A S&W Mod. 66

patrick kelly · December 05, 2008, 11:49

I just picked this one up yesterday: a 2.5 Model 66 no dash. The fugly rubber Hogues will be replaced, but otherwise it's very tight and in excellent shape.

BlueDuck · December 05, 2008, 13:19

Nice looking heater....I'd leave it as is unless those grips just do not fit your hands.

patrick kelly · December 05, 2008, 17:00

Quote:

Originally posted by BlueDuck
Nice looking heater....I'd leave it as is unless those grips just do not fit your hands.

Thanks, and the grips are going. I don't tolerate rubber grips on any firearm, for both aesthetic and practical reasons. Soft and squishy has no place on a handgun.

crash65 · December 05, 2008, 17:32

I got me one of them. Love it, one of the best shooting .357's I own. I sent mine to Magnum Gunsmithing for a trigger job. Now I love it even more. Here is the link to my review, if you are interested in that sort of thing.

Trigger Job Review

crash

Deltaten · December 05, 2008, 17:38

Hi Patrick...
Know what ya mean about "soft and squishy"

I have had a pr of Pachmyers on my m66 since new. THat little 2+ incher is gonna squirm right outta yer hand iff'n ya go back to those little sq. butt grips !

The Pachy's aren't quite as squiggly as the Hogues and have held up fine for all these 30+ years. If rubber's not yer thing; mebbe a nice set of goncolo alves in the Jordan style? It'd help control that sweet little beastie ...

real sweet!
Paul

crash65 · December 05, 2008, 17:44

Quote:

Originally posted by Deltaten
nice set of goncolo alves in the Jordan style? It'd help control that sweet little beastie ...

Ooouuu, that would real sweet.

Great suggestion!

patrick kelly · December 05, 2008, 19:58

Concerning my choice of grip material..............

I've been carrying a gun for serious purposes for a long time and long ago I decided rubber grips don't belong on a handgun, and it has nothing to do with aesthetics.

My experience has been that the shape of the grip is far more important to control and comfort than how squishy it is. Rubber grips catch on clothing. They also make a quick change of hand postion hard to do, especially if the gun is grabbed quickly under stress. The only advantage they serve is they won't get chipped, cracked or broken if the weapon is dropped of struck on something.

When I transfered to my current assignment I was issued different equipment than general personel and my service weapon came with squishy Houges installed. I immediately contacted an armorer and had him fish around until he found a set of the hard plastic grips the pistol originally came with. While I prefer natural materials in most instances hard plastic is preferable to soft and squishy. Your mileage may vary.

**BUFF** · December 05, 2008, 21:09

The best round butt K frame grip I've found is S&W's own smooth round butt Target stocks. Goncala Alves, usually look great, too!

Second choice is the original checkered Magna stocks with a Tyler T-Grip added.

fry · December 05, 2008, 21:10

im not very keen on soft squishy grips either, nice piece.

xcpd69 · December 06, 2008, 23:25

Quote:

Originally posted by BUFF
The best round butt K frame grip I've found is S&W's own smooth round butt Target stocks. Goncala Alves, usually look great, too!

Second choice is the original checkered Magna stocks with a Tyler T-Grip added.

Not a Smith, but the first Colt Agent I bought new circa '74, I put a Melvin "Praise The Lord" Tyler T-Grip on it. Traded off long ago, a couple of years ago, I found another 70s era Agent. Another T-grip located, and I have replicated one of my first carry guns.

The new to me Agent gets carried quite often on those days I feel too puny to carry something heavier. 125gr Cor-Bons + 2 speedloaders ought to ruin most Goblin's day.

Sorry for the hijack, but the T-Grip triggered memories.

STGThndr · December 07, 2008, 18:24

Nice lookin Smith there... dont really like the look of stainless but sure appreciate it's real life performance. Especially in a "Down the buttcrack" carry piece. My 66 is 4 inch. A duty weapon at one time. I prefer 6 inches in .357 in large part because of the muzzle blast

Regal Beagal · December 07, 2008, 19:11

Man, you sure are makin' me jealous. I sold my model 66 with the 2.5" barrel and to this day I still kick myself. It was one of the best .357s I have ever owned and it was dead on everytime I pulled the trigger. I sold it for $325.00, what an idiot I was, now you can't find one for under $350.00 if you are lucky......Enjoy it....

