Back in my day, the elderly former cop says, you could tell who the real gun guys were in detectives. They carried the snubnose Combat Magnum. Partly, it was because so many detectives had problems actually finding their guns when it came time to attend “qualification.” In fact, an agency of my acquaintance had instructors noting serial numbers on each issued gun shot during quals.
Yes, they checked them to ensure the officer had the right gun (otherwise, it was likely in a pawnshop) and to ensure detectives could actually lay hands upon their issued heaters.
But there was always “that guy” who carried the larger revolver, a snubbed and round-butted version of one of the most commonly seen uniform duty police revolvers of the late 1960s through the 1970s. You could perhaps tell because it was in a close-riding Roy Baker “Pancake” holster, properly snapped up, with a six-round slide or dump pouch (that most often seen with the telltale end of a Bianchi Speed Strip protruding).
What’s the big deal about the snubbed Model 19/Model 66?
First, it was as easy to shoot well as the four- or six-inch Combat Magnum. What’s that – what about “sight radius?”
I normally get that question from those who are happy to get 38/50 hits on a full-size FBI-Q bottle. For those shooters, sight radius is not the issue.
I remember Charles A. “Skeeter” Skelton writing about the 2 ½” M19. He noted that its reach far exceeded what people expected from a snub, with hotshots hitting distant targets that most people would consider “in rifle range.” Likewise, it was referred to as The Cadillac of Snub-Nosed Revolvers by Sheriff Jim Wilson.
That was partly due to the weight of the piece, partly due to the fine sighting arrangement and finally, there was the easily tuned and smoothed K-frame S&W action.
The sample was a police trade in "seldom carried, seldom fired" condition. It remained unused by the current owner until brought out for this feature.
The example pictured is from the 1980s. It was the “L-frame era” for the department, lasting only around four years. For the detectives, they were issued the 2 ½” M66 instead of a snubbed M686 – a heavier heater.
As the barrel isn’t “pinned” (look for a transverse pin in the top of the frame just behind the barrel) and the chambers aren’t recessed, it’s a post-1982 gun. These were cost-cutting measures in manufacture.
This one was seldom shot – and seldom (if ever) carried. It’s nearly unmarked. I’d never fired it since the gun was sent over in a trade for new duty sidearms in the early part of the current century. I’d owned only one snubbed Combat Magnum – a nickeled gun with a superb action – that I traded off some decades before. I’d never fired this one.
Shooting it was a trip down memory lane. The trigger press was firm – in double- and in single-action, though the SA was light enough. I didn’t adjust the sights, and didn’t need to. The smooth, semi-wide “Ranger” style trigger was a pleasure to use. The added Pachmayr Compac stocks had the covered backstrap, making it a bit of a reach for my small hands. I’d replace those if I were using the cannon for any serious purpose.
Don’t turn away from the snub. It’ll likely shoot better than you can hold. Nice way to make some easy money or win a soda from a shooting pal who doesn’t know that short-barrel guns shoot just fine – even at carbine distances.
-- Rich Grassi
