Navy Seals use of Model 66s or 686s?

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Speaking of holsters......I've got a vintage ballistic nylon piece, most definately mil-spec (built like a brick $hithouse). Manufacturer was a company called "Elevated Urban Operation" (or somthing to that effect....I'll have to dig it out of storage to remember for sure). It's a full flap, secured with lots of velcro and most definately made for a 4" K frame (though there's no model designation on it that I can recall)

Perhapse it's got a military history???
 
Last time I was at Dam Neck 686s were still around, as well as 36s. I don't remember when the transition from 66s to 686s was, but 686s were in use in 1992 or 1993.
 
akviper said:
Check out "Weapons of the Navy Seals" by Kevin Dockery. He is one of the curators of the Seal Museum and covers the history of firearms used by the Seal Teams in depth. Both the 66 and 686 were used.
Click to expand...

In this book, it says the 686 is used for (among other tasks) "live" fire using primer-only .357 cases plugged with wax as the projectile.
 
Way back in 1985? I had a SEAL TEAM buddy get orders from SEAL TEAM ONE ( West Coast ) to some SEAL TEAM on the east coast . As soon as he got there he called me and wanted to buy his jump gear back from me that he had sold to me . At that time he mentioned that when he arrived at his new command he was issued a Stainless Steel S&W Mod. 66 and that he was to be carrying it " at all time's " . He mentioned something to the effect that his new TEAM was very intense . He said that he needed his jump gear back and was willing to pay me more then what he sold it to me for becouse he had to have it right away and he needed it overnighted to him ? I don't till this day know what that was all about . Now I don't remember ever having the SEAL TEAM SIX conversation with him but as I can recall I assumed that this is where he went . At that time as I can recall SIX was the only TEAM actively carrying anything " at all the time's " let alone a revolver .
That's all I know , or can remember .
 
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Last time I was at the Seal Museum in Ft. Pierce, Fl, there was a nicely engraved 686 with white (pearl?) grips that was labeled as having been presented to Richard Marchinko by some of his troops. Beautiful gun!
 
So it's safe to say that the SEALS did carry and use both the 66 and 686 in the past and perhaps still do among many other type of firearms.
 
Seal Teams And S&W 66,686's

Well this subject is very interesting because I was just watching a documentary on the Discovery channel about the Navy Seals, their training and what it takes to become a member of the Navy's elite U.D.T./Speacial Warfare Units. In this film the instructor stated that the Seals use different weapons and techniques for each mission. That meaning that the Seals have to adapt to all sorts of places and environments. For example if they are assaulting a place in a country that the most available ammo is 9mm and 7.62x39 why bring in .45 a.c.p. and .223, it makes sense. I can imagine that they have just about every kind of weapon available to them to get the mission done, that would also go for Army Force Delta and Green Barret "Masters Of Counter Insurgency" as they go by in the armed forces. You also have to remember one of the Seals main objectives is to lay down the most accurate, dramatic, over whelming amount of fire at one time upon extract not as a show of force but to also destroy their opponents at the psychological level. Some time back I was reading a story about the CIA's book of dirty tricks and unconventional warfare. It stated that back during the Vietnam War they would use the local superstitions about vampires. So when they would ambush a V.C. recon unit they would poke holes on the dead bodies necks and hang them upside down from trees to instill fear on the other V.C. regular units and pro-communist local villagers. With all this said, unconventional war calls for unconventional means.
 
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To add to the S&Ws in general issue, rather than just onesies and twosies, the model 36 is regularly used by at least one command within Naval Special Warfare.
 
My thinking is that if Clint Smith can get all the S&Ws he wants built new without the lock, then a few clients who make large purchases can have it their way, too. On that same note, if Clint is a better, more responsible human being than I in the eyes of S&W, then they can keep their new products until they treat me the same.
 
rhm0351 said:
My thinking is that if Clint Smith can get all the S&Ws he wants built new without the lock, then a few clients who make large purchases can have it their way, too. On that same note, if Clint is a better, more responsible human being than I in the eyes of S&W, then they can keep their new products until they treat me the same.
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Explain please . I know who Clint Smith is, just not the rest .
 
