Opinions on a model 66-1 2.5"

richardman1992 · Jul 9, 2015

I have an opportunity to pick up a model 66-1 snub nose for 650 this coming week. It is pinned and recessed. No box or papers, and it has some spotted rust. Should clean up well with flitz or something. What do you guys think about it for that price?

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Welder1 · Jul 9, 2015

Model 66 2.5" in my opinion is the best looking gun Smith and Wesson made. I think that $650 with spots of rust may be on the high end of the spectrum.

ralph7 · Jul 9, 2015

If the rust spots look as innocuous in person as those look in the pics, that would seem to be a solid buy. Factory grips would make it sweeter, though.

colt_saa · Jul 9, 2015

The 2 1/2" Combat Magnum is one of the nicest proportioned snubbies out there.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUnTBwUHov0[/ame]

Price wise, it is not a bargain price, but they are getting harder to find

nyeti · Jul 9, 2015

I shoot them well and enjoy them. Not as much as my 3" 66's, but still great guns. My chances of finding a DSS gun are slim and if I did it would not be a carry piece. I am very tempted to take a 2.5" 66 I am picking up this weekend and getting it Cerakoted flat black...purists may hate the ideal but I think it will make a great carry gun.

DUNTOV · Jul 9, 2015

66

White scotchbride will probably remove the rust, and the 66 2.5" is a very accurate & well balanced revolver, but that one may be $100 high in my opinion.

old bear · Jul 9, 2015

Richard, listen to me, please. Buy it. Then take it home soak in some Break-Free and GENTLY remove rust spots with bronze wool. Then clean with a lead away cloth. Finally shoot the wheels off it.

The above is exactly what I did with the one I picked up several years ago. It gets a lot more carry/range time than my 2 1/2" model 19 gets.

jdlii · Jul 9, 2015

You will only be disappointed if you don't buy it as soon as possible!

richardman1992 · Jul 9, 2015

I will be picking it up next weekend as soon as I get paid from my new job. It will be a nice compliment to the 19-5 snubby I picked up about 3 weeks ago. That one came with the box papers and original wood grips. I'll take heed to what you said old bear!

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Todd K. · Jul 9, 2015

In my humble opinion, $650 for a pinned 66 is a great deal. I have been looking for one, either a 66, or 66-1 snubby for quite some time. One came up for sale a week or so ago on this forum for $625 and I nearly wet myself. I nearly pulled a hamstring trying to get to the bottom of the page to yell "I'll Take It" only to see someone a bit more fleet of foot beat me there. My long search continues......

Jamesatrange · Jul 9, 2015

Not a bad deal. I'd do it if I were you and you can still afford to eat.

Hapworth · Jul 10, 2015

$650 is high end for gun alone with some rust. I'd want to inspect it very, very closely to determine exactly how much rust and where (to include the internals), and to assess the overall mechanical and cosmetic condition.

If it's otherwise aces with, basically, some mechanically inconsequential freckling that can be removed, I'd haggle a little and hopefully agree on something nearer $600.

If not, I'd keep looking...

H Richard · Jul 10, 2015

Be sure to use bronze wool or scotchbrite and NOT any steel wool. (fine particles of steel wool can imbed in the pores and then rust).

retnavyshooter · Jul 10, 2015

Bought my 2.5, Mod.66 about a year ago at a gun show in Hampton, VA; paid $585 w/ box, papers and cleaning kit. Thought I got a fair deal.

Mick

5Wire · Jul 10, 2015

As far as I can tell, the price is below average for what looks like—after a bit of clean & polish—an above average example of the model, especially pinned & recessed. Here's what I have for a track:

Smith & Wesson 66 2-1/2 inch barrel. Revolver in .357 Magnum,.38 Special, Plus P. Blue Book of Gun Values (35th Edition) indicates between $561 in 95% condition and $754 in 100% condition for this gun. I have 80 recorded prices for this model gun from $436 to $1103 over a period of 3 Yrs 7 Mos ending July 5, 2015. The average price as of that date was $695. No refurbs, no refinishes, regular sights. All represented as 95% or better. No distinction for import location or engineering revision, if any, no special editions, no distinctions for box, papers, tools. Current or last MSRP is $614.

