4 inch barrel with factory round butt style grip?

Pinned barrel, recessed chambers and definitely a factory made RB with grooved front and rear grip.

Thanks

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Deaf

Sounds like someone swapped the barrel. Pretty much every 4" had a square butt. Maybe only a letter from the factory to know for certain.

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On the Oak Savannah

That would be quite uncommon. How are you certain it's factory? What you're describing could easily be done by a qualified revolversmith; without a factory letter or original box with label, difficult to know.

I am no expert but The Catalog references product code 102706 on page 231 as 4" S TS RR WO RB, 1996-2001 with SB grips.

The same product code is shown twice. Square butt from 1984-1995 and then as above with a round butt. What does this mean?

It was a fairly common swap back in the day to put a 4" barrel on a RB (usually 2.5") frame. As noted above, a factory letter is the only way to be sure of its original configuration.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Well long time ago.. I had a S&W 19 4 inch RB long before they were collector items. I think around 1984 is when I got it. I remember it had recessed chambers but not sure of a pin in the barrel. I used it for years practicing (I was a Bill Jordan fan) and then traded it off.

I'll have to see if anyone has ever had a RB 66 with other than 2-3 inch bbl.

Might be fake. Might not but I sure won't buy it till I'm sure.

Come to think of it, a gunshop I know has a 4 inch 66 barrel with pin slot. Yea one could turn a 2 1/2 to a 4 inch.

I just don't know if it's original or not.

Thanks,

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Deaf

Same gun, but S&W did a broad switch in the mid-to-late '90s to round butts for its square butt frames.

OP notes his 66 is pinned and recessed, so the 102706 doesn't apply.

There are factory RB 4" Model 19s, notably a late '60s variant for the Navy.

If the 66 you're looking at is reasonably priced and mechanically sound, a 4" RB is a nice set-up.

About the only way to get a 4 inch round butt 66 (prior to the factory switching over to all round butt frames) was to get a 2 1/2 inch 66 and put on the 4 inch 66 barrel, the related ejector parts and the proper sight slide.

It is amazing how many "gunsmiths" missed that last part. That is one reason it was best to have the factory do the job as they knew all of the parts that needed to be changed with a barrel length change.

That used to be the closest thing to having a custom S&W you could do was to buy a barrel from the parts department and have the factory install it for you so that you would have a non-cataloged model, yet factory modified.

Yes but they want $750... now if it was a factory made RB 4 incher I'd be inclined to maybe dicker with them, but if it's a smiths job, and heaven knows it was done right, then I'm inclined to say no.

These little shops have a no-return policy on used guns...

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Deaf

IIRC there were some factory 4" RB's, werent they for Navy ONI ?

Either way the 66/19 RB snub frame as well as the Model 15 SB snub frame are different than the 4" frames where the frame meets the barrel, The 4" and longer guns step down to the barrel where the snubs do not so they mate with the front site ramp.

Here are 2 snub frames to compare:

I've got a 4" pinned and recessed model 65-nothing with a round butt. It was converted by a gunsmith that filed down the grip frame. It wasn't that hard to do since a stainless gun doesn't need refinishing.

The 66 you are looking at might have gotten a similar treatmen .

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My sgntr is mor thn 30 chrctrs

In light of this, I'd pass.

I think those were 19s only.

I had an early 686 round-butted ..... not hard to do. Liked it so much was going to do a 4" 66............to this day still think about doing it to a 66-1 shooter I have....

To the OP...... switching out the barrels on snub 66s for a 4" barrel was not all that common in the 80s it was easier to file down the grip frame.....but not uncommon just more costly...... so only a letter will tell.

One of the reasons I bought my first 3" 66 was for the round-butt ..... and I couldn't get one in a 4" LOL


There are some pre-lock, pre MIM; 4" 66 round butts out there...... 66-5s IIRC