IMHO, the 66's are not prone to the forcing cone "issue" that a few 19's seem to suffer from. I am also one of the few that feels the 19's forcing cone "problem" has been over blown by the rumor mill and internet.
Currently I own seven 66's, and five 19's. My high mileage 19, is a blue 4" 19-4 with over 12,000 rounds through it. Over 3000 of those rounds were 158 grain 357's. The forcing cone shows very slight erosion, and it locks up like a bank vault. No endshake, and light cutting on the topstrap. I'd say over 90% of those 12,000 rounds were FMJ as well. Absolutely no problems with that 19-4, or any of my other 19's for that matter.
My high mileage 66 is a 4" 66-2 with unknown number of rounds through it. I can vouch for over 2000. Probably 400 of those being 357's. I also ran a few boxes of 110 grain 357, as well as 125 grain 357 through it with no ill effects. This particular 66-2 was a police trade in. It had shot thousands of 125 grain 357 through it prior to my purchase. The forcing cone shows some erosion, and there is VERY slight endshake, and slight cylinder rotational slop. It is one of my most accurate revolvers, and I regularly shoot IDPA with it.
In over 39 years of carrying, shooting, and being around K-frame magnums, I have never seen a cracked forcing cone in person. I've seen photos on the internet. My gunsmith told me this winter that he had seen his first 19 with a cracked forcing cone. It was a nickel 19-5 snubby. The owner told him it had fired mostly 357's. He did not know the bullet weights, nor how many.
Back in the day, my partner and I were at the S&W Academy. We were speaking with one of the instructors concerning the K-frame magnums, and he told us the the 66's were stronger than folks gave them credit for, and in his opinion stronger than the 19's. He told us that the steel used in the 66 no dash, as well as the early model 60's was so tough that it wore tool bits at an alarming rate. The steel content was changed with the 66-1. That info is all second hand so take it for what its worth.
I have personally posted on just about every gunboard, asking if anyone has seen, let alone cracked, a forcing cone on a 66. To date I've yet to have anyone respond. A few "shot loose", but no cracked forcing cones, and none destroyed. One fellow claimed he stretched a top strap and permanently put his 66 out of time. When asked if it was with handloads, and what dash his 66 was, he never responded back. Go figure.
My personal theory on the forcing cone issue, and percieved weakness of K-frame magnums is as follows. Every photo I've seen on the web of 19's with cracks in the forcing cone had three things in common. One - all the afflicted 19's were 19-5's, the first 19's to have crush fit barrels. Two - all were dirty, not just shot dirty, but neglected dirty, with lead buildup visible. Three - all had fired 110 grain and 125 grain 357's prior to the crack appearing. So were the barrels over torqued, or flawed during manufacture? Did the lead build up cause over pressure, or did the light fast boomers cause the crack, on their own or in some combination with the aforementioned factors? Your guess is as good as mine. I never have seen even a photo of a cracked forcing cone on a 66.
I'm a shooter, and carry K-frames for serious everyday. The 66 is my primary carry gun, in the 2.5" and 3" flavors. I keep them clean, and use 158 grain Speer Gold Dots, and have yet to have a problem. I compete with 4" 66's and shoot alot more than most folks every year. I think that if there was really a problem I would have seen it in one of my 19's or 66's. I've seen two S&W revolvers locked up tight by their internal locks at the range, and I'm told that locks are "not an issue". So I think the same about 357 use in 66's. It is not an issue, for me. Regards 18DAI.
Currently I own seven 66's, and five 19's. My high mileage 19, is a blue 4" 19-4 with over 12,000 rounds through it. Over 3000 of those rounds were 158 grain 357's. The forcing cone shows very slight erosion, and it locks up like a bank vault. No endshake, and light cutting on the topstrap. I'd say over 90% of those 12,000 rounds were FMJ as well. Absolutely no problems with that 19-4, or any of my other 19's for that matter.
My high mileage 66 is a 4" 66-2 with unknown number of rounds through it. I can vouch for over 2000. Probably 400 of those being 357's. I also ran a few boxes of 110 grain 357, as well as 125 grain 357 through it with no ill effects. This particular 66-2 was a police trade in. It had shot thousands of 125 grain 357 through it prior to my purchase. The forcing cone shows some erosion, and there is VERY slight endshake, and slight cylinder rotational slop. It is one of my most accurate revolvers, and I regularly shoot IDPA with it.
In over 39 years of carrying, shooting, and being around K-frame magnums, I have never seen a cracked forcing cone in person. I've seen photos on the internet. My gunsmith told me this winter that he had seen his first 19 with a cracked forcing cone. It was a nickel 19-5 snubby. The owner told him it had fired mostly 357's. He did not know the bullet weights, nor how many.
Back in the day, my partner and I were at the S&W Academy. We were speaking with one of the instructors concerning the K-frame magnums, and he told us the the 66's were stronger than folks gave them credit for, and in his opinion stronger than the 19's. He told us that the steel used in the 66 no dash, as well as the early model 60's was so tough that it wore tool bits at an alarming rate. The steel content was changed with the 66-1. That info is all second hand so take it for what its worth.
I have personally posted on just about every gunboard, asking if anyone has seen, let alone cracked, a forcing cone on a 66. To date I've yet to have anyone respond. A few "shot loose", but no cracked forcing cones, and none destroyed. One fellow claimed he stretched a top strap and permanently put his 66 out of time. When asked if it was with handloads, and what dash his 66 was, he never responded back. Go figure.
My personal theory on the forcing cone issue, and percieved weakness of K-frame magnums is as follows. Every photo I've seen on the web of 19's with cracks in the forcing cone had three things in common. One - all the afflicted 19's were 19-5's, the first 19's to have crush fit barrels. Two - all were dirty, not just shot dirty, but neglected dirty, with lead buildup visible. Three - all had fired 110 grain and 125 grain 357's prior to the crack appearing. So were the barrels over torqued, or flawed during manufacture? Did the lead build up cause over pressure, or did the light fast boomers cause the crack, on their own or in some combination with the aforementioned factors? Your guess is as good as mine. I never have seen even a photo of a cracked forcing cone on a 66.
I'm a shooter, and carry K-frames for serious everyday. The 66 is my primary carry gun, in the 2.5" and 3" flavors. I keep them clean, and use 158 grain Speer Gold Dots, and have yet to have a problem. I compete with 4" 66's and shoot alot more than most folks every year. I think that if there was really a problem I would have seen it in one of my 19's or 66's. I've seen two S&W revolvers locked up tight by their internal locks at the range, and I'm told that locks are "not an issue". So I think the same about 357 use in 66's. It is not an issue, for me. Regards 18DAI.
