Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns S&W 66 combat magnum

That's nearly as close to an ideal, everyday, concealed carry revolver as you can get, just shy of a Model 13 with the same barrel length and butt frame.

My Mod 66 and Mod 60, my two favorite wheel guns

Current 66s have been slightly beefed to hold up better than the old ones, which would wear badly with steady magnum use. One place they strengthened was the breech end of the barrel, which used to take a real beating from fast jacketed bullets, sometimes splitting. If you go with an older one, check that area for wear. Really, those guns were designed for practice with .38s and duty use of .357s.

Also consider one of the L frames. They're a bit heavier, but much more robust and are available in 7-shot versions (which actually have thicker cylinder walls than 6-shots because the notches are offset). I picked up a like-new 4" 620 for $350 when my son worked the gun counter at Gander Mountain and it's a fine piece. Some don't like the two-piece barrel setup, but that's what they use on the .500 and .460 without issue. Most of the current Ls have conventional barrels I think.

Nothing like the single-action trigger on a Smith. Both of mine go off almost with a thought.

Passed on a 2.5" 66-1 a couple weeks back at a LGS I hadn't hit in a while. It wasn't nearly as nice as my 66-2. Shop owner had stars in his eyes. Guess I can't blame him, for what they've been selling for on GunBroker.

Agree on the 5" comment, also the comment on the L-frame if using a steady diet of Magnums. 2 66's I owned....one was a bit "Loosened up" - 686 always was tight. Always felt a 686 6" would make a great hunting package....preferably scoped, though a SS Python I had in 6" was phenomenally accurate, great trigger, but I doubt it would be as durable.

Ben is your 66 a 4"? What loads on the Lions and Mule Deer?

there are not many revolvers I still want. A three, or four inch Model 66 would be one of them.

Sam, Kevin has a 4" in the shop. $599 on the tag.

A few years back bought a 19-5 with 6" barrel. Had the ontset of a fierce care of buyer remorse at spending $350.00 for this excellent handgun. Bubba had not customized the handgun. Rarely, shoot magnums but have made up near duplicates of the old 38-44 loads. Usually, this is done with 357 brass. We were shooting K-frames in a Ransom rest. The 19 out performed a considerably more expensive custom K-38 with Douglas barrel etc. We'll repeat this test in the near future. This 19-5 is as satisfactory and usable as any other handgun I own. Sorry this is as close as I can come to a 66.

Recently, I picked up a 4" 66 on Gunbroker. It was a Georgia Highway Patrol gun and looks close to new. I'm loving it!

I had one back in the 70's along with the 2.5". I'll be honest and say I don't care for a 2.5" 66 due to recoil and report and believe the 66 carries just as easily.

Since we can't use any barrel under a 4" for hunting in Iowa which is also true in a few other states, 4" works the best for me overall.

I'll keep the range and practice loads 38+P to light magnum and hardcast 180's in it for carry or as a hunting backup in the appropriate season.

@OP, I like and own both that you mention: A 4" M63, and a 4" M66 . After market grips on both of them. A 4" M625 Mountain Gun rounds out my revolver line up. The M63 is fun and good for plinking. But, for all round use, the M66 gets the nod around here...

OP, I recently polled a bunch of my shooting buddies - we all like DA revolvers - how many actually shoot double action? Turns out we hardly ever shoot in DA, and thumb the hammer for every shot., in the woods, at the range, etc. In which case a good SA Ruger can do just as good a job for the task required, often with a better trigger, stouter load, for less $$. Just a thought. Doesn't mean I don't carry the 586, but the BH gets more holster time than it used to. My .02. I had a 66, sold it when the first child came along many moons ago, and I miss it.

Those who use their double action revolvers for sport applications, or for jobs around the home and property, tend only to use them single action. Double action is a self defense thing, when split seconds can mean life or death. If you have the time to cock the hammer (such as in a sporting or homesteading type of function), better accuracy is easier to achieve in single action.

Nice as the 66's are I can easily live with the Ruger Security Six, or even Speed Six. Very nice guns as well, one can argue even stronger and you can save a fair amount of money of them. They are also more available in many areas. I like both the 4" and the 2-3/4" is a nice looking well balanced gun.

A decade ago, when I was in the army, I bought a 7 shot Taurus .357 magnum with a 4" barrel.

I ended up trading it to a buddy for a bunch of ar-15 parts and accessories, and immediately regretted it. So the next day I went to the gun shop and picked up a 4" 66-4, and even got a gerber asek knife for free cuz I showed up with a wad of cash.


A decade later and I'm still in love with my 66-4. The double action trigger is heavy enough to give you the confidence that it won't accidentally go off if stuffed in a backpack, yet not so heavy that shooting it DA is a chore. The SA trigger is what dreams are made of. No slop, no travel, nice and light and crisp.....cock the hammer and it goes off as soon as you put your booger hook on the bang switch.

I've never had a malfunction with the gun, even after putting hundreds of rounds through without cleaning, and it shows no signs of wear, even with a steady diet of magnums.

nice.

They started to decline after WW2 and were finished in about the late 1960's. AI have a 1941 Colt Official Police 5" and would like a 5" K-38 or M19.
8