My first S&W- Model 66

[Silver]

Hi all, new guy here. I just acquired my first S&W brand revolver, and i'm pretty excited about it. It's a .357 Magnum, 4" barrel, model 66, no dash, just plain 66. It is really nice shape. Some scratches/scuffs on the exterior stainless from normal wear/tear, and it needed a very thorough cleaning. The original wood target grips were dirty from hand grim, but have no scratches or cracks at all and cleaned up beautifully. Overall, it really looks fantastic for what I understand to be a 30+ year old revolver (made sometime between 1970 and 1976 I think since it is a no dash, is that right). I haven't fired it yet, but I can't believe how well balanced it feels.

I paid $250 for it. I know that sounds kinda cheap, but I bought it from a close trusted family member, so I got a nice family discount. Also, I don't think he really knew what it is worth today. It was just collecting dust, so he didn't mind parting with it.

I've been doing some reading about them on this forum and other places and have found some good info so far. But I have a couple of questions for those that know more about them then I do.

1) What are the most common weaknesses or problems with this make/model. Just wondering what I should look for if there is some common problem that they have.

2) How well does it really handle .357 magnum loads? I've seen other brand so called .357 magnums that in reality would have a very short life if all you shot out of it were .357 loads. They were better suited for .38.

3) What .38 rounds can I shoot through it? i.e can I shoot .38 special, +P, or +P+? I figure some of these newer hot .38 rounds didn't exist when the gun was made, so want to make sure they can work with it.

4) Being this is my first S&W, how easy is it to disassemble for a thorough cleaning/lube. I've done a general cleaning/lube on it already, just wondering if I should break it down so I can get to the action components or not.

I think that's all for now. Sorry for the length of this, hope you are able to help though. Thanks.

 

[153]

The 66 is the best of the breed IMO, I always liked the stainless sights. They are a great revolver, prone to split the forcing cone if you run alot of magnums through it, especially the 125 grain loads.

Shot it with +P or regular .38's and it will last forever. If you don't have expierence breaking down your new revolver, take it to a gunsmith, it's real easy to mess up an S&W if you don't know exactly what you're doing.

 

[18DAI]

Welcome to the forum!

You started your collection with one of the best revolvers S&W made, IMO of course. In answer to your questions;

1) Some 66 no dash will lock up tight, if you fire 4 or more cylinders of 357 magnum through them, in rapid succesion. This is due to the gas ring heating up and expanding. once the revolver cools down, normal operation returns.

2) Some claim that the 66 will crack it's forcing cone if you shoot many 357's through it. Meh, could happen, I guess.... 37 years of shooting and carrying model 66's and I've never seen it though. In my opinion, if you shoot nothing but 125 grain 357 through a 66, to the tune of 5K or 8K a year, it might shoot loose. But if you can afford the amount of ammo to shoot one loose, then just go buy another 66 while the one you shot loose is repaired

.
If you only use heavy 357 bullets, such as 158 grain, you won't have any problems.

3) Your 66 will shoot any 38, 38+P, or 38+P+ you can stuff in the charge holes. Back when the 66 was introduced, 38 ammo was much "hotter" than that currently produced today...with few exceptions such as Buffalo Bore.

4) Really no need to disassemble your 66...beyond taking the cylinder off for cleaning. I clean mine with Breakfree, and sometimes JB Borebright on my 66's used for IDPA. I would not go into the action, even with Kunhaussens (SP?) book. No need.

Congrats again on your 66! Enjoy it! Regards 18DAI.

 

[Silver]

Great info. Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions guys.

I had read that about cracking the forcing cone. I tried to inspect mine, but didn't see anything like that. I think it is fine. I know the previous owner shot some .357 out of it, but I think he mostly shot .38 rounds. He told me the only reason he even bought the gun was because it was a nice pair to his .38 special model 67. He said he like the model 67 better, and that's why this one was just stashed away collecting dust.

Now if only I could find some .38 ammo. Found plenty of .357, but for cost purposes, i'd rather shoot .38 until I get enough empty brass that I can have my friend reload for me.

 

[fyimo]

We want pictures of the new toy. The Model 66 is a great gun and I have a set of matching no dash 66 and 67 with stainless rear sights. You said you cleaned yours all up and it looks great and now you can decide if you want to polish it or not like as some including me do. You use mothers mag polish and a few hours of elbow grease and it comes out looking like a nickel plated gun.

Funny thing is most of us shoot mostly 38 specials through our model 66 any way so that it's pleasant to shoot. When you shoot full load 357 Magnun loads it's a hand full comppared to a larger N frame or full lug 686/586.

