Who's a Smith 66-2 2.5-in. Fan?

[coldcase1984]

Guy who used to be a deputy with me 20 years ago but decided to make a more lucrative living has one in fair condition. Got some sort of road rash on the cylinder, other aesthetic issues. Lockup is not Uber tight. Has Pachmayr Presentations on it.

He let me have it to shoot a bit this weekend. Hope to get some pics up tomorrow if weather cooperates.

Just wondering if any of y'all pack one, your thoughts on this model: good, bad or ugly.

And perhaps what you think it might be worth once you see pics.

Thanks.

[Dagga Boy]

Well duh......80's high speed detective gun. 4" ers were for patrol folks, and when you went to dope, detectives, or off duty. That was one of those guns that said "serious gun person" . I have a beater that shoots great. I just scored the ultimate 66 yesterday.....the 3". I have been tryin to get one of these things for years. Yesterday's haul.....3" model 13, nickel model 38, and the 3" model 66-4. Yesterday was a good day.

[ACP230]

My 2.5 inch S&W phase overlapped with my .41 Magnum phase. Good times!

I bought a M19 2.5 inch because I figured I was not going to find a short M66.
Found one a couple months later, of course. Have carried the M19 a bit in a Mika pocket holster,
as a coat gun in winter. So far, mostly just shot the M66 at the range.

I sometimes prefer the feel of the two-inch M15 to the short .357s. Scooped up a couple of those in
the last five years. Lots of fun to shoot and cheap too since I reload .38 Specials with 158 grain LSWCs.
Usually make enough in the spring to shoot all year.

[Chuck Haggard]

Back in the day when most detectives carried a Chief's Special, the guys who were gunfighters often carried a 2 1/2" model 19 or 66

I wish I still had some of those guns that I let come and go over the years.

[coldcase1984]

Thanks, y'all.

Just channelling the '80s, thinking about getting my A.J. Simon groove on. Come to think of it, finding an old red Dodge Power Wagon like Rick had would be fun, too.

May get around to taking couple pics today, but azz draggin from NRA LE Handgun-SG Instructor this week and woke to 25 degree spring weather awhile ago. Plus weekend on-call super, he whined.

P.S. Anybody got the ref book w serial nos.? Prolly pull grips later to check. May be lost if it's an '84 gun.

[LSP972]

The Supica book doesn't always have all the gouge, but its a place to start. I have one if nobody else does; post the number and we'll see.

If its a -2, the s/n should be in the yoke cut-out as well.

.

[Pepper]

Back in the day when most detectives carried a Chief's Special, the guys who were gunfighters often carried a 2 1/2" model 19 or 66

I wish I still had some of those guns that I let come and go over the years.

Yep!! 2-1/2" model 19 and a 3" 66. Still can't believe I let them go.

[Det1397]

The moment I saw this thread, I thought of this: "The Gauntlet" http://www.imfdb.org/images/thumb/5/57/Rutasuicidaavi_002190040.jpg/600px-Rutasuicidaavi_002190040.jpg

[NEPAKevin]

Shooting buddy sold me his 66 snubbie and I threw on some Hogues I had laying around.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-80iKF4pxNNE/VRbh9KsGacI/AAAAAAAAAdc/_TEuOHV6tWk/w958-h719-no/DSCN1664.JPG

[Mike Pipes]

well duh......80's high speed detective gun. 4" ers were for patrol folks, and when you went to dope, detectives, or off duty. That was one of those guns that said "serious gun person" . I have a beater that shoots great. I just scored the ultimate 66 yesterday.....the 3". I have been tryin to get one of these things for years. Yesterday's haul.....3" model 13, nickel model 38, and the 3" model 66-4. Yesterday was a good day.

ya bastad you

[LHS]

Well duh......80's high speed detective gun. 4" ers were for patrol folks, and when you went to dope, detectives, or off duty. That was one of those guns that said "serious gun person" . I have a beater that shoots great. I just scored the ultimate 66 yesterday.....the 3". I have been tryin to get one of these things for years. Yesterday's haul.....3" model 13, nickel model 38, and the 3" model 66-4. Yesterday was a good day.

