A good revolver should last your lifetime and be passed along to heirs.
I started police work in 1980. About 1984 I got a good deal on a used SW Model 66 and strapped it on. IN the 80s the Model 66 was considered the ne plus ultra of police handguns, surpassed only by the Colt Python. Everyone carried them. The city cops, the parish deputies, the state troopers. Everyone carried a Model 66. I carried mine until about 2004, when the sheriff I worked for made everyone go to a brand new semiauto, the SW M&P.
That old Model 66 had multiple thousands of rounds through it. Not only as a duty pistol, but as a woods-cruising gun, and a test bed for reloads. There is literally no telling how many thousands of rounds whet down the tube of that old gun.
Last year my younger son (a Glock guy, through and through) was visiting. He's a cop in New Mexico. He told me that he was in line for a slot at the Firearms Instructor school and needed to buy a K frame or L frame revolver. I went to the back of the house, got my old 66 out, and handed it to him. I told him that the revolver had "push-off", a symptom of a worn revolver. This occurs when you can cock the hammer to full cock, then push it off with thump pressure ont he hammer spur. He said that he would have it looked at.
Later, he called me and told me that he had sent the revolver to Smith and Wesson for a complete action rebuild. It went through the custom shop, where the craftsmen rebuilt it. They told him, in a phone call, that the revolver had left their factory in 1973 and was definitely in need of a tune up. Not abused, just well used.
His next call, a couple of weeks later, was to ask how I carried it when I was plain-clothed. I told him to buy a good pancake holster and don't look back. He sent me some pictures today.
I have to admit, the old gal looks pretty good. New grips, good internals, and a nice leather holster. Who knows, in another 40 years she might get passed down again and make another trip to the Custom Shop.
6 comments:
My first .357 revolver was a M19, the blued steel M66. That was about 40 yrs ago. I sold it to buy a Randal .45acp in stainless.
My current .357 is a Ruger GP100, with a custom action and trigger, and Day-Glo target sights.
I carry it when working in the woods or on fencing, on the family farm, stoked with 180 gr FPHC rounds. Loaded to about 1250 fps, recoil is a little stiff, but the last hog I shot with it didn't go far, and it was a finger sized hole straight thru.
glock guy myself...started with a sig 45...hated that boat anchor...after that it was a G21, G22, then G17...
A great way to keep a family legacy firearm growing. Make sure your son knows all about its history (if he doesn't know already). That appears to be a Sourdough Pancake holster by Rob Leahy (sp?).
Very nice!
Son, here! I'm well aware of the 66's history (since Pop has had it, anyway). Shooting was one of the major passions me and dad shared when I was a teenager. I learned to shoot on that gun, and it holds a special place for me. Being a cop, like my dad, and having been gifted the gun that he carried for the majority of his career is special. And yeah, that is a Simply Rugged pancake! :)
Since my agency was all plainclothes/concealed all the time, I had my 4-inch 66 round-butted to K-frame dimensions and put Pachmayr Compacs on it, so it matched my 2.5-inch 66 in every way except for barrel length and a few ounces of weight. I carried both, almost interchangeably, for almost 20 years, till my agency got bit by the flat-gun bug.
If there's a better full-size carry revolver than a K-frame, I'd like to see it. I'm glad your old friend has a new lease on life.
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