Model 66 3 inch

[tj3006]

I have a chance to buy an interesting Revolver, and if it is still available in 2 weeks, I probably will.
  It is a Model 66  3 inch. Rare and cool I know. I did not catch the - number, But it is not Pinned and Recessed and there is no Key lock, Butter smooth action, 
  The Only Negative is that it is Ported.
    I have made it Clear I do not like ports, But I would never shoot a .357 mag without ear Protection anyway. 
The Porting looks very professional, I am guessing magnaport.
  My friend thinks it a a custom shop gun, but it is not marked as such. 
   Any body know of factory version of the Model 66 that is 3 inch no key lock not Pinned and recessed that is Ported from the factory?  
   I can get this gun at a very good price. ...tj

[gsokk]

The model 66-4 was a special run that was magna ported. I opted for a 66 comp f that was sw version of ported. Personally I shot both and the magna port seemed to keep muzzle rise down better using the same ammo. You are right, 3 inch 357 mags are loud and the porting does make it noticeably louder. I’m a sucker for 3 inch revolvers, so I would say buy it if the price is right for you.  

[Lee Martin]

The original 3" Model 66 came out as a limited run in 1986. My dad's friend has one and it balances beautifully. If it's from that era, I'd buy it. Smith collectors pay big $'s for that variant. S&W has produced some similar models since, most notably the 2.75" 66-8.

-Lee
www.singleactions.com
"Chasing perfection five shots at a time"

[jd]

Yes, as noted the 66-4 3 inch guns were factory magna ported. Mine is one of my favorite revolvers. The 3" K-frame just seems to balance just right and has round butt grips and a full length ejector rod. Not much bigger than the 2 1/2" Model 66's and 19's, but a whole lot more usable...

[Lee Martin]

The magna ported 66-4's from 1996 may be the rarest of the 3" 66's. They only made 500. I never saw production figures for the 1986 run. If the trigger and hammer are stainless, it's from '86. If case hardened with a 3" barrel on the nose, it's likely '96.

-Lee
www.signleactions.com
"Chasing perfection five shots at a time"

[tj3006]

Wow !
You guy's know your stuff !
I will be buying the revolver tomorrow. It fits Lee's Description of the -4 96 version perfectly. I went back to the store and Verified that it is in fact a -4 And the trigger and hammer are color cased. The gun is in very good shape, but the factory grips are gone, and there is no box or paper work, They offered it to me for $650.00.
I cashed in my change box and early tomorrow, I will pay off my Cabela's card , and then latter in the day pick up the gun.
Just about any 66 RB Snubbie goes for well over 650.00. So a rare one even with out the box and papers, has to be well worth that and more. And what a practical , gun it is. Easy to carry, I have a shoulder holster for my 4 inch 19 no dash, and a few speed loaders too !
And I like the .357 for carry very well. Up close the double action is great and if you needed to place a shot carefully , the single action on this thing is real real good ! I bet if I rested on the roof or hood of my jeep , a man sized target at 50 yards, would not be to difficult of a target. And Stainless steel, I will get a set of Pachmyer, Compact round but grips.
Thank you for all the great info !...tj

[rjm52]

....make sure you kiss them before you leave...or at least buy them a bottle of their favorite expensive adult beverage...Prices for any - 3" 66 starts about $1200 for a shooter grade with no box...$2k plus for LNIB...

I have a -2 which was the original Ashland limited edition.

Besides the extra 1/2" for sight radius over the nominal 2.5" is the fact that 3" guns have a full length ejector rod.

Don't ever let that one go...everyone I know who did regretted it later...


Bob

[tj3006]

I do not plan to let it go,
But it makes my 1958 Model 19 4 inch somewhat expendable ! ...tj

[jeffh]

Oct 6, 2022 19:54:17 GMT -5 tj3006 said:

I do not plan to let it go,
But it makes my 1958 Model 19 4 inch somewhat expendable ! ...tj

Sir, respectfully, "expendable" is a categorically fallacious concept when it comes to decent DA revolvers.

Maybe it was a valid idea twenty years ago, but today, a decent DA revolver is so hard to come by that any redundancy in that sector of anyone's personal battery is never a bad thing.  Even as hard a line as I have held on my own small personal battery, and for all the cool things I've been passing over or selling off, I do dearly wish I still had probably almost all of the DAs I had and let go, and especially many I never acquired to begin with.  They were s prolific at one time that I (probably all of us) took them for granted.  I never owned a 19, but they were so ubiquitous that I focused on other harder to find stuff, thinking I'd always be able to find one for cheap.

I know you don't need to be lectured to, which is not my intent, but heaven forbid that anyone should take that idea seriously, even if you didn't.

[tj3006]

Well, Jeffh,
When I say Expendable, it is not to say Discardable, or of no Value, more like I could utilize it to acquire something that to me has equal or greater value.

[tj3006]

Bought the gun, but can't pick it up till Thursday. 650.00

[oddshooter]

There is no redundancy !

One's stainless steel and the other one is blue.

At least, that's what I tell myself.


Prescut

[jeffh]

Oct 7, 2022 12:41:09 GMT -5 tj3006 said:

Well, Jeffh,
When I say Expendable, it is not to say Discardable, or of no Value, more like I could utilize it to acquire something that to me has equal or greater value.

I completely get that.  I've done a LOT of that over the past ten-plus years - made some tough choices and stuck to my plan,... for the most part.

Part of my plan was to have ONE DA revolver - a 3" 357.  Well,  now I have two of those and I guess I wouldn't mind a third, because it's such an important part of the small personal battery - it's just SO useful.  I guess if I had a Model 19, I'd be looking for another 3" of similar value to trade the 19 towards.

After I started the "purge," in earnest, all the readily available and reasonably priced  revolvers dried up in deference to pocketable, plastic autos and it has made me wish I'd not taken the revolver situation for granted.

[ezekiel38]

I've run MagNaPorting on a Model 29 4" and on a 19 4". If you're the guy behind the sights you won't see the flames coming up if you're concentrating on that front sight. I run 95% lead bullets and the ports do need cleaning from time to time.