 

[Silver]

Ya, i'll post up some pics when I get a chance. Good call.

I imagine that polishing it won't actually remove any of the scratches/scuffs it has from wear/tear, but it probably would make it shinier I guess. Does polishing the finish add glare to it if shooting outside in the sun though? Other then bead blasting it, is there anyway to do anything about the scratches? I don't want to damage the finish though.

 

[18DAI]

You can use a Scotchbrite pad, and rub in one direction, with the grain of the original finish, to remove scratches.

Follow that up with a little Mothers Mag wheel polish, and wipe the 66 down with a soft cloth.

I've restored several police trade in 66's to like new finish that way. Go slow, and you will be surprised with the results. Regards 18DAI.

 

[Silver]

Very good. I'll give that a try.

 

[Farmer17]

I like the 158 grain Blazer .357 mag load because it is inexpensive and soft shooting. Its about 1200 fps which is plenty powerful and won't subject your gun to any accelerated wear. But most of the time I shoot Remington 125 grain +P because they come in a cheap 100 round value pack at Walmart and they have a very soft recoil and report.

 

[Silver]

For .357 magnum rounds, I found a bunch of Magtech 158 grain semi jacketed soft points. That's all I could find in my area, so I bought what I could get.

I couldn't find any .38 rounds that had factory brass. All I could find were some with the aluminum cases, which aren't reloadable. Might have been Blazer. I bought a few boxes just so I could try out the gun with that round to compare with the .357 round, but I would much prefer to buy .38 with factory brass for reload purposes.

A friend from work has a vender license and is going to a big gun show this weekend, and he thought he would be able to find some .38 there for me. I'll see what he comes up with.

 

[Swabby]

Not to ride on 18DAI's coattails yet again, but he hit the nail right on the head for every question. You will notice the forcing cone (end of the barrel right next to the cylinder) is machined flat on the bottom. This makes the bottom of the forcing cone thinner. That is where your trouble "may" occur with hot 125gr .357 loads. Stay away from them and everything will be just fine. If you want to shoot magnums, stick with the 158gr loads, and keep the forcing cone clean. I have a model 19, same gun as your's, but blued. I just shot a bunch of different 38's out of it last weekend. The Blazer 38's seem to have very soft recoil. Very pleasant to shoot, but dirty. My local Walmart gets in Winchester White Box 38 Specials in 100 round boxes for $28.98 from time to time. They are a decent target round at a good price. It is a 130gr fully jacketed load. If you're worried about damage to your handgun, just practice with standard 38's and carry 38+P loads. K-Frames chambered for .357 magnum should handle any 38+P+ load, but if you feel uncomfortable about shooting them, then don't. I also agree about letting a gunsmith service your handgun, if you are not familiar with the internals. You saved enough on the purchase price, you can afford it. Enjoy the M66.

 

[stevieboy]

I have a 66 no-dash and it's one of my favorites. Does yours come with the silver sights or black sights? The very first 66s, such as mine, came with silvery stainless steel sights. That wasn't a really great idea because they handle glare and bright light poorly and Smith very quickly changed over to all-black sights.

I pretty much fire .38s exclusively through mine. .357s are a bit hard on the hand and wrist for range work in a gun as light as this one and I have a couple of other, much heavier .357s (a 686 and a 27) that handle the magnum rounds a lot better. I've zeroed the sights on my 66 for 158 gr. 38 semi-wadcutters and I find that the gun is extraordinarily accurate shooting those rounds. It's also enormous fun to shoot because it points so naturally. The trigger on mine, which has had no work done on it, has gradually broken in to become the best trigger on any of my revolvers.

Congratulations on a great purchase. I honestly don't think that there's any finer exemplar of Smith's revolvers than a 66 no-dash.

 

[Silver]

Does yours come with the silver sights or black sights? The very first 66s, such as mine, came with silvery stainless steel sights. That wasn't a really great idea because they handle glare and bright light poorly and Smith very quickly changed over to all-black sights.

The rear site is black. The front site is silver stainless with a red/orange marker on the tip.

I didn't get a chance to take any pictures, but maybe this weekend. Thanks for all the great information everyone.

 

[Silver]

So is it safe to assume that anything labeled as fitting a model 19 4" barrel .357 will fit this model 66 too (form fit holster or square bottom grips for example)?

 

[18DAI]

Yes, the 19 and the 66 share holsters and grips. Regards 18DAI.