This thread is for anyone who uses a 2.5" bbl Model 66 or 19 as their primary daily carry piece.
Please share your comments both pro and con on the concealability of these fine old revolvers. What holster do you use? What Ammo do you carry? Do you carry speed loaders or strips? Are you comfortable with only six rounds at the ready? Anything I really need to know?
I'm an old school guy who is tired of semi-autos and I am seriously considering going back to a revolver, especially a K Frame Smith.
Again, comments both pro and con will be very much appreciated.

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Regards, John MCPO USN RET

Up until the last qualification, this past May, I carried my 2.5" 66 on duty. I still carry it off duty.

I've used Speer Golden Sabre 125 grain 357's, and Winchester Ranger 110 grain 38+P+ for carry ammo.

I did recently pick up some Winchester PDX Bonded 135 grain 38+P and am looking at using it as well.

On duty I used a Don Hume belt scabbard, open top in the winter, thumb break model in summer. A Don Hume 2x2x2 pouch on my belt and a speed loader in my pocket sufficed for extra rounds.

No, I never felt under gunned as I shot that 66 snubby enough, in qualification, practice, and competition to know almost to a certainty where all six rounds would go under pressure. And I don't buy into the internet fiction that you need three 15 round mags on your belt and 18 rounds in your gun just to go outside. Where are the news reports of all these folks being set upon by PCP Zombie hoardes?

I preferred the 66 to my model 19 snubby because it is hot and miserably humid in NC, almost nine months of the year. Hope this helps. Regards 18DAI.

I sometimes carry a 66-5, 2.5". I have to use a OWB holster and a cover garment. So, the times that I carry it are limited to cooler weather. I usually carry at least one speed strip. My typical load for a revolver is 158 grn SWC +P.

I've been carrying a revolver quite a bit off duty the last two years. My old Sparks Summer Special 2, a newer Mernickle belt & speedloader pouch, & a Speed Strip, loadedwith Silvertips work for my M66-2.

Here is the Speed Six I used to carry, and its' rig



And here is what replaced it

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July 4, 1776 not Jan 30, 1909

I carry a 65 3" in a Tucker Silent Thunder, it's great and I think with the body shield a 2.5" 66/19 would carry just as well... Speer 158gr/357s or 135gr/38+P when on HD duty...

Speed strips for carry, Safariland speed loaders at the house...

I carry my 66-1 2 1/2 inch or 65-2 three inch all the time. I have several 2 1/2 and three inch k/l frames and I think they are great guns to carry.

I do carry my 19-3 2.5" in a Don Hume 710 holster when wearing a sport coat. Works very well...

66 2.5 in a Bianchi Shadow owb holster. Speer .357 mag with two speed strips. This has been my carry rig for quite a while, and will continue to be. I've never felt under gunned.

I go with a M19 in a Bladetech UCH. I love this combo as it keeps it close to the body, and I can hide it under a tucked in shirt, although I usually wear a cover shirt. A 2X2X2 and a backup M360SC are the reloads.

Attached Images

IMG_7135a.jpg (87.9 KB, 238 views)

Stainless is the way to go for daily carry, I carried my 2.5" 66 for CC for time but prefer fixed sight revolvers....... the 19's are awesome but save those for shooting and collecting.

I just took a concealed carry class on 9-11-2010 and did the shooting portion with my 2.5" 19-5 which I also intend to use as my carry weapon when my permit arrives.

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"I'm just a dog chasing cars."

What this fine gentleman and expert said, especially about needing 45 rounds of ammo strapped on to walk out the door.

You can't do much better than this revolver and caliber, except to buy one with a 3" barrel for positive ejection of fired cases. I prefer 158 gr. Speer Gold Dot's myself, but a well placed shot or two with any of these rounds is much better than 15 misses from spray and praying.

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V/R
Roger / SG

I have a nice 66 2.5 inch with a bobbed hammer. Very nice gun, however I find it too heavy for me. I prefer a Colt Dick Special or more often than not a Smith J-frame. I have an open-top EPS holster for the 66, I think they call it a "Street Combat" holster. I don't like it and prefer something with a thumb break or other type of snap retention.

I carry a 66 2/12 in an IWB holster, it carries just fine for me, and I am not a big person. I do not carry spare ammo, If it takes more than six rounds you are not in a gun fight, you are in a war.

I have carried a Mdl 19 during the winter months for several years.

