I recently bought a 66 no dash 2 1/2". I don't really need another 66, but I was struck by the beautiful set of factory RB Combats that it was wearing. I can't recall ever seeing a 66 / 19 with Combats from the factory. I know you could buy them aftermarket from S&W. (I do have a bunch of 3 inch round butt N frames that came with finger groove Combats).
If the truth be known, I guess I bought the gun for the grips (bet that has never happened to anyone else!). It's a very nice gun. No box to confirm the grips are original to the gun. The serial number dates it to circa 1974. The date stamp on the inside of the grip is unreadable.
I guess my question is, does anyone have any experience with round butt, finger groove, Combats coming factory direct on a gun - or can I assume they are an aftermarket purchase from S&W? Either way, I really like them.
I took a quick cell phone photo before it went off to "gun jail".

Now that was a nice pick-up! Congratulations. I'd love to find a 2.5 inch 66. And the stocks really are beautiful. I can't answer your question about coming from the factory that way but I'm pleased that they fit you. I've never had much luck with factory combats. The finger grooves are just wrong for me so with great reluctance I switched from factory combats to Ahrends on my 686 and my Md 16 giving me a much better grip.

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I'm gonna grow fins.

Never bought one for the stocks, but I did buy a parts Winchester Garand for the beautiful 1943 dated sling that was on it. Bought it and sold it for the same $$$, so I got the sling for free. Get a $70 letter to confirm the stocks. These are nice revolvers and my Step son carried one when flying helicopters for the US Border Patrol. When he retired, he gave it to his Grandson who was fresh out of the Sheriffs Academy in Utah. BTW, the revolver used to be mine. Big Larry

IIRC the finger groove combat stocks first appeared in 1985?

I do believe that 1974 is far too early to have been original, but they are STUNNING!

If you don't like them, send them to ME

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On the Oak Savannah

I'd have had a hard time passing up that gun with those stocks. Color me green over here!

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Ukraine -- now more than ever

I bought a 681 with combats last year 300.00 out the door the grips have to be worth at least 100.00

Combat grips are beautiful and cost big bucks and they really make the revolver look stunning. I have a set of square butt K frame combat grips on my Model 17-4 and they will stay on it.

Wow, That 17-4 is amazing!!!

I've seen a few pair of factory combats that have the football cutout that ended on grips well before 1985.

The style in the OP has silver washers that IIRC ended in grips shipped on guns in late 1985.They were still available in packaged form well after 1985 until the supply was exhausted.

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NEVER GIVE UP YOUR GUN

Thanks to all that responded to my post. My original thoughts that I had never seen a 66 with combats was apparently correct. Anyway, the wood is exceptional and I really like them. Reason enough to keep the Combats and the 66 no dash together. Besides, they just look bitchin!

I don't believe that the K Combats were OEM for any K frame. The grips were either Target configuration or Service type that fit the frame. K Combats came along as an after market sometime in the mid/late 70's or maybe it was the early 80's... can't remember now...The Combat grips were standard on some of the new, non-pinned "re-issue" guns that came out in the 80's. I bought a 624 3" that had them as OEM on the gun I bought. It seems that some of the N frame guns came with them (as on my 624) but I can't remember exactly which ones. It seems like the Lew Horton guns were equipped with them. They are nice grips and always have been. A little too pricey for my bank account now and how I wish that I had bought them and stored them when they were found in almost every store that I went into that sold guns!!!

Probably the most difficult factory grips to find from the silver washer era are the K/L RB Target grips.The smooth presentation type K RB is the hardest of any I know of and that includes the much touted Cokes.

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NEVER GIVE UP YOUR GUN