I was looking at the Model 66 Combat Magnum on the S&W website and there are a couple of things in its description that I do not understand and was wondering if someone could provide some enlightenment?

1. What is meant by it being a "combat" revolver?

2. It is described as having a two-piece barrel; I do not know what this means. I have a 686 Plus with a 4" barrel, is this a one-piece barrel?

I am fairly new to S&W revolvers so these terms are new to me.

Thanks.

Every S & W revolver has a model name, and since 1958 a model number. The model 66 is called the ".357 Combat Magnum Stainless". Much like any car with the word "Sport" in it, this is supposed to conjure up images of prolonged firefights when all you are doing is picking up groceries, or punching holes in paper.

Certain S & W revolvers have a separate internal barrel, threaded into the frame and everything secured at the muzzle end with a threaded cap. So they are (to me) three-piece barrels but I am in the minority. They are easier to fit than the standard barrel (like your 686) and have a reputation for excellent accuracy.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

The original K-frame .357 Magnum was the "Combat Magnum" before model numbers appeared. The 66 is a stainless version of the Model 19. So it's the stainless Combat Magnum. I don't think S&W is suggesting that you go in to war with it, but it's part of the name and history of the model.

The two piece barrel is (relatively) new. S&W started this with the X-frame .460 and .500 Magnum revolvers. Rather than a large hunk of steel with the barrel bored through it, it's more of a tube barrel inside a shroud and attached at the frame, and then attached again to the shroud at the muzzle end.

If you are familiar with the Dan Wesson revolvers, it is designed much like that with the exception that while the Dan Wesson was able to be switched out and removed and swapped by the user, the new S&W two-piece barrels are not able to be played with by the owner. However the factory can switch them out if need be.

The obvious question is... if the first 100+ years with one piece barrels worked, why change now? And the correct answer is always likely to be "this one is faster and easier and cheaper to manufacture."

But a change like this doesn't always need to mean that it isn't as good. In fact, these new two piece revolvers have been noted for their accuracy and S&W can replace them if you manage to wreck one. As to their recent appearance in K-frames such as the subject 66, it seems that these are more durable than the original infamous .357 Magnum K-frame 6-o'clock weak spot.

murphydog,

Thank you for the quick and informative reply! I like the sport car analogy -very apt. I also appreciate your description of the two (three) piece barrel; you set my mind at ease that it is a good barrel construction.

Ike

A "combat revolver" is whatever you want it to be. It is a term that someone in the advertising department came up with to sell guns. Kind of like "assault rifle" means whatever you want it to.

The 686 Plus has a one piece barrel. Several S&W models now have two piece barrels which are basically a barrel surrounded by a shroud. The shroud looks very much like the barrel of the one piece design but if you look closely you can see that the barrel is attached to it and not a single piece.

Sevens,

Thank you for your thoughts and descriptions as well. I really appreciate your input!

Ike

Seadragon,

Yes, I am in full agreement that it must be a marketing term, as described by others in this thread as well. I looked and looked but just couldn't find anything that would differentiate it as extra "combat" worthy or whatever.

Ike

I believe your 686 is called a Distinguished Combat Magnum. The 38 Special counterpart of the Model 19 and Model 66 is the Model 15 and Model 67. They are called the Combat Masterpiece.
Hugh


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

For what it is worth, the Model 15 was issued as the M15 to the military, and was my issue sidearm for a 27 year USAF career. We were still carrying it in the Gulf War. It was indeed the "Combat Masterpiece." A version of it dates from before WWII, and many saw combat in the hands of aviators and ground troops, including Marines. The current issue of the American Rifleman has an article on WWII use.
Then, as now, manufacturers use military sales in their advertising and naming of models.

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Science plus Art

The current production Model 19 Classic and Model 66 Combat Magnum with the two-piece barrel do, in my opinion, have a couple of advantages over the older Models 19 and 66. The two piece barrel allows for a full size barrel forcing cone, no thin spot at the bottom, which has been known to crack. The second thing is the crane lock instead of locking on the end of the ejector rod. This is a more robust system for locking the crane and a loosened ejector rod is likely to result in the inability to open the cylinder.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

If you are a S&W newbie, interested in the new K frame, I recommend this video.

The new S&W Model 19 Classic ~ A S&W Armorer's Review - YouTube

The new changes might ruffle the feathers of a few traditionalists, but those same people might forget that S&W has a far more historic tradition...That being of innovation in firearm design that in the days of the two business partners caused consternation and derision from established gun "experts" who just knew that accuracy and reliability could never be synonymous with any device which separated the barrel from a revolving ammunition container...I believe that 50 years from now (notwithstanding political considerations) the new-to-us "Classic" line of S&W's will be looked on in the same light as all the other examples from S&W history...

The real danger S&W designers, engineers and craftsmen face in the coming years will come from their own corporate officers who juggle pressures from politicians and misinformed "activists" with the demands of stockholders who expect an ongoing return from their financial investments...Carry on Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson......Ben

Shocker,

Interesting video on the 19. Thanks for sharing the link.