S&W 66 snub: fighting revolver

[jad0110]

Very nice! Here's my 66-1, made in 1980.

 

[UncleEd]

Yup, the Smith K or L framed 2.5 or 3-inchers are ideal along with
the GP 100 3-incher which is L-frame in size as well.

 

[Monster Zero]

Trivia question

Were the model 64 or the model 10 ever made in a 3" version? Just curious.

(Does anybody own one?)

 

[Monster Zero]

Trivia question

Found it on wiki.

 

[gbran]

rcmodel, bush pilot

Originally Posted by rcmodel View Post
Never mind reloads.

How do you carry an N-Frame 8-Shooter??

rc

The N frame 627 I have has a little bit lesser footprint than my 1911, which I have no problem carrying. The 627 is wider, but not greatly so.

I can and do carry in a OWB pancake with a loose shirt.

 

[jad0110]

I also don't have much trouble carrying a 3" 629 .44 Mag, IWB using a somewhat worn out Lobogunleather holster ...


Not really a snub by my definition, but close enough for a pic ...

 

[GRIZ22]

Monster Zero, the Models 10, 13, 64, and 65 were made in 3". The 3" 13 was adopted by the FBI for a while.

 

[jad0110]

2" S&W Model 15-2, circa 1965:






3" S&W Model 13-3, circa 1982:






3" S&W 686-6+ ... Distinguished Combat Magnum is right! This is my favorite all around carry gun, though admittedly the DA trigger could use some smoothing:

 

[Barry the Bear]

I have a model 29 I frequently carry as well as my model 85 Taurus which makes a dandy backup.

 

[Monster Zero]

Thanks.

 

[dfariswheel]

The short Model 66 and the other short "K" frame S&W's are about as good as it gets in a carry revolver.

They're powerful, have excellent sights, great grips with lots of after market grips available, and have an action that can be tuned to a very high level.

Possibleythe best of them all is the 3 inch versions. You get full length extraction and less muzzle blast but still conceals very well.

I like them so much I bought two...one 2 1/2 inch and one 3 inch.
I replaced the standard red front sight insert with a black insert. I bored a shallow oval shaped hole in the insert and filled it with gloss white paint.
The rear sight has a white bar below the notch.
When viewed from the rear the oval white dot looks like a round dot.
Combined with the white bar rear it gives you a "Von Stavenhagen" type bar-dot sight picture.





I build my own holsters.
Shown is my "reverse seam" cross draw, and my latest take on the old Stein Leather Co. "Snatch" holster.
The safety strap is NOT a thumb break, it's a pull-through, thus the Stein name "Snatch" holster. You just grab the gun and pull it out.

 

[Barry the Bear]

The short Model 66 and the other short "K" frame S&W's are about as good as it gets in a carry revolver.

They're powerful, have excellent sights, great grips with lots of after market grips available, and have an action that can be tuned to a very high level.

Possibleythe best of them all is the 3 inch versions. You get full length extraction and less muzzle blast but still conceals very well.

I like them so much I bought two...one 2 1/2 inch and one 3 inch.
I replaced the standard red front sight insert with a black insert. I bored a shallow oval shaped hole in the insert and filled it with gloss white paint.
The rear sight has a white bar below the notch.
When viewed from the rear the oval white dot looks like a round dot.
Combined with the white bar rear it gives you a "Von Stavenhagen" type bar-dot sight picture.





I build my own holsters.
Shown is my "reverse seam" cross draw, and my latest take on the old Stein Leather Co. "Snatch" holster.
The safety strap is NOT a thumb break, it's a pull-through, thus the Stein name "Snatch" holster. You just grab the gun and pull it out.

Sweet looking rig there!

 

[RunninLate]

I love my 66-1. Do not care to shoot it without ear protection. Same with my 640, 642 and Colt Detective. Added a CA Backpacker (Stainless Steel 44 Special) to my stubby collection. The only one that I carry often is the 642 but the CA might work itself into the rotation.

 

[Drail]

Thanks for all the great photos. Nice to see all those S&Ws out there.

 

[Deaf Smith]

Were the model 64 or the model 10 ever made in a 3" version? Just curious.

(Does anybody own one?)

Yes. I have the 64 with 3 inch barrel.

Deaf

 

[TDC]

I like them so I keep some spares......

 

[wheelyfun66]

Wow! Thanks to all who are sharing their pics and opinions on stainless (or blued) "fighting" revolvers!

Nothing wrong with plastic autoloaders, but......