Outstanding.

[coldcase1984]

Yikes! I tried to blank The Gauntlet from my mind many moons ago. Only thing by Clint I've seen that I didn't enjoy. Sondra was bodacious in it, though.

Any who, pulled the Gripper grips (screw pretty rusty) and S/N in butt is AER7897. The numerals 02351 are stamped on the yoke and bottom left side of gripframe.

The black stamped leather thumb-break rig is a Bucheimer B3W-52 which sports a weighted flap that slides IWB in lieu of belt loops. Kinda pre-paddle paddle...

[coldcase1984]

Brain fade: basket weave stamping is on the holster.

[Dagga Boy]

Old school beater.

[coldcase1984]

That the Compac grip? Prolly take pics with the Grippers and the Magnas off my cherry 2-in. Model 15 tomorrow.

[Dagga Boy]

Does your cherry 2" 15 want to live at my house.....I am hoarding right now...:-)

Those are old Compacs. Used to be in my wife's 65, but a little big for my daughter so she got the Compacs with the open backstrap.

[LSP552]

Well duh......80's high speed detective gun. 4" ers were for patrol folks, and when you went to dope, detectives, or off duty. That was one of those guns that said "serious gun person" . I have a beater that shoots great. I just scored the ultimate 66 yesterday.....the 3". I have been tryin to get one of these things for years. Yesterday's haul.....3" model 13, nickel model 38, and the 3" model 66-4. Yesterday was a good day.

Nice scores!

Thanks for reminding me how old I am! There is just something about the look, and feel, of the 2 1/2" 66. I was able to buy my old LSP issue 2 1/2" for $19.00 when I retired......based on age depreciation. Wish I still had a fraction of the revolvers that left my hands over the years!

[Trooper224]

I've shared it before, but since you asked I'll share it again. :)
http://m3.i.pbase.com/g5/64/521964/2/107284713.tjiRQBEU.jpg

The previous owner added the tritium sights and had it magnaported. The trits are nice but I really could live without the extra holes in the barrel. Magnum loads are a real treat. It's a 66-no dash so I really wish it had been left stock. Then again, I would have paid more for it in that case. It does have a beautiful action job though, so that makes up for it. I added the Ahrend's.

[coldcase1984]

DB, will swap that M-15 2-in. For your beater 27-2 3.5 in. You know ya need it.;)

Trooper, wish the 66-2 at hand looked like yours.

Hadta do cop stuff today, tomorrow is RDO. Tryna bust some caps at The Ranch.

[Dagga Boy]

DB, will swap that M-15 2-in. For your beater 27-2 3.5 in. You know ya need it.;)

Trooper, wish the 66-2 at hand looked like yours.

Hadta do cop stuff today, tomorrow is RDO. Tryna bust some caps at The Ranch.

Had the 27-2 out at the range today confirming the sight zero with Wayne....not a chance is it going anywhere.

[coldcase1984]

Poot! I need a shorty 27.

Took the 66-2 to the Ranch, and it shot large patterns at 15 yards with 130 Ball .38, 158 JSP Magnums and just a tad better with some light 158 LSWC .38 commerical reloads my dad probably bought in the late '80s.

Can anyone advise if the S&W Performance Center $265 Combat Revolver overhaul includes removing endshake and all that good stuff? This blaster would be fine for a home defense pistol, but for outdoor rec purposes it's just not accurate enough for me; that DW 2.5VH I got from my son puts them all into about 1.5-in. at 15 yards.

