Picked Up The New 66

[Hopper]

I just love those grips! But please tell me, if you can, whether you think that they would work for someone with small hands. My hands are about the same size as most women I know.

Hello Jeff! These Altai-style grips sort of mimick the feel you would get with a square butt grip, but are rounded off so there are no edges to snag if you decide to carry. The grips leave a good part of the backstrap exposed, so it's not a long grip front-to-back. My hands are probably average-sized palms, with long piano fingers. Not the same size as yours, but I suspect these might work OK for smaller hands. I've been thinking about boot-style grips, which might fit your smallish hands a bit better than these would, I don't know.

 

[Hopper]

Regarding the barrel length, I've read that the 2.75" is where you get the full-length ejector rod. As many of us know, back in the day, the 66 (and 19) snubs were available in 2.5" and, more rarely, 3" versions. While I can't confirm this, I suspect that the 2.75" decision was also made partly to meet in the middle of the previous two snubby offerings.

I have a 3" 686+ that is surprisingly accurate, so while a 3" barrel would have been great on this new 66, I'm completely OK with the compromise of 2.75", especially since it gives you the full-length ejector. For me, it's a bit of a "grail gun" that I thought they would never make again. With well-kept 2.5" and especially 3" models commanding very high prices these days, I couldn't be happier with this release.

 

[Sol-Invictus]

My new Altamont Altai grips. Favorite grip for round butt guns.

 

[Hopper]

My new Altamont Altai grips. Favorite grip for round butt guns.

Great choice, those look nice! Mine is also sporting the Altai grips in super rosewood, but a different pattern with the embedded S&W logo.

 

[jeffrey]

Thank you Hopper!

Thanks for the advice. I think that I will go with the boot grips -- in super rosewood with S&W medallions. Now I just have to find a 66-8 -- to join my 66-3 and 66-5, both of which have three inch barrels!

 

[Groo01]

Groo here
Measure the barrel from the firingpin to the end including the cylinder.
Depending if the gun has a short cylinder or long one ,things change.
An n frame NG in 45acp ans 44mag have the same frame and barrel
shroud , but due to the cylinders the barrel is 2 1/2 on the 44 and 2 3/4
on the 45acp with the same overall length.

 

[ma96782]

Groo here
Measure the barrel from the firingpin to the end including the cylinder.
Depending if the gun has a short cylinder or long one ,things change.
An n frame NG in 45acp ans 44mag have the same frame and barrel
shroud , but due to the cylinders the barrel is 2 1/2 on the 44 and 2 3/4
on the 45acp with the same overall length.

Revolver barrel lengths are measured from the end of the barrel (frt) to the other end of the barrel (forcing cone beginning/end). Or, to the front of the cylinder. What's a few hairs. Rrrright.

Semi auto barrels are measured from the end (frt) of the barrel to the breech face of the slide. The BATF drops a rod down the barrel and marks the rod where the barrel ends. Then, they simply withdraw the rod and measure the length of the rod that had been inside of the barrel. Something that Randy Weaver should have thought about.


OK, Ok, ok....maybe Groo wasn't talking about barrel length at all? OK, Ok, ok....he was talking about, "How can two revolvers (both N frames) be the same over all length, yet have different barrel lengths?"

Humm.....examine how much of the barrel is screwed into the frame.

Mod 25 in .45LC

Vs. the Mod 625 in .45 ACP

Aloha, Mark

 

[Dpris]

No idea what Groo is trying to do.
Denis

 

[Groo01]

Groo here
Sorry late night.
The point I tried to get to was,,, the cylinder/barrel length on two different
guns can be the same when the cylinders and barrels are different.
AKA -- a 1in barrel with a 2in cylinder gives a 3 in length.
also a 1 1/2 in cylinder parred with a 1 1/2 in barrel.
It would not suprise me if both shot to the same speeds.

 

[Dpris]

Still not getting where your going.

The older 66 snub measures its barrel out at 2.5.
The newer 66 snub measures its barrel at 2.75.

The cylinder and frame on the new 66 snub are also both fractionally longer than the old 66 snub.

I'm not seeing the point or relevance of an inclusive "cylinder/barrel length" measurement.
Denis

 

[Sol-Invictus]

I have settled on my carry ammo. It really likes the win white box 357 110g personal protection load. It shoots to the same point of aim as the white box 38 130g FMJ. This is 12 rounds 7 and 10 yards 1 second per shot, standing double action. My 640-1 also loves this load. My model 28 can't group it worth a darn. Plus the round is ***** cat to shoot and absolutely devastating out of short barrel revolvers in the tests I have seen.

 

[Groo01]

Still not getting where your going.

The older 66 snub measures its barrel out at 2.5.
The newer 66 snub measures its barrel at 2.75.

The cylinder and frame on the new 66 snub are also both fractionally longer than the old 66 snub.

I'm not seeing the point or relevance of an inclusive "cylinder/barrel length" measurement.
Denis

Due to that difference the affect could be the 2.75 gun shooting more like a 3in. while being just .25 longer than a 2 .5in.

 

[Dpris]

One could conjecture that the 2.75 would shoot "more like" a 3-incher than a 2.5-incher, but still don't understand why you'd want to add barrel length to cylinder length in a measurement.
Denis

 

[Groo01]

One could conjecture that the 2.75 would shoot "more like" a 3-incher than a 2.5-incher, but still don't understand why you'd want to add barrel length to cylinder length in a measurement.
Denis

As with an auto loader, the usable area starts at the base of the case
and stops at the end of the barrel.
This is the pressure vessel...

 

[Dpris]

I give up.
No idea what you're trying to relate all this to or what point you're trying to make.
Denis

 

[white cloud]

I am delighted that you are so pleased with your new revolver. It is nice to see S&W getting it's revolvers back where they needed to be. My wife recently bought a new M67 and it is a very nice gun. The fit and finish are great and it shoots well. I need another revolver like I need a hole in my head but the snub M66 and the new 3" 686 plus are really testing my self discipline.