Fallkniven S-1, the smaller (five-inch blade) version of your A-1. That's in part because Texas limits civilian carry of knives with blades over 5.25 or 5.50 inches. (I forgot which length.)

Texas Star, I love my Fallkniven knives, I have the S1, A1, & A2. rare or not, I bought this gun to carry & shoot. life is too short, not to enjoy our treasures.

Nice find! The only RB M-66 I saw in the 1980's was a 2.5 inch to 4 inch barrel swap.

Very neat ,
Kind of a heavy barrel pre Mountain gun ....

*
Are there transitional 66-4s that do not have RB? I have a 4" 66-4 and went to check since I would prefer the RB/4" configuration. Sadly, it is SB.

__________________
NHI, 10-8.

Probably, yes.
The 66-4 started in '94, the -4 RB's were produced '95-'96 according to the book. So it looks like the -4 SB's continued for a year before going RB. Yours is an early -4 more than likely. Make sense?

i like it and i want it. it will fit my hands perfectly. i'll PM my mailing info. that will make one heck of a trail gun. enjoy and thanks for sharing. lee

Ladder13, that was what I had figured ... thanks.

__________________
NHI, 10-8.

In the early 90's I saw a RB 4 inch Factory new Model 19 in a hardware store that sold guns in Asheville N.C. But never seen a RB 4 inch 66. I still kick myself for never buying it.

I now own this gun and I too am curious about it's origin. I pulled the matching grips off and there is an "A3" and a "A18" stamped on the frame. does that mean anything to anyone ? Got this on trade from Bogman he never called Smith maybe I will tomorrow.Any Help is appreciated.

There's one thing in the original picture that makes me believe this gun may have started life as a 2.5" and someone swapped the barrel for a 4". While not overly common that was done quite a bit.
The rear sight on the 2.5" guns are about 3/8" longer than rear sights on 4" guns. Look at the front end of the rear sight. On 2.5" guns the rear sight went to the end of the frame where the barrel meets the frame. On 4" guns the rear sight set back about 3/8". Looking at the picture it appears the rear sight goes to the end of the frame as on 2.5" guns.
It's possible that could have been a factory job special order but that rear sight is for the 2.5" guns.

__________________
183rd FBINA

Recap:

7/22/2012 - Bogman posted " According to the box it says #66-1, 4", fin. SS, stock rb." Then in another post regarding the box there is some discussion regarding the box being in bad shape and missing a label. Further down there are questions about backstrap & stocks to which Bogman posts "The backstrap is grooved & the grips have the last four digits of the ser: number. It is pinned & recessed also."

My point is presuming all that has been posted is accurate then the logical conclusion is the gun came from the factory as stated. One way to tell for sure is to spring for a letter. Mystery solved. IMHO, on a gun such as the one in question it would be worth the money. hardcase60

__________________
You want me to do what?

I always wanted a 4" round butt "K" frame Model 64 with the pencil barrel. I don't believe they were ever produced in that configuration, so the next best thing was to get an original square butt and have the grip frame reshaped to a round butt. Below is the result. I hope to find a Model 67 4" some day and convert that to a round butt as well. Nice Model 66 which looks all original to me.

So, who now owns the Fallkniven A-1 knife in the OP?

I love mine. One of those and a Model 66 make a nice set for survival use. A pilot who has to bail out with those on him is well equipped.

I did exactly that in the late 1970's. Did a 4" barrel and a factory tune, on a 2.5" M-66. Most likely how the OP's came about as well.

I have round butted a number of K and N frame revolvers over the years. The RB fits my smallish hand extremely well.

The biggest drawback is the location of the serial number. If the SN is too close to the end of the butt, it is a no go for a RB conversion.

__________________
John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

I can't speak to the stainless gun BUT the model 19 2 1 /2 and all the other longer barrels were different at the front of the frame where the rib matches up. When we were doing Smolts it was important to start with a 2 1/2 instead of a longer tube to get the rib to match without a space. May not be the same on 66s. It is very easy to round to this configuration and is very good for people like me with small hands.

Here's a photo of the top strap of my 4" 66-1, square butt from 1978, the front screw is in fact blue, just shiny from the light reflection. Hope this helps clarify things.

Maybe this is the next best thing? We could call it a "Pre-64"! Round butt, pencil barrel, K frame, etc.