**MAINER** · December 15, 2008, 12:03

My 2 1/2" 66 has Pachys on it, mostly because that's what it was wearing when I got it. They're not that bad and my search for some pretty wood ones that fit my paws has been in vain so far.

REAL interesting sights on your 66 Patrick, are the origional? Mine has the standard white outline thin blade rear with orange insert ramp front.

Great handguns, but the dang thing is LOUD!!

patrick kelly · December 16, 2008, 00:17

Quote:

Originally posted by MAINER
My 2 1/2" 66 has Pachys on it, mostly because that's what it was wearing when I got it. They're not that bad and my search for some pretty wood ones that fit my paws has been in vain so far.

REAL interesting sights on your 66 Patrick, are the origional? Mine has the standard white outline thin blade rear with orange insert ramp front.

Great handguns, but the dang thing is LOUD!!

The sights are aftermarket, made by Meprolight. I put an identical set on a duty weapon years ago and they work pretty well.

This one is indeed loud, especially with the magnaporting.

**BUFF** · December 16, 2008, 07:11

The short (3 inches or less) .357 Magnum revolvers do indeed make a really, really loud noise when fired, also mucho muzzle blast and tremendous flash with most Magnum loads.

In about 1975, I was really proud of a 2-1/2 inch nickel plated Model 19 I had just bought. The same gun as Patrick's but in carbon steel and gleemingly plated instead of stainless alloy. An old buddy and I went fishing and coyote hunting at Flaming Gorge Reservoir, on the Utah/Wyoming border, one fall weekend. I took the S&W M-19 along.

The first night out, we spent coyote hunting, driving, walking, blowing a wounded rabbit call, till we were beat to death. We drove back to our lake-side campsite, built a small fire, made up some hot chocolate and ate a sandwich, then crawled into the shell-topped bed of Dave's pickup truck and climbed into our sleeping bags about 5:00 a.m.

Hadn't been laying down for even ten minutes when movement out the open back of the truck caught my eye. Snooping and sniffing around the almost-out campfire was the target of our earlier endeavors, Wile E. Coyote!

I nudged Dave and he looked at the hairy dog. Our heads were at the cab end of the bed, our feet at the tailgate end. It was an insult, us wandering all over the countryside looking to whack a coyote and nuttin', then one of the sneaky varmints slinks into camp to steal sumpthin'!

With a fluid movement, I grabbed my short barreled S&W and took aim at the 'yote. Dave plugged his ears with his fingers. I decided to shoot double action, so the cocking noise wouldn't scare the alert rascal.

The sixgun was loaded with Winchester-Western 125 grain hollowpoint Magnums, a pretty stout load. I got a sight picture, right on the dog's front shoulder, and pressed the trigger...

BLAAAAAAAMMMMM!!!!!! I thought the truck's gas tank had exploded! The world went white, then yellow, then I began to see stars. The crack of the shot and the concussion of the round confined in the small enclosure totally deafened me. I could hear nothing. I thought, just for a minute, that we were dead!

It took about 20 minutes for my vision to return enough to see the dead coyote and the campfire. It took a couple hours before I could hear Dave yelling at me. Lip reading, I believed him to be congratulating me on a fine shot. Later he told me he was calling me a stupid asshole.

My ears were still ringing when I got home 2 days later.

Yes, indeed, Magnum gunfire from a short barreled handgun in a confined space is indeed an educational experience!

Enjoy that 66, Patrick!

**MAINER** · December 16, 2008, 08:54

Good story Buff,

The 66 is a great carry piece, but I always thought that if I had to use it, I'd just show it to 'em and urge 'em to surrender for the sake of everybody's hearing.