 

[MIL-DOT]

Unless I had loads of money and a big collection of them, I would never risk such an expensive and desirable piece as an old snubbie 66 by using it as a daily carry gun. It would be a tragedy to have it confiscated after a self-defense use, and possibly never see it again, or have to spend more than it's worth in lawyer's fees to get it back.....and maybe get it back all scratched up and rusted.
There's no real upside here when other very good quality but less collectable revolvers can often be found on Armslist for $300-450.

 

[tallpaul]

As I said earlier... but I do love my smith snubbies and if ya did not think I had any I dug up some old photos of mine

They aren't going anywhere anytime soon They have been upgraded with Herret wood grips but the pachmeyers are awesome for shooting

 

[bannockburn]

Gordon

Love the grips; reminds me of those made by Fuzzy Farrant.

 

[wheelyfun66]

Unless I had loads of money and a big collection of them, I would never risk such an expensive and desirable piece as an old snubbie 66 by using it as a daily carry gun. It would be a tragedy to have it confiscated after a self-defense use, and possibly never see it again, or have to spend more than it's worth in lawyer's fees to get it back.....and maybe get it back all scratched up and rusted.
There's no real upside here when other very good quality but less collectable revolvers can often be found on Armslist for $300-450.

Ah, I wouldn't overthink it regarding "confiscation" of gun.
I've had two acquaintances involved in self defense shootings, and NEITHER one had their firearm taken as evidence.
Plus, I'll carry what I shoot well and am proficient with....and take care of saving my own life first, worry about lawyers and such later on...

 

[MIL-DOT]

Ah, I wouldn't overthink it regarding "confiscation" of gun.
I've had two acquaintances involved in self defense shootings, and NEITHER one had their firearm taken as evidence.
Plus, I'll carry what I shoot well and am proficient with....and take care of saving my own life first, worry about lawyers and such later on...

Obviously, I'm not suggesting you carry some piece of junk you're not proficient with, but there are other guns that will fill the role just as effectively, but not be such a heartbreaker to lose. THAT'S my point.
And, your citing of some exceptions to weapons confiscation doesn't disprove the rule.
In most cases, if you shoot someone, regardless of the circumstances, the cops ARE taking the weapon. In fact, I've read here that in some jurisdictions, they'll take all the guns in the home.
And, while that made for a nifty,off-the-cuff comment, in the real world, the time to "worry about lawyers and such" is BEFORE you've found yourself mired in a potentially life-wrecking situation.

 

[RunninLate]

Obviously, I'm not suggesting you carry some piece of junk you're not proficient with, but there are other guns that will fill the role just as effectively, but not be such a heartbreaker to lose. THAT'S my point.
And, your citing of some exceptions to weapons confiscation doesn't disprove the rule.
In most cases, if you shoot someone, regardless of the circumstances, the cops ARE taking the weapon. In fact, I've read here that in some jurisdictions, they'll take all the guns in the home.
And, while that made for a nifty,off-the-cuff comment, in the real world, the time to "worry about lawyers and such" is BEFORE you've found yourself mired in a potentially life-wrecking situation.

PER MIL-DOT: Obviously, I'm not suggesting you carry some piece of junk you're not proficient with, but there are other guns that will fill the role just as effectively, but not be such a heartbreaker to lose. THAT'S my point.

I agree! I have a couple guns that travel with me that I can shoot well in a SD situation but not that good for target shooting. With those guns, I want to be able to put all rounds in center mass at 10 yards. If I can do that with no FTF or FTE, then it is one of my carry guns. Believe it or not, one is a SCCY 9mm. If it gets stolen or taken away, I lost a $250 gun.

 

[Paladin7]

I have a Model 66 in 3", there were limited runs of these over the years, and they can be found if you look hard enough. The 3" gives you the longer ejecter rod, which is a big plus. Agreed that the K Frame 357 Magnum is an awesome carry piece, and agree that it still works and works well.

I'm saying this while carrying my Glock, but I have no hesitation carrying my Model 66 or Model 696 and do often.

 

[wheelyfun66]

Obviously, I'm not suggesting you carry some piece of junk you're not proficient with, but there are other guns that will fill the role just as effectively, but not be such a heartbreaker to lose. THAT'S my point.
And, your citing of some exceptions to weapons confiscation doesn't disprove the rule.
In most cases, if you shoot someone, regardless of the circumstances, the cops ARE taking the weapon. In fact, I've read here that in some jurisdictions, they'll take all the guns in the home.
And, while that made for a nifty,off-the-cuff comment, in the real world, the time to "worry about lawyers and such" is BEFORE you've found yourself mired in a potentially life-wrecking situation.

I paid under 800 bucks for the 66 snub....
The last 2 guns I bought previous to that cost more than that, but were modern, current production guns (1911 pistols)

I get your point, and hear it a lot on gun forums, but determine my carry guns based on many factors....none of which involve possible police confiscation.