Hi KY1911,

I am so sorry about your Model 66-8. I am sincere empathy for you. I know the feeling of expecting quality in exchange for money only to be disappointed. I suffered the identical frustration with a circa 1983 586.

There is no acceptable excuse for your gun's condition.

When one sees such an obvious imperfection, the natural thought is what other imperfections plague the gun. My 586's barrel was not aligned correctly. That should have been a huge clue for my naive belief that it was otherwise a good gun. During an extended firearms training course, the cylinder froze rendering my 586 inoperable. The cylinder would not open. That was the second and last time I returned it to S&W. I finally gave it to an old friend. I paid to ship it to his FFL.

I did not buy another S&W revolver until last month. I have a 2.75" copy of the Model 66-8. So far, it has been perfect. I plan on taking it into wilderness areas of the Rockies. I'll have at least one of my kids fishing with me. I have to have complete confidence in it in order to protect my kids from mean critters (black bears & lions).

I hope S&W customer service repairs your gun or exchanges it for a perfect copy.