Patrick: Thanks for the info on the sights. Just picked up a Meprolight brochure, but am looking at the 1911 stuff.

patrick kelly · December 16, 2008, 13:19

Years ago I had a "serious social encounter" inside a convenience store that involved firing multiple .357 rounds at a disenfranchized member of society who was trying to perforate me with a 9mm. It was quite a while before my ears quit ringing.

This one is serving primarily as a house gun, as such it's loaded with 38+P Gold Dot loads. These are low-flash and far more manageable for other family members to handle.

I could have lived without the tritium sights or the magnaporting, but the entire package was sweet enough to sway me. I've shot my standard .357 handload out of this one: a 158 grain LSWC at 1150-1200 fps. Accuracy is very good and the muzzle blast and recoil are magnumized but acceptable. The magnaporting does do an effective job of holding the muzzle down but does increase the perceived muzzle blast, so its effectivness is a bit of a trade-off.

Timber Wolf · December 16, 2008, 18:37

Y'all are killing me, Pat with a sweet pistol and Buff with a really funny story. Great thread.

**bykerhd** · December 16, 2008, 19:36

Thanks for the great story BUFF.
I think you just cured my itch for one of those short barrel bad boys.

STGThndr · December 17, 2008, 02:27

Pat- Again, very sweet revolver there, a real "keeper" in my book. I personally lusted after one for about 20 years after using a 66 with a 6 inch bbl that a dear late buddy had. I actually liked his better than my 4" Python for some reason. Finally was able to "justify" the expenditure for a slightly used 4 incher as a duty weapon. Very nice and less to "lug" than my Python, and it came with both finger-ribbed rubber and the original big honking Smith wood grips. They look nice but they are just lugs. Someday I may find a pair of those "Jordan" style grips for it... Needless to say, the wood comes off and the rubber comes out when it's shootin time!~ Nice revolver, you won't regret hangin on to it! Oh, Buff.... wuz wunderin what kinda hearin aid you use these days

Thanks for the cautionary tale- suppose many of us have a similar tale filed under the "Not Wisest Moves Made" set of experiences. Ya made an old goat smile!

patrick kelly · December 17, 2008, 19:01

Thanks STG,

My prefered .357 is an S&W Mod. 27, the latest of which I've posted in another thread. I carried one as a duty weapon at one time and favored it over my Python, which I found to be over-rated. I found the extra weight of the 27 to be a benifit when shooting anum loads and the bigger frame fits my large hands well.

I've replaced the Hogues on the 66 with some Ahrends grips made from cocobolo, I'll post photos when I get the chance. They fit my hand well and provide good control when shooting. All in all a keeper.

bill3542 · December 17, 2008, 19:32

the S&W 66 are great, I've had a 6 inch for over 20 years and wont part with it.

Dad give me his old S&W mod 28 .357 a few months ago. the big N frames are a thing of beauty.

**BUFF** · December 18, 2008, 02:30

Originally posted by STGThndr:

"Oh, Buff.... wuz wunderin what kinda hearin aid you use these days

"

Huh? Somebody say something?

patrick kelly · December 20, 2008, 20:23

The new grips................

crash65 · December 23, 2008, 05:07

That is flat beautiful

Where did you get the grips? Have to replace mine with a pair of those.

TIA

patrick kelly · December 23, 2008, 18:12

The grips are made by Ahrends and were purchased from Brownells.

AZ Dave · December 24, 2008, 18:34

Exactly what I'm looking for. If anyone has a line on one,drop me a note....thx...dave

1911guy · January 01, 2009, 08:20

I have Hogue grips on all my wheelguns from a Model 60 up to the 629. Love em! I particularly like them on a round butt gun.

December 05, 2008, 11:49	#1
patrick kelly Registered FALaholic #: 6244 Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 208	A S&W Mod. 66 I just picked this one up yesterday: a 2.5 Model 66 no dash. The fugly rubber Hogues will be replaced, but otherwise it's very tight and in excellent shape. Last edited by patrick kelly; December 06, 2008 at 21:03.

