Weird Half Moon MArk on Model 66 recoil Shield

[Homerboy]

Weird Half Moon Maek on 66 No Dash-** UPDATE**

Thanks John!

 

[wep45]

no need to worry...............its a S&W "K" frame

 

[beeenbag]

Jim, the 66 in question is a no dash model made in 1974. And that etching is nowhere on any revolver I currently own, or any I have ever owned (and I've had at least 15 revolvers pass through my safe over the years.) A light mark, yes. A half moon actually etched into the steel? Never seen it. And the etching itself only extends to parallel with the firing pin hole. It becomes a light mark, not an etching, after that. The gun locks up tight and shot like a dream, but it's off at S&W getting checked out. I bought it used and it otherwise looks almost new, so I'm thinking a factory goof when it was made.

I think what Jim K is saying, is the "etched" ring is actually a seperate piece from the frame that is smaller on other revolvers and this size on stainless ones. This circle is harded to absorb the recoil but is "blended" to the frame to look like a faint mark all the way around. They just didn't do a good job "blending" this one.

 

[Homerboy]

Maybe, but all I own (or mostly have ever owned), are stainless Smith's. The mark is present on my other revolvers, but on all of them, it's a faint mark NOT actually etched into the metal. On this 66, it's etched halfway, and then turns into the normal faint line on the bottom half. I'm thinking factory slip-up, which is fine. it's not something that you can see most of the time. I just want to make sure the gun is OK. S&W will give it a once over and return it to me, and I'll have the peace of mind I'm looking for.

 

[rcmodel]

I think what Jim K is saying, is the "etched" ring is actually a seperate piece from the frame that is smaller on other revolvers and this size on stainless ones

They must have slipped up and put a normal size bushing in my 66-1 then!

Again, I have never seen a stainless S&W with a FP bushing any larger around then the ones they use on the blue models.

rc

 

[Homerboy]

Update-

Just got off the phone with Frank Smith. he's an authorized S&W repair center. Timing and endshake are all fine. No gas erosion or anything. He believes it's just a tool mark, but he took some pics and is meeting with a S&W engineer this week. He fired it and it's all good. Cases weren't bulged or anything.

 

[rcmodel]

OP's picture with the recoil shield highlighted, and the half moon mark highlighted.

That is not the recoil insert highlighted in the photo.

The "recoil insert", or more correctly the Hammer Nose Bushing, is the smaller circle plainly visable in the photo surrounding the hammer nose or firing pin hole.

I said in post #13 the mark in question was a factory tooling mark left from reaming the smaller HN bushing hole, and I still say that.

Apparently, the authorized S&W repair center gunsmith thinks so too.

rc