Another neglected stray finds a loving home:
It’s a classic K-Frame, manufactured in 1988. The actual model number is 66-3. With this iteration, the recessed cylinder was abandoned, but the gun was given an endurance package to reduce cylinder endshake. The firing pin is still mounted to the hammer, which is the way it should be.
You’ll also notice the conspicuous absence of a lock on the right side of the frame. Some folks get really hinky about that. I’m ambivalent, but I do prefer the look of the gun without it.
The previous owner obviously broke it in quite well, and the rest of the gun has been immaculately maintained over the years.
Smith & Wesson no longer make the K-Frames. They’ve been replaced with the heavier L-Frame series, which include the 7-shot 620 and 686. While the L-Frames are exemplary weapons, they’re a bit heavier and not quite as balanced in the hand.
Supposedly, the migration to the heavier frame was due to failures when firing a steady diet of light .357 ammo through the K-Frames.
Bill Jordan had a hand in the design of the Model 19, which is the blued predecessor to the 66. The idea was to have a lighter version of the heavy N-Frame that would be comfortable to carry all day. Back then, most .357 rounds used the heavier 158gr bullets.
In the 1970s, many folks switched to the hotter 125gr rounds, and the fast-burning powder could cause flame-cutting on the top strap. Forcing cones were known to crack, and the cylinder could lock up as the gas ring overheated and expanded. The conventional wisdom was to practice with .38sp and carry .357, and although this advice is attributed to S&W themselves, I’ve never been able to find a source for that. Still, many folks stayed away from the hotter Magnums, though I should point out that stories of the K-Frame breaking under the stress are few and often secondhand.
Anyhow, between 1977 and 1980, S&W started building the K-Frames a bit heavier, and I’ve heard of no problems since then with the hotter ammo, though I do recommend staying within SAAMI pressure limits (~35,000 lbs) and avoiding the 110gr rounds.
So, how’s it shoot? Like a dream. I was carrying an H&K P7 for a couple of weeks prior to getting this gun. The previous day, I’d shot a wonderful group without really trying. I picked up the 66, and not having drilled with a wheelgun in a LONG time, I wasn’t expecting too much at first.
Turns out, I shot it just as well as the P7 by the second cylinder.
Though the trigger pull is twice that of the P7, it’s very smooth, and that makes all the difference. Ammo used was the Black Hills 125gr .38 +P, which I’ve come to trust in all my 9mm autos, as well as in my backup. It certainly doesn’t disappoint in the K-Frame, either.
It’s funny that I don’t own a single polymer pistol, nor do I have any with rails. Looking over my collection, everything is of a design dating back to my childhood at latest. Perhaps the old ways really are best sometimes.