December 05, 2008, 13:19	#2
BlueDuck Registered FALaholic #: 5769 Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Fort Wainwright, AK Posts: 1,001	Nice looking heater....I'd leave it as is unless those grips just do not fit your hands. __________________ Toujours Pret

December 05, 2008, 17:38	#5
Deltaten Registered FALaholic #: 124 Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Lancaster, PA USA Posts: 8,500	Hi Patrick... Know what ya mean about "soft and squishy" I have had a pr of Pachmyers on my m66 since new. THat little 2+ incher is gonna squirm right outta yer hand iff'n ya go back to those little sq. butt grips ! The Pachy's aren't quite as squiggly as the Hogues and have held up fine for all these 30+ years. If rubber's not yer thing; mebbe a nice set of goncolo alves in the Jordan style? It'd help control that sweet little beastie ... real sweet! Paul __________________ All or Nothing! Senator McCarthy was right! and as always......FYB!

December 05, 2008, 21:09	#8
BUFF Old Fart Silver Contributor FALaholic #: 789 Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Salt Lake City, Utah Posts: 7,141	The best round butt K frame grip I've found is S&W's own smooth round butt Target stocks. Goncala Alves, usually look great, too! Second choice is the original checkered Magna stocks with a Tyler T-Grip added. __________________ BUFF

December 05, 2008, 21:10	#9
fry Registered FALaholic #: 5498 Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: SW WA Posts: 3,520	im not very keen on soft squishy grips either, nice piece. __________________ The sea stalks the unwary and relentlessly pursues the careless ... ....o_o_o_o ./\| ,[_____], \|¯l¯¯L-O\|\|\|\|\|O_ ()_)¯()_)¯¯¯ )_)

December 05, 2008, 17:32	#4
crash65 Registered FALaholic #: 7776 Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 232	I got me one of them. Love it, one of the best shooting .357's I own. I sent mine to Magnum Gunsmithing for a trigger job. Now I love it even more. Here is the link to my review, if you are interested in that sort of thing. Trigger Job Review crash

December 05, 2008, 19:58	#7
patrick kelly Registered FALaholic #: 6244 Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 208	Concerning my choice of grip material.............. I've been carrying a gun for serious purposes for a long time and long ago I decided rubber grips don't belong on a handgun, and it has nothing to do with aesthetics. My experience has been that the shape of the grip is far more important to control and comfort than how squishy it is. Rubber grips catch on clothing. They also make a quick change of hand postion hard to do, especially if the gun is grabbed quickly under stress. The only advantage they serve is they won't get chipped, cracked or broken if the weapon is dropped of struck on something. When I transfered to my current assignment I was issued different equipment than general personel and my service weapon came with squishy Houges installed. I immediately contacted an armorer and had him fish around until he found a set of the hard plastic grips the pistol originally came with. While I prefer natural materials in most instances hard plastic is preferable to soft and squishy. Your mileage may vary.

December 07, 2008, 18:24	#11
STGThndr Registered FALaholic #: 14583 Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Southern Colorado mtns and desert Posts: 3,409	Nice lookin Smith there... dont really like the look of stainless but sure appreciate it's real life performance. Especially in a "Down the buttcrack" carry piece. My 66 is 4 inch. A duty weapon at one time. I prefer 6 inches in .357 in large part because of the muzzle blast __________________ Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. W.B Yeats

December 07, 2008, 19:11	#12
Regal Beagal Registered FALaholic #: 91 Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: North Carolina-the beach Posts: 1,008	Man, you sure are makin' me jealous. I sold my model 66 with the 2.5" barrel and to this day I still kick myself. It was one of the best .357s I have ever owned and it was dead on everytime I pulled the trigger. I sold it for $325.00, what an idiot I was, now you can't find one for under $350.00 if you are lucky......Enjoy it.... __________________ When the government fears the people there is Liberty. When the people fear the government there is Tyranny- Thomas Jefferson

December 15, 2008, 12:03	#13
MAINER Old Fart Bronze Contributor FALaholic #: 18465 Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Maine Posts: 6,289	My 2 1/2" 66 has Pachys on it, mostly because that's what it was wearing when I got it. They're not that bad and my search for some pretty wood ones that fit my paws has been in vain so far. REAL interesting sights on your 66 Patrick, are the origional? Mine has the standard white outline thin blade rear with orange insert ramp front. Great handguns, but the dang thing is LOUD!!