A while back, when the 22-4 (or 21, I forget) came out, there was an article about the one produced for Clint (who wrote the article himself). His shiny new Thunder Ranch Special N-frame did not have the lock on the side, but the ones for the rest of us being sold in the production run did. Obviously, the rumors about S&W being required in some way to build all new pistols with a lock are unfounded. The 22-4 is the only revolver since the lock came out that I have felt compelled to buy. Sure wish it were available without the lock, but that's a mess of a discussion that has been beat to death everywhere else over and over.
 
Gentlemen

I can confirm that Team 6 did indeed use S&W 66s and 686s. The reason being was that you might have to fire as you broke the water, and due to the fact that the water would drain out of the barrel at the forceing cone and the rear of the cylinder thus decreasing the overpressure danger. And therewas the stainless durability against salt water corrosion.
The holster was an early "plastic" job whose name escapes me. The load is classified!
And the snubbies were used for backup or undercover work!
Also NCIS carried 3inch 66s.
I was with the Teams for a while, although which one is a secret that goes to the grave with me. Dale
 
I have read that, early on (Viet Nam), that, at the request of the Teams, S&W developed the model 39-the original hush puppy, but they further requested a "high capacity" 9, and the model 59 was the result. I have read this in a couple of places, and other than that, I can't say. But I have owned a 59for over 25 years, and have shot a large ammount of all types of ammo through it, including foreign stuff, blazer, hand loads, and anything there was, and I can not remember a failure that was the fault of the gun. There were many 15 round magazines that were fired as fast as the trigger could be pulled. It would shoot them without a glitch. I bought it used, and never touched it internally. Now I own 2 of them, just in case! flapjack
 
^That would have been the "X-147". It was an experimental early pre-59 prototype. Some say it was made of stainless, but that I can't confirm.
The HushPuppy was a fact! And I think there is a photo of one in one of the 39 threads in the autopistol section.
Both were before my time in service.
 
While I'm not a SEAL, I've trained with them around the globe as a SF Combat Diver. We were training (shooting, diving, jumping) with them in Machrihanish Scotland during 89'(Tm 2). I do remember seeing 4" M66s in the arms room. Haven't seen any since. Tm 8 has always carried the SIG 226 in the Gulf when I've worked with them. Here in Astan they still prefer the 226.

CD
 
my late cousin, Norman R Riddle, USN BUD/S

carried a blued S&W model 19 in Viet Nam, 1968, 1969, 1970. He'd called his dad back in the States soon after he was deployed to the Riverine Forces, complaing of the lack of good handguns. My uncle asked him what he wanted & Randy told him a S&W mod 19 6" would do just fine.

The next day one was purchased & with the permission of his CO, sent to him there. He carried it throught his tours overseas.
I'm sure he had a rigger or someone make him up a holster.
da gimp
 
da gimp-the air force had the model 10'sbut us army folks had 1911's that must have been Bora War Vets, because they were junk. They rattled so bad that an average VC mortorman could put the first round on you just from the noise comming off of these buckets of bolts. I was fortunate to get an as new model 10 from a civilian,a 4", which went wherever I did, all of the time. There were some bad "accidents" with the 1911's we had, and I just developed an aversion to it, as I did to the m-16. Still couldn't own anything gas impingement, I just would not be able to get past the broken trust issue from a psychological standpoint. I found out just a few years back the last 1911's the Army bought was in 1943! At least for those of us that Viet Nam Vets. No wonder they were tired. When we went to the range a Ft. McClellan, one guy just squeezed by with enough hits to qualify after a whole day on the range. Fortunately only 11C's had to qualify-11B's just had a familiarize requirement. There were all kinds of malfunctions, and they sent us over with that junk. I hope what they have now is better. Amazingflapjack
 
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