I have two of 'em, 6 shot models, bought used and BOTH were KILLER deals and I very much like both revolvers. Now, I've been shooting revolvers for quite a while. Got into buying 'em after college when I got a good job (1976). Bought my first, a Ruger Security Six, in 1978. In 1981, I added a Smith M19. I traded the Security Six and sold the Smith some years later. I had a Rossi 971 for a while, neat little revolver in its own right, though a ways from Smith and Ruger in fit and finish. It functioned fine, though. I traded it off and there was a hole in my collection again that I needed to fill, the 4" medium frame .357 magnum which no collection is complete without.
So, I went to a gun show and picked up a nickel M66 4" Taurus, perfect timing, tight as a drum, great gun, super DA and SA trigger. It's got the newer transfer bar action, but is pre-lock. Of all my 4" medium frame revolvers, this is the most accurate revolver I've owned. It is stronger in the forcing cone area than the 19 was, beefier, and no flat on the bottom. It shoots 1" at 25 yards with its favorite .38 OR .357. It's got as good a trigger as my current 60s vintage model 10 Smith. What's not to love? I got it for $197 plus tax at the gun show.
Then, a few years later, I got to wanting a 2.5-3" K frame. Smiths are out of sight on price, completely FORGET about a 3" even if you find one, not on my budget. I found a 3" Taurus 66 at a gun show. I checked it out as always and it had a timing issue on one cylinder and a lot of crane slop. Guy wanted 200 for it. It had been fired enough to flatten the checkering on the back side of the Pachmayr it wore, had a lot of holster wear, so I figured it was either a armed security guard gun or someones CCW. More likely someones CCW.
I talked the guy down to $180 and figured if I had to send it to Taurus, at least it's got a lifetime warranty. Far as I can tell, the thing is late 80s. It has the hammer block trigger system, still a floating firing pin, though. The DA isn't as smooth as the 4"'s DA and the SA has a perceptible amount of creep in it that you can feel when dry firing and feeling for it, but that you don't really notice in live fire. The DA isn't that bad, manageable, just not as slick as my Smith and my other Taurus 66.
So, I get this 3" gun home, go to messing with it, take the side plate off and discover who ever moron owned this thing put the wrong screws in the wrong holes on the side plate and the long screw that holds the crane in wasn't where it does the good. I fixed that, loctited the screw in, BAMMMM, the thing is perfectly timed and tight! No more crane slop. There is a tiny amount of end shake on this gun, no doubt a pretty high round count of heavy loads just judging by the grip that was on it. It shoots nearly as good as the 4" gun and one thing really neat, .38 groups nearly to the same point of aim as .357 loads in the gun. I can keep either under 2" AT 25 yards from sandbags. The 3" barrel gives me a little more concealment from a belt slide holster and the gun is a bit lighter than the 4" to boot, makes a great all day carry OWB and isn't to bad IWB, though I have to admit my Ruger SP101 was a little better, mainly due to the grip profile. I had a Hogue on it and put a Hogue on the Taurus, but the Taurus is a square butt.
All in all these two Taurus 66s are a couple of the best deals I've ever made on a firearm. I got a medium frame gun in both cases more accurate than any of my previous guns and the 3" is quite a good carry. I like 'em both a LOT.
3" gun in a JIT Slide...
3" and 4" 66s together....
The 4" 66....