December 16, 2008, 07:11	#15
BUFF Old Fart Silver Contributor FALaholic #: 789 Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Salt Lake City, Utah Posts: 7,141	The short (3 inches or less) .357 Magnum revolvers do indeed make a really, really loud noise when fired, also mucho muzzle blast and tremendous flash with most Magnum loads. In about 1975, I was really proud of a 2-1/2 inch nickel plated Model 19 I had just bought. The same gun as Patrick's but in carbon steel and gleemingly plated instead of stainless alloy. An old buddy and I went fishing and coyote hunting at Flaming Gorge Reservoir, on the Utah/Wyoming border, one fall weekend. I took the S&W M-19 along. The first night out, we spent coyote hunting, driving, walking, blowing a wounded rabbit call, till we were beat to death. We drove back to our lake-side campsite, built a small fire, made up some hot chocolate and ate a sandwich, then crawled into the shell-topped bed of Dave's pickup truck and climbed into our sleeping bags about 5:00 a.m. Hadn't been laying down for even ten minutes when movement out the open back of the truck caught my eye. Snooping and sniffing around the almost-out campfire was the target of our earlier endeavors, Wile E. Coyote! I nudged Dave and he looked at the hairy dog. Our heads were at the cab end of the bed, our feet at the tailgate end. It was an insult, us wandering all over the countryside looking to whack a coyote and nuttin', then one of the sneaky varmints slinks into camp to steal sumpthin'! With a fluid movement, I grabbed my short barreled S&W and took aim at the 'yote. Dave plugged his ears with his fingers. I decided to shoot double action, so the cocking noise wouldn't scare the alert rascal. The sixgun was loaded with Winchester-Western 125 grain hollowpoint Magnums, a pretty stout load. I got a sight picture, right on the dog's front shoulder, and pressed the trigger... BLAAAAAAAMMMMM!!!!!! I thought the truck's gas tank had exploded! The world went white, then yellow, then I began to see stars. The crack of the shot and the concussion of the round confined in the small enclosure totally deafened me. I could hear nothing. I thought, just for a minute, that we were dead! It took about 20 minutes for my vision to return enough to see the dead coyote and the campfire. It took a couple hours before I could hear Dave yelling at me. Lip reading, I believed him to be congratulating me on a fine shot. Later he told me he was calling me a stupid asshole. My ears were still ringing when I got home 2 days later. Yes, indeed, Magnum gunfire from a short barreled handgun in a confined space is indeed an educational experience! Enjoy that 66, Patrick! __________________ BUFF

December 16, 2008, 08:54	#16
MAINER Old Fart Bronze Contributor FALaholic #: 18465 Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Maine Posts: 6,289	Good story Buff, The 66 is a great carry piece, but I always thought that if I had to use it, I'd just show it to 'em and urge 'em to surrender for the sake of everybody's hearing. Patrick: Thanks for the info on the sights. Just picked up a Meprolight brochure, but am looking at the 1911 stuff. Last edited by MAINER; December 16, 2008 at 09:03.

December 16, 2008, 13:19	#17
patrick kelly Registered FALaholic #: 6244 Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 208	Years ago I had a "serious social encounter" inside a convenience store that involved firing multiple .357 rounds at a disenfranchized member of society who was trying to perforate me with a 9mm. It was quite a while before my ears quit ringing. This one is serving primarily as a house gun, as such it's loaded with 38+P Gold Dot loads. These are low-flash and far more manageable for other family members to handle. I could have lived without the tritium sights or the magnaporting, but the entire package was sweet enough to sway me. I've shot my standard .357 handload out of this one: a 158 grain LSWC at 1150-1200 fps. Accuracy is very good and the muzzle blast and recoil are magnumized but acceptable. The magnaporting does do an effective job of holding the muzzle down but does increase the perceived muzzle blast, so its effectivness is a bit of a trade-off.

