Model 66-1 2.5 vs Ruger Speed Six

I've recently been looking for a Ruger Speed Six, I have a 2.75 that I carry now but I wanted to get a spare just in case something were to ever happen to the one I carry. I really want a true 3 inch version like the USPS or NYCPD contract. Since I've been searching I came across a few K frames I wouldn't mind having. I really started looking at the 3 inch 65s and 13s but they're a little out of my price range at the moment.

During my search I came across a worn but overall great condition Model 66-1 with 2.5 inch barrel. You can tell it has some holster wear but mechanically it seems great. It does have a bit of a gouge on the front of the barrel but it's no where near the crown. I could definitely file it out and polish it up and make the gun look good. I can get it for about $550 and I've never owned a vintage S&W. It is pinned and recessed. Even though it's not really a spare for my Speed Six it's close enough.

I'm debating on wether I should jump on this one or not. I think it's a great deal and vintage Smiths are only going up in price. The K frame forcing cone issue has been beat to death and I've read various threads and articles on that already. It's a slight concern but not a huge concern, I love shooting 357 but I stick with 140 grain and up as it is. Plus from what I've gathered that issue is seen more on the 19s than it is the 66s. I would be carrying it at least occasionally. Not sure how I feel about adjustable sights on a carry gun but I'm not totally against. That's why I went with the Speed Six in the first place but also why I was looking at 65s and 13s as well.

I know it's not exactly what I want, I have a few other contenders I'm looking at also. Another 2.75 Speed Six And a 2.75 Service Six. Part of me really wants to hold out until I find one of the true 3 inch Sixes since that's what I was really after. The other part of me really wants to see what the hype is about with vintage S&Ws. I've seen 14 of the 3 inch Speed Six come up for sale in under a year, I missed a few a decent prices the last couple of months. Now that I have enough saved to get in the game I can't find one anywhere, except a NIB example and the asking price is way more than its worth. I started looking at the 2.75s again so I would have a spare for my carry gun and I could take my time getting the 3 inch. Then a worn but still beautiful 66-1 shows up. The seller believes it was carried more than fired so that's an even bigger plus. I've considered a couple other models as well but the Speed Six and this lone 66-1 are the main contenders.

I'd like to get opinions on both models, I know neither have warranty service which kind of worries me with the 66. With the Ruger there's not too much I can't fix myself at this point, I restored my 2.75 myself. The lack of factory support is a minus on both ends and has me wondering if I should just keep looking or maybe go to the SP101 or 3 inch GP100 with compact grips. I'd also consider the 66-8 2.75 but I doubt I'll find one in my price range right now.

If it checks out mechanically, you're not going to get hurt at that price.

A Smith will ALWAYS have a better trigger than a Ruger. I will contend (based on my own experience) that a Smith will always be more accurate as well.

The combination of those two would (and has) tilted me to the Smith line-up over the Ruger one.

The worry about factory back-up on the Smith is a non-starter, IMO. Internals are easily accessed, sights can be changed, etc. Any decent gunsmith should be able to replace a hammer, sear & trigger should you decide it needed them.

I would buy & never look back.

My .o2

Ruger has no factory support for the Six Series revolvers. I have 3 of them, but they are all 4 inchers and I have been on the lookout for one of the 2 3/4 ones, no luck. I bought a 3" GP 100 thinking that might satisfy the itch, but that thing is a boat anchor.

bobsguns said:

A Smith will ALWAYS have a better trigger than a Ruger. I will contend (based on my own experience) that a Smith will always be more accurate as well.

The combination of those two would (and has) tilted me to the Smith line-up over the Ruger one.

The worry about factory back-up on the Smith is a non-starter, IMO. Internals are easily accessed, sights can be changed, etc. Any decent gunsmith should be able to replace a hammer, sear & trigger should you decide it needed them.

I would buy & never look back.

My .o2

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I'm really tempted by the 66-1 but I'm still doing a little research. Was the SN ever stamped near the hand slot on the frame? I zoomed in and noticed a section was covered up and normally sellers only do that to cover SNs. There's a couple nice size gouges on the back of the window under the firing pin too. Seems to be cosmetic and shouldn't affect anything but I don't know how I feel about it yet.

hannstv said:

Ruger has no factory support for the Six Series revolvers. I have 3 of them, but they are all 4 inchers and I have been on the lookout for one of the 2 3/4 ones, no luck. I bought a 3" GP 100 thinking that might satisfy the itch, but that thing is a boat anchor.

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The 66-1 doesn't have factory support either, I consider it a minus on both ends. However I have two of the Sixes already, a 4 inch and a 2.75 and both are absolutely great. I'm very familiar with them and they're fairly easy to work on. I carry the 2.75, it was a beater I restored and it's pretty nice now. Still has a few minor pits and blemishes but it's in much better shape than it was. I'm not too nervous buying a used Six mainly because I can fix most things on them.

The only reason I'm considering 3 inch GP100 is because I want a 3 inch USPS Speed Six. The older 3 inch GP with the short underlug is very close especially with the compact grips. With full size grips and the full underlug it loses its appeal.
This all started because I wanted a spare of the one I carry, originally I said I was going to go for the one I really want but who knows when I'll find one again. There's a few 2.75s I'm looking at too, as much as I'd love to get the 3 inch I know there's a chance I won't find one any time soon.

magnum0710 said:

I'm really tempted by the 66-1 but I'm still doing a little research. Was the SN ever stamped near the hand slot on the frame? I zoomed in and noticed a section was covered up and normally sellers only do that to cover SNs. There's a couple nice size gouges on the back of the window under the firing pin too. Seems to be cosmetic and shouldn't affect anything but I don't know how I feel about it yet.