I use 158 grain JSPs and carry two speed strips for reloads.

Until recently, I carried it in a 5 Shot OWB holster.

A few weeks ago Keith44special sent me a rig to test out and it has become my every day carry set up.

I have been carrying my 66-1 off-duty since December. I use a pancake holster from Lobo Gunleather, and my reload is in an El Paso Saddlery 2x2x2 worn in front of the gun. A Dade speedloader rides in my front pocket sometimes too. All this is carried on a a Beltman horsehide belt that does a terrific job of handling the weight.

My usual carry load is the Speer .38 Special +P Short Barrel Gold Dot, but occasionally I use the magnum version of this same load. Both are very accurate, and the .38 load is extremely controllable.

All this paired up with an old pair of S&W model 90 handcuffs, and I feel like I'm prepared for just about anything. Who says those old cops from the 70's were undergunned?

Are there any cons to this rig? Sure. It's a little heavier than my Glock 26, and the ammo I chose is less powerful than the +P 9mm rounds we're issued. It's also a little bigger, making it slightly harder to conceal. But to me, the pros definitely outweigh the cons. Utter reliability, and a system I could hand my wife, or even the most novice of shooters and know they could make it work at least six times. With the right concealment rig, even this gun disappears under an untucked shirt. To me, it's one of the finest combat handguns ever made.

66-2 in a Bianchi Shadow,every time I'm out in the woods (backyard) or on the quad.. couple of "speedstrips" of .38's and one of .357's and ready for anything...

I miss my 66 and my 19....

Stupid.

Never sell off pre-lock guns.

C77

Thanks to all who responded. I found all the info you provided to be extremely useful.
I totally agree with 18DAI about mega rounds on your belt. My departed Dad was a Deputy Sheriff in the South Fla swamps back in the 40's he carried a Colt Police Positive .38 cal six shooter with twelve in loops on his belt. His theory was if you needed more than six to get the job done, you shouldn't have been in the fight in the first place.

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Regards, John MCPO USN RET

I carried a 2.5" Model 19 working plainclothes and off-duty from about 1975-85. Strong-side pancake-style holster, about 15-degrees butt-forward, worn at 3:30 position. Very comfortable, easy to conceal, easy to draw from when needed. Single Bianchi Speed Strip in a belt pouch, much easier to conceal than any speedloader carrier.

On the basic pancake holster design I added hammer shields inside and outside. The inner shield protects you from the sharp edges of the hammer and rear sight. The outer shield keeps your cover garment from snagging on the hammer and rear sight, and also prevents shredding of your jacket linings.

I used the Federal 158-grain SWC-HP .38 Spl +P load. Magnums in a 2.5" revolver produce far more muzzle blast, muzzle flash, and recoil than I could handle well, and there is little improvement over +P loadings in actual performance with the short barrels.

Best regards.

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Life of the party until 8:00PM

I see many are carrying light weight mag loads. I thought that was a no-no in a K frame.

The now-neutered current SAAMI-spec 357 Magnum loads (36K PSI rating) won't do harm to K-frame 357 Magnum revolvers. The older ammo that ran 42K PSI might strain them after a while, and weren't much fun to fire in K-frames anyway.

This is per the Factory to my agency when we added the 357 Magnum to our approved-ammo list in 1994. Same story for the J-frame 357s, current SAAMI-spec won't hurt them. I don't enjoy the ammo in a J-frame, but that's another story.

Our carry load is the W-W 158 grain JHP, BTW.

When I got into the LEO bizness in 1977, the K-frame 357 Magnum was THE revolver to own and run. Period. Pythons got a little love, too--but I couldn't eat and own one at the same time. At the time, 38 Special +P was the authorized ammo, and it was a good match for the 13/65/19/66 platform. MANY deputies carried a 4" 19 or 66 in uniform, then used a 2.5" version off-duty or in plainclothes. If you liked to shoot targets or hunt, the 6" was around, too.

I never really "got" the idea of a 2.5"-barrelled Magnum until I had a chance to run a Model 13 x 3" that a range rat buddy of mine from FBI let me borrow for a time in the mid-1980s. THAT THING WORKED. Very well.

I had that in mind earlier this year when a Model 19 x 2.5" became available at a good price. I snagged it, and a Bianchi #7 hip holster followed soon thereafter.

Just like the Model 13, to 25 yards I can't miss with this revolver. Running my carry loads or loads that duplicate same, the short maggie is all a retired lawdog really needs.

