Is a pinned/recessed all stainless S&W 66 special?

[Lucky Strike]

So i was at the gun store ordering my new taurus tracker .22 (which will hopefully come in by Friday) and was handling the Ruger GP100's since that is what I'm planning on making my next purchase. I was going back and forth between the 4" and 6" to see which I liked better (i think 4") and the salesdude said that if I was looking for a .357 that I should look at this S&W model 66 that he just got in the other week.

He said it was a special version with all stainless sights and it was pinned/recessed. Kinda made it seem like it was a big deal. Being that I know nothing of S&W history I'm not sure if he was pulling my chain. Showed some moderate signs of wear on the gun itself....definitely wasn't a safe queen. Had houge monogrip which i think would be less desirable then the original one.

Felt good in my hand though. Just as good as the 4" ruger.

So i guess i'm just asking is this gun indeed "special" like he was saying and worth getting for my nightstand/range .357. It was selling for $399 while new GP100's are goin' for the mid 400's these days.

 

[Hutch]

Don't have my Standard Catalog handy, but most of the M66's were made after '82, which is generally when S&W quit the P&R bidness. That being said, unless the stainless front sight has a red or orange ramp insert, they are a pure pain to pick up. For a shooter, I'd replace it or darken it.

 

[Majic]

They made the M66 for 12 years before the P&R feature was dropped. Stainless sights sucks as light reflects off them which will skew your aim (your eye will look toward the light). First year models had the stainless sights, but that doesn't make them anymore special as it turned out to be a bad idea. So your are looking at a very early M66, but value wise it means nothing. Your salesman was just being a salesman and was hoping to get one by you.

 

[Tom Servo]

IIRC, the stainless-sight 66 was the first, no-dash incarnation.

Collectors would find it more desirable, but the first thing I'd do is get an insert for the front sight.

 

[Lucky Strike]

hmmm...yeah he made it seem like it would be a big collectors item but I guess i'm looking for a gun to use and not collect.


I was just making sure I wasn't passing up something that I'd look back on in a couple years and go :banghead: for not buying

 

[Majic]

Even most collectors don't think much of it.

 

[isp2605]

The first runs of the 66 had all stainless rear sights and plain, no insert front sights. I carried this one for several years while on duty. Picking up the sights with this one is no more difficult than picking up the sights on any other SS gun and they're a whole lot better than the nickle Colt Government Model I'd won in the 70s.
The early 66s don't have a lot of collector appeal, just slightly incase you find a collector who doesn't have such variation.
I got this one in ealry 1975.

 

[Lewis Wetzel]

I have one just like the picture that has had a wonderful action job. I just put a little 'sharpie' black spot on the front sight. Works fine, as what was said about the light reflection is a valid point.

That gun double-action shoots so well it makes ME look like a real pistolero, shades Bill Jordon....well, kind of....on a real good day....sometimes....

EDIT Get some decent grips. The Hogue with finger indentations are superb. Also, that gun is HEAD AND SHOULDERS above any Ruger. Sorry, but that's the truth.

 

[def4pos8]

Aw, stop moanin'! My Model 67-0 is completely stainless except for the springs. I'll admit that the sight picture is unusual but I haven't had a problem with it, especially at 50ft or less.

It's all what works for you. I have a red-dot sight on my Model 17, adjustable sights of various configurations on most and half-moon/fixed sights on my Model 21-4s. They ALL work. Practice, practice, practice. . . .

 

[cpirtle]

I don't think the price is too bad even for one you plan to shoot. If it's in good condition, feels good and you like it get it regardless of collector value.

You will always be able to get your money out of an older/discontinued S&W, they're not making any more and every year the prices seem to go up.

I gave $300 for my snub 66 and would replace it for $400 in a heartbeat if something happened to it. Collecting be damned it's a heck of a gun.

 

[alde]

I have a P&R 66-0 and would trade it for a pre-lock pre-MIM 686 in a minute. I hate cleaning the recessed cylinder.

 

[Silvanus]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but what does pinned/recessed mean? Is my Model 19-4 or 66-2 "pinned&recessed"? I really can't imagine what that means...

To the OP, I would get the M66 if it was my choice. Special or not, S&W K-frames are great revolvers. And you will certainly be able to trade it for a Ruger later on if you don't like it.

 

[pinkymingeo]

Take a look at the pic. Just in front of the cylinder there's a pin that locates the barrel. Examine the cylinder. It could be loaded, but you still wouldn't see the case heads. They're recessed into the cylinder, like a .22 revolver.

 

[MrBorland]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but what does pinned/recessed mean?

Our own Xavier can answer that better than me:

http://xavierthoughts.blogspot.com/2005/12/pinned-recessed.html

 

[Silvanus]

Ah, now I understand. Thank you

 

[Rexster]

A P&R can be a thing of beauty, but IMHO, the truly best M66 sixguns were made in the 1990's just before the MIM parts and then the lock were started. Those were smooth and well-fitted, unlike the some-good-some-bad that went on for several decades at the S&W factory. I found the MIM parts to result in a gritty trigger action, and fitting has gone back downhill. About the time S&W went downhill, however, Ruger finally learned to make sixguns with nice smooth actions. I deeply regret selling an M66 and M19 made during the mid-90's, but have replaced them with Rugers.

 

[wcwhitey]

My pop has a 66 no dash, pinned and recessed but with black rear and stainless front with red insert. Was bought new in about 77 I believe. Sweet revolver.

 

[SJshooter]

hmmm...yeah he made it seem like it would be a big collectors item but I guess i'm looking for a gun to use and not collect.

The 66-nodash is not really a collector's piece. Collectors might like it more than others for the more rare stainless sights and the pinned & recessed features - but it is not really a collector's gun. It is a born shooter. Buy it and shoot it up, you'll love it.

 

[Kman]

It may not be a collectors item yet,,but it is a very desirable handgun. These always sell very quickly on the used market and the price on any S&W P&R gun seem to be climbing steadily, while the Ruger will actually decrease in value. If it was me I'd buy the smith, the price is fair for moderate wear and the money is as good as in the bank, but you better decide quickly cause that S&W won't be there too long.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

I had 2 model 66's. Both had 2 1/2" bbls. I tried so hard to master one of them with remington 125 gr. magnum loads that I wore the gun out. I put less than 500 rounds thru that gun and s & w put on a new bbl. and cylinder and had to retime it. I will say this, the gun never malfunctioned.

 

[logical]

I always thought the fixed sight 65 was by far a prettier gun. My 65 has stainless sights but the slightly newer 66 has the red ramp.

 

[Cocked & Locked]

P&R S&W 66-no dash 2.5"