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That divot in the firing pin bushing would worry me. I have four Model 66 revolvers, but I’d probably pass on that one.

magnum0710 said:

I'm really tempted by the 66-1 but I'm still doing a little research. Was the SN ever stamped near the hand slot on the frame? I zoomed in and noticed a section was covered up and normally sellers only do that to cover SNs. There's a couple nice size gouges on the back of the window under the firing pin too. Seems to be cosmetic and shouldn't affect anything but I don't know how I feel about it yet.

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I've never seen a serial number in that location, so possibly the tape is there to cover up something else. The divot on the firing pin bushing is curious as I've never seen that before.

Others much more knowledgeable than me can provide more information.

OP:

I think a three inch model 13 or 65 would be about right. I think I saw a previous thread of yours about the three inch Ruger. I spoke with the owner of a nice speed six today but he wasn't sure if it is a 2.75 or 3 inch. I have seen the gun before and it is very nice. He might be willing to sell it. He is going to check the barrel length.

What appears to be a divot in the f/p bushing could be carbon or lead stains, or build-up. Pics from more accute angles would help.

To me, based on the direction of the light and shadows, that looks like a chunk missing from the firing pin bushing. I'm not sure how that sort of damage could occur, but it raises questions about the history of this revolver. Is the forcing cone showing significant erosion?

Tape might be covering a "dept." stamping of some sort.Buy the Smith....if you're not happy you can always use it as trading fodder on a Ruger.

Vtgw938 said:

OP:

I think a three inch model 13 or 65 would be about right. I think I saw a previous thread of yours about the three inch Ruger. I spoke with the owner of a nice speed six today but he wasn't sure if it is a 2.75 or 3 inch. I have seen the gun before and it is very nice. He might be willing to sell it. He is going to check the barrel length.

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Even if its a 2.75 I'd probably be interested still, those are the only ones I'm finding now anyway.

stansdds said:

To me, based on the direction of the light and shadows, that looks like a chunk missing from the firing pin bushing. I'm not sure how that sort of damage could occur, but it raises questions about the history of this revolver. Is the forcing cone showing significant erosion?

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No erosion as far as I can tell, even still I can't help but wonder how it got that chunk missing.

TheTinMan said:

That divot in the firing pin bushing would worry me. I have four Model 66 revolvers, but I’d probably pass on that one.

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I'm more than likely going to pass on it after zooming in on that picture. The 66 wasn't even on my radar at first, I was looking at 65s and 13s. I figure there has to be a reason it costs less than some of the other stuff they have.

A Ruger really responds to a spring kit, without compromising reliability. They are very strong, and I prefer them to the GP series until you get to .44 Special. The regular GP is too much beef to carry for the .357 for me, but it probably would not have been as a younger man. The K Frame fits me "just right" and the trigger can be tuned to all the perfection my skill set can use. But I respect the Ruger and admit if you are looking for a .357 that is easy to carry, it gets the nod. Yes, to me, over the L Frame.

Own/have owned multiples of both. The short barrel 66 is kind of meh to me. The ejector rod is too short and the adjustable sights can snag on clothing. The one you're looking at is priced well but has a few red flags. The Speed is a favorite of mine. I have zero complaint on either accuracy or trigger. As others have mentioned Ruger doesn't support the platform any more (out of parts) but it's highly unlikely you would ever need them.

For carry for me this comes down to two choices. A three inch 10/13/64/65 or a three inch GP100. My Wiley Clapp GP is, in my view, the ideal carry revolver. They can still be found but aren't cheap. I rarely run magnum ammo in any, in the short barrel guns I don't think the juice is worth the squeeze.

I favor the Ruger.

My department issued Smith 66s until I got my patrol division switched to 686s. The 66s gave us nothing but trouble. When I went through the POST range master course I was on my third 66 when I by the time I finished.

I was familiar with the Ruger because that was the base for my two PPC revolvers. If a Ruger six series could not be made as smooth as a Smith, someone forgot to tell my gunsmiths.

Rugers are tougher than 66s. If one wants to read more on this look up the US Border Patrol test of the Ruger against the 66 for issue. The Rugers set new durability records.

So when I wanted a snub .357 of my own that was equal in size/weight to the snub 66, I bought a Ruger Security Six with the 2 3/4" bbl. The first time I took it out on the department range to qualify with it, I shot it as well as my 4" 66. And I was a DM class shooter. Absent proof to the contrary I would consider claims of superior k frame accuracy to be WAGS.

One of the reasons I did the work to get my division from 66s to 686s was Bill Davis convinced me of how superior they were.

I consider the L frames to be the ideal Smith 18/357 platform.

magnum0710 said:

I'm really tempted by the 66-1 but I'm still doing a little research. Was the SN ever stamped near the hand slot on the frame? I zoomed in and noticed a section was covered up and normally sellers only do that to cover SNs. There's a couple nice size gouges on the back of the window under the firing pin too. Seems to be cosmetic and shouldn't affect anything but I don't know how I feel about it yet.

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Some models had the S/N stamped on the frame next to the crane in recent years. I'm not knowledgeable enough to say which ones those are, sorry. But I've seen it on a couple of mine.

I have no guess as to those gouges. I agree that's just extremely weird, IMO. Some gentle filing would level it off but won't make it go away, sadly.

All I can offer is that IF you get the gun & don't like it, there's better than even chance you can sell it for what you paid for it.

My .o2

Maybe I'm looking at the photo wrong, but that "tape" or blacked out area looks to me like it's the hand window. Am I going crazy?