My prejudice, for the record--had my agency approved the 357 Magnum in 1987 at the same time they added autopistols, I wouldn't have switched platform type to bottom-feeders. I would have just done an ammo upgrade in the 686 and called it good.

I own and carry both the 19 and 66 in 2.5". I find the Bianchi Model 100 Professional Holster to be extremely comfortable. It even has an extension so you don't get the hammer biting into you. I usually carry one Safariland speedloader and one Bianchi speedstrip. My carry ammuntion is Corbon DPX .357 Magnum. It's a medium power load and not hard to handle. I have the now discontinued Uncle Mike's boot grips on them. Six rounds is plenty if you can hit what you are aiming at.

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Loyalty Above All.. but Honor

I carry a model 637 with +P loads in a Blackhawk holster. I love the 637 because it is so light and concealable and the Blackhawk holster is the best J frame holster out there.

My current daily carry is a 2.5 in. bbl 66-5 in a Don Hume 715. Ammo is Hornady 140 gr. LEVERevolution. I'm thinking about switching to a Blade Tech IWB for it. The hammer digs into my side a little when I'm sitting. Although I have a sheet of kydex, so I'm thinking of fabbing up my own.

I had and acted on the option of purchasing my last revolver that was issued to me by the State. A Model 19 2.5" that has never had a Magnum round through it. It was issued NIB to me.

I carry it occasionally with Buffalo Bore 38+Ps 158 LSWCHPs in a Galco Speedmaster rig with a spare six in a belt slide and a Safariland speedloader, split six on the belt.

It's all I need for a carry piece.

I am surprised no one mentioned carrying a 19/66 in a pocket holster. Am I the only one that does this? I carry my 2.5 66 in a Mika Pocket holster. My 66 has the S&W smooth Goncalo Alves combat grips. A tad big for concealed carry, but I make it work for me.You just have to make sure your pocket is deep enough to hide the grips, or if not, make sure your top garment covers your front pocket.

Works for me every time.

I also carry my G20 and Para Ord 1911 Officers model in this fashion. For the G20, I use a Alabama pocket holster (Kydex), since it does a great job of safely protecting the trigger guard with Kydex.

Talk about deep pockets!!

Bad theory in my opinion. I'll admit that the only reason I carry a J-Frame is because I'm too lazy to dress to properly carry a high-cap semi-auto. The high capacity semi-auto is a better gun to carry. The J-Frame isn't a good gun because it's all you need for any shooting you're likely to get into that you can't flee from. It's a good gun because it's better than nothing and it might be good enough for most shootings and you're more likely to carry it.

Smith 19 verses Smith 66 is a valid question. I think for the most people it comes down to "I don't want to get holster wear on my blue guns". To me it comes down to the individual revolver. Most of the time I find the fit and finish of the 19 better overall than the 66. I have owned both that were outstanding. If I had a particular 66 or 19 that just felt, looked and shoot extra special to me, that is the one I would carry.

As for me, it becomes a weight issue. I personally would rather carry my Glock 23 with 14 rounds than my 3" 66 with 6 rounds. Most of my wheelguns serve in a back-up role. I'm also taking a hard look at the nightguard series due to the weight factor.

But that's me. You need to decide what form of carry works for you and whether you feel comfortable carry 6 on the hip.

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Watch & Pray

As mentioned in a previous post I carried my 66-1, 2.5" a lot many years ago. When the weather allows, the old Bianchi #9 under a light jacket is great. I'm pretty sure they don't make that holster any more, so you would have to look long and hard for a good used one. And there were a lot of gripes about the reach to the gun, but, with training to lean forward as you reached across you will get used to it. It conceals very well.

I've always said, "The colder it gets, the bigger the gun you can carry"!

Although no 1 gun suites my every need...
When the choice is between the M66 and the M19 I prefer the SS m66 for its better finish durability.

When traveling in a less than friendly part of town I opt for magnum loads in my 2.5" M66-1 in a Bianchi #5 open bottom holster or a Bianchi #5 BHL closed bottom holster .

When Magnum force is not exactly necessary my 2" S&W Model 12-3 snub carrys 6 rounds of 38 special and is much lighter than the M66,
Then again if .38 sp is OK I might as well carry my S&W Model 37.

When it comes down to it, I carry my 66 2.5 no dash most of the time. Usually in a Don Hume JIT owb holster. That's about as good as it gets in my opinion.