S&W "Critical Moment" .357 revolver value

[The Undertoad]

So I have had a hankering for a revolver... Not sure what to get though. My local gunstore owner recommends Taurus, which is partially because he knows I don't have a lot of cash, but also partially because from what he's seen at his shop and with his customers, he feels they have a good track record.

But, today, I handled a sweet S&W in his shop. I'll describe it as best I can, hopefully some of you know more about it. The only problem - the gun was stolen at one point, and the Police Dept just recently found it and returned it to him. It looks like it's never been fired but the finish and handle are scratched up pretty bad. No gouges or huge dings that I saw, but it was definitely not in good cosmetic shape.

On to the good things...

S&W, 6" barrel .357 revolver. 6 shot, stainless. Wood handle. Largish frame, I'm not a revolver man so I'm not sure what letter size. Full service revolver size though.

It had text down the right side of the barrel, I think it said "CRITICAL MOMENT". There was also an engraving of a man whose horse had fallen, and he was shooting up from the ground at another animal (buffalo? horse?). It was one of 500 factory customs, I think it was number 29 or so.

The SA trigger pull was fantastic, and the DA was very smooth, no stacking.

This gun would be a shooter, and if I buy it, I may send it back to S&W for a refinish.

I hope that was enough info for someone to be able to ID it and tell me what they think it's worth. I might go back and pick it up in the next few weeks, if it's worth what he's asking in the condition it's in, and if nobody beats me to it.

 

[Warhawk]

Why don't you post this over at www.smith-wessonforum.com

I'll bet somebody there will know about it.

 

[Majic]

That revolver was part of a special series of revolvers made called "The Twelve Revolvers". The sets were made in 1990 for a firm in South Carolina. There was one revolver for each month of the year. The one you saw was the April edition of a Model 66. A stainless steel K-frame .357mag revolver.
IMO they shouldn't value much more than a standard M66, but being it's a limited model it's worth what you want to pay for it.

 

[Plinkerton]

Model 66's are definitely considered great guns. If you head over to the S&W forum, you will find MANY fans of the 66. Many even consider it their favorite S&W. If it's in good working order, you will surely love it.

 

[The Undertoad]

Thanks everyone! Now that I know what model it is, I feel like I can search and find more info on my own. Majic, do you know if there were any performance/reliability type modifications, or are they just standard model 66's with the engraving?

 

[Majic]

Just a gussied up standard model 66.

 

[The Undertoad]

Thanks again, Majic.

 

[Jim March]

Run a checkout on it! See also first post, this forum.

A 66 in good shape is a very nice gun indeed. The "classic weakness" of the K-Frame 357s is that a heavy diet of the nastiest 125grain 357Mag combat loads will slowly eat it up. The L-Frame was a beefed up response to this issue.

BUT, in my mind this isn't a problem because FIRST, you simply don't have to do all your shooting in the gnarliest he-man ammo you can find and second, even if you DO want to shoot nothing but full-power combat loads, there are some nice loads available based on 158grain Gold Dots doing 1,200 - 1,300fps that won't be very harsh on a 66.

OK...back in the old days of say, '70s - early '80s, in order to get a JHP to expand, you needed speed. Bullet tech was still pretty weak. So you dropped the weight to 125grains and got 'em moving up past 1,400fps.

Problem: the light loads accellerate FAST, and hit the forcing cone (back of the barrel) like a ton of bricks. Said forcing cone on a K-Frame is...well not WEAK but it'll eventually give out.

NOW we have 158 slugs that will expand reliably. These start moving slower, and aren't pounding the forcing cone to hell...the slower-burn powder charge behind them gets them started slow but increases the squirt while it's in the barrel...forcing cone is spared mucho pounding.

IF you're of the "shoot nothing but carry loads" school, these 158s are a Godsend for K-frame 357s.

 

[The Undertoad]

Jim,

Even though I have never considered myself a "revolver guy," I have read the checkout thread a few times. But I've never been able to perform it on a real revolver, and I don't want to walk into the shop carrying a checklist or printout.

I just re-read it, and I think I'm going to spend the next week or two hitting up pawnshops and gunstores, just testing their revolvers...if I find one in good enough shape, I might buy it.

I'm definitely NOT of the "shoot nothing but carry loads" school, but that is a lot of good info regarding loads for a beginning .357 shooter. THANK YOU!