December 16, 2008, 18:37	#18
Timber Wolf Registered FALaholic #: 805 Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Southern U.S. Posts: 2,810	Y'all are killing me, Pat with a sweet pistol and Buff with a really funny story. Great thread. __________________ First rule of gun fighting: "have a gun!" "Guns don't kill people. Daddys with good looking daughters do!"

December 16, 2008, 19:36	#19
bykerhd Dinosaur Bronze Contributor FALaholic #: 2798 Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Burlington Vermont area Posts: 13,262	Thanks for the great story BUFF. I think you just cured my itch for one of those short barrel bad boys.

December 17, 2008, 02:27	#20
STGThndr Registered FALaholic #: 14583 Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Southern Colorado mtns and desert Posts: 3,409	Pat- Again, very sweet revolver there, a real "keeper" in my book. I personally lusted after one for about 20 years after using a 66 with a 6 inch bbl that a dear late buddy had. I actually liked his better than my 4" Python for some reason. Finally was able to "justify" the expenditure for a slightly used 4 incher as a duty weapon. Very nice and less to "lug" than my Python, and it came with both finger-ribbed rubber and the original big honking Smith wood grips. They look nice but they are just lugs. Someday I may find a pair of those "Jordan" style grips for it... Needless to say, the wood comes off and the rubber comes out when it's shootin time!~ Nice revolver, you won't regret hangin on to it! Oh, Buff.... wuz wunderin what kinda hearin aid you use these days Thanks for the cautionary tale- suppose many of us have a similar tale filed under the "Not Wisest Moves Made" set of experiences. Ya made an old goat smile! __________________ Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. W.B Yeats Last edited by STGThndr; December 17, 2008 at 03:01.

December 17, 2008, 19:01	#21
patrick kelly Registered FALaholic #: 6244 Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 208	Thanks STG, My prefered .357 is an S&W Mod. 27, the latest of which I've posted in another thread. I carried one as a duty weapon at one time and favored it over my Python, which I found to be over-rated. I found the extra weight of the 27 to be a benifit when shooting anum loads and the bigger frame fits my large hands well. I've replaced the Hogues on the 66 with some Ahrends grips made from cocobolo, I'll post photos when I get the chance. They fit my hand well and provide good control when shooting. All in all a keeper.

December 17, 2008, 19:32	#22
bill3542 Registered FALaholic #: 5675 Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Indiana Co.PA Posts: 1,716	the S&W 66 are great, I've had a 6 inch for over 20 years and wont part with it. Dad give me his old S&W mod 28 .357 a few months ago. the big N frames are a thing of beauty. __________________ BILL H

December 18, 2008, 02:30	#23
BUFF Old Fart Silver Contributor FALaholic #: 789 Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Salt Lake City, Utah Posts: 7,141	Originally posted by STGThndr: "Oh, Buff.... wuz wunderin what kinda hearin aid you use these days " Huh? Somebody say something? __________________ BUFF

December 20, 2008, 20:23	#24
patrick kelly Registered FALaholic #: 6244 Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 208	The new grips................

December 23, 2008, 05:07	#25
crash65 Registered FALaholic #: 7776 Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 232	That is flat beautiful Where did you get the grips? Have to replace mine with a pair of those. TIA

December 23, 2008, 18:12	#26
patrick kelly Registered FALaholic #: 6244 Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 208	The grips are made by Ahrends and were purchased from Brownells.

December 24, 2008, 18:34	#27
AZ Dave Registered FALaholic #: 7882 Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: az Posts: 883	Exactly what I'm looking for. If anyone has a line on one,drop me a note....thx...dave

January 01, 2009, 08:20	#28
1911guy Registered FALaholic #: 25934 Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 1,016	I have Hogue grips on all my wheelguns from a Model 60 up to the 629. Love em! I particularly like them on a round butt gun.

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