Here's pic of three shots I fired at the MGM at 50 yards barricade with that most accurate load. While they all hit, the spread was more than twice the size the DW shot the other weekend. Two North of the hammer and one way out West.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v704/elrata/Smith%2066-2%20at%2050%20yards%20Mar%2030%202015_zpsb6rohxzc. jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/elrata/media/Smith%2066-2%20at%2050%20yards%20Mar%2030%202015_zpsb6rohxzc. jpg.html)

[LSP972]

Old school beater.

That looks just like mine; right down to the Compac Goodyears. Mine is P&R, though, 1978 vintage.

.

[LSP972]

I was able to buy my old LSP issue 2 1/2" for $19.00 when I retired......based on age depreciation.

You got raped! Mine was $17…:p

.

[Dagga Boy]

You got raped! Mine was $17…:p

.

I got a Glock 17 and a USP45 for $2.00.....:-)

I also got a Mars Armament 1911 for my retirement gift instead of the big glass clock and pizza party for people who hated me to say nice things they didn't mean.:cool:

[coldcase1984]

Does your cherry 2" 15 want to live at my house.....I am hoarding right now...:-)

Those are old Compacs. Used to be in my wife's 65, but a little big for my daughter so she got the Compacs with the open backstrap.

Luckily LSP never got back with year of manufacture, so I cleaned the 66 and took it back to the owner. Guess I'm gonna stick with the Cherry Bomb from the '70s for snake and mammal defense in the woods and fields this summer.:cool:

ETA: Studying on getting some VZ grips on this little rascal...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v704/elrata/Smith%20Model%2015%202-in._zpsplhjm9yx.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/elrata/media/Smith%20Model%2015%202-in._zpsplhjm9yx.jpg.html)

[Trooper224]

http://i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/016/194/NVFMKBOWTMLK5NOT74XYIVLORI6HPJV5.gif

I like VZ grips, but the thought of putting anything other than wood on that gat gives me a sad.

[jh9]

Can anyone advise if the S&W Performance Center $265 Combat Revolver overhaul includes removing endshake and all that good stuff? This blaster would be fine for a home defense pistol, but for outdoor rec purposes it's just not accurate enough for me

At least as recently as 2003, no. I've done the PC action thing once, on a 681-2 police gun that had seen better days. The trigger job was better than decent (and back then they were still using forged parts) but they did nothing about the end shake or the slop in the yoke. The former I later fixed with bearings. The latter I've just sorta lived with thinking maybe one day I'll get around to peening and dressing.

Someone on benos mentioned that S&W had farmed out some of their PC work and that was source of many 929 buyers' ills. If that is in fact the case (and it could be wrong, given that it was unsourced internet chatter) I would not expect things to have gotten better.

That 681, btw, had enough end shake that when it got hot the cylinder would bind. I was shooting it on the semi-regular in IDPA way back when and if I used magnums it would bind on any stage longer than 6-12 rounds. .38s were no problem. Things like this are the reason why good revolver smiths charge as much as they do. I was inexperienced at the time and didn't recognize it as a problem. In hindsight no one with any competence or sense of decency would give that gun back to a customer without at least mentioning the problem. So I wouldn't send a gun to S&W's PC with the stated goal of getting a trigger job and hoping they fix or at least mention minor problems that they find. You're likely to get exactly what you paid for. No more. No less.

[coldcase1984]

So who's the go to folks for end shake and other issues?

[jh9]

So who's the go to folks for end shake and other issues?

The factory should be fine for routine safety/functional issues like endshake, timing, etc. The regular S&W service department seems to be doing just fine. I only know of one revolver that went back in the last year or two, it was a similarly old 629 and the issue was taken care of to the owner's satisfaction.

I just wouldn't use the Performance Center for a revolver due to the numerous 627/929 complaints and the fact that it's kind of overpriced for what you get. It's nothing at all like an experienced gunsmith that will make phone calls, recommendations, etc. It sounds like that's what you want.

I haven't used any of the nationally renowned shops. Other people here might have suggestions if you want a gunsmith to give it a more thorough going over.