S&w 66-4

[dondavis3]

Hi all,

I have recently acquired a Stainless S&W Model 66-4 with a 4” barrel.



Anybody know how to find its birth date?

The serial number is CAE 1XXX.

Is it safe to shoot 125 grain .357’s through it?

As I researched the gun, I ran across several warnings about shooting 125 grain .357’s through Model 19’s.

I don’t know if it applies to model 66-4 or not.

Thank you in advance for your help.

[Cuda66]

I used to have a M19, and heard the same warning.

There was a Handloader magazine a few years ago with an article about the M19 and 125gr rounds...iirc, the problem of splitting the forcing cone came from shooting both lead and jacketed rounds; the unjacketed bullets would lead up the forcing cone area, and when a jacketed bullet was fired, the pressure would spike, causing the thinner bottom of the forcing cone to split. The advice was to decide whether or not you wanted to shoot lead or jacketed, and stick with it.

However, I have never heard the same warning about the M66; perhaps the stainless is stronger, I don't know...but, if I were in your shoes, I'd do the same--just stick with one or the other.

And, I'd give it a very thorough cleaning before firing; perhaps look into gettting a Lewis Lead Remover to clean the forcing cone first, in case of any previous build-up.

Oh yeah--nice pistol!

[scooter123]

Your CAE prefice falls into the 1996 time period, so it's a fairly late production gun.

One thing you want to keep in mind that the K frame was originally designed for the 38 special. With good heat treating and proper care, S&W found that the K frame could tolerate occasional use of the 357 Magnum. However, they are light enough that shooting a lot of 357 Magnums with these guns will be somewhat painful and they will "wear out" the gun faster. Major issues are head shake and split forcing cones due to the flat on the bottom of the barrel to clear the gas ring on the cneter of the cylinder. Because of these issues, and shooters who shoot in higher volume than in the past, S&W designed the slightly larger L frame from the ground up as a 357 Magnum revolver. Point is, you model 66 is a 38 special that's capable of occasional use of the 357 Magnum but it shouldn't be fed a steady diet of the higher powered round.

In regards to shooting 125 grain 357 Magnum loads, as I understand it the problem is that the bullet is actually shorter than a heavier bullet. Because of this, and the higher velocity, the bullet doen't block the B/C gap for as long a period of time when the pressure is at it's peak. This causes flame cutting of the top strap and erosion of the forcing cone. Personally, I think that you'll be safe to use this as a SD round only but would limit any range practice with this round to 18 rounds or less per year. BTW, if you try shooting a 357 Magnum using a bullet this light in weight, and loaded to SAAMI maximum, you probably won't have any problem limiting your shooting with this round because it will HURT to shoot bare handed. I have the slightly heavier, and stronger L frame 620 and I won't even consider shooting a 125 grain 357 Magnum, the 158 grain version is all I want to take on in a revolver this light.

With the lighter bullet, that model 66 will hit about as hard as a 105 mph fastball in the palm of a fielders mitt, which means you'll be shaking the feeling back into your hand after every single shot. With the heavier bullet, and a good well padded grip, the impact of the heavier bullet takes the impulse down to the level of catching a 75-80 mph curve ball in a catchers mitt. Point is, one will leave you bruised and in pain, the other will just leave you grinning.

Finally, recovery during recoil with the light bullet will be slow. I would estimate that you'll only be able to "call" your shots at a firing rate of 2 to 3 seconds per round. If you want a good SD round, get a 38 spl. +P with that 125 grain bullet. It's won't hurt your model 66 one little bit and you'll probably be able to get your firing rate down to 1/2 second per round while holding a good group. BTW, with my 620 when I was shooting it a lot I could shoot a 3 1/2 inch group at a 1/2 second interval at 25 feet using a 125 grain 38 +P. With the 158 grain 357 Magnum, the best I could do was a 7 inch group at a 0.8 second interval at 25 feet. People who think the 40 S&W is snappy with too much muzzle flip haven't ever experienced a full power 357 Magnum, that round makes the 40 S&W feel like a powder puff.

[Cuda66]

Scooter, I really, really have to disagree with your statement about 125gr .357 being too snappy in the K-frames; I found them perfectly pleasant to shoot (I was shooting mainly Remington 125gr JSP or SJHP in my M19)...I found them very controllable, and not anything vaguely close to "catching a 75-80 mph curve ball". If anything, I felt they recoiled slightly less than 158gr loads.

I do, however agree that .38(+P) is a more controllable round in these revolvers.

Perhaps you are recoil sensitive--some people are--but I've yet to find any .357 magnum load in a K-frame or larger revolver that is unpleasant to shoot.

To the OP--I probably put 4-500 rounds of full-power, 125gr .357m loads through my M19 in the year or so that I had it, and never saw any evidence of flame cutting or a cracked forcing cone...however, they were all jacketed bullets, and I very thoroughly cleaned it before I started shooting jacketed rounds. Take this for what it's worth.

[fltbed]

Back in the day, Remington use to offer a mid level 125 gr. load in there express line up. IMO it was the jewel of all the 357 magnum SD loads. It offered a SJHP loaded to around 1275 f.p.s. (perhaps these were the ones you were shooting cuda?) It seemed to have similar terminal performance in ballistic jell to the hotter loadings.

They were considerably more comfortable to shoot than the 125 gr. LE loadings from Federal or Winchester that were loaded up to darn near 1500 f.p.s. (those hurt to shoot, especially in a K frame wearing those factory fat bottom “combat” stocks.)

Sadly the mid level load is now only in Remington’s Golden Saber line up but I think a few other companies are offering similar loads as well.

Jeff

[fredj338]

The issue w/ 125gr & shorter bullets @ mag vel in the lighter magnums is the bullet length. It is so short that as it leaves the cyl & hits the bbl throat, the bullet actually bumps up a bit. This increases gas cutting on the top strap & throat erosion. The other issue w/ small frame magnums shooting magnum loads is you will beat the snot out of it, it will go out of time. My M66 & M19 get mostly 38sp+P loads. I've already shot the M19 loose once.