I THINK I got a great deal.. you tell me.

[hexidismal]

Went to a local gun show today. First thing that caught my eye was what I wound up going back around to get. I havent yet picked up the gun ( in NY there's a process and a half ) , but I put down the money a Smith and Wesson Model 66 Revolver in .357. Now, you'll notice by my sig. at the bottom, I don't own any other revolvers, this would be my first. Of course I havent fired it, but the gun appeared to me to be somewhere around 95% , 90% at the very lowest. It had just some blemish/wear at the end of the barrel, probably from srcapes from a cleaning brush. And it had clearly been fired a good deal. Otherwise it seemed very clean. The gun has a custom trigger, which is wider than the original and is jeweled, as well as the trigger face being jeweled. The action has definately been tuned and seemed super smooth and easy. The seller told me he had just picked it up from a handgun instructor who had too many like it. The gun comes with some rubber grips ( although I wouldnt change the nice wood ones ) , and comes with the original hammer, and original box. Total price, after tax was $318.99. So, what do you all think, did I get a great deal there ? .. because I kind of think I did, and I'd like to hear your feedback.

 

[Lucky Derby]

Congrats!
Yes, you did well my son.
Come on over to smith-wessonform.com.
Smith revos are addicting.
What is the barrel length and "dash#"?

 

[Eightball]

Yes, you got a heckuva deal.

 

[DON.V]

sounds like a good deal,but now you've done it. smith revolvers are very addicting.

 

[lee n. field]

The seller told me he had just picked it up from a handgun instructor who had too many like it.

"Too many like it" Must be nice.

 

[f4t9r]

It was a good deal !!!!
As long as you feel the deal was right for you is all that matters

 

[hexidismal]

What is the barrel length and "dash#"?

Barrel length is 4" .. the dash# though , thats a good question, I don't know. I dind't know much in the way of revolvers , or know to look. In fact, I didnt even know what you meant until I looked up the model 66 online and saw the dash numbers mentioned. Whats the difference in dash# 's ? My sales slip only says Model 66 , it doesnt show any dash.

UPDATE: Nevermind what the dashes mean, I found this online
66 1971 introduced
-1 1977 Gas ring from yoke to cylinder
-2 1982 Eliminate cylinder counterbore

But still, I dont know what model the one I put the money down on is. I'll call and ask the seller tomorrow.
I assume the 66-2 is the preferred model , but maybe thats not true .. which one do I want it to be ?

Also, I notice that S&W doesnt produce the Model 66 anymore , but they do make the 64 and 67 , which are listed as .38spl . Is there a reason for that .. such as the .357 not being a good chambering for this frame ?

 

[10-Ring]

You've done well, Grasshopper!

That's a good deal! You'll may only come across deals like that a couple times of week.

 

[Majic]

Price may be good depending on the quality of the action work done to the revolver.

 

[Lucky Derby]

If you open the cylinder and look at the frame under the yoke you will see the dash#. It will read 66 or 66-1 or 66-2 etc. All are desirable. Collectors tend (not always the case) to like the older ones best.
S&W eliminated the K frames .357s do to manufacturing costs. The slightly larger L frames hold 7 rounds instead of 6. The K frames hold up fine as long as a steady diet of full power .357s isn't used. the nice thing is they can be shot with both .38 & .357 ammo so you have the best of both worlds.

 

[hexidismal]

Thanks alot for the info. I'm picking it up from the seller tonight so we'll see what happens. I'll post a pic tomorrow !

 

[Run&Shoot]

Good deal.

The K-frame is a sweet frame size. I think you did good. I bought a K frame .38 (the model 67) in stainless for about $329. I felt it was a good deal as I do not see them on display often (K frames generally sell quickly!) and the trigger on it was excellent. I passed up a couple of L frames that had heavy triggers.

Yes, S&W gave up on the K frame for .357 and now just use the L frame and N frame. You don't want to shoot constant full power .357 loads through your K frame. Many people shoot mostly .38 specials at the range and finish off with a few cylinders of .357 for familiarity.

From the few samples I have tried the K frame seems to have a significantly finer trigger than the L frame. One explanation that seems to make sense is that it has a smaller cylinder mass and circumfrence to index on the DA trigger pull. The grip is the same on the L frame as on the K frame.

The K frame also seems to be the ideal size and weight for females (at least in my family). I know several other women that love 1911s, Glocks, etc, but all of my "girls" like the K frame (with a GP100 a close second) better than the
semi autos and the larger revolvers.

Have fun with your K frame .357 and just don;t feed it a constant diet of heavy .357!

 

[hexidismal]

Closed The Deal, Here It Is !

Picked up the gun today, so heres what I ended up with.
Turns out I was wrong about one thing, it wasnt the hammer that was replaced, it was the trigger. The hammer is an original wide target hammer which was later jeweled. The original non-jeweled trigger came with the package. Its got the original box in pretty good condition, the original trigger, all the original paperwork and ads and stuff in the box , and what really surprised me.. Its got the original factory packaged cleaning kit, still sealed and unopened! I show all this stuff in the pictures. It's really hard to get a nice shot of the jeweling, but I think I pulled it off. The gun is the model 66-2 variant. The action is super sweetened, you barely have to touch the trigger for a single action pull. So, all in all for $318.97 total after tax .. I DO think this was a fantastic deal. Here's some pics, tell me what you think.

 

[asiparks]

You did very well indeed ! I'd have been all over that given the chance. If you decide you like revolvers, go check out http://smith-wessonforum.com/eve/forums loads of useful info over there.

 

[XavierBreath]

Assuming the action is in good shape, you got a good deal.

 

[Dave P]

Sweet! And you will appreciate the pachmeyer grips after shooting a few highpower loads with those silly wood grips!

Dave

 

[hexidismal]

Wow.. Dave, man .. you are too right. Took this gun out to the range for the first time today. Went through a chamber of CCI 158-Grain .38spl first. That was smooth and easy, even less recoil than I expected. I hadn't shot a 38 in many years, and I swear I even had the thought "hmm, this gun is kind of pansy". Then... I tried some AE 158gr .357 Mag ... holy crap .. with these grips on the gun it was outright painful, particulalrly to my left hand with which the base of my palm was against the sharp edge of the grip. Geez, they look awfully nice.. but next time at the range , I think I'll put the rubber pachmyers on.

b.t.w. trigger work is excellent

 

[PinoyInFL]

I think you got a great deal. Just check out the going prices in GB and AcutionArms. S&W model 19's (the blued flavor of the 66) go from $350 up.