The last 10 prices I have for this model since 2/10/2015 range from $600 to $975 averaging $743, so the average is clearly climbing.

raylan007 · Jul 10, 2015

"BUY IT NOW"

I would go with the stats 5Wire has given. You didn't mention if this is a online purchase but I gather it isn't which would also be a factor in the total outlay of your hard earned money. If you are talking GB pricing anything around $600 is a good price and you would be lucky to find one listed for that amount, I did a few months ago. I found 2 listings not more than a couple hours old with a "Buy It Now" of $600. I was all over both and the third came from a pawn shop in Plano Texas on GA that I payed $500 for, I consider myself lucky due to not finding these prices online in the past few months. If you buy it you will have many options for dealing with the rust and when it is cleaned up you will want to put a nice pair of Ahrends or Hogues on it. You will be happy you did

Decker · Jul 11, 2015

I'm wondering how much hand polishing you can do on a pistol such as this without making it "too" shiny.

I've had my 66-1 for as long as I can remember. No rust or anything, just some areas on the cylinder where it has been placed on a shelf a few times and taken on a spot or two of what I would describe as "enhanced" brushed stainless steel appearance. I couldn't even call it "scuffing".
The short back-story on it is that I recall buying it from my older brother decades ago. No box or papers, but still in new condition because I've rarely shot it and never carried it.

I took a tiny bit of Flitz to the area and it came right out, but left it a little shinier than the overall pistol. Just a polishing cloth by hand; no Dremilling or polishing wheel.

Should I just sit down and Flitz the entire pistol or leave it the hell alone?

Hapworth · Jul 11, 2015

Decker said:
I'm wondering how much hand polishing you can do on a pistol such as this without making it "too" shiny.

I've had my 66-1 for as long as I can remember. No rust or anything, just some areas on the cylinder where it has been placed on a shelf a few times and taken on a spot or two of what I would describe as "enhanced" brushed stainless steel appearance. I couldn't even call it "scuffing".
The short back-story on it is that I recall buying it from my older brother decades ago. No box or papers, but still in new condition because I've rarely shot it and never carried it.

I took a tiny bit of Flitz to the area and it came right out, but left it a little shinier than the overall pistol. Just a polishing cloth by hand; no Dremilling or polishing wheel.

Should I just sit down and Flitz the entire pistol or leave it the hell alone?

In metalwork you can take surface from opaque to shiny and back (and everything in between) with the right tools and know-how.

I'd suggest you leave well-enough alone, but if you want, you can approximate the look of the finish with a Norton Scouring or 3M gray pad. Gentle strokes in the direction of the "grain" over the brigt spot will bring it near to in line.

Worth noting: complete polishing of S&W stainless will remove the passivation layer.

Decker · Jul 11, 2015

Hapworth said:
Worth noting: complete polishing of S&W stainless will remove the passivation layer.

That surprises me.
I know that the later stainless steel models seem to have some kind of clear something or other on them, but I never even thought that the earlier ones did.

I found out about the new ones with a 642 that I bought for carry. It's been dropped "gently" so no biggy (like I said, it's a working carry pistol), and I noticed what looked like a clear layer of something that was disturbed that I knew wasn't the stainless itself.

I just never imagined that each and every stainless handgun had been done in such a way.
When I did that light polish to my 66-1, I saw no indication of "going through" any kind of protection layer, only that the area in question cleaned right up and became a little shinier.

Mark6005 · Jul 11, 2015

Make an offer. Then contemplate when the next time you'll come across one. $50 too much will be soon forgotten

Opinions on a model 66-1 2.5"

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