Customer Reviews for Smith & Wesson Model 66 Combat Magnum 357 Magnum Revolver

Awesome Gun and Awesome service from Buds always…

Buds Guns - A 5 Star. Good price, great service, prompt shipping, easy to do business with Smith & Wesson Model 66 2.75” - 000 Hammer strike needs 36oz for any/all magnum primers. This revolver had 58 oz…WAY too much mainspring tension. Also sear “fitted” with chainsaw way too short. Resulted in very heavy jump at beginning of DA trigger pull. After buying and correctly fitting new mainspring, strain screw, rebound spring, and sear revolver is now serviceable. Have to assume gun assembled by individual with minimal training relying on MIM parts “uniformity” to compensate for lack of knowledge of revolver function and lacking of all fitting expertise.

I bought this because I read they were to be discontinued so I wanted to have the “classic 357 snub” even though they are not so snubby anymore. Gun arrived and the stainless finish is more gray as it is a dull almost flat finish. The black parts make an interesting offset to the gray but I wonder about rust. Time will tell. The gun timed well and it is tightly fitted and looks good. The DA trigger is a bit heavy but that is easy to fix or maybe just let it loosen with use. There is no longer a lock at the end of ejector rod and it now has a ball detent in the frame that latches to the yoke. It locks up very snugly. I am “old school” (70 years old) and these changes are a little hard to get used to. I took the horrid rubber grips off and put wood grips on. (More old school!) I like it and will keep it.

This is the best revolver i have ever owned. D/A pull is very heavy at first, but loosens up a bit with time. Stock grips are comfy, but i changed them to something smoother to avoid shirt hang up when concealed. Just a beautiful firearm!

In my view, this Model 66-8 is just about the perfect carry revolver. Larger and heavier than S&W J-frame revolvers to be sure, the 2 3/4” 66 is still concealable in a decent holster, and weighty enough to mitigate the recoil from full-house magnum loads. The double-action trigger pull is heavy but manageable. Training to become accustomed to this feature rather than tuning it to be lighter might serve a person well in the longer term, and in any eventuality. The example I received from Buds has proved to be very accurate, perfect in its build, with no cosmetic or functional defects. The contrasting black trigger, sights, top strap, and cylinder release compliment the satin stainless finish. It’s stout but reasonably compact, and feels right in hand. The new ball detent in the crane works well. When cocked, the cylinder locks tighter than any other S&W revolver I’ve owned. All in all, I think it’s hard to find a revolver better suited to personal protection.

Smith & Wesson, K frame, .357 mag, stainless; truly the best of all factors and truly "the holy grail of revolvers" as Hickok45 describes it. The reason I gave it 4 stars because it had a major burr along inside edge of the frame above the cylinder. But after investing 2 minutes with a fine file, the burr was gone and I was the happy owner of a Model 66! I would recommend the 66 to anyone looking for a great all around revolver.

The purchase of the Model 66 was my fourth purchase from Bud’s Gun Shop in the past six months. Each purchase and delivery to my FFL was seamless and professionally handled by Bud’s. The 66 arrived in mostly excellent condition except that the cylinder release button did not perform correctly. Since I have been waiting for this gun for months I decided to accept delivery of the revolver at my FFL and opted to contact S&W for warranty repair. I rate all my dealings with Bud’s five stars but am disappointed with S&W for poor final inspection and up to thirty day turnaround for warranty repair on a brand new revolver.

I have wanted a revolver for a long time. No one in my area has any available. I put it on a wish list with Buds Guns. Took a few months but I was notified it was available and i “pulled the trigger”. Couldn’t e happier with the ease if the transaction or the revolver.

Very nice revolver, very good single action , heavy double action. I rated it a 4 because of the double action.

Fantastic revolver and handles full house magnum rounds very well and yet concealable. Great service from Buds as always!

Excellent wheel gun. Very accurate and comfortable to carry.
Been carrying it everyday for the last few months. Recoil is controllable due to the weight.

Wow! What a great gun! I bought the 66 for no reason other than to just add to the collection and I’m glad I did. Great size. Great weight. It just balances well in my hand. Recoil isn’t a problem. However it does have a few downsides. The trigger is unreasonably heavy. It’s not the worst and it is manageable, but there’s no reason it shouldn’t be lighter out of the box. Also, for me the rear sight blade is cut a little low and not optimal for me to easily pick up the sight picture quickly. Both problems are easily fixed with after market parts. Great gun.

The “Combat Magnum”. Not sure if I like the new style barrel. But. The trigger pull is insane. 18lbs. Very “non-combat”

This gun rocks! Even the FFL said 'Good Choice'. Beautiful fit and finish. Thanks Buds!!!

Fast shipping from Buds. Revolver is perfect.

What can I say. My new SW 66 from buds was flawless. I have not taken it to range yet but this review I am writing is about buds online buying experience and everything went smooth. Even had my FFL inspected for me before I took it home. FFL said gun look flawless. Love buds online that I ordered another gun from them. Thank you buds for beautiful gun and saved some money too.

I’ll try to keep this short and sweet. The model 66 357 Combat Magnum met all my expectations it’s a beautiful handgun fit and finish is top notch. The double action is good,and the single action is probably the best trigger pull I’ve ever felt on any handgun or any weapon for that matter and I never keep a stock trigger. Buds pricing was $100 cheaper on this revolver than anywhere else I could find it and the layaway option sealed the deal.

Trigger is heavy. This is my third S&W revolver (first K frame) and even after a trigger job still slightly heavier than the rest. Polished everything, changed rebound spring and re-contoured the mainspring. Still trying to figure out why. But overall it's a Smith, what else needs to be said. Handles 38 spec very well, 357 mag a little snappy, but very manageable. It is a smaller lighter gun so this is to be expected. Sights right on from the factory, very accurate and easy to handle.

Had several of these when I was much younger. These are even better today! It's a S&W revolver!! What can you say? Great handguns. Also, look at one of the newer S&W 686 Plus in a 3" barrel. These are even better!

Quite possibly the perfect carry revolver, nice weight and feel. This revolver, like most all S&W's, feels great in your hand and picking up the front sight is natural. SA is very nice and crisp, DA is a bit heavy for me but that is easy to slick up. Overall, I love this revolver and consider it a great addition to my Smith & Wesson collection.

I love S&W revolvers and compete with several. This short-barrel 66 I recently purchased from you is the best carry gun for me. Great price, great service, fast shipping. Will always consider Buds first.

i am very pleased to have been able to trade out of one hand gun, and use that credit to buy another one. The process was very smooth, and timely. I would surely use Bud's to purchase another weapon. Thank you Donals Parrillo

I bought this as part of a trade deal with Buds and just received it through my FFL today. Everything went smooth as usual. I put a Houge Bantam grip on it right away and shot about 40-50 rounds, mostly home brew .38+Ps and a few full power mags. Shoots like a dream and as accurate as my 3" 686 only a little lighter. Perfect size and weight for a general purpose revolver and recoil is very manageable with full power loads. Has a nice brush finish, which I actually like more than the bright shiny finish. It doesn`t show on the image but the hammer, cylinder release knob and ejector rod are black which really accents it`s appearance. Another flawless deal with Bud`s and another beautiful Smith and Wesson. Life is good...

Picked up my Model 66 from my FFL on Thursday. Perfect condition, no complaints. Today is Saturday and put about 100 rounds mostly PMC 357 and about 12 rounds Remington 38SP. Very accurate and balanced gun. I like the balance better than my 686 and it's a little lighter too. I installed some Eagle Bantam grips as soon as I got it and the recoil is pretty mellow. Really like this thing and highly recommend it.