Picking up a 3" Mod 66 and it's a Banger Inc gun, according to research here already. I wonder if anyone knows how many guns Banger contracted from S&W in this configuration? Serial numbers I've found are all BBNxxx.

Thanks in advance for your knowledge. Look forward to learning more.

Nice catch. please post pics when you get a chance.

I lettered a 3" -4 that was shipped to RSR Wholesalers. The letter didn't mention how many -4s were ordered by RSR, but it did mention that well over 5000 3" 66s were made, and 4195 of them were -2s that were shipped to Ashland Shooting Supplies. Not many -3s, or -4s to go around.

That's BANGOR - Punta, Not "Banger"...

I've heard there's some state up North called Maine that has a town called Bangor, too.

Smith made my 66-3, that’s all I know.

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Well that's true Bangor is in Maine. However, I'm talking about S&W distributors, not lobsters. (insert your rolleyes) RSR and Bangers both special ordered 3" model 66's. Bangers were, to my initial determination in 1988.

Bangers L.P., Birmingham, AL. They're still around. Now after this detour, anyone have any knowledge how many 66 revolvers Bangers received in this configuration?

Here's a letter and info from earlier forum post (2010). I'm feeling somewhat confident that a BBN prefix isn't RSR, but instead Bangers. Still curious how many guns Bangers ordered?

The Bangers guns were made in....

October of 1988.

I've never seen a number for how many were made. Roy Jinks has never included it in any of the letters I've seen written on this variation.

If I had to guess, based on how many I've seen for sale over the years, and what I know about S&W's policy on minimum orders with its distributors, I'd say the number was between 500 - 2,000.

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~ S&W aficionado in training ~

Product code 102712 is first run RSR -3 in 1988. RSR HAD 3 runs, 88, 92 and 96. Don't know how many. As you can see in the picture of the warranty card it is dated probably when packaged.

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SSG Ret.
TN & TX ARNG 66-06

End Label with all info.

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SSG Ret.
TN & TX ARNG 66-06

FWIW.... I got two -3s in early/mid 89...... I was told they had been sitting on the shelf at a distributors warehouse near Harrisburg/Hershey for the better part of a year.........was told that they weren't moving, or at best moving very slowly, as everyone wanted a "Wonder -9" not an old six-shooter.

Don't know how many were there but was told I could have all I wanted at about $240 apiece.

If that's RSR labels, then the Bangers Spec Ord number is different. RSR shows: 8299
Bangers Box shows: 8297

I'm not a S&W expert, but it appears that the 1988 Bangers order used a different Spec Ord code from RSR.

Still wonder how many were ordered by Bangers and delivered. I'm guessing the 500-2000 listed above seems a good guess.

You gotta post pics man! I'm assuming Banger's Inc. is a small distributor that contracted Smith out to do a nice series of Combat Magnums for them like Lew Horton did, correct?

Nevermind, other posters filled in the blank I was drawing about "Bangers Inc. Very cool find OP, very cool!

The "Spec Ord" code is actually a date code. (So, "Spec Ord" is code for "Date".) In which the first number is the year and the rest are the day of the year, i.e., 001 through 365.

8297 is 199'8', and 297 is October 23rd. 299 is October 25th. Those are the dates the guns were ready to ship but not necessarily the day they left the factory.

Since Bangers is still in business, have you called or emailed them with your questions?

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

I just called Bangers and had a wonderful chat with the S&W guy Mr Yates. He's been with Bangers since the first. (I didn't ask, but wonder if he doesn't have ownership)?

Anyway as pertains to Mod 66 3" Combat Magnums, he said the company (Bangers) started in late 1986 and their purchase probably followed a much larger RSR purchase. He indicated it was probably about 300 guns directly ordered from S&W. He gave this number due to the newness and size of the company.

Mr Yates was very generous with his time and gave me backgrounds on the S&W distributor community in the 1980's. Good friends with Mr Steiger of RSR.

He didn't have any direct knowledge of Serial Numbers for Bangers. S&W just built guns with blocks of numbers. Bangers would probably be a block after RSR's purchase.

(Thoughts) if the Spec Ord (Julian Date) Banger code was 2 days after the RSR guns, would if be fair to assume the Banger guns took maybe 2 days for S&W to put together and box?

He was a wonderful gentleman and a wealth of information. He gave me some other leads to possibly pursue. I